For the past couple months, every time I popped onto Netflix, it "suggested" that I start watching "Peaky Blinders."
While I was turned off by the near-inscrutable English accents the first time I gave it a shot, last week I forced myself to watch a full episode. It is analogous to the Sopranos and Ray Donovan, with the charismatic leader of a crime family ("Thomas Shelby") dealing with the challenges of unpredictable family members, crooked cops, mob rivals, and irresistible women. His brother Arthur, is a worthless sot who deals - unsuccessfully - with PTSD and various substance abuse problems. Thomas' nemesis (during the first couple seasons) is played by Sam Neill - familiar to American audiences for Jurassic Park and other popular roles - who plays an evil police superintendent who lusts after a beauteous barmaid whom he planted in Shelby's organization as an undercover spy...and who predictably falls in love with Thomas during her assignment.
It is set in Birmingham, England in the early 1920's (interestingly, close to the timeframe of Downton Abbey). The crime family has a tavern or two, and supplements its income selling bootleg liquor and running a large betting operation. Thomas is constantly looking to expand into other activities and locations, with mixed success.
We are into Season 3 now, still befuddled by large swaths of the dialog that are simply not understandable, even at high volume with repeated listenings, but still enjoying it. Lots of blood, guts, sex, and intrigue.
If you are into bingeing multi-season dramas after they are no longer being produced, this one might be worth a look.
I BELIEVE that the odd name of the program - also the name of the crime family - is derived from their reputation for (1) carrying razors in the "peaks" of their ever-present caps, and (2) using those razors in street fights to blind their adversaries. I understand that there actually was a gang in the 19th century in England by that very name.
While I was turned off by the near-inscrutable English accents the first time I gave it a shot, last week I forced myself to watch a full episode. It is analogous to the Sopranos and Ray Donovan, with the charismatic leader of a crime family ("Thomas Shelby") dealing with the challenges of unpredictable family members, crooked cops, mob rivals, and irresistible women. His brother Arthur, is a worthless sot who deals - unsuccessfully - with PTSD and various substance abuse problems. Thomas' nemesis (during the first couple seasons) is played by Sam Neill - familiar to American audiences for Jurassic Park and other popular roles - who plays an evil police superintendent who lusts after a beauteous barmaid whom he planted in Shelby's organization as an undercover spy...and who predictably falls in love with Thomas during her assignment.
It is set in Birmingham, England in the early 1920's (interestingly, close to the timeframe of Downton Abbey). The crime family has a tavern or two, and supplements its income selling bootleg liquor and running a large betting operation. Thomas is constantly looking to expand into other activities and locations, with mixed success.
We are into Season 3 now, still befuddled by large swaths of the dialog that are simply not understandable, even at high volume with repeated listenings, but still enjoying it. Lots of blood, guts, sex, and intrigue.
If you are into bingeing multi-season dramas after they are no longer being produced, this one might be worth a look.
I BELIEVE that the odd name of the program - also the name of the crime family - is derived from their reputation for (1) carrying razors in the "peaks" of their ever-present caps, and (2) using those razors in street fights to blind their adversaries. I understand that there actually was a gang in the 19th century in England by that very name.
