Peaky Blinders’ Glitch Ruined Season 6’s Most Important Scene

Warning! Spoilers for Peaky Blinders season 6, episode 4 ahead.

Peaky Blinders season 6, episode 4 had an important scene between Tommy and Arthur Shelby, but a technical glitch in the BBC show ruined the impact that the scene was supposed to have. As Peaky Blinders builds toward what is gearing up to be an epic conclusion, Tommy and Arthur’s relationship is a critical component that will be intrinsic to the outcome. The glitch that plagued the start of the scene, though, really left viewers scrambling to piece together what was missed.

Prior to the glitchy scene, episode 4 of Peaky Blinders season 6 began in mourning, as poor Ruby Shelby’s funeral left the Shelby family ruined and in pieces. Tommy Shelby dealt with it in typical Peaky Blinders fashion, seeking out and murdering the Romani woman he believes was responsible for placing a curse on Ruby in revenge for the loss of her own daughter. After finding little comfort in his own bloody revenge, a broken Tommy finds a drunken Arthur in a dark corner of his wine cellar. The glitch started as he joins Arthur while patiently waiting for the dripping barrel to fill his cup. Then, taking his first drink in four years, Tommy Shelby reconnects with his brother after they’ve both drifted apart.

The section of the scene that the glitch ruined in Peaky Blinders season 6, episode 4 involved Tommy’s theory about Arthur’s mental state and the root of his issues. In Tommy’s mind, Arthur’s demons date back to when Tommy and Arthur fought over cigarettes as children, before they were Peaky Blinders. Tommy was 9 and Arthur was 12, but Tommy won (despite Arthur believing it was a draw), beating him and “giving [Arthur] one too many to the head.” Audiences missed out on this part of the scene, with the screen continuously freezing and jumping for a few seconds, but with little-to-no dialogue. As Tommy sits by his brother the glitch ended. Tommy falls off the wagon by drinking the wine, before continuing to reminisce about the family boat, when Arthur stood his ground against the police while Tommy got away. Tommy realized that Arthur always wanted his little brother to win, saying “you’ve wanted me to win ever since.” It’s a scene of honesty between two brothers, both broken through their own demons, but giving each other solace when they’re at their lowest ebb.

The scene ends with Tommy Shelby saying their current position is like the tunnels the brothers dug in France behind enemy lines. Though dark and dangerous, there are just a few more yards to go till the shaft of light. Then Arthur will change his ways, and Tommy and the Peaky Blinders will change the world. While Arthur’s strewn out on the floor at the start of the scene, by the end he’s sitting upright, holding Tommy’s hand in a sign of unity. The Peaky Blinders season 6 glitch lasted less than a minute, but the section of the scene lost really ruined the context that was needed to fully understand and appreciate the reconnection between the brothers.

The BCC did acknowledge the glitch in the ruined scene at the end of the Peaky Blinders season 6 episode, and while it robbed the scene of its intended weight, the full uninterrupted scene is available on BBC iPlayer. Tommy Shelby’s situation at the end of the Peaky Blinders episode is one of crushing inevitability, as his medical prognosis is as bleak as the tunnels in France he and Arthur dug in the war. The tumor in his head is an enemy he can’t beat, but as he plans his endgame, pleading to Polly to give him time to do what needs to be done, his brother Arthur will be by his side once more.

Peaky Blinders releases new episodes every Sunday on BBC.

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