WHAT WE THINK ABOUT SEASON 1:
OUR SCORE:
– A muddy, dirty, interesting series where one can possibly find only villains.
JUST A FEW WORDS (IN THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT):
Taboo is an interesting series which deals with, as per title, the themes and taboos of the beginning of 1800s society – a time in which the fight for territories and trades was definitely on. The characters idiosyncrasies are framed in a political and social context which include torture and violence, prostitution and slavery, corruption and power, diversity and freedom. All topped off with a very interesting – although never unfolded all the way – metaphorical and mystical context.
The sympathy for the devil mechanism (Hardy’s character is actually called the devil in some scenes) is relativized: on the other side of the spectrum the villains are even more diabolical (although less smart) – this is a narrative mechanism of a very frequent use in recent times, but in this case it’s drawn differently as the protagonist is not dealing with an antagonist, but with an entire State.
Another interesting facet of this series lays in the characterisation of the metropolitan city of London which becomes a swamp and that represent the field that the poorer people use to fight each other until they are bought by someone.
PROS:
- Tom Hardy.
- The atmospheres of a dirty London on the hunt for a few coin.
- The depiction of the East India Co.
- The superstition as a mean of control.
- The resulting social critique of a social system based only on trade.
CONS:
- The tough and hard character dynamics have become a bit over-used (therefore boring) lately.
- The plotline between James and his sister ends (hmm…maybe it doesn’t?) in a sketched way and seems lost.
- He’s too smart, the others are too stupid.
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GENERAL INFO:
8.4
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