Esme Lee Shelby was almost an annoying character from seasons 1 through 4 of Peaky Blinders. She was last seen taking her children away, after becoming a widow, but not before cursing her hated brother-in-law, Tommy. Having her on the trailer of the Season Finale assures that the curse against the Shelbys will be addressed. Maybe solved?

Last year, when pictures from the set confirmed the return of  Aimee-Ffion Edwards, seen with Cillian Murphy on the set, we saw that the bad blood between the two is still on. The scene had Esme in a heated argument with Tommy and following him out of a graveyard, and we also say Tommy following gazing at a grave. John’s, albeit his been cremated? Esme was no longer there when the Shelbys reunited to say goodbye to him.

And she looks somber and angry in the trailer.

So, will time have healed the misunderstandings between the two?

My first guess is that Tommy will run, as she’s suggested to him to do on Season 3, only to be rebuffed. Esme reminds Tommy that his gypsy blood is stronger and that they could go to the south of France and be with their people, and disappear. In fact, Esme is constantly pressing for the Shelbys to simply quit Birmingham and become who they are: gypsies.

Esme has reason to be in a constant clash with Tommy. She was, after all, married to John Shelby (Joe Cole) as part of a business deal. Then, the Shelbys and the Lees had a conflict and the truce included the union between them.  It would bring peace between the two families, provide a mother for John’s four children and restrain Esme, who was getting too wild. Out of luck, Esme and John do get (sexually) along really well, and the marriage is solid. Which doesn’t mean her personality changed.

Esme was never fully accepted by the Shelbys, her ideas shut down, her pressing for John being more seen as a bad influence and it didn’t help that she loved booze and drugs, which she consumed in great amounts even during her pregnancy. She has no reason to ever forgive Tommy, who’s never taken her seriously and used her husband as a pawn, even sending him to prison and hanging.

However, in a way, the vendetta started when John made a bad call on Season 1, not carrying Tommy’s order to kill both Italian Changretta couple. Then, by listening to Esme and not immediately regrouping with the Shelbys, John became an easy target, being executed on his front door. To Esme, it was all part of Shelby’s curse, and we last saw her removing John’s rings and leaving shortly after with her children.

John was killed by the Italian mafia as an act of revenge against the Peaky Blinders, with Esme removing John’s rings and leaving shortly after with her children. So, let’s gather some images we see. A funeral or an attack to the gypsy camp, with Lizzie crying. Tommy shooting and surrounded by dead men.

And we know Michael, who’s also against Tommy, will be at the camp.

So, before Tommy deals with Mosley, he will have to face his own family, split in half and regretfully, without Polly to mend them together. Maybe Ada will take that role. However, Esme is there, either to support Michael and get her revenge against Tommy or, again, be collateral to Shelby’s curse.

Which is more likely?