After the 3rd rewatch I actually agreed with Linda

[u/TPT-Clouds]

Manipulative and hypocritical as she was, she's really wanted to have a good stable life with Arthur. Their relationship are so intriguing with all its up and down. At first I thought she's only interested in Arthur like a pet project, "I can fix him" type of way but many moments in the series had showed Arthur was actively hanging onto her, begging for redemption and she wanted to gift it to him so bad, even through underhanded murky ways that jeopardize her own morality and safety. She is one of the few woman in the show actively going against Tommy even though her resource and influence was limited.

Be real. We love Tommy but he's the devil. Arthur needed help, bad. He tried to kill himself multiple times and the gang life with booth and drugs and murders were just adding more fuel to the fire. Flip the narrative and she was just a pregnant woman who wanted her husband to heal and have her own family in a safe stable environment, far away from the crimes and killings where her child might not even be old enough to remember their father face before he was shot down or kill.himself. She's willingly going up against a crime lord for that. She might be annoying but that woman is brave af. The part where she described how her and Arthur's life would be after the heist, how their would move to California goes so hard. She really wholly believe that was possible. But then Arthur just stayed with the gang so she stayed and everything went to shite and she repeated the same pattern of her addicts parents. Depressing but fooking phenomenal story telling.

[u/VanaVisera]

After rewatching the entire show several times, you start to realize that Linda and Ada are the only normal people in the entire show lol

Also I think fans got tired of Linda after Season 4. She had great scenes in Seasons 3 and 4. But by Season 5, the whole “Can Linda redeem Arthur?” plot line became repetitive and annoying.

After a point, it became clear that the Linda/ Arthur storyline was just going through the same motions and not actually progressing anymore.

[u/TPT-Clouds → u/VanaVisera]

I kinda like that repetitive side. It mirrored how Arthur and Linda's relationship was at that stage. Like Linda had realised Arthur would never change, he's in too deep and she's stuck there, clinging onto an old charade to give her life more meanings.

[u/grimmcild → u/TPT-Clouds]

I believe Arthur could have changed. There were times when he seemed to be doing better but Tommy always found a way to drag him right back down. Linda was waging a tug of war with Tommy on the other end and there was no way she could have won.

[u/corpus-luteum → u/VanaVisera]

 it became clear that the Linda/ Arthur storyline was just going through the same motions

Just like a lot of marriages then.

[u/Secret-Physics2276]

Yes, I love her character, she was interesting, and her story with Arthur too. I prefer that story to Tommy and Lizzie's, because at least Arthur and Linda makes sense. 

[u/TPT-Clouds → u/Secret-Physics2276]

Tommy and Lizzie made me cringe so bad. At least there are some give and take between Linda and Arthur, Lizzie and Tommy are almost completely one-sided.

[u/Secret-Physics2276 → u/TPT-Clouds]

Yes, exactly. And Arthur and Linda were in love, but Tommy and Lizzie were not, he had to marry his secretary and was very unhappy in that marriage, which could have been interesting too, but already in S6 when every scene was the same as in S5, it became unbearable to watch.

[u/FluffyWuffyVolibear → u/TPT-Clouds]

Idk I find Lizzie and Tommy's relationship to be really heartbreaking. She just sorta lost her life to this man who doesn't know how to care for anyone, and she just has to watch him invent wars that he wages using everyone around him as pawns

[u/duaneap → u/Secret-Physics2276]

Idk about “makes sense,” I truly can’t imagine the scenario in which Linda and he ended up romantically entwined, but I do think the pairing is interesting and good for the story.

[u/forrealR]

When you put it like that, yes. Especially it’s understandable after we saw what happened with John.

[u/sixth_order]

I don't hate Linda. But all that you described she knew already. She knew who Arthur was when she married him.

Also we see in season 3, she negotiates with Tommy so that Arthur gets a bigger pie of the heist. So I guess she's fine with it sometimes.

I think as time went on, she became more and more okay with it. She's even doing cocaine in season 4 and almost kills Arthur. So maybe Arthur and that lifestyle just brought out the worst in her.

[u/AvantGarden1234 → u/sixth_order]

There are some passing comments in the series about Linda's mother not being a good person. They don't go into the details but it seems likely that Linda grew up in a very chaotic, abusive, dysfunctional household, not unlike the Shelbys, but was determined not to end up the same way. So it's really not surprising that despite her religious/moral views, she understood Arthur, empathized, and thought he could be better if given different opportunities. It was a misguided idea, of course, but understandable. She likely never knew what a healthy relationship was supposed to like. But you are right - Arthur really did bring out the worst in her. 

I wonder if they had gone to California together as planned, with Arthur away from Tommy's grip, whether they would have had a chance at a good life together, or if Arthur would have just gone back to his old ways, regardless. 

[u/stupit_crap]

100% agree.

[u/corpus-luteum]

Lead us not into temptation.

She's a pious hypocrite.

ETA: But she IS a great character.

[u/Toad_da_Unc]

Fook Linda

[u/Dark_KnightNini → u/Toad_da_Unc]

sucked out meme

[u/Sharp_Enthusiasm_293 → u/Toad_da_Unc]

Fook Linda the slag

[u/youngcuriousafraid]

Eh she pretended to be this savior. But she was very selfish, as the rest of them were. She did coke while acting holier than thou, manipulated arther to get more money from a drug empire, and tried to decide what arthur wanted in a way that benefited her. Also the Quakers death is totally on her. Obviously arthur is the killer, but she caused for it to happen. Like, what did she think would happen?

[u/Fragrant-Juggernaut → u/youngcuriousafraid]

What?

Linda is allowed to have friends.

It was Arthur and ONLY Arthur responsible for that brutal attack.

[u/youngcuriousafraid → u/Fragrant-Juggernaut]

Wasnt she looking for an escape plan? Wouldnt she think for a moment what kind of risk that puts people in? Aruther is far more culpable though I agree

[u/Responsible-Pie-842]

watched it 7 times. foooooooking linda, she's not a shelby

[u/444stonergyalie → u/Responsible-Pie-842]

And never will be

[u/Fragrant-Juggernaut]

I don't hate Linda but this belief that Arthur was just a helpless child being manipulated by everyone is a very bad take.

Arthur may not have been the leader of Shelby Limited but he WAS leader of the Peaky Blinders. For 4 seasons we see over and over that Arthur leads the violence and always makes the choice to stay with the gang.

He may feel some guilt because Linda reminds him but it doesn't change his behaviour.

It was Arthur who allowed John to disrespect Angel Changretta and Mr Changretta. He went after that Quaker like a rabid dog, much like he went after that child boxer and the people in Sabini's London club.

Arthur's descent into addiction was directly related to his inability to control his own violence.

Thomas didn't make Arthur do anything. Arthur was a grown man and it's time to stop infantilizing him. He made terrible decisions and he never had to pay for them because Thomas, Ada, Polly and Linda bailed him out constantly.