Freddie Thorne deserves more time on Peaky Blinders – here’s why he actually left the show

My dear Freddie Thorne deserved a much better send off than he got Peaky Blinders And the show would have been better off with him sticking around. After rewatching each Peaky Blinders Season for the umpteenth time, I’ve come to appreciate the time jumps in the show. Each season feels fresh and new with Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) taking major steps forward in his unquenchable pursuit of power. I don’t need to see every detail about the lives of the characters, just give me the broad strokes at the beginning, and then go deep into it.

This style of storytelling comes at a price, with one of the victims being Freddy Thorne (Edo Goldberg). Freddy is a season 1 character, positioned uniquely among the Shelbys. He is in love with Ada (Sophie Rundle) and has a child by her. Most people wouldn’t go near Ada for fear of her brothers, but Freddy isn’t the least bit afraid of them, as he fought Arthur (Paul Anderson) and Tommy in the tunnels during WWI. The same horror that shaped the Shelbys also shaped FreddyAnd that parallel would be explored if he hadn’t gotten killed so quickly.

Freddy Thorne died of the Spanish flu (which was a horrible death for the character)

Freddy has much more to offer Peaky Blinders

Despite its importance in Peaky Blinders season 1, Freddy was unceremoniously written off the show in season 2. The premiere opens two years after the end of season 1, with the Shelbys attending Freddy’s funeral where it is revealed that he died of Spanish influenza. Save for a few reminders here and there, Freddy’s death doesn’t seem to have much of an effect on anyone, except that it opens up Ada to take on a more dedicated role at the Shelby Company Ltd.

Freddy was mainly a socialist and spent much of season 1 arguing for workers’ rights, which put him on a lot of you-don’t-want-your-name-to-appear-on lists. In his heart, Tommy agrees with Freddy, but his nihilistic streak has convinced him that there is no point in pursuing a “communist utopia”, so he will instead set out to conquer and own everything he can. There is an interesting parallel between the two characters and I would like to see Freddie and Tommy grow together over the years.

They both came from the same city, had the same upbringing, and faced the same horrors in World War II. Tommy Shelby became the devil while Freddie Thorn tried to use what he learned on the battlefield to help the working class of Birmingham. Freddie was one of the few characters in Peaky Blinders Which I believed could get the better of Tommy, so not seeing them match wits, or as friends or foes, over the seasons feels like wasted potential.

No reason was given as to why Edo Goldberg stopped playing Freddy Thorne on Peaky Blinders

Fans are speculating that Goldberg has left to star in Salem

Neither Goldberg nor the showrunners for Peaky Blinders Explained why they got rid of Freddie so quickly, however It is likely he left the show to co-star in Salem Like Isaac Walton. Salem Premiere in 2014 when Peaky Blinders Season 2 premiere, so I guess Goldberg had to choose. Isaac and Freddie share some surprising similarities, including their kind and loyal temperaments. What’s more strange is that extramarital affairs are central plot points for both characters.

Goldberg has not had any massive performances since Peaky Blinders And SalemBut he always worked to appear in The zookeeper’s wife Like Maurice Frankel, fear Like Michael, and Westworld Like Sebastian. His biggest role came as Bennett Knox in Snowpiercer. He was fantastic in everything, but seeing these roles just makes me wish we had even one more season of Freddy Thorne in Peaky Blinders.