Taboo

Tom Hardy is one of the best actors on the planet...period. Besides maybe Leonardo DiCaprio he's my favorite actor and one of the handful of actors where I'd watch the movie/show knowing nothing more than that their in it! Taboo is another great performance for Hardy. It is thrilling from start to finish and can't wait until they finally make Season 2!

Finally I came to see this Gothic gem from the BBC and I am not disappointed - quite the contrary is the case.

In 'Taboo' the set up of the world and the creation of a very dark and at the same time tender atmosphere as well as the nicely arranged spectrum of taboo-motifs (like sexual transgression, the grotesque and strange, overwhelming violence etc.) kept me from being bothered by the fact that I didn't feel one jot more sympathy for its main character than for its antagonists. James K. Delaney is an intriguing mysterious character attracting us in a depraved way. But he is also an individual of extreme moral reprehensibility we eventually cannot go along with.

The series makes very good use of Gothic- and Dark Romanticism writers' style to build up the gloomy atmosphere of a depressed 1814 England still anguished by the loss of the great colony. It is no coincidence when Delaney claims at some point in the series:"The ravens told me". We find lots of Poe here either in theme or characters. Madness wanders through the world of 'Taboo' and at least at the dip of the hem this madness is always caused by the East India Company, the Crown or Delaney. Curiously all the characters except Delaney himself are appearing so vulnerably and fragile that their indulgence (to be helpless and lost in this made up society) arises a counter-part to the unforgiveness of the room they live in.

'Taboo' also declares the downfall of the classic adventure genre. There is no space for nostalgic explorers or discoverers in the plot lines, Delaney is a broken man as he returns from Africa, even if he is not willing to admit this. It's rather a farewell to the exotic, the story takes place after the alleged adventure and mainly stays at the well-known. Interestingly the series manages it to combine some accounts on slavery shifting the story to an international level (not many historic series/ movies do this, they mostly remain in the domestic frame).

Further the actors do a very nice job. Particularly Tom Hardy, Jonathan Price and the reoccurring Mark Gatiss play exceptionally good. However I have to say that there was no huge character development, which I wished to see. The characters are not uni-dimensional, but they do not alter in their facets. The series tries to offset this flaw with new secrets and confessions in every episode pretending these to be a change, whilst it is actually only about the introduction of new information. A very common writing technique, I think.

Overall I can highly recommend 'Taboo', especially for fans of Gothic, Grotesque and the 19th century England.

It's 1814 London. James Keziah Delaney (Tom Hardy) returns home from Africa to attend his father's funeral. Everybody is shocked since he was presumed long dead. As a son, he is the sole heir taking precedence over his half-sister Zilpha Geary. The main inheritance is a strategic stretch of land on the west coast of the New World. Sir Stuart Strange (Jonathan Pryce) is the Chairman of the all-powerful East India Company, rivaling the power of the Crown. Both are desperate to get that land as Britain negotiates the border with America as the war comes to an end. Actress Lorna Bow (Jessie Buckley) shows up claiming to have married James' father back in Ireland.

This is Tom Hardy at the height of his power. For a moment, he is both the hottest and the most compelling actor around. He could be both the Sexiest and win all the Oscars. He is still a man of intrigue right now. This show is his baby. It's his vision. His inability to get a second series, despite some good reviews, may point to something about his power as a producer. There is no doubt that Tom Hardy infuses James Delaney with his overpowering brooding. He is a man of deep damage and mysterious motives. The presentation of the East India Company is intriguing to say the least. This is high quality prestige television.

The first season of this show is excellently written and directed. Tom Hardy does an outstanding job. The historical material is an educator's dream, but the content is a school teacher's nightmare! Every taboo is broken, and in pre-Victorian England, that's a lot of taboos!

This TV show explores a part of history that is often glossed over. I definitely tried to research a little more about the war of 1812 while watching it. Some quite interesting things happened in that war. The British burned down Washington D.C.!

If I had one critique of this show, it would be that the color scheme is a little monotonous. I think they should take off the 19th century filter.

I definitely am looking forward to the next season. I really hope that the intricate plot development continues and becomes more historically interesting. It will be difficult, however, to live up to this outstanding first season. Please, give it a watch! Though not with children -

As my title has indicated, Tom Hardy's "Taboo" is a beautiful slow burn, as the story builds through each episode I was hooked on how Hardy's character would react to certain situations and was never left disappointed, without spoiling the story itself there are some wonderfully tense and sad moment's throughout. The cast were amazing throughout the whole show, the story so gripping, the sets were down right amazing and overall production couldn't have been better! I can't wait for a second season to see what will happen next.