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...