Much like in real life, religion is a messy business in the world of “Peaky Blinders.” Ostensibly a group of Catholics, the Shelby gang nevertheless traffics in murder, blackmail, and all kinds of other unsavory practices that would compel even the most corrupt priest to recite an extra Hail Mary or two. A naturally superstitious lot, Tommy constantly took great pains to respect the most bizarre “curses” while (arguably) hypocritically turning his nose up at the very idea of faith and belief in other contexts. Perhaps no other moment encapsulated that personality trait better than in an episode of season 3, which Cillian Murphy once name-dropped while talking to BBC Radio 1.
In episode 3, the untimely death of Tommy’s love Grace (Annabelle Wallis) leads the guilt-ridden protagonist to Wales in search of, ironically, “absolution” for his past sins. His compatriot Johnny Dogs (Packy Lee) leads him to a mysterious woman claiming to be in touch with mystic abilities, who confirms that Grace’s killing can be blamed on a “cursed” piece of jewelry he once gifted her. As he walks away, he enigmatically explains his actions to a befuddled Johnny by simply saying:
“All religion is a foolish answer to a foolish question.”
Describing it with a chuckle as an “amazing piece of writing,” Murphy clearly still relishes the chance to deliver such a poetic summation of Tommy’s cynical worldview. It’s little surprise that someone who narrowly survived the horrors of World War I would come out of such a damaging, traumatic experience with a healthy skepticism of religion, but sometimes even performers can’t help but appreciate a succinct one-liner that turns subtext into text. While Murphy racks up wins for “Oppenheimer,” don’t sleep on his award-winning work in “Peaky Blinders.”