Sunday night’s second episode of Peaky Blinders season 6 gave the fans exactly what they wanted as Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) and Alfie Solomons (Tom Hardy) were reunited onscreen once again, with viewers branding them ‘one of the best duos in TV history’.
As the teaser trailer had suggested, Tommy stopped by to talk with the Camden Town gang leader, promising him his ‘final act’.
Alfie had previously surprised fans when he was revealed to still be alive and living in secret in Margate at the end of season five, having been shot in the face by Tommy in the season four finale.
The character now boasts some impressive facial scarring and is blind in one eye from the bullet, but it didn’t stop him from chatting to Tommy, who was keen to get him involved with his latest shipment of opium.
During the season five finale, Alfie had agreed to help Tommy in his failed Oswald Mosley assassination attempt, as their complex association continued.
Now the South Birmingham MP has to contend with the fact that Alfie is apparently writing an opera, as a converted fan, giving him the brilliant returning line of: ‘I always thought opera was just fat people f**king shouting.’
Fans were delighted to see the two acting heavyweights appear opposite each other once more, and especially to see Hardy bring his very particular character to life again.
‘Alfie Solomons making a return on peaky blinders was exactly what we all needed,’ tweeted one keen viewer, while another went further, posting: ‘Alfie Solomons is the absolute best thing to come out of Peaky Blinders and I won’t have anyone tell me different.’
One fan called every scene together with Murphy and Hardy ‘pure magic’ and another audience member was moved to write: ‘Alfie Solomons is hands down one of the best characters I’ve ever seen in any TV series. He’s amazing.’