'Peaky Blinders' Season 4, Episode 5 Review: 'The Duel' Finally Brings Alfie Face To Face With Luca!

Peaky Blinders season 4, Episode 5: 'The Duel' Review! We Finally Get What We've Been Waiting For: Alfie VS Luca!

There was quality everywhere in last night's episode of Peaky Blinders!

Steven knight started it off, showing exactly how to open an episode as we instantly pick up the action with Tommy being tailed by the mafia, culminating in a deadly shootout!

After having his numbers decimated by the Peaky Blinders yet again, Luca was determined not to make the same mistake twice, seeking the help of Alfie Solomons who seemed much more reluctant to give up his friend and expecting a lot more in return. Tom Hardy absolutely stole the show, showing knavish insolence toward the Mafia that made you want to slap the nearest surface with delight (I did multiple times). "Add another tonne for being a cunt," will, I'm sure, make fans' list of favourite Peaky quotes.

Alfie struck a hard bargain and yet Changretta didn't even attempt to negotiate, even when Alfie told him to circumsize his men, he really didn't care, leading Alfie to believe he had no intention of going through with his demands and intends to murder him along with the Shelbys. "You plan to kill us all," he said in romani. This is why I don’t believe for one moment that Solomons has set the Peaky Blinders up, rum deal or no rum deal. Alfie has always had a head for business and there was a reason Tommy showed him the gin distillery. I expect that the finale will see the united firm of Shelby and Solomons make their bid for Prohibition glory.

Elsewhere, Lizzie revealed she is pregnant with Tommy's baby, Michael went into hiding, Polly got it on with Aidan Gillan's Mr. Gold (while threatening to murder him, of course), Ada had a run-in with the territorial army and Tommy had dinner with communist union leader, Jessie.

It was a gripping and deft episode that did what Peaky Blinders writer/creator Steven Knight does best, wrapping plot points inside allusions to history and poetic dialogue that also conveys something about character. Impressive stuff, The Walking Dead could learn a thing or two from this episode alone!