Peaky Blinders Season 1 Episode 1 Recap

[00:00:30] A Chinese woman carrying her baby is running through a crowded building. A man accompanied her as she handed her baby to another woman. The woman asked her if she still had milk in her bosom. The other woman confirmed while she took the baby from her. An old man asked them where they were going. The man responded that someone was asking for the woman. A man rode a black horse through the muddy streets; the people who saw him ran in fear as well. They took their children and hid inside their houses. Suddenly, a man arrived with the Chinese woman. He told the man on the horse that she was the woman he was looking for. The man on the horse confirmed and paid the Chinese man. The woman took out a red pouch and poured some red powder on her palm.

[00:02:00] The woman whispered to the red powder as if she were reciting an incantation. The bystanders carefully eavesdrop on the events unfolding. The woman finished her incantation and blew the powder on the horse. One of the children thought the woman was putting a spell on the horse so it could win a race. The Chinese man and woman bowed to the man on the horse and left. The man told the eavesdroppers about the horse. He invited everyone to place their bets come Monday while warning them not to tell anyone else.

[00:04:30] People greeted the man as Mr. Shelby. Everyone seemed to respect him, or it could just be out of fear. He entered his house looking for Finn. The boy was sitting by a fireplace smoking a cigarette. He heard Mr. Shelby arrive and immediately got rid of the cigarette. The boy told Mr. Shelby that a guy named Arthur was mad as hell. He asked Finn what a ten year old boy knew about hell, but Finn responded that he was going to be eleven come Sunday. Mr. Shelby lifted a curtain to reveal a door. He entered the door and revealed a betting shop. A guy called Mr. Shelby by his first name, Tommy. He showed him the books and all the bets to his horse while another man called Tommy into his office.

[00:06:00] The man’s name is Arthur. He asked Tommy about his powder trick. Tommy responded that times were hard, and people needed a reason to lay a bet on the race. Arthur didn’t approve of Tommy’s method because it involved the Chinese and a man named Billy Kimber. Tommy told Arthur that the washerwoman is said to be a witch who will help them get more money. Arthur was concerned that if his horse wins, then it would seem like they’re fixing races. Tommy told Arthur that he had come up with the plan so that he wouldn’t have to. Tommy left Arthur’s office while he told him about news from Belfast. Arthur told Tommy that he was going to call a family council later that evening as trouble is coming.

[00:07:30] A man sat on a train with top-secret files on his lap. He opened the files and saw Arthur Shelby’s profile. He was a gangster, racketeer, and illegal bookmaker. Arthur is the leader of the Peaky Blinders. The next profile is Thomas Shelby. He, too, was part of the Peaky Blinders.  Meanwhile, a man was rousing some workers to go on strike. The men were eager to go on strike in order to fight for their rights. The man on the train read another profile for Freddie Thorne. He’s the man rousing the workers to go on strike and Tommy’s friend. The man held on to his files and closed his eyes for a nap.

[00:10:00] Tommy entered a bar. Everyone knew and feared him. The bartender handed Tommy a bottle of liquor along with a glass. He told Tommy that it was on the house; however, he still paid for it. Freddie Thorne got up from his seat and approached the bar. He asked the bartender for another round of liquor. The bartender filled up his mug while Freddie used Tommy’s money to pay for it. He drank for Tommy’s good health. He also informed Tommy about a list of names being linked to a robbery. Freddie mentioned that his name was included on the list as well as Tommy. Tommy responded that the list is about men who give false hope to the poor. Tommy added that the difference between the two of them is that his horses have a chance of winning.

[00:13:00] A man came into the bar and started throwing a fit. He flipped the tables, so Tommy and Freddie took him down. The man’s name is Danny; he was with Freddie and Tommy during the war in France. Tommy whispered into Danny’s ear that he was no longer in France. Tommy calmed Danny down, and they lifted him back on his feet. Danny realized that he threw another fit and apologized to Tommy. He sent Danny away as the men inside the bar brought all the tables upright. The bartender told Tommy that he needed to do something about Danny. Freddie agreed with the bartender and suggested that Tommy put a bullet in Danny’s head like a mad horse. Freddie added that he might need to put a bullet in his head too. Tommy left the bar and instructed the bartender to bring the bill to the Peaky Blinders.

[00:15:00] The train arrived at the station, and the man with the files got out. Meanwhile, a woman pulled a gun on a young man. She asked him if he recognized the gun, and he nodded. She slapped the young lad to the ground and told him to get up. The young lad wanted to know why she slapped him. The woman’s name is Pol, and she told him that Finn was playing with the gun earlier. Finn found the gun at the betting shop, and it was loaded. The young man apologized to Pol, who responded about keeping the incident a secret as long as he promised it wouldn’t happen again. He agreed and went with Pol to the family meeting. Finn was eavesdropping on the meeting as Arthur addressed the family. He told them about a copper heading to their area.

[00:17:00] Tommy already knew about the copper, so he told them what he knew. On the other hand, Aunt Pol knew Tommy was hiding something, so she asked him if he wanted to tell them, but he didn’t. The copper they were talking about is the man holding the files on the train. He arrived at Birmingham that night. The next day, Aunt Pol met Tommy in church. She told him to spill his secrets in front of God. Tommy told about his little side deal, his men were supposed to steal motorcycles, but they ended up taking the wrong crates. When the crates arrived, they were full of weaponry bound to Libya. Aunt Pol asked Tommy if he disposed of the weapons, but he didn’t. Tommy kept the weapons from the rain as they hadn’t been greased yet.

[00:21:00] Aunt Pol was furious; she knew the copper was sent to Birmingham because of what happened. She wanted Tommy to leave the weapons in an area where the police could find them. Tommy responded that Charlie wouldn’t move contraband on a full moon. He told Aunt Pol that he would move the weapons within three days. Tommy’s sister, Ada, is secretly meeting with Freddie Thorne. They were having an affair as Ada invited Freddie to see a movie. Freddie declined and just wanted to spend the night with Ada.

[00:24:00] The next day, a lovely woman arrived and went to the bar. She entered and told the bartender that she was applying for the barmaid post. The bartender laughed at her and told her that she didn’t belong in Birmingham. She opened her bag and handed a recommendation to the bartender. The woman sang a song while cleaning up the bar. The bartender finally gave in and hired the woman as his barmaid. The copper finally arrived at the police station, where all the other cops gave him a standing ovation. He addressed them furiously as the corrupt policemen that they were. He told them about the Peaky Blinders and his goal to eradicate them along with the Fenians and the Communists. The copper finally introduced a new batch of coppers who would join their ranks as his loyal henchmen.

[00:30:00] Arthur went to the movies with two prostitutes. He ordered them to give him a blow job before the ordinary people came inside. Two coppers followed him inside the theater and dragged his ass out before the prostitutes could begin. They beat him up and presented him to their boss. The copper asked Arthur about the robbery. He told him that he knew nothing about it. The copper grabbed his arm and started to twist his finger. He asked Arthur again, and he responded with the same answer. The copper broke his finger and told him that he could sense whether he was lying or telling the truth. Arthur winced in pain and told the copper that he was not lying. The copper agreed and just broke his finger as a warning. He wanted to form an alliance with Arthur.

[00:34:30] The bar is busy on a Sunday because there was a football match. Tommy arrived at the bar and opened a special window beside it. He asked the barmaid for a bottle of rum. Harry, the bartender, whispered in Grace’s ear that whatever Tommy asked for was on the house. Grace went to get a bottle of rum and gave it to Tommy. He asked Grace if she was a whore because she was in the wrong place. Grace felt offended as Tommy left. Harry warned Grace about Tommy and told her not to dillydally with him. Ada and Aunt Pol tended to Arthur’s wounds. Tommy arrived with the rum and made Arthur drink it. He also used the rum to wipe Arthur’s wounds. Arthur told Tommy about the robbery and the copper’s offer.

[00:36:30] Aunt Pol looked at Tommy as she knew the truth. Arthur told Tommy that they would have a family meeting to take a vote whether or not they were going to help the police. That night, Ada went out to see Freddie while Tommy went back to the bar. He arrived just in time to hear Grace sing. Harry told Tommy that they hadn’t had any singing at his bar since the war. Tommy told him that they both knew why. After the sex, Freddie asked Ada about their family meeting. Tommy didn’t say anything to Ada, so she couldn’t provide any information for Freddie. Freddie assured Ada that one day he would be back alongside Tommy, fighting the same war.

[00:40:00] Tommy tried to get some sleep, but he was awakened by a nightmare. The nightmare had something to do with the war. The next day, Danny was having a fit again. He stumbled and sat down outside a café. The owner went out and told him to go away. He took out a pocket knife and approached Danny. He saw the knife and defended himself. Danny accidentally stabbed the owner and killed him. The bystanders saw what happened while Danny fled the scene. The copper who’s hunting Tommy down is Inspector Campbell. He went to the train station to meet with the Secretary of State, Winston Churchill. Winston wants an update regarding the stolen weapons, but Campbell assured him that he would find the guns and kill anyone who gets in his way.

[00:44:30] Winston told Campbell that if he needed to bury bodies, he needed to bury them where no one would find them. He didn’t want the press to find out about the stolen weapons. Later that evening, Charlie was preparing to transport the weapons when Tommy arrived. He changed his mind and wanted to keep the weapons. He instructed Charlie to take the weapons to another place. Charlie told Tommy that he was fighting a copper who didn’t take any prisoners. Tommy told Charlie that the police needed to pay in order to get the weapons. Charlie didn’t want to agree, but he had no choice. The next day, Inspector Campbell went to the museum to meet up with someone. It was Grace, the barmaid. She was working for Campbell.

[00:48:00] Grace thinks the Fenians took the guns because the Communists were too weak for such a feat while the Peaky Blinders are far too busy with their own affairs. Campbell didn’t want her personal history to cloud her judgment. She revealed that her father was killed by the Fenians; however, that didn’t affect her judgment. Campbell gave Grace a list of serial numbers. He wanted her to match the serial numbers on any weapons that she may find. Campbell added that Grace’s father was one of the finest men he served with. He assured Grace that he was proud of her achievements.

[00:49:00] Tommy took Danny to the river. He told Danny that the man he killed was Italian. Tommy didn’t want a war to break out between the Peaky Blinders and the Italians. He told Danny that the Italians would cut off his genitals and leave him to bleed out. Tommy wanted to spare Danny from their barbarity, so he offered to kill him instead. The brothers of the man Danny killed were standing on the other side of the river. They were there as witnesses to the agreement. Tommy asked Danny for his last requests. He responded by asking Tommy to lookout for his wife and sons. Tommy agreed, shook Danny’s hand, and bid him farewell. Danny turned around as a boat docked beside them. He took his time and shot Danny on the back of his head. Satisfied with what they saw, the Italians left without checking Danny’s body.

[00:53:00] Tommy returned to the betting shop where Arthur was waiting for him. He told Tommy that his horse won. Tommy knew the horse would win as it was part of his plan. He wanted everyone to believe in his powder trick in order to get everyone to bet. Tommy told Arthur that the second time they do the trick would also grant them a win. He added that when everyone is betting big, that’s the time they strike and take a fall. He told Arthur to think about his plan because it was pure genius. Meanwhile, the boat carrying Danny’s body belonged to Charlie. They faked Danny’s death using sheep’s brain. Tommy wanted Danny to feel the realness of death to try and knock some sense into him. Charlie is taking Danny to London on a special assignment as a new member of the Peaky Blinders.

[00:56:00] Aunt Pol asked Tommy if he did the right thing. Tommy responded that he did and left. Tommy passed by the bar where he saw Grace standing outside.