Peaky Blinders: The Best & Worst Episodes (According To IMDb)

Netflix and BBC One’s British gangster drama Peaky Blinders will be back for a sixth season in 2021 or 2022. The series so far consists of five seasons, six episodes each. Overall, the series is one of the highest-ranked television programs on IMDb, with an average rating of 8.8 out of 10.

The “worst” Peaky Blinders episodes are by no stretch terrible, while the best Peaky Blinders episodes are pretty incredible.

Updated on April 6th, 2022, by Rhys McGinley: With Season 6 officially over, so to is Peaky Blinders as a television show, with the sixth season ending on an incredibly high note. It could find itself topping the list for many people when they give their opinions on the Peaky Blinders seasons ranked. It also contains a couple of the best Peaky Blinders episodes ever, according to IMDb, with two sitting at over 9.0, a feat that seven other of the show’s thirty-six episodes share. Not all episodes can be up there with the top-rated Peaky Blinders episodes, and some have to settle for slightly less, with seven sitting between 8.1 and 8.5 on IMDb, a testament to how brilliant of a show it is.

The Lowest-Ranked Episodes Of Peaky Blinders

Season 1 Episode 1 – 8.1

By no means a bad score, the pilot episode comes in as the worst Peaky Blinders episode to date, with an IMDb rating of 8.1/10. Fans get introduced to Tommy Shelby and his family and the grimy setting of 1919 Small Heath, Birmingham.

Campbell is investigating the stolen guns that Tommy uses as an opportunity to build his family’s business and sends an undercover cop to get close to him. Thus begins the chain of events that lead the Shelby family down a dark and twisted path. Even though it’s the lowest-rated episode, it still intrigued fans enough to keep watching for five seasons.

Season 1 Episode 3 – 8.2

In this episode, Grace accompanies Tommy to the Cheltenham races, where he meets Billy Kimber. Tommy and Grace get closer while IRA sympathizers offer to buy Tommy’s stolen guns.

Freddie Thorne comes back to town, which is bad news for Tommy, who promised the cops that he was gone for good. Meanwhile, Tommy must come to Grace’s rescue as she’s left alone with one of the IRA men. This episode, which is another at 8.2, is solid and really pays attention to Grace and Tommy’s dynamic and future relationship, planting seeds of care between them. It also adds more to his rivalry with Kimber that is at the center of Tommy’s first major, wild scheme.

Season 3 Episode 1 – 8.2

The third season opens with Tommy’s wedding to Grace. Everything seems good in the world of the Peaky Blinders, but of course, peace never lingers in their lives.

At the wedding reception, the Shelbys meet the Russians and learn of their agenda, Polly meets Ruben, and Tommy finds himself swept up in another intricate operation. 8.2 is not an awful rating by any stretch and is higher than most shows’ very best episodes. But in the grand scheme of the show, episode 2 of the season where Grace is killed is far more exciting, and this is more of a build-up to that while filling in the blanks between seasons 2 and 3.

Season 1 Episode 2 – 8.3

The Shelbys and the Lees engage in a fight as Campbell scouts the town for Tommy’s stolen guns. Meanwhile, Freddie gets captured by the police, which means that Campbell now knows about Freddie and Ada.

Billy Kimber is enraged when he learns that Tommy has been fixing horse races. Campbell requests a meeting with Tommy after learning of the guns and his role in hiding Freddie. In the end, Tommy can strike a deal with both men. It is one of the first instances of Tommy’s constantly moving mind and genius manipulation, with Kimber being the victim in this instance. The first season did not get off to the most exciting, action-packed start but was a great set-up for the rest of the show.

Season 2 Episode 2 – 8.4

In season 2, episode 2, Tommy offers to help Polly find her children. He also travels to London to meet Alfie Solomons while Arthur fights memories of his days at war. It is not one of the best episodes of the show despite Tom Hardy’s phenomenal second-season debut as Alfie.

It is a testament to the show’s overall quality and that of season 2 on its own that the lowest-rated episode of the season is an 8.4, a pretty solid rating that only looks poor in the context of twenty-nine episodes of Peaky Blinders being 8.5 or above.

Season 3 Episode 5 – 8.4

The penultimate episode of season 3 comes right before an epic finale and sees another welcome appearance from one of the show’s best characters the hilarious Alfie Solomons, who, of course, betrays Tommy after their alliance in this episode.

The episode largely revolves around the Russian jewels, which Alfie falls in love with, and Tommy puts together a team of tunnellers to help him steal. Audiences also get teased more about the past between Michael and Father Hughes which is truly harrowing, especially in hindsight when Michael murders him. It is a slow episode, but in the end, it built up to an incredible finale.

Season 5 Episode 1 (‘Black Tuesday’) – 8.4

Coming off of a typically twist-filled, action-packed season 4 finale, which saw Tommy deal with the Changretta family, season 5 kicks off with the wall street crash and sets the scene for the season to come.

The family is separated at this point, with Michael in America and Polly in Monte Carlo. The Wall Street crash brings them together and kicks off the tension between Michael and Tommy, eventually resulting in Michael’s terrific, arguably surprising death in the season 6 finale. Fans also get treated to the introduction of the detestable Oswald Mosley, who would prove himself a colossal present from this point on. Not the best season premiere the show has to offer, but not a bad one either.

The Highest-Ranked Episodes Of Peaky Blinders

Season 5 Episode 4 (‘The Loop’) – 8.9

Season 5 of Peaky Blinders proved to be another smash hit for the series, with the latter episodes, namely the final three, especially delivering some brilliance.

Episode 4 of the season sees the Shelbys host a party that sees Polly and Aberama tie the knot, a riveting ballet display, and some ruthless words spoken by the show’s powerful character and real-life fascist Oswald Mosley. The episode is full of tension between Tommy and Mosley, particularly regarding Lizzie. Linda also appears in the episode to shoot her husband, resulting in her own shooting at the hands of Polly.

Season 1 Episode 6 – 9.1

There are few TV shows out there with a track record with season finales like Peaky Blinders as far as IMDb goes. Each of the finales is rated 9.1 or above, with season 1’s finale falling at the bottom of an impressive list.

The true meat of the end to the show’s first season – and far from Peaky Blinders’ best season – is in the confrontation between the outnumbered Peaky Blinders and Kimber’s men. The Blinders pull out all the stops to protect themselves, the Garrison, and Small Heath, with it all ending when Tommy puts a bullet between Kimber’s eyes. It is one of Peaky Blinders’ best episodes, despite IMDb calling it the worst of the show’s seasons finales.

Season 4 Episode 2 (‘Heathens’) – 9.1

Season 4, which is the best season of Peaky Blinders to some fans, gets off to an explosive start with the arrival of the vicious and vengeful Changretta clan, led by Luca, and the shocking death of John Shelby at the hands of them.

Episode 2 of the season sees the aftermath of John’s death as everybody gathers for his funeral, which turns out to be another plan from the ever-ticking mind of Tommy Shelby. Tommy reveals to everyone he has hired Aberama Gold and his men to help deal with the Changretta after getting his whole family, including unhappy individuals like Ada, to make a truce. Meanwhile, Jesse Eden proves to be a worry for Tommy’s legitimate business as she calls on strike action.

Season 6 Episode 1 (‘Black Day’) – 9.2

Season 6, the final season, kicked off with one of the best Peaky Blinders episodes, starting where audiences left off in season 5 and coming in hot by answering multiple questions fans had going into the season.

Audiences get clarity on Aunt Polly’s role following the tragic death of the legendary Helen McCrory and also find out that it was the IRA who stopped the assassination attempt on Mosley. The time jump then occurs, and fans see Tommy set off to North America to take advantage of the ending prohibition, while Michael’s role as the villain is established further. It was a fantastic and fitting way to kick off the show’s final season, and IMDb agrees, ranking it as one of the best episodes of Peaky Blinders.

Season 5 Episode 6 (‘Mr. Jones’) – 9.3

One of the highest-rated episodes of the series is the season 5 finale, in which Tommy holds a family meeting to discuss strategies to deal with Mosely. Winston Churchill has caught wind of the Shelbys’ activities, and Michael and Gina suggest that Tommy step aside.

Tommy, being Tommy, can’t adhere to this plan, as fans have already seen him try on several occasions. The episode also sees Alfie Solomons rise from the dead after being shot by Tommy at the end of season 4. The finale is exciting, to say the least, and leaves viewers anticipating the sixth season.

Season 4 Episode 6 (‘The Company’) – 9.4

The season 4 finale leaves audiences shocked: after the big fight between Bonnie Gold and Goliath, it seems that Tommy has lost both John and Arthur. By the end of the episode, it’s shockingly revealed that Arthur’s death was a decoy, and he comes back just in time to end the Changretta feud once and for all.

Furthermore, Tommy takes a little time to process and recoup, but he can’t deal with the silence. The episode ends with Tommy and Alfie’s meeting on the beach, where Alfie reveals he has cancer. Tommy shoots him at his request.

Season 4 Episode 1 (‘The Noose’) – 9.4

The first episode of season 4 is a surprising introduction to the themes and plot of the show’s fourth installment. Tommy is living alone, isolated from his family or anyone that he cares about.

On Christmas Eve, each Shelby receives a letter that forces the family to reunite. John and Esme are the only ones who do not respond to Tommy’s call. This, of course, results in John’s shocking death, which rocked characters and audiences alike to their core and is a hard scene for fans to watch to this day. It immediately set up the Changrettas to be a new kind of enemy that was to be feared by the fans and the Peaky Blinders.

Season 3 Episode 6 – 9.5

The season 3 finale sees Tommy open an orphanage named after Grace. At the opening ceremony, Father Hughes kidnaps Charlie and gives Tommy twenty-four hours to produce the jewels he wants, showing the depths of Hughes’ cruelty and intelligence.

In the end, Michael kills Hughes, leaving Polly distraught. However, it’s the final scene that leaves the strongest impression. Tommy calls a family meeting, in which he distributes money. Arthur and Linda look forward to starting a new life together, but before they get the chance, the police come and arrest all of the Shelbys, except for Tommy himself.

Season 2 Episode 6 – 9.5

With an admirable rating of 9.6/10, the season 2 finale is tied for the best episode along with the season 3 finale. The day of the Derby arrives, and Tommy gets put in a critical position. As he plans to strike at his enemies, Grace reveals that she’s pregnant with his child.

Meanwhile, Polly kills Campbell, but she’s too late; Tommy has already been taken away by Campbell’s men – or so everyone thinks. Just as he’s about to be executed, one of the men reveals that he’s working for Churchill and shoots the others in the head. Tommy is free to walk away, overcome with emotion for the first time in the series. Undoubtedly one of, if not the best episode of Peaky Blinders.

Season 6 Episode 6 (“Lock and Key”) – 9.6

While its score is likely to lessen as the months go on and more people delve into the show’s final season, IMDb ranks the show’s finale as the best Peaky Blinders episode, and it is easy to see why.

The episode is full of twists and turns regarding Tommy’s tuberculoma and sees him thwart the plans of not only Mosley but Michael – whom he kills – and the IRA who Arthur deals with. It wonderfully sets up the movie for a battle between Tommy and fascists and is chock full of incredible quotes, shots, and character moments. A lot of great shows do not stick the landing, but even though season 6 had a rocky middle portion, it ended in fitting, outstanding fashion. When fans debate which is the best season of Peaky Blinders, this finale may just push season 6 to the forefront.

About The Author

Svetlana Sterlin
(256 Articles Published)

After years of relocation, Svetlana Sterlin (she/her) was raised by her Russian parents in Brisbane, Australia, where she completed a BFA and contributes to ScreenRant and Our Culture Magazine. An avid cinephile and bookworm, Svetlana also writes creatively across multiple forms and genres. Her fiction and poetry appear in several printed and digital publications. Find more from Svetlana here: https://linktr.ee/svetlanasterlin.

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