Taboo
Episode 1.4 “Episode 4”
Written by Steven Knight & Emily Ballou
Directed by Kristoffer Nyholm
Starring Tom Hardy, Oona Chaplin, David Hayman, Michael Kelly, Jonathan Pryce, Jefferson Hall, Franka Potente, David Hayman
FX
Air date: January 31st, 2017

Spoilers below for the FX series Taboo:

Tom Hardy‘s passion project, Taboo entered its 4th episode Tuesday night. Through its 1st three episodes, Taboo certainly created a unique world, a dark and dirty 1814 London full of interesting characters, sordid pasts, and intriguing and devious motivations. But while the show is rich with potential, there has been something missing. I’ve been reluctant to use the word “boring” in my review because as a history teacher by day, I am totally intrigued by the period and pacing. However I am not blinded to the reality of how slow paced and convoluted the intertwining plots are. After all, trade disputes between 19th century shipping companies is not everyone’s cup of tea. Add to that, that the show is very long, 80+ minutes an episode and has yet to live up to the name, “Taboo”, especially on the network (FX) known for crossing the line to the extremes in shows like American Horror Story and Sons of Anarchy.

James Keziah Delaney escaped an assassination attempt, and ensured another will not happen. He has had papers drawn that give his bequeathed assets, namely Nootka Sound to the Americans if he perished; much to the dismay of the East India Company and Sir Stuart Strange (Jonathan Pryce). He is caught between issues with his half sister, and former lover Zilpha (Oona Chaplin), and his father’s estranged new wife, actress Lorna Bow (Jessie Buckley).

Spoilers below.

Taboo
Episode 1.3 “Episode 3”
Written by Steven Knight
Directed by Kristoffer Nyholm
Starring Tom Hardy, Oona Chaplin, David Hayman, Michael Kelly, Jonathan Pryce, Jefferson Hall, Franka Potente, David Hayman
FX
Air date: January 24th, 2017

Spoilers below for the FX series Taboo:

James Keziah Delaney (Tom Hardy) is at war with the British East India Company over a small piece of land between Canada and the United States. A trade war between competing shipping companies doesn’t seem like the most intense of topics for a show, especially on the FX network, noted for its risky hard-hitting series like American Horror Story and Sons of Anarchy. But there is much more than meets the eye here. There are assassination attempts, love triangles, battles over inheritance, and the issue of Delaney’s mysterious past. He was thought dead, but is very much alive and full of visions from his journeys throughout Africa and maybe his Native American mother. We left Delaney off, having been wounded while surviving an attacker’s blade, while a strange actress showed up to contest his claims to his deceased father’s company.

FX has released some new promo videos for Taboo, the upcoming eight episode event series starring Tom Hardy. We saw a trailer for the miniseries back in February.

Hardy plays a man who everyone thought was dead returning home to claim ownership of his father’s shipping company in the early 1800s. Continue below for more on the series and to watch the new promo videos.

A trailer has been released for an upcoming FX and BBC One miniseries titled Taboo. It comes from Tom Hardy, who not only stars but also writes and executive produces, and Ridley Scott, who also executive produces.

The miniseries is set to run eight episodes, and it’s set in the early 19th century and follows a man (played by Hardy) once believed to be dead who returns home to inherit hit father’s shipping company. Hardy wrote the miniseries based on a story he and his father Chips Hardy, who serves as a consulting producer, came up with.

You can read more about Taboo and check out the trailer below.