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TV Show Reviews
"Taboo" review by Suzanne
1/13/17
Airs Tuesdays 10pm on FX
This is kind of a weird show. I won't say it's bad, but it
may not be to everyone's taste. In early 1800's Britain, an
old rich guy dies, and the town is shocked to see his son
James (Tom Hardy) return (he was thought dead when he ran
off to Africa). His face is scarred, and he acts
strangely, plus there are many bizarre stories that follow
him from his earlier life. He has a married
half-sister, Zilpha (Oona Chaplin), and it's clear that they
had some sort of romantic relationship in the past. He's
determined to rekindle that relationship. Her husband is
kind of a jerk, but he's not a fan of James.
It turns
out that James' father, who was thought to be a little mad,
left everything to James. That mostly includes a little
piece of land out in the U.S. The powerful East India
Company wants that land, because of profit and because of
the war between the U.S. and Britain. James doesn't
like them and wants revenge on his enemies, so he refuses to
sell. He finds out that his father was poisoned.
This
would all be a very good story by itself, but there's
another layer. James' father married James mother, an Indian
woman, when he bought the land (basically, he bought her
with the land). James does some strange things that
may or may not involve raising the dead. He may have some
strange Indians powers, or something he learned in Africa. I
don't pretend to understand that part, but it is fun.
Other than the mystical stuff, the show is very
realistic and gritty. It's sometimes violent, but not as
much as many shows are, especially on cable. Jonathan
Pryce is outstanding (as always) as the head of the East
India Company, Sir Stuart Strange. Strange used to be
James' commander back when he was a boy, so there is some
very bad blood between them. There is a lot of mystery and
intrigue, and more. It's compelling, and well worth
watching.
Lead actor Tom Hardy developed the story
with his dad, Chip. There was a real
East India Company from the 1600's to the 180''s that
dealt in shipping, trading, and many other things. This
story paints them as a villainous, mafia-type group.
They did rule India with their own private army....
I
think the show is worth watching; check it out and see for
yourself.
MORE INFORMATION:
Set in 1814, Taboo follows James Keziah
Delaney, a man who has been to the ends of the earth and
comes back irrevocably changed. Believed to be long
dead, he returns home to London from Africa to inherit
what is left of his father's shipping empire and rebuild
a life for himself. But his father's legacy is a
poisoned chalice, and with enemies lurking in every dark
corner, James must navigate increasingly complex
territories to avoid his own death sentence. Encircled
by conspiracy, murder and betrayal, a dark family
mystery unfolds in a combustible tale of love and
treachery.
Taboo is created by Steven
Knight with Tom Hardy and Chips Hardy, who is also the
show’s consulting producer. Executive producers are
Ridley Scott and Kate Crowe for Scott Free, Tom Hardy
and Dean Baker for Hardy Son & Baker, and Steven Knight,
with Timothy Bricknell producing. Taboo is
directed by Kristoffer Nyholm (Eps. 1-4) and Anders
Engström (Eps. 5-8), and reunites Hardy and Knight for
their third collaboration following Locke and
Peaky Blinders.
Taboo airs January
2017 and is produced by Scott Free London and Hardy Son
& Baker for FX Networks.
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