One of the most watched series on Netflix these days is Taboo, which is a rarity, since it was released on BBC and FX in 2017. The finesse and originality of the story did not go unnoticed at the time, but even so its success was moderate in relation to its ambition. Five years later, the public rediscovers it and it becomes an absolute success. Meanwhile Steven Knight, the showrunner of the series, confirms that the second season is already written and it only remains to hope that the agenda of the protagonist, Tom Hardy, will have a space to resume his character.
The series is set in 1814. James Keziah Delaney (Tom Hardy) returns to England after spending twelve years in Africa. His appearance comes at the funeral of his father, from whom he will receive an inheritance that will make him the center of intense political disputes. Nobody expected Delaney to be alive, and with his return rumors about the savagery of his life outside England and practices that no one dares to mention aloud are reignited. Delaney is a monster to British society at the time, but his enemies are the corrupt powers that may be responsible for his father's death.
The heritage mentioned includes a small island on the west coast of North America. The land of Nutka is in dispute between Britain and the United States, two countries at war at that time. The East India Company had reached an agreement to buy the land of Zilpha Geary, Delaney's half-sister, from him, but as the war is coming to an end, the land rises in value and Delaney refuses to make a deal, the enemies he adds, so the enigmatic character multiplies and it is not known who he can trust .
The series is based on an idea by Tom Hardy and Chips Hardy, his father. Both managed to get Steven Knight to write the screenplay and Tom Hardy himself took over the lead role. Knight and Hardy worked together on their most successful series, Peaky Blinders, and although this project is different, certain aesthetic elements and the frankness and adulthood of the songs make them related. It is precisely this resemblance that Tabú only today has the repercussion it deserves.
Tom Hardy is accompanied by a cast of well-known faces, several British television classics. Among the highlights are Jonathan Pryce (The Two Popes), Jessie Buckley (The Dark Daughter), Franka Potente (Run, Lola, Run) and Oona Chaplin (Geraldine's daughter and Charles's granddaughter), but much of the cast will be more than familiar to viewers accustomed to the best productions made in the United Kingdom.
As for the Taboo of the title, it is an ambiguous game with some plot elements that we will not discuss here. The contrast between the wild and pagan world and Christian civilization is one of the main conflicts of the series. For those who have seen the series at the time, the wait for a second season is too long, for those who have just arrived it is all good news, they will soon have the chance to continue with this great production of dark adventures in the 19th century.
The first season of Taboo (its original name) has eight episodes as does the already written second season.
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