Stuart Strange versus James Delaney - Taboo Episode 7 Review

The audiences witnessed a long-awaited wordy warfare within this episode...

"I have a use for you." 

He said as it was an ordinary request without distrupting the tranquility. 

At long last, we could taste that James had given Sir Strange a task as if EIC's leader was a common employee. The epilogue has left a lovely glory feeling inside us, I assume...

Even after twelve hours of torturing (scraping skin, feeding with a serum which causes hallucinations and much more) by Solomon Coop's men, James didnt surrender to pain. Did we surprise? No.... With the death of poor Winter, he had already seemed in pain due to the guilt and regret for his young mulatto friend. The pure evilness of Company had simulated James's killing methods on Winter's last breath as ripping out her heart. 

While Helga's innocent daughter was being sent for her final journey on a scene, reminding the beautiful landscape paintings from 18th century, the bonds; supposed to be unbreakable, established through the agency of money, started to break off. The revenge theme that dominates the whole idea of 'Taboo' wasn't only bestowed to James Delaney, and now Helga was after it. She, seeking to cool her heart as a mother of a dead daughter, knocked the door of Company... She confessed her crimes against the Crown, bringing the stolen saltpetre's fate and location into open. There were so much to tell... Having a great gunpowder fund which can make a state win the war alone with it... Collaborating with Americans and selling gunpowder to them... Commiting suicide against the Prince and his crown as assisting the enemy during a war... All the acts of treason were clearly there. Sir Strange's bloody hands had done the right moves this time. Trapped birds spoken, testimonies objectified... Now it was the hour to take over the enemy.

So, where was James Delaney?

With one more dead on his shoulders, one more spirit before his delusions, Delaney was in the middle of another collaboration. George Chichester was a guest of The Delaney Household. The campaigner had an excellent grasp of everything that happened to the sunken ship named Influence (formerly Cornwallis). It was a very long and heartbreaking story for the Sons of Africa... and for James who was trying to deal with his own demons. 

The slave ship had illicitly departed with 280 slaves nine years ago, under the command of Sir Stuart himself. As missing the required crew on purpose, it was heading to Strange's brother's farm in the West Indies. The things went wrong and all the slaves were sealed in that sinking ship to cover this illegal trade with their death. James was also there as a slave, to seal the other slaves...sadly...

After that tragic incident, our gone-rogue anti hero Delaney offered a new agreement to Mr. Chichester which he couldn't refuse... Godfrey, madly in love with James, accepted to testify in person to prove the crimes against the humanity that were committed by Sir Strange atrociously. 

The mind games, put forward one after the other ended up in homosexuals' location with the acceptance of James of course. Godfrey's calling him mad while he was planning to leave London with a ship the day after even though he had no that ship to escape to New World was a clever gesture of writer's thoughts about the character of James Delaney, the man of crazy affairs...

On the back stories, James seems he left behind his passion with Zilpha. The sister, convinced that she killed her husband at the request of James, is lefted alone along the shadowy figure of her widowhood. I started to think that James used Zilpha only for an ambition. The man who run after his half sister from the beginning of the series, treated her as if she was just a bibelot tended to be forgotten in a rusty cupboard... I guess, what can we expect from the same man who learns his father's killer (old man, Brace) and does nothing about it?

Maybe he lost his kindness after all the things he saw... He experienced every kind of human behaviour but so little of kindness within them. James asked the same questions so many times if you remember on the scene with Brace's confessing.

"So you did him a kindness." James said.

"I put an end to his pain." replied Brace while crying in depression.

The new master continued to talk with his irresponsive voice; "You did him a kindness."

Now only one episode left...

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Reason or Witchcraft? 'Taboo' Episode 6 Review

Tom Hardy's Sherlock-esque character experienced his first desperation within the sixth episode...

Episode 6 was full with the corpses and funerals and it was the most striking one in the series so far. We have seen so many people died; Winter, Thorne Geary, Ibbotson...

Let's start with Thorne Geary, the obsessive husband of Zilpha, the duel opponent of James and the only handicap before Delaney, so his sister... I had said in the previous episode's recap that Thorne couldn't cure Zilpha from James' magic but caused her to plant the seeds of revenge with his meaningless solutions. And so, Zilpha did it. She killed her husband, the chains are broken now. She is free... In the middle of a night, under a heavy rain, with her crazy eyes, she confessed it to James. The man didn't seem like he was happy or unhappy about the things that he just heard. He just set off to clean up. He was like 'What's done is done'.

Thanks to his allies, Thorne Geary's death was made it look like a cholera epidemic. Zilpha wore her crime weapon ( a hat pin ) again with those crazy eyes. The striking scenes, placed one by one, came in line. Shortly after digging Thorne's grave with his own bare hands, James ended in half-sister's house. The man who had zero facial expressions with the death of his brother in law, was seeking a passionate sex in Zilpha's bed. 

The people who had waited for this moment must have been disappointed about it, right? (me for example) It was a very short moment to witness this forbidden love's natural reveals. I couldn't feel the emotions between the couple who had suffered so much and missed each other after all those years. I have expected an explosion which would flow through the TV screen towards the audiences, a joy of happiness, a cry of longing, a storm of passion... But instead, a mother appeared in the delusions of Delaney within the warmth of that moment of reunion. 

Oh, mother of nightmares... James has been told that his mother had tried to drown him when he was a baby boy. Because of this, his father had sent her to Bedlam Hospital, according to  Brace's story-telling. James didn't want to believe this old servant, but it may be true even though Brace has nothing to prove it except some forgotten memories. The proof we are required to focus might be in James' horrific delusions that clearly represents her mother (Salish) in a river. On this episode, we have seen James is still haunted with his mother's look alike. He was nearly being drowned by a thing that resembles to his mother. We know James doesn't care much for his father but mother. He feels himself closer to her with every possible way. His witchcraft, skin colour, opinions about religion seems like shaped around only his mother-figure. Following the path of taking revenge, James is also questing for a pay-back to the person who gave a birth of him....

Through the rumours of cholera, Delaney and his comrades found a way to deliver the gun powder. As you remember; thanks to the chlorate, our brilliant chemist, Cholmondeley, with the rented assistants, finished the production of gunpowder in time. Ibbotson, one of the corpses of this episode, unable to stand with the stage which seemed like a scene from hell, went for the confessional. The priest who was supposed to be silent about his confession, couldn't isolate himself from the prize of EIC, 25 pounds for whom to deliver the knowledge of stolen saltpetre's place of detention...

Ibbotson ended up in the confessional with severed tongue. After the betrayal of this guardian of his estranged son, James Delaney experienced his first desperation. His unprotected escape ship was sunk by the Company. It was unprotected because someone betrayed him, again! The background of this incident had two possibilities as Atticus mentioned just before throwing up... And I believe, it is 'Witchcraft'. Our James Delaney isn't called as African Devil for no reason, right?

Benjamin Wilton was there to say 'Hi'. So the war actually began now...

And the first victim was Winter...

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Taboo Episode 5 Review - A Duel with No Death

On a small hill in the middle of the river, when the sun rises, Thorne tried his best to get revenge from James Delaney...

Unluckiness or failure doesn't fit the scene with Tom Hardy and Jefferson Hall. As a dark thriller, built on conspiracies, Thorne had made his shot in cold blood. And the other side (James' side) was not in so rush about it... I hear your voices, let the silence turn into concrete words; he already knew that the Company or Crown would take precautions to keep him from dying. While Lorna was very much concerned for the sake of James there, all happened in the blink of an eye. Thorne chose to fire his gun at James and James chose to kill Thorne's second with an excellent shot. (It's been learned that Thorne's supporter was Company's man on a mission to prevent James' death). 

Waiting for the death news of her husband, as being sure of James winning the duel, Zilpha seemed unhappy when Thorne returned to home without even taking a scratch... Potatoes or champagne? Such a misery dilemma in their situation. Thorne revealed his endless aggression and anger towards Zilpha and James. He did not just sense it, he also heard the gossips about his wife's forbidden background with African Devil... 

"So I shall hear through gossip?" Zilpha asked  Thorne when he didn't want to share the details of that duel with no death in the end, which is very odd... And Thorne replied in grief, "As I hear about you." 

Until that moment in the show, I fed antipathy against Thorne, hands down... But with this particular moment, I felt pity for him. The exorcism which occurred at the end of the episode made me very frustrated about the narrow minded mankind... and just that. I was not yelling at Thorne for doing this to his wife. As he learned from his ancestors, the only way to see light again (according to him) goes through firstly beating his wife, then hiring an exorcist and as last letting that exorcist disturb his wife sexually. So, the suffering of Thorne caused his wife to plant the seeds of revenge in her secret garden (unforgiving memory of a sorrowful woman). 

In this world where the ugliness and the beauty blended violently by the hands of evil men, we can't pretend not to see Regency England, right? While Mark Gatiss is highly unrecognizable under the heavy make up, the skin discolouration of Prince Regent we have witnessed on the show, evokes as if the selfishness of that character turned into ugly bubbles on face.

There were abandoned letters in small boxes for nine years...until now. The Crown (Prince Regent and Solomon Coop) decided to hear the voices of 280 souls after so many years with the purpose of blaming Sir Stuart Strange. Because as you recall from the previous episode, the saltpetre had been stolen by the league of the damned.  To make someone responsible for this treachery, because, searching the whole city from head to toe wasn't enough, the Crown has found the solution with delving into past. 

Lucian Msamati has joined to the cast as George Chichester, a black man who works for the Sons of Africa, and also he was the person that sent letters every year to Solomon Coop. Almost 300 slaves died years ago within a sunken ship.. wait for it...which was called "Influence". The ship that James was on and known to be dead after it sank... The justice and revenge that James was seeking from the beginning rests in the ruins of the Influence, without a doubt... 

Meanwhile, having the knowledge of James Delaney's gunpowder business, Doctor Dumbarton wants to buy some... James sees this as an opportunity to get a safe passage in return. He also knocks the door of Countess for another safe passage promise... James seems like he doesn't trust to Doctor, does he?

It will be tough to finish the work in time, while dealing with Mr. Cholmondeley who has a crush on Lorna Bow perversely, and also dealing with the soldiers of the Crown who search for each hole in town...

I am sure James will find a workaround for all these easy problems. After all, he can speak to dead. He will take his revenge as he tore off the betrayer's finger... 

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The Battle for Benefits - Taboo Episode 4 Review

Taboo's Episode 4 brought a new ally in the show: Lorna Bow...

As James had predicted (or planned) Solomon Coop's men came for Lorna to make her pay off for the crime that she committed against Duke of Richmond (big headed psycho). The incidents in that small cell made me very uncomfortable with the situation. In their little world, taking care of business with man and woman separated in different ways horribly. If Solomon Coop or Company wants to get things done with a man, they can simply assassinate that man. It's a simple simple world... But if it is a woman, oh boy! There are plentiful things to do on that matter. We have seen the most sorrowful moments in Lorna's life along with it.

Insulted while the laces of her corset were untied one by one, threatened with rape by a superior agent of royals who was expected to be a gentleman; nevertheless, she resisted it. Hell yeah! She hit the real deal to her villain (from now on) as spelling James' name in that dreary place where the lights were reflecting only the desperation or evilness on faces.

Thanks to Delaney, her suffering didn't last long. The big game between James and his enemies eventually started to bear fruit. The battle for benefits showed its true face. The Crown and Company fell out with each other. We took a deep breath, didn't we? Now it's time for them to fight over Nootka Sound. It was a well planned bait, James Keziah Delaney, we see you...

Brace, wise and old manservant of Delaney's, cleared up everything for us actually as saying "We're all just part of the plan, aren't we sir?"

I feel, as audiences we are, that part of the plan includes us, too. We try to solve the mystery of James Delaney's intentions with every episode, right? We got the main idea. The whole purpose is revenge. Let's make them fight each other. Let's make them dig a pit for each other. Let's let daylight into this rotten city and its nihilist folk so they can see their true colour with its all bleakness...

In fact, James Delaney is not the main enigma to be solved. The enigma is there in its dark air and mud. When we see the clear sky one day in episodes, we will learn the mystery as I believe...

On the other hand, we have Mr. Cholmondeley as Tom Hollander. He gives life to an experimenter chemist. Ironically, I liked the chemistry between Tom Hardy and Tom Hollander. They fit the scenes very well together. The moment they have met, the moment they saw each other again in the ball was hilarious.

The gunpowder will be the key part of their relationship as that powder is actually a key part of everyone in the show. And now the refined salt peter has been stolen... James likes to play Sherlock. Clever man and his mad chemist is in the ball with his step mother while his league of the damned stealing the needed materials for them which will cause the Crown to fall out with EITC...again!

Americans want gunpowder. The Regency wants gunpowder. The Company wants gunpowder. Indians want gunpowder. So, Mr. Delaney has gunpowder... Selling some to Americans in return for a safe passage to the US, James is a traitor now from a nationalist angle. As he said in the first episode, he is so eager to do very stupid and dangerous things.

Dangerous man, playing dangerous games, couldn't get away from Zilpha's obsessive husband Thorne Geary's radar. As if the way of visiting Zilpha in her very bedroom wasn't creepy enough, he even managed to talk about it with his sister in the ball. We have a man with incomprehensible magical powers by birth. It is highly possible these powers passed from his native American mother.

And also we have a jealous husband who seeks a satisfaction with the death of Delaney. While Lorna tries to learn the real relationship with Zilpha and James in her own feminine way, Thorne wants his revenge in his masculine way.

Who will see the sunset after morning? Who will get his revenge in this world of men?

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Taboo Episode 3 Review - The Dark Horse Revealed

At long last, we have learned what Delaney wants: Tea..

A body of a dead man that his heart dug out of his rotten chest, lying on the shore. There are teeth marks on that very neck. As it seems someone had ripped the flesh of from his throat. Winter finds out the dead body, Helga's mulatto daughter... As we have seen in the first episodes, Winter wanted to be ally with James on her own will. He didn't have to give golds and shillings to count her in his league of the damned. And here we go... Winter is there to claim the silver tooth of 'The Malay'...

Then we see Doctor Dumbarton (Michael Kelly) right beside James who was stabbed by that assassin. Is this a coincidence? Nope... Dumbarton's man was following Delaney yesterday night as The Malay did . After witnessing the cannibalism of our African devil, Dumbarton decides to make deals with him and finally the audiences has learned the real purpose of all this madness. Stabbings, bitings, witchcraft's, threatenings... for a Tea Monopoly on the trading route with China. 

Are we satisfied? I guess we are not. Trying to be a part of trading post in Nootka Sound while the mighty Crown and honourable EITC (East India Trading Company) gazes upon it in addition to an ongoing war between Britain and America, may sound maniacally crazy for an ordinary man. But James Delaney is not an ordinary man and these desires of having a direct trade route with China are not the signs of insanity. He is up to something that is more important than trading, wealth, and legacy. Actually we heard the whole reason from Sir Stuart himself. Let's remember the conversation between him and Solomon Coop:

Strange:" You do realize this whole business about revenge..."
Coop: "And why would James Delaney hate the India so? What the hell did you do to him, Suart? Always assume I just know."

To reach his main goal, Delaney climbed the stairs step by step. He mentioned his intentions to Doctor Dumbarton, he learned that Carlsbad is a shadowy woman, he fought off the assassin and survived. There will be a revenge I assume and for this deadly objective he did his move. He came up with a testament for Nootka Sound. A testament that will drag East India and the Crown into a powerless situation as being bound hand and foot. Upon his death, James declared that the all inheritance belongs to him will be the property of America.

That African Witch did his magic again and he gave heart attacks to Sir Stuart and Solomon Coop with his brilliant trump...

I feel like in this chess game, if you know the essential secrets of your opponents, you will win at the end. James knows those secrets. Didn't he knock his old friend Godfrey's door with his sneaky informations? He uses the secrets, 'the taboo's to possess all around him. He have East India and the Crown, now. They can't kill him if they don't want to lose Nootka Sound to 'fucking' Americans as Sir Strange's statement.

He needs to know the secrets. The secrets in the whorehouse, in Atticus' place, in the company's room when hands are raised... All will serve him well...

There is a secret with Delaney, too. The things between Zilpha and James still bother me. I couldn't give a meaning to the scene in the church. Zilpha, for a request to give an end to her relationship with James, set up a meeting there and on the contrary to goal of this meeting, sat on him and kissed him. Then she just straightened her skirts and walked away like nothing happened as saying "Now I never want to see you, again." So, what now? She wanted to make James remember the good old days? She wanted to see if that classic trick will work on him? I guess it worked because her brother insisted that she will see him again. Zilpha talks with her eyes and behaviours. As Africa couldn't cure James of his love for Zilpha, that sister still has desires for the devil... 

As you know, the episode finished with the big game played by Coop. A name has been given and James' stubborn step mother fell into this trap. If I am gonna tell the truth, she seemed nice to me. Lorna Bow has a very pretty face and her squabbles with Brace and James upon being called Miss Bow (she wants to be called Mrs. Delaney) were quite cute moments in this dark drama. After Delaney's immortality with his wisely testament, it was obvious that she will be the new target in this battle for Nootka Sound...  

Will she be weak? Will she submit? We shall see in the next episode if she is gonna be the weakness that James stated about her...

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Taboo Episode 2 Review - Killing Delaney is not easy

Honourable East India Company takes a deep breath at the edge of madness. Because, killing Mr. Delaney is not that easy...

After a very, very long break (my apologies) I decided to write down my feelings about 2017's beloved TV series 'Taboo' and its episode 2. 

I would love to talk about its music at first. Max Richter did a great job with composing all the music in BBC's drama. Especially the piece that used while Delaney was heading his way to buried diamonds on his white horse was so ominous, I couldn't help myself getting goose bumps on that scene. There was a feel of darkness and death. The air always depressive already and that tone of direful inauspiciousness was enough to make me prepared for the things that will come after...

Delaney bought a ship! Its name is Felice Adventurero. There is a true story about this ship in history actually. A captain, John Meares, sailed the same named ship to Nootka Sound under the Portuguese flag in 1788. Meares is mostly known as a navigator and explorer who had a great role in the Nootka Crisis between Britain and Spain. So we see Felice Adventurero in the show as a fictionalized version. 

The head of East India Company, Stuart Strange gets mad at this situation. "How the hell has Devil Delaney found that much money to buy a fucking ship?" Delaney's debut is exactly as Count of Monte Cristo, don't you think? A dead man with an unknown past and wealth, returns for revenge and justice... Voilà; James Keziah Delaney.... 

The debts of his mad father comes to light one by one. The shadowy skulkers rise from their caves with never ending rages to seek shillings in the pockets of Delaney... Stephen Graham enters to the scene as "Atticus". A former butcher of his father. Let's take the guesses; of course Horace Delaney was in debt to Atticus. Surprised? No :) 

The mannishly talk between Atticus and James was intense. Both of them showed their teeths as wild animals. Delaney underhandedly was holding a knife just in case. Fortunately the money solved all problems radically (as always). Our anti-hero James learned the good sides of being a wealthy man in this world while he was known long dead in Africa.

 If you have money, your word will be listened. If you have money, you will make new friends and allies. If you have money, you can ridicule everyone who goes wrong with you... And James did it. He made new allies as Atticus (the father of crimes, mysterious deaths, hit-men) and Helga (the mother of whores). 

And we have Lorna Bow; James' step mother.

Will she be a good ally? Time will show... Her arrival in London will make East India happy for sure. On the other hand, they will be very angry when they hear the brutal end of their assassin; 'The Malay'...

The relationship between Zilpha and James has come into open before the eyes of audiences already. Even though they look perfectly fit each other, they are sister and brother. The secret that Zilpha doesn't want to talk about may be a taboo that broken in the past (a child of siblings)? 

James seems to having fun while delving into the past... So we do.

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Taboo Episode 1 Review

I have finished watching the series of  "Taboo" yesterday night...

I am truly sorry that I hadn't heard of the show until this week, but I didn't miss much, did I? The last episode has been just released so...

I deeply loved 'Taboo". The terrifying, dark atmosphere pulled me directly into the 19th century of London. An era with regency just before Queen Victoria's reign, the architecture of royals and the poverty of back streets. The nasty air is circulating above London while our anti-hero James Keziah Delaney (Tom Hardy) shooting a wrathful glance at the city. The light seems not to be able to drop its gleam to surface at all...

There is a dead man's funeral by the way. A lady rides her horse side-saddle as she is supposed to do in 1800s. After this cold and nervous screen, a dead man enters the holy church. The lady on the horse, Zilpha gives a quick look to the stranger and these words falling from her lips:

 -Has Hell opened up?

James Delaney as I mentioned my preview was known long dead by everybody. It had been heard that he moved to Africa and died in a sunken ship. But he has returned in the first episode with poisonous desires and plans as we understand from the first minutes. Lots of rumours were told about him. Some said he learned witchcraft in Africa, some said he is a mad man as his father, some said he is a cannibal...

I have watched all episodes and I can guarantee to you, he is a clever man in a Sherlockian way. He never shouts or speaks loudly. He has a dark side that you will not understand if it is a good thing or bad thing. I guess it is a good thing for audiences who loves mystery ( and I loved it). 

And beyond this darkness there is an organisation called 'Honorable East Indian Company'. Mr. Delaney of course didn't return for nothing. He wants to drink the blood of his mystical enemies. He is so pleased to have that toxic land 'Nootka Sound'. I have asked myself so many times " Why does Delaney want to go into a war with Prince Regent and East Indian Company?", " Why is he so eager to make fun of them every time?" Maybe because he is actually and badly mad?

It is a fascinating thing to try so hard (hmm maybe not that hard) for learning the sneaky demons inside a character's mind. From the first episode till the last episode ( I am not gonna give spoilers, no worries ) James Delaney will murmur deep down in your head as he murmurs in front of his enemies or friends. That doesn't matter for him. Murmuring is a way of replying for him and I have found it quite funny. At the very last minutes of first episode, while he was talking with Sir Stuart (Jonathan Pryce) and his brazen faced comrades, Delaney watched well dressed men in front him with an emotionless temper of him and while even a so-called sophisticated gentleman Sir Stuart was using a Taboo word in those times which is 'fucking', he replied excessively with ease "hangee"... 

The expressions of gentlemen in the room were priceless there and they were just like "What did he just say?" Oh I laughed so hard.

I will have to say before I finish my review of this episode; Tom Hardy and Jonathan Pryce suits their roles perfectly. Tom Hardy's acting is breathtaking and I would have watched this high quality show only for Hardy if I hadn't enjoy the theme already....

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Taboo Preview (Tv Series 2017)

Starring Tom Hardy, "Taboo", a British television drama series catched my attention this month... 

Eight episodes are already published. The last episode has been delivered just yesterday. The story of show sets in 1814 and produced by Scott Free London. The creators are Steven Knight, Tom Hardy (surprise!) and his father. 

While you are watching the show, you will hear the name of "James Delaney" a lot and the role is played by Tom Hardy. James Delaney returns to London after 10 years in Africa. This is a scary thing when you pay attention to those years. It is 1814 and a dead man just walks through the streets of London. He was considered dead for most of his countrymen. 

The deadly legacy of his father has driven him into a war between Britain and America...

The thing is James Delaney is a fearless man who is also always mysterious. I have watched 4 episodes and I still couldn't understand that man. His way of thinking and planning is mostly unpredictable. You will find yourself confused while facing the aspects of this dark person. He may be fairly smart on his own but it is sure he likes to control everything...

As Tom Hardy stated; we will see 'Heathcliff' in this character. We will sense the attitude of 'Oedipus' within James Delaney. People in London also scares of him as if he is 'Hannibal Lecter'. He is an amalgam of classical heroes... A hero who has also immorality in the deep and irresistible straightness to be able to say 'fuck of'...

I will keep watching "Taboo"... And I will be writing the reviews of every episode very soon... 

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