Peaky Blinders Season 6 ending explained: Will Tommy Shelby return?

Tommy Shelby's fate has been decided, and the conclusion of Peaky Blinders as we know it, has arrived with more than a few twists that we could have imagined.

With tuberculoma threatening his life, Michael (Finn Cole) threatening to kill him in retaliation for Polly's death, and both his business and family falling around him, there were plenty of loose ends to tie up before the end of the final Peaky Blinders episode.

This article contains major spoilers.

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Will Tommy Shelby live at the end of Peaky Blinders Season 6?

The season 6 finale, titled Locke & Key begins with Michael being released from prison in Boston on the condition that he kill Tommy. Meanwhile, the Shelby patriarch is preparing to take the final step of his business deal - a journey to Canada to collect $5 million for heroin shipment. Arthur later discovers when he steals the keys to his safe, that it is almost a suicide mission that Tommy is embarking upon.

While Tommy was on his way to meet with Michael, the other Peaky boys including Duke, Isiah, Finn, and Billy descended on Tommy's house to remove the dead buried in the grounds and to collect numerous other objects and paperwork before the contractors moved in.

Duke assassinated 'Black Cat' Billy Grade before excommunicating Finn from the Shelby family, sparking a new conflict. Meanwhile, Arthur takes a seat at The Garrison, claiming he'll be drinking champagne with his wife Linda, leaving him open to attack. The night, however, did not go as the enemies of the Shelby family had hoped.

Captain Swing arrives at The Garrison with a bunch of IRA fighters intending to murder Arthur, but he is already prepared. After a shootout in the eerie mists, Arthur uses mustard gas to render Laura unconscious before firing the fatal shot. "Rest in peace Pol," Arthur says.

The finale ends with Michael and Tommy confronting each other. The two leave the pub on their way to finish the transaction, but Michael pretends that he has forgotten his smoke inside and goes off to retrieve it. We know it's all part of his master plan, and while Michael's inside, the car explodes.

But, unbeknownst to him, the dependable Johnny Dogs had detonated the device, leaving Tommy unharmed and free to continue on his path to atonement. Michael, receives a bullet to the skull from Tommy for his betrayal.

A few moments later, Alfie Solomons swaggers in, as talkative as ever, chattering about weddings, elephants, and who knows what else to corroborate his involvement in the heroin business. Tommy then returns home to say his goodbyes to his family before setting off on his own once more.

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The truth about Tommy's health

A month later, Tommy was found inside a caravan at an unnamed location stocked with images of his loved ones and various other things. When Ruby appears, he loads his rifle and holds it to his head, ready to pull the trigger. "You must live" she insists.

Ruby also informs Tommy that, contrary to his belief, he is not sick, and a newspaper clipping recovered from the charred remains of the fire verifies the same - despite the fact that many argue that he is already dead.

The tuberculoma diagnosis was a complete fabrication. The doctor who informed him of his fictitious fate is a Nazi who circles Sir Oswald Mosley and Diana Mitford in circles.

The episode ends with Tommy's caravan being set burned as commanded, signaling the start of a new chapter in his life as we proceed into the feature film in the making. By order of the Peaky Blinders, Tommy lives on.

The sixth season of Peaky Blinders debuts on Netflix on June 10, 2022.