Words by Lloyd Everett
As we enter the abyss of yet another Game of Thrones off-season, our eyes naturally start shifting towards finding an alternative to fill the void. Unless you put your trust in Netflixโs โtailoredโ recommendations of yet another Adam Sandler catastrophe, youโre likely to be scouring IMDB for your next binge-worthy TV series. Let me save you the time and introduce you to โTabooโ, your next โSorry boss, Iโm not coming in todayโ TV series.
Set in industrial London during the 1812 trade war between Great Britain and The United States, โTabooโ follows James Delaney (Tom Hardy) in his struggle to, politely, stick it to the big guys. Battling the โHonourableโ East India Company, The King of England, as well as his own family for his seemingly worthless inheritance, Delaney proceeds to outwit, outmanoeuvre, and quite literally rip the throats out of all those that come against him.
Walter White, Frank Underwood, Tony Soprano, our love for the anti-hero is no secret, and in โTabooโ we could have arguably the most morally skewed protagonist of our time. Dark, twisted, inconspicuously brilliant, James Delaney is everything we could come to expect from a character born inside Tom Hardyโs mind. He even has a questionable infatuation with his sister (eat your heart out Jaime Lannister).
Though itโs not just in Delaneyโs bad-ass persona and Hardyโs charismatic on-screen presence that make this production so captivating. The show explores a truly intriguing time in history, captured in a brooding, โJack the Ripperโ style London, and pits one unyielding individual against a corporation larger and more powerful than the government and monarch itself. A โDavid vs Goliathโ battle (of sorts) you could say, albeit it a highly disturbed one.
So if youโre concerned with what show to ruin your social life with next, look no further than โTaboo.โ
โฆand for you IMDB snobs, itโs rated 8.6/10. Itโs good! Get on it!
