Products You May Like
How did Alfie Solomons (Tom Hardy) manage to survive a bullet to the face in Peaky Blinders season 4? The Jewish mobster was presumed dead but then re-emerged in Peaky Blinders season 5 to assist the man who nearly killed him, fellow gang leader Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy). Here’s how Alfie recovered.
Throughout Peaky Blinders, Alfie has been Tommy’s friend and foe. Despite Alfie’s obvious charm and intellect, though, he’s proven to be an unpredictable Peaky Blinders antihero, evidenced primarily by his betrayal of the Shelby family in Peaky Blinders season 4. Rather than working with Tommy’s crew to protect local territory from Lucca Changretta (Adrien Brody), he accepts a deal with the Italian-American mob boss, but Alfie doesn’t realize that the Peaky Blinders are one step ahead. In the Peaky Blinders season 4 finale, Tommy tracks Alfie down and seemingly eliminates him for good.
Click the button below to start this article in quick view.
In Peaky Blinders season 4, Alfie anticipates his imminent death when Tommy finds him at Margate Beach. Alfie even reveals that he wanted the Peaky Blinders leader to find him at that exact location and kill him, but also wants to make sure that his dog, Cyril, is looked after. As usual, the concepts of honor and loyalty fuel the conversation between Alfie and Tommy, as the former is now retired and not technically a threat, yet still understands why there’s “bad blood.” The Jewish gangster even implies that he’s “riddled” with cancer and presents himself as a dying man with nothing else to live for. In typical Alfie fashion, though, he’s hiding a pistol and shoots Tommy before taking a return shot to the left side of his face. After a “Three Months Later” transition, it appears that Alfie is old news. Yet he’s visited by Tommy in the Peaky Blinders season 5 finale and reveals that he survived by taking heavy amounts of drugs.
Alfie says little about his recovery in Peaky Blinders season 5, but states that he woke up on Margate Beach and initially thought he might be in hell. Alfie also recalls taking “a lot of drugs” after being shot, but notes that he won’t “bore” Tommy with the details. For storytelling purposes, Alfie’s reemergence simultaneously boosts the character’s arc while setting up the Peaky Blinders season 5 showdown between Tommy’s crew, aided by Alfie’s men, and fascist politician Oswald Mosley (Sam Claflin). Because of Alfie’s Jewish heritage, he’s willing to help Tommy take down a powerful anti-semite.
Alfie’s survival foreshadows his inevitable return in Peaky Blinders season 6. With his season 4 conflict with Tommy now resolved (his dog is even still alive), the focus will be on their failed attempt to assassinate Mosley. Alfie is seemingly retired and suggests that he’s now a mythological figure in the Holy Land, yet pride – whether it’s personal or professional – will likely inspire him to pursue more power. During Alfie’s reunion meeting with Tommy, the Peaky Blinders leader confidently states that “I will continue… till I find a man… that I can’t defeat.” Expect that line to haunt Tommy moving forward in Peaky Blinders season 6.
