"Taboo" Episode Two Recap

Any show with a star on the magnitude of Tom Hardy is going to get a lot of attention. Any show with a legend like Ridley Scott behind the camera is going to set incredibly high expectations. So when I watched Taboo, I was preparing myself for it to be at least a little disappointing if only for how high my hopes were. Luckily, two episodes in I haven’t been let-down.

Taboo is, not only in subject but also in style, distinctly British. I’ve written this before about Peaky Blinders, but while American TV as a whole is in my opinion better, English TV usually kicks our ass in one genre: the period drama. It’s kind of their thing. Taboo takes England’s propensity for the period drama but marries it with the American trend of the gritty conflicted antihero protagonist (the character that pretty much ushered in the Golden Age of television we’re in now). Mix in an all-star cast–almost every character, minor or otherwise, is played by someone very recognizable with alumni from Game of Thrones, House of Cards, Boardwalk Empire and more–the results are, predictably, very good.

For all its strengths however, the best part of the show is unquestionably its star. Tom Hardy even by his standards is spectacular and carries just about every scene. Hardy has the Clint Eastwood knack of surrounding all his characters with mystery and giving you jussssst enough to leave you begging to want more, even if his constant grunting and grumbling leaves you only 75% sure whether or not he’s speaking English. Unlike most shows with its visual scope, Taboo isn’t a sprawling narrative with multiple theatres and subplots like Thrones or Boardwalk Empire or Dowton Abbey. Taboo starts and ends with James Delaney. He is the show’s driving force and most interesting component at the same time.

The direction the show will take Delaney is anyone’s guess. His motivations at this point as much a mystery to the audience as they seem to be for every other character. He’s on the brink of insanity at best. He’s been in London for like a week and there are three or four separate parties that want him dead. His interest in Nootka has to extend beyond the possibility of making a few bucks off a shipping company, because things like money and business seem almost below someone like him who has an almost ethereal quality to him. The best and most telling scene of the last episode was the head of the East India Trading Company (played by the High Sparrow from Thrones) goes into a rage fit where he can’t wrap his head around someone who can’t be swayed by money or patriotism. Delaney being o far out there makes him something they don’t fundamentally understand, which is exactly why he’s so incredibly dangerous to them. East India controls and commands the respect of the entire world, but Delaney doesn’t even seem to be from this Earth. That’s why the Americans getting to him first is the only theory they can concoct to explain his behavior, although for the same reasons I find it unlikely he is holding onto Nootka for business interests, I am highly skeptical of it.

Right now we have more questions than answers about Delaney. What are the rumors about him referenced in the first episode and by his sister/former sidepiece? What was he doing in Africa? What does he want to do with Nootka? How can he be privy to so many state secrets? Does he have a moral center or is only out for himself? How long does he plan on being in London for? Where can I buy the fly-ass coat he wears? What’s his history with the East India Trading Company? What’s the significance of his visions?

(Extended sidenote: For that last question I don’t think we’ll ever be fully satisfied. The dialogue of Taboo is very theatrical and dramatic in nature, almost like a stage play than a TV show. There is a lot of exposition, big acting and theatrics, which usually comes with the territory of watching TV made by our European friends across the pond who tend to be less simple and direct than how we do it here. I bet there will be a lot of wasted words that don’t really accomplish anything or go anywhere, sort of like True Detective. Some people hate that. I personally don’t mind because I find it interesting and entertaining and I watch TV to be interested and entertained.)

There are a lot of questions surrounding Taboo, and with six hours of show left, we have more than enough time to have them answered. Taboo has set the bar high and now it’s up to them to deliver. But if the way things are currently going is any indication, I don’t think we’ll be disappointed.

Twitter @CharlieWisco