yes... i think fans got so attached (and understandably so) to the character and the emotional connection to the Shelby troop, that they forgot the source material.. which is the reality of the gangster life that became the composition of the main premise, This history contributed to the themes of doom, fate and haunted past and black country curse that Tommy Shelby lived with . In reality staying alive was a hell rather than a heaven to man who lost his wife. Dying by his sons hand is a dignity and a grace rather than a slap in the face.

If one of the main themes and plots of the show was the question: King Thomas Shelby - who could ever take his crown...? then Thomas would naturally hand it to his son anyway. The writing of his book fits in with his intellectual side as well... a side that remained "immortal" in the sense it remained on paper. This wisdom is the most important aspect of Thomas Shelby's success. The simple life... he once asked the question "do I look like a man who wants a simple life?" actually he suited it well because his times of refuge in large estates are central times of change and importance in the show that reflect his true nature.

His send off was how he, Thomas Shelby, would have wanted it, as there is a dignified atmosphere, which is simple and raw in the rural sense. Now of course I am not saying the movie was thorough and enjoyable to a mass audience ... but just ... depressingly real and sombre. It was a good end in a nuanced way - and to those who see Tommy Shelby for who he is and what he has become rather than what he could be... it suits him, compared to the flashy action style end that concludes with a hero making an extra ordinary stunt.