User:Tareynolds/Polly Gray

= Polly Gray = Elizabeth “Polly” Gray (née Shelby) is a fictional character in the British gangster drama television series Peaky Blinders. She appears as a main protagonist in Series 1-5 of the show, during which she functions as a leader within the Peaky Blinders criminal gang, treasurer of Shelby Company Limited, and as the matriarch of the Shelby family. Polly holds significant influence over her nephews, the Shelby brothers, and often advises Tommy Shelby on matters involving the family's gang, the Peaky Blinders. In 1929, she was killed by the IRA in the midst of a failed gang mission.

Polly was played by English actress, Helen McCrory until McCrory's death in 2021.

Early Life
Polly was born on November 11, 1884 in Small Heath, Birmingham, England to her mother, Birdie Boswell, and her father, a Shelby man whose first name is unknown. The Shelby family are of Romani descent, and have been associated with gangs for generations. As a result, Polly was raised with close ties to her Romani roots, and grew up surrounded by criminal activity.

In the early 1900s, she married a Gray, with whom she had two children: Michael Gray (born 1903) and Anna Gray (born 1906). Polly's husband died in a drunken accident shortly after their children were born. Following the death of Mr. Gray, Michael and Anna were taken away from Polly by the police and placed with foster parents.

While her nephews fought in World War I, Polly singlehandedly managed the family's gang, the Peaky Blinders, and its associated businesses.

Series 1
Polly is first introduced in Episode 1 of Series 1, which takes place in 1919, shortly after her nephews Tommy, Arthur, and John return from World War I. Although Tommy takes over leadership of the Peaky Blinders upon his return from war, Polly still maintains her role as the matriarch of the Shelby family, and as a key advisor to her nephews. From the first episode, Polly quickly emerges as one of the only people that Tommy and the rest of the family are willing to listen to and confide in. Throughout Series 1, Polly's dominance over the family is made evident, as she attempts to force Ada to have an abortion and voices her disapproval of Tommy's love interest, Grace Burgess, who turns out to be a spy working for the season's main antagonist, Inspector Campbell.

Series 2
At the beginning of Series 2, Polly grapples with recurring nightmares of her daughter, Anna, which leads her to become distant and depressed. She decides to visit a medium, who tells her that Anna is dead. In attempts to lift Polly's sprits, Tommy takes it upon himself to track down the whereabouts of her children. His search confirms that Anna did in fact die, but he is able to locate Polly's son, Michael. Polly quickly turns to alcohol and opium to cope with her grief, until she is reunited with her son. Throughout the season, Polly struggles to set a good example for her her son, who she discourages from joining the Peaky Blinders. After attempting to bribe Michael to prevent him from joining the gang to no avail, Polly tries to mitigate threats against the family by killing Inspector Campbell. She successfully eliminates the Inspector and his threats by cornering him in a phone booth and shooting him in the heart.

Series 3
Polly meets Ruben Oliver, an artist, who she commissions to paint a portrait of her. As he paints her, they begin to form a relationship, and Polly eventually divulges information on the Peaky Blinders' operations to him. After Tommy's son is kidnapped by Father Hughes, a priest who had also abused Michael as a child, Polly fears that Ruben has leaked information to the gang's numerous enemies, including Hughes. Ruben assures her that this is untrue, but ends their relationship as he admits that he does not want to be involved with criminals. While drunk, Polly goes to confession and admits to killing Inspector Campbell. At the end of the series, she is arrested for the Inspector's murder.

Series 4
The series begins with Polly in jail, moments away from being hanged for her crimes. She is saved from death after a letter arrives from the King, ordering her to be set free. Once she arrives home, she blames Tommy for her near-death experience, and leaves her position within the Peaky Blinders. Polly returns to protect her family, however, after the Shelbys are left in shambles following an attack by the Mafia. Despite her return, she still makes plans to leave the family after the Mafia's threats subside, and begs Michael to escape with her to Australia. Meanwhile, she meets Aberama Gold, a hitman hired by Tommy to eliminate the Mafia's leaders. The two eventually become close and form a relationship.

Series 5
Michael returns home from New York with a new wife and a different attitude towards his cousin, Tommy, which places Polly in the middle of a growing familial feud. After Michael is suspected of plotting with the IRA against Tommy, Michael is shocked to find out that his mother is not on his side when she warns him that he is not welcome in her home until proven innocent. Polly's relationship with Aberama Gold also intensifies, with Tommy eventually giving Aberama permission to propose to her. Aberama proposes during a ballet performance hosted by Tommy, and Polly accepts.

Family

 * Birdie Boswell (mother)
 * Michael Gray (son)
 * Anna Gray (daughter)
 * Arthur Shelby (nephew)
 * Tommy Shelby (nephew)
 * Ada Shelby (niece)
 * John Shelby (nephew)
 * Finn Shelby (nephew)

Polly's children, Michael and Anna Gray were placed in foster care at a young age. Polly is reunited with Michael in 1922, after Tommy finds him in his foster home and convinces him to meet his mother. After meeting Polly and the rest of the Shelby family, Michael decides to move in with his mother and eventually joins the Peaky Blinders, much to Polly's dismay. At the same time, it is revealed that Polly's daughter Anna died years earlier while in foster care in Australia.

Polly also has four nephews—Arthur, Thomas, John and Finn Shelby—and one niece—Ada Shelby. She is related to the Shelby siblings through their father, who was her brother. In the absence of their own mother, Polly acts as the main maternal figure for her niece and nephews.

Death
In the first episode of Series 6, it is revealed that Polly was killed by the IRA during the commotion that erupted following the Peaky Blinders' failed attempted assassination of fascist leader Oswald Mosley, which took place at the end of Series 5. Tommy is informed of her passing when the bodies of three members of the Peaky Blinders, including Polly and her fiancé Aberama Gold, are delivered to his house after the incident. Although the exact details of her death are unclear, the IRA claim responsibility in a phone call to Tommy.

Polly's death coincides with the passing of Helen McCrory, who died of cancer in 2021, prior to the filming of Series 6.

Series 1 (2013)

 * Episode 1.1
 * Episode 1.2
 * Episode 1.3
 * Episode 1.4
 * Episode 1.5
 * Episode 1.6

Series 2 (2014)

 * Episode 2.1
 * Episode 2.2
 * Episode 2.3
 * Episode 2.4
 * Episode 2.5
 * Episode 2.6

Series 3 (2016)

 * Episode 3.1
 * Episode 3.2
 * Episode 3.3
 * Episode 3.4
 * Episode 3.5
 * Episode 3.6

Series 4 (2017)

 * Episode 4.1 - The Noose
 * Episode 4.2 - Heathens
 * Episode 4.3 - Blackbird
 * Episode 4.4 - Dangerous
 * Episode 4.5 - The Duel
 * Episode 4.6 - The Company

Series 5 (2019)

 * Episode 5.1 - Black Tuesday
 * Episode 5.2 - Black Cats
 * Episode 5.3 - Strategy
 * Episode 5.4 - The Loop
 * Episode 5.5 - The Shock
 * Episode 5.6 - Mr. Jones