Taboo

[melmer]

Just watched the 4th episode and I'm really liking it. Bit of a slow start, but now there's a hell of a lot going on with Delaney playing everyone off against each other with some silent masterplan, whilst trying to shag his half sister with voodoo magic and maybe even his step mother whist he's at it. I really enjoyed the introduction of the chemist in this episode.

 

Tom Hardy dresses like someone out of bloodbourne, and there's occasionally explosive brutal violence to match.

 

I really like the time period it's set in, feels fresh and different. Only other media that comes to mind is the game The Order.

 

Johnathon Price is fantastic as the raging head of the East India Company. Gatiss in heavy prostetics as the king not so much, seems a bit out of place.

 

And most importantly James Delaney has awesome taste in teaware, the Burleigh Blue Regal Peacock collection is one of my fav's  

[Simon]

I'm up to where you are - yep, it's good stuff.

 

I don't really like Peaky Blinders (also created by Steven Knight - and featuring Tom Hardy, albeit in a much smaller role), so I was skeptical abut Taboo at first, but after the first scene between Jonathan Pryce and Hardy I was hooked. This has a strong direction and plenty of interesting characters and ideas, rather than just bringing buckets of viscera and swearing to a period setting (although it does that too, I suppose). It manages to keep all plates - the political intrigue, the family mysteries, the voodoo visions, etc. - nicely spinning in every episode.

 

Agreed about Mark Gatiss, seems too over-the-top even for this. But otherwise it's perfectly cast - Jason Watkins, Tom Hollander, Stephen Graham... I particularly like David Hayman as Brace; he gets so many good lines.

Planning to watch episode 5 tonight. Hoping for another scene of Pryce getting really pissed off, always a highlight. 

[melmer]

Only just found out this is made in the guy who made peaky blinders. That's another programme I've watched all of quite recently. I really enjoyed the first two season but then the third season went to pot.

 

i assume this will only have six episode then? I'll check... 8 episodes, that's a good amount.

[melmer]

Did you get the box of bananas I sent you?

 

I absolute adore this programme now, absolutely glued to the screen. Not so much with the polt but more with the performances and Hardy crazy eyes.

 

perfect casting is the half disinter husband, what a shit. Someone to hate more than Hardys antihero.

 

appolgies j was mistake on the teaware set, very similar in style but not the regal peacock, do forgive me.

[malkav11]

Minor correction: Gatiss is playing the Prince Regent, not the King. At the time, the King was still George III, but he was plagued by mental illness and unable to rule so his son (who later became King George IV) was acting in his stead.

[brkl]

Huh, doesn't really seem like something my partner would like. There hasn't been a female name mentioned in this thread! I might check it out, though. Loved the first season of Peaky Blinders. 

[Simon]

Jessie Buckley is great as one of the major characters in Taboo. If you saw the War & Peace adaptation last year, you may remember her as an outstanding Marya Bolkonsky (daughter to a bad-tempered Jim Broadbent). It also features Oona Chaplin (Talisa Stark in Game of Thrones) doing a good job in a role that seemed fairly thankless for the first few episodes, but gets more interesting.

[melmer]

Delaney is an absolute monster, which is solidified by the end of ep6. Just fucking horrible to everyone But i'm still routing for him? Maybe that's what the taboo in the title suggests.

 

The Taboo is that we like and want Delaney to succeed. I love that he's starting to unravel now.

 

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We know that he was on the slave ship that sank right? I wouldn't be surprised if we find out that he was the sailor who sealed the slaves below deck, or even the capt who gave the order.[\spoiler]