FISTS OF FURY

For Mary and Hezekiah, power, anger, betrayal and revenge fuel the dramatic twists in Season 2 of A Thousand Blows

- BY IAN SPELLING

Hard-hitting 1880s East End life: (clockwise from left) Graham; Doherty toasting her success; Kirby with Doherty; and Kirby as ring leader

London's East End in the 1880s is a testing ground of fists and survival in Hulu's acclaimed series A Thousand Blows. And Season 2? It only ups the ante: Rivalries sharpen and romance is woven in amid the blood, sweat and uppercuts as boxers, gangsters, including the formidable all-female Forty Elephantsand schemers navigate the city in the intense period drama.

Steven Knight, award-winning creator of Peaky Blinders, says these six episodes drill deeper into the human toll of power-seeking it, wielding it, retaining it. Inspired by real figures from London's 19th century underworld, the series grounds its action in history.

"These people live on a knife edge," he says. "Every decision matters. One choice can affect an entire community." That was certainly the case in Season 1. At the saga's center are Mary Carr (Erin Doherty), intimidating queen of the Forty Elephants gang; Hezekiah Moscow (Malachi Kirby), whose arrival from Jamaica and ascent in the bare-knuckle boxing world reverberates across the East End; and Sugar Goodson (Stephen Graham), the volatile veteran boxer and underworld boss.