The Blinders suffer two big setbacks at the beginning of the second season. Their local pub, The Garrison, is blown up while the family mourns the death of Ada's son, Freddie. The IRA swoops in shortly after and pressures Tommy into a hit. When word gets to Campbell, he uses his leverage over Tommy to force him to carry out another hit on behalf of the government. But it's not all bad news: Tommy is able to track down his aunt Polly's long-lost son Michael and bring him home.
At the same time, the Shelby operation is expanding into London. Barging into new territory ruffles quite a few feathers, most notably the Sabini crime family. For the first time, we see the Shelbys truly out of their depth — the London crime families are bigger, more violent, and better prepared than anything the Peaky Blinders have faced. Desperate, Tommy reaches out to Alfie Solomons, head of another London family, in the hopes of an alliance. But the Shelbys' reputation precedes them, and Alfie secretly plots to undo the Blinders with the help of the Sabinis.
The Solomons' scheming lands Arthur and John Shelby in jail. Eventually, Alife Solomons reveals his intentions, hoping to extort the Shelbys. Tommy's ability to keep all his plates spinning comes through once more: He threatens Solomons with a rigged explosive device and gets the gangster to agree to taking a portion of the Shelby business, instead of the entirety.
