Taboo (BBC/FX) [** Spoilers **]

Skerries

From Tom Hardy and Ridley Scott

not sure what the story is but looks interesting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9QvSry2-CM

JP Liz V1

Set in 1814, the eight-episode FX/BBC One co-production follows James Keziah Delaney (played by Hardy), 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. Alas, 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.
Executive-produced by Hardy alongside Ridley Scott and Steven Knight, Taboo is currently anticipated to air in 2017.

http://tvline.com/2016/02/25/tom-hardy-taboo-fx-trailer/

I like the trailer and premise, looks promising and Hardy is one of best actors around

JP Liz V1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1fiijqrKuc

Taboo will premiere on Jan. 7 in the UK and Jan. 10 on FX in the US

http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/taboo-trailer-tom-hardy-1201948229/

JP Liz V1

"You send me 12 men and I will return you 12 sets of testicles in a bag" only Hardy's Delaney could deliver that line so well :P Jonathan Pryce equally impressive as Strange

Harry Palmr

Why is this titled as being on FX - doesn't anyone here watch proper TV, you know the channels that are on your EPG?

Technocentral

Looks nice but couldn't get into it, found it boring.

siblers

Was very slow but intriguing all the same, cinematography was outstanding, as was the set and costume design.

Nody

Odd Techno I found it very interesting as the main characters have actually appear to be more than the standard garden stereotype personalities.

JP Liz V1

I'd say Delaney and his sister are very close

thomas anderson.

Going to be show of the year

You heard it hear first

Duggie2012

great first episode..Tom Hardy = Class. you don't know a bad actor until you see a really good one. already looking forward to the next episode.

Clarebelly

Daycent.
Some amount of game of thrones actors in it as well.

naughto

He is built like a tank compare to every one else in it and fed far to well but I think this could be very good

Technocentral

Duggie2012 wrote: »

great first episode..Tom Hardy = Class. you don't know a bad actor until you see a really good one. already looking forward to the next episode.

Serious over acting from Hardy, real scenery chewing and a preposterous character.

Redo91

That closing scene when he's negotiating with the East India Co boys was Hardy at his best!

TerrorFirmer

I thought it was rather brilliant, loved every second of it and looking forward to the next episode.

Arghus

I could feel the fidgety fear that I was watching schlock during the first half of that episode - expensively mounted, but essentially schlock. It seemed to be pressing hard on a lot of the screen cliche pressure points - dreary ye olde and perpetually murky London, conspicuous talk of Grave Robbing, evil machinations by old men in huge rooms filled with Globes the size of smaller rooms. And to top it off Tom Hardy strolling about with the swagger of teenage Goth mood machine, wearing a top hat that even Slash would dismiss as being too much. Christ, I thought, a lot of money has gone into this, lets hope it doesn't turn out to be cheesy rubbish.

But then I found myself slowly becoming drawn into it as the hour went on. The final scene, as many have pointed out, was the highlight. A well acted showdown between our two main men, with the stakes firmly on the table. I'd managed to get past my initial - what is this guys deal? - skepticism of Tom Hardy's character and how he was portrayed. By then, thanks to all the glimpses of unexplained horror waking dreams from what looked like his past, I actually did want to know what, really, is this guys deal?

I still think this show could eventually turn out to be a tale of sound and fury signifying damn all in the end - all those mysteries could start turning into implausibilities, our hero could become too much of a laughably modern badass out of time, the story mightn't have enough puff to go the distance over eight episodes; there are many potential pitfalls. But, on the other hand, it could become a raw and weird revenge epic with a magnetic central character at its core. Time will tell, all I can say for sure is that I'll be tuning in for Episode Two.

Ben Gadot

It was an OK first episode. Mostly tedious interspersed with the odd promising moment, with a strong final 10 minutes.

I'm a fan of Tom but James came across as a clichéd mess at times. I was concerned when he said in an interview that his character is an amalgamation of numerous fictional characters...and that's exactly how it came across. It was just chaotic and not in a good way.

I was more interested by his sister flipping the tables on her husband, a scene that lasted about 2 minutes, than anything else that happened.

SteelyDanJalapeno

The 2nd episode was shot so dark I think I missed half of it

super_furry

TiltedBrain wrote: »

The 2nd episode was shot so dark I think I missed half of it

That and all the bloody whispering and mumbling. The sound is awful.

fin12

Ya I'm finding it hard to follow, I love Tom Hardy but he seems to be playing the same type of characters all the time.

Ben Gadot

fin12 wrote: »

Ya I'm finding it hard to follow, I love Tom Hardy but he seems to be playing the same type of characters all the time.

He mentioned his role as Bill Sykes as one of his inspirations for the character so you're certainly not wrong. Seems to be a bit of a vanity project.

Hadn't heard about this one until someone asked me had I seen it so we caught up last night. Have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. Sorry I didn't wait for it to finish now so I could watch it over a week.

Was that the sister at the end of episode 2 or just some random assassin

Re: the sound , I'd hate to watch it live as it airs as more than a few times we had to rewind to catch what was said and thats on a pretty good set of speakers.

naughto

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Hadn't heard about this one until someone asked me had I seen it so we caught up last night. Have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. Sorry I didn't wait for it to finish now so I could watch it over a week.

Was that the sister at the end of episode 2 or just some random assassin

Re: the sound , I'd hate to watch it live as it airs as more than a few times we had to rewind to catch what was said and thats on a pretty good set of speakers.

Some random assassin that they hired.
The half sister still want toms D

fin12

Ben Gadot wrote: »

He mentioned his role as Bill Sykes as one of his inspirations for the character so you're certainly not wrong. Seems to be a bit of a vanity project.

Hey was Bill Skye's the guy he played in Peaky Blinders?

fin12

Is something going on between Tom Harry's character and his half sister? Like the impression I was getting from them is maybe something happened between them in the past or maybe I'm way of the mark.

Ben Gadot

fin12 wrote: »

Hey was Bill Skye's the guy he played in Peaky Blinders?

Bill Sykes in the BBC adaptation of Oliver. Ollie Reed famously played the character in film.

fin12

I think Tom Hardys character and his half sister were sleeping together cause he said u used to straighten your skirts and walk away like nothing happened. Just started watching episode 3.

yep confirmed I. Episode 3

.

Episode 3 was very good.

JP Liz V1

Ben Gadot wrote: »

Bill Sykes in the BBC adaptation of Oliver. Ollie Reed famously played the character in film.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1065309/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_29

Yes Tom played Bill for BBC

secman

Watching this but haven't a fcking notion what it's about, can't make out half the dialogue, haven't a clue what the ghost one is about ... other than that it's grand !

JP Liz V1

fin12 wrote: »

I think Tom Hardys character and his half sister were sleeping together cause he said u used to straighten your skirts and walk away like nothing happened. Just started watching episode 3.

yep confirmed I. Episode 3

.

Episode 3 was very good.

Yes thought they were in GOT territory close from episode 1

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

I'd say Delaney and his sister are very close

fin12

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-4147018/Tom-Hardy-loses-2-MILLION-making-new-drama-Taboo.html

JP Liz V1

fin12 wrote: »

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-4147018/Tom-Hardy-loses-2-MILLION-making-new-drama-Taboo.html

I thought it was ratings winner for both BBC and FX

Harry Palmr

Some people should read beyond the headline.

The Hollywood megastar, 39, allegedly suffered the major loss after Taboo drew in £8.4million - which has not matched the £10.4million the show racked up to make

//

Currently in its third week, the hit mini-series has been pulling in seven million viewers.

So it's not a flop it's a hit - just not yet made the budget back but it will as the article goes on to suggest.

Also the BBC should be commended for showing something as out-there as Taboo on a Saturday night which has suffered anaemic scheduling for years.

fin12

Episode 4 was very good.

puppieperson1

super just watched episode 5 its menacing, it will be a slow burner like breaking bad was originally......

slaneylad

Great series so far

JP Liz V1

I am guessing the sister is going to kill the husband

thomas anderson.

Uh oh

Didnt see that coming

you know what's cool I think.

when hardy walks in that coat, he has a real jack the ripper menace about him.
when he's walking into the hospital especially, it's like everyone else in frame is affected by the wind etc but when he walks into shot, they all pause and become blurry or something. Kind of like how sheep would pause when a wolf walks through the herd, it's worth watching for that alone and the costumes and sets.

In fairness to em, hardy can command more emotion from his eyes than most of his contemporary's can with 90 mins of physical acting & well written dialogue.

I think he has an air of Oliver Reeds character,Bill Sykes from Oliver (1968)

Frank O. Pinion

I've watched 4 episodes, and I can't stand anymore. I'm out. Hardy is okay, The High Sparrow from Game of Thrones saying "f*ck" a lot is funny, but there's nothing else. The last straw was the ending of the fourth episode. The Barry Lyndon mf'er is like "I demand my satisfaction, I challenge you to a duel!", and BronsonBane is all like ".........", end of episode. Oh, great cliffhanger. I don't care what happens to the characters. Have fun f*cking your sister, Delaney, as banging a relative is what it feels like to watch this show...wrong.

NellyJelly

I'm amazed by the mixed reviews this got. I thought it was an excellent show. The ensemble cast was packed with talent and there were some excellent performances. The sets and scenery were incredible. You could almost smell the squalor. I loved the dark personal storylines and the wider political intrigue gave a really interesting insight into the balance of power in the world at that time. It was compelling viewing for me. The BBC deserves applause for shows like this.

OldRio

Superb series.

The best i have seen in a good while.

Thargor

This is brilliant but really what were they thinking when they cast the Prince Regent? Its that League of Gentlemen guy in whats basically a fat suit, its so ridiculous and immersion breaking especially with all the other casting being so perfect.

naughto

Mine ended just at the be fore the end what was on the letters he had written?

Thargor

Thargor wrote: »

This is brilliant but really what were they thinking when they cast the Prince Regent? Its that League of Gentlemen guy in whats basically a fat suit, its so ridiculous and immersion breaking especially with all the other casting being so perfect.

I get what they were going for in terms of the character but I'm with you 100% on this. It's very jarring seeing him on screen.

Discodog

Deleted User wrote: »

I get what they were going for in terms of the character but I'm with you 100% on this. It's very jarring seeing him on screen.

I disagree. He was very obnoxious in real life. I thought that it was one of the best series ever.

De Bhál

naughto wrote: »

Mine ended just at the be fore the end what was on the letters he had written?

the letters he had left up in the attic were for George Chichester and looked to be signed witness statements from Delaney and the East India Clerk of what happened on that slave ship

Chichester looked at them and said "justice"

Hope they make a second season - overall it was very good. very well made. Good gun battle at the end there on the wharf.

TerrorFirmer

I agree about the prince. His presence is hard to take seriously, I get what they were going for but it's too goofy and satirical.

Great show though and a good finale. While I'm sure there will be a season 2, the ending of the season is satisfying enough that it's absolutely worth watching even as a standalone.

JP Liz V1

Renewed http://seriable.com/taboo-renewed-season-2-fx-bbc-one/#