**Warning! Contains major spoilers for Peaky Blinders season 6 episode 5**
’ penultimate episode saw gruesome death scenes coupled with ultimate betrayals – but how does this set everything up for next week’s finale?
Tommy Shelby () was left blindsided last week after he was told he had just a matter of months left to lift after .
It came shortly after the death of his young daughter Ruby Shelby (Orla McDonagh), which led him to discover his .
Tonight’s episode had to be one of the most gruesome yet as Billy Grade (Emmett J Scanlan) was forced to murder another member of the gang before being warned he had to take the lead on another killing.
Gina Gray’s (Anya Taylor-Joy) gave him a pretty grim injury – which we won’t go into, don’t worry – before ordering him to kill Arthur Shelby (Paul Anderson).
It wasn’t the only death wish granted tonight, with Michael Gray (Finn Cole) promising to kill Tommy after ‘consulting with my mother’ Aunt Polly (Helen McCrory) who fans know was murdered by IRA members.
But with not one, but two, Shelby brothers in danger of meeting a grisly end, will they find a way to get back on top again, just in time?
We recap everything that happened tonight as we prepare for a very dramatic final episode next week.
We’re definitely not ready.
Finn Shelby gets wed and steps up his responsibilities
Now, we haven’t seen much of youngest Shelby brother Finn (Harry Kirton) at all, with fans worried he’d disappeared for good.
But in episode five, we’re informed Finn is now married to a woman named Mary, who meets the clan for the first time, which has come a bit out of nowhere.
Elsewhere, Finn got further involved in the Shelby family business as he witnessed some pretty brutal attacks.
But could he have a crucial part to play in saving Tommy and Arthur?
Linda returns in last-ditch attempt to save Arthur
Linda (Kate Phillips) was lured back into the fold, with Tommy promising to donate money to her charitable foundation in return for fixing Arthur’s spiralling addiction.
He pledged a cheque of £10,000 if she agreed to help, to which she responded: ‘Your money will be spent to do good around the world. I’m only going to help him, not sleep with him.’
Later on, Linda came face-to-face with her ex-husband as she gave him some wise words of wisdom, and looks like she’ll be sticking around.
But with the pair finally back on speaking terms, is there reconciliation in sight? Or does Linda have other motives?
Hayden Stagg agrees to do Tommy’s dirty work
Tommy finally (Stephen Graham), after the latter’s life was spared by Ada Shelby (Sophie Rundle).
Recognising Hayden’s words helped Arthur realise how bad his addiction had become, Tommy shared: ‘Mr Stagg, I could you a man like you, I have friends who are in need of guns, soon there will be a shipment of submarine guns, I need you to unload and store those weapons.
‘There will also be ammunition. I need you to take better care of the guns and ammunition than you do of the powder,’ he told him.
Tommy promised riches would come his way but his new ally asked him why he couldn’t simply ‘live as an ordinary mortal man,’ asking: ‘What’s it all for?’
‘When my last bit of business is done, I will indeed be an ordinary mortal man,’ Tommy warned – but will Hayden stick to his word and help the Peaky Blinders?
Lizzie realises her marriage to Tommy over
After Ruby’s death and with Tommy’s secret diagnosis gradually taking hold, it was already clear his marriage to Lizzie (Natasha O’Keeffe) was on the rocks.
But Tommy committed the ultimate betrayal by sleeping with the ruthless Lady Diana Mitford (Amber Anderson), with the latter justifying her desires by saying: ‘Oswald did f**k your wife so my suggestion is about balance and proportion, it would be only fair.’
It all came out at a very tense dinner, with Mosley, Diana and Jack all in attendance.
Diana teased: ‘Elizabeth, you are a very lucky woman to have each day what I’ve only sampled once,’ leading Lizzie to make a swift exit.
Is there any way back for the former Shelby power couple? We don’t think so.
Will Tommy Shelby die?
It’s the biggest question still waiting to be answered, as Tommy’s time looks to be very much running out.
His scheming cousin Michael was confronted by Gina and Jack’s aide in prison, who would enable his release if he agreed to the murder of Tommy.
After claiming to have consulted his late mother, Michael said: ‘Upon my release, it is my intention to kill Tommy Shelby.’
Elsewhere, Tommy is battling with the news of his terminal diagnosis as well as making enemies one by one – is there really any way he can survive it all?
Peaky Blinders concludes next Sunday at 9pm on BBC One.
