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Ms Boods
Mar 19, 2009

Did you ever wonder where the Romans got bread from? It wasn't from Waitrose!

Just Chamber posted:

Loved the series as a whole, for the acting, dialogue, setting, but that ending felt just way too rushed to me.

Also Surely if you're the King of England, in control of the most powerful army/ navy, why wouldn't you either blockade the Thames or just send a single ship with guns to stop Delany's vessel?

:eng101: He's not King, yet; he's still Prince Regent -- but a good question!

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upgunned shitpost
Jan 21, 2015

Those were some incredible characters with great dialogue played really well by the actors in an entirely meh story.

All the constituent parts were great, but... I dunno... it just kinda fizzled out, for lack of a better way to describe it.

Doug Sisk
Sep 11, 2001

Just Chamber posted:

Loved the series as a whole, for the acting, dialogue, setting, but that ending felt just way too rushed to me.

Also Surely if you're the King of England, in control of the most powerful army/ navy, why wouldn't you either blockade the Thames or just send a single ship with guns to stop Delany's vessel?

I assume it was simply a matter of not having enough time once the decision was made.

Fat-Lip-Sum-41.mp3
Nov 15, 2003

jfood posted:

Those were some incredible characters with great dialogue played really well by the actors in an entirely meh story.

Hm.

Tenebrais
Sep 2, 2011

Doug Sisk posted:

I assume it was simply a matter of not having enough time once the decision was made.

Yeah I figure they expected the soldiers to finish the job and by the time they failed they couldn't get together a combat ship before Delaney reached the blockade.

This series got renewed, right? It'd probably have worked better as a single series so they could actually show what Delaney was doing it all for, rather than keep the mystery going for the future.

Biaga
Oct 27, 2009
I really went into this series assuming it would be a small, simple, and contained event that you could lose yourself in for a while. Given the suggestion that there will be some greater plot outside of England makes me like it that much less. We know the outcome of Notka, we know that he doesn't succeed with his struggle to control tea trade, so why drag it out?

Honestly, without the EIC I can't see this story going anywhere.

Also, the death (or suggested death) of Zilpha was a huge "wtf" moment for me.

unlawfulsoup
May 12, 2001

Welcome home boys!
I don't know how I feel about the series, it was a journey though. I am with the other poster, I was hoping for some real resolution since this was billed more as a miniseries, and one season of taboo I think is enough for me. The show has moments of brilliance, beautifully shot, and does a good job of building its world; it also gave Hardy ample time to grunt. Even with that in mind the story meanders and the pacing was really just uneven. That said, the show literally ended with a bang.

Explosive dude is my favorite character and it legit made me sad when he got boomed.

Escobarbarian
Jun 18, 2004


Grimey Drawer
Man, what a loving waste of time this show was. And they're making MORE? Count me out.

money worship
Nov 4, 2009
Grimey Drawer
What a loving awesome show that was. A great story and the actors pulled their weight, especially Hardy, Hollander and Jessie Buckley. I was on the edge of my seat for the whole time, and if it wasn't for Patriot or Mary Kills People,Taboo would have been my shoe-in for the best show of the year so far...

And we still have the new seasons of BCS, The Americans, and Fargo to look for...

edit: Tom Hardy says much more in a single grunt than I've seen whole ensembles of other shows put together in multiplse seasons

money worship fucked around with this message at 00:46 on Mar 2, 2017

brocked
Oct 25, 2005

All shall love me and despair!
You might want to check out Legion, too

Escobarbarian
Jun 18, 2004


Grimey Drawer

money worship posted:

edit: Tom Hardy says much more in a single grunt than I've seen whole ensembles of other shows put together in multiplse seasons

This is a hilarious paragraph

anyway yeah Legion runs circles around this show

money worship
Nov 4, 2009
Grimey Drawer
I've watched 2 episodes of Legion, and while the first episode was fantastic and beautiful, the second one was too time-jumpy and too "I have no idea what's going on". Though I do love Fargo and Noah Hawley, but I don't think Legion is really for me

Jehde
Apr 21, 2010

I love Fargo immensely, like probably my all time favourite drama series, but Legion just didn't cut it for me. Meanders way too much, uninteresting characters, uninteresting plot, uninteresting world. Ironically I think Taboo runs circles around Legion.

Taboo owns, I was expecting a one off series but I could see them getting another couple series out of it. Don't want it to be dragged out too much though.

Jehde fucked around with this message at 02:23 on Mar 2, 2017

money worship
Nov 4, 2009
Grimey Drawer
Tom Hardy said in an interview he could see him doing seven seasons of this show, while the actual showrunner Stephen S. DeKnight has said he has a vision for a 3 season run.

TBF it's Hardy and his father who are bankrolling this show and it's Tom's passion project, so I'm hoping to see at least a second season to bring things to conclusion

brocked
Oct 25, 2005

All shall love me and despair!
Second season is confirmed I believe. I really enjoyed all the deck cleaning that happened in the finale.

money worship
Nov 4, 2009
Grimey Drawer

Escobarbarian posted:

This is a hilarious paragraph

anyway yeah Legion runs circles around this show

Sorry English is not my first language so I'm bound to say something stupid once in a while. What I meant to say is that Tom Hardy is a great actor who can deliver phenomenal performances in just every scene he is in, and that he is just better than every other actor today

C2C - 2.0
May 14, 2006

Dubs In The Key Of Life


Lipstick Apathy
I first came across Hardy in Rock'n'Rolla and even though he just had a supporting role, that was enough for me to start becoming a fan.

Casting my vote; Taboo is good.

Doorknob Slobber
Sep 10, 2006

by Fluffdaddy
That was both a cool season finale and also disappointing. I'm really bummed that they aren't building up the super natural stuff.

Doltos
Dec 28, 2005

🤌🤌🤌
So much hate in this thread. I thought this show was great. Superb acting all around and the plot was interesting. I wish the High Sparrow would stop getting exploded though.

Kilson
Jan 16, 2003

I EAT LITTLE CHILDREN FOR BREAKFAST !!11!!1!!!!111!
I liked this show - the setting and characters are cool, and the story was pretty interesting. It *really* could have used at least one more episode to fix up bits that seemed a bit rushed or under-explored, mostly the ending. I definitely want to know more about what Delaney did in Africa and what sort of supernatural stuff is going on with him.

Regardless, I'd probably watch this anyway because I'll happily watch Tom Hardy grunt at people as long as necessary :swoon:

Bust Rodd
Oct 21, 2008

by VideoGames
Zilpha's plot line was the only interesting one, honestly, and I am happy that I watched this show but I feel like we really just don't get any kind of explanation or exploration of their relationship, or why James went from magically seducing her to blowing her off.

Like yeah there is subtext about madness and the both of them just being violent sociopaths, but it just felt extremely threadbare. If she is actually dead and doesn't appear in S2 I probably won't keep watching. The show literally killed off everyone I liked except for James & Solomon.

Escobarbarian posted:

Man, what a loving waste of time this show was. And they're making MORE? Count me out.

Did you really watch 8 hours of a show you patently didn't like after the first episode? Why keep tuning in?

Escobarbarian
Jun 18, 2004


Grimey Drawer
Good cast/pretty scenery and I had faith it would pick up and then when it blatantly wasn't going to pick up I was already halfway through so it was like gently caress it.

TheOmegaWalrus
Feb 3, 2007

by Hand Knit
Taboo was great.

It has given us a perfect example of a show that embodies the adage "style over substance".

Bust Rodd
Oct 21, 2008

by VideoGames
Yeah I agree. I genuinely enjoyed it, and it was always beautiful, dark & gritty, but every plot line resolved itself in a very linear fashion, and there were no twists or big surprises.

The issue I have lingering is that the madness vs. magic elements were completely undersold on the back half of the show and I really thought Zilpha was the key to unlocking that, but now...

I hope S2 bridges the gap between James's mother's tribe and what he did in Africa, since we know they both worship that weird bird.

Chubby Henparty
Aug 13, 2007


Great show, disappointed that literally the only time he even looked like he might conceivably be under threat or not somehow ten steps ahead was the battle to the ship (which was awesome).

a mysterious cloak
Apr 5, 2003

Leave me alone, dad, I'm with my friends!


Yeah, that was my only niggle about the show, he was untouchable by being so incredibly prescient, despite not being aware of his father's issues (that we know of) before showing up from Africa.

Piriwi
Feb 20, 2006
In my opinion the main character basically ruined the show.

Oh look the main character says he is an evil twisted man... how exciting!
A young girl is ritually murdered, did he do it??? No....
Will this assassin manage to hurt him??? No...
Will he gently caress his sister??? Coitus interruptus. Incest with a half-sister who didn't even share a womb is like loving a cousin anyway...
Will this person whose life he ruined come back to haunt him??? No they die.
Will he manage to pull off this crazy scheme??? Yes..

Out of the Game of Thrones guy, House of Cards guy and the Sherlock guy, only the first ever seemed to be a genuine threat (if not for being surrounded by moronic sycophants), the second seemed somewhat disconnected and the third was just jarring every time he showed up.

Doltos
Dec 28, 2005

🤌🤌🤌

Piriwi posted:

In my opinion the main character basically ruined the show.

Oh look the main character says he is an evil twisted man... how exciting!
A young girl is ritually murdered, did he do it??? No....
Will this assassin manage to hurt him??? No...
Will he gently caress his sister??? Coitus interruptus. Incest with a half-sister who didn't even share a womb is like loving a cousin anyway...
Will this person whose life he ruined come back to haunt him??? No they die.
Will he manage to pull off this crazy scheme??? Yes..

Out of the Game of Thrones guy, House of Cards guy and the Sherlock guy, only the first ever seemed to be a genuine threat (if not for being surrounded by moronic sycophants), the second seemed somewhat disconnected and the third was just jarring every time he showed up.

Yeah I agree that was the one downside of the show. He was just too untouchable up until the end, mainly because the king-reagent finally said gently caress it just kill the guy. The assassins loving him up a little bit before he kills them wasn't enough.

Ms Boods
Mar 19, 2009

Did you ever wonder where the Romans got bread from? It wasn't from Waitrose!
Yay!!!

Taboo 2: Grunty Boogaloo:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-39211806

BBC posted:

Fans of Tom Hardy will be overjoyed to hear they have not heard the last grunt from the enigmatic James Delaney.

Chubby Henparty
Aug 13, 2007


Awesome.

... so if the Doctor had been working for both sides for some or all of the show, and charges against Delaney were sufficient to secure the land, what was the torture for? They should have had access to Carlsbad, the location of the gunpowder and more. What am I missing?

Megaman's Jockstrap
Jul 16, 2000

What a horrible thread to have a post.

Chop Sunni posted:

Awesome.

... so if the Doctor had been working for both sides for some or all of the show, and charges against Delaney were sufficient to secure the land, what was the torture for? They should have had access to Carlsbad, the location of the gunpowder and more. What am I missing?

Spoilers for the identity of the spy.

The spy worked for the EIC, not the Crown. He did not know the location of the gunpowder (only that Delaney had more of it, which he was procuring on behalf of the USA). He had Carlsbad's real identity but there was no reason for him to give this up to to the EIC as it was only of interest to the Crown.

I liked this series. I agree that they sort of abandoned their initial premise, and some of the plots went nowhere (I still don't understand what Delaney's half-sister was about...feels like the show couldn't find anything for her to do and then abruptly got sick of her and threw her in the river) but Hardy is magnetic, the dialog would occasionally just arc right off the screen, and the period detail and gothic atmosphere were enjoyable as hell. Also Tommy from Snatch turning into a convincing tough guy!

I theorize that this show's fandom and Penny Dreadful's fandom are almost 100% overlap, since they hit a lot of the same notes.

Megaman's Jockstrap fucked around with this message at 16:10 on Mar 29, 2017

Bust Rodd
Oct 21, 2008

by VideoGames
Yeah the sister-plot just kind of going "And everyone's lives were ruined... The End!" Still hurts a month later.

counterfeitsaint
Feb 26, 2010

I'm a girl, and you're
gnomes, and it's like
what? Yikes.
Since this thread is back, I just finished watching this and really enjoyed it. Never saw any of the ghosts except the one that got screen shotted from episode 2. I'm not really sure what the point of them was, but I find it really unsettling now that I know they're around but I don't see them.

The one thing that has me confused is, early in the show, probably in the first episode, it was stated that Delaney joined military service for the EIC at age 11. I just assumed that meant he left London at that time, so the kid couldn't have been his and his sisters right?

Chubby Henparty
Aug 13, 2007


Megaman's Jockstrap posted:

Spoilers for the identity of the spy.

The spy worked for the EIC, not the Crown. He did not know the location of the gunpowder (only that Delaney had more of it, which he was procuring on behalf of the USA). He had Carlsbad's real identity but there was no reason for him to give this up to to the EIC as it was only of interest to the Crown.


Ok, thanks!

Stephen Graham has been great in everything I've seen him in. Also good to see his mate Scroobius Pip (the beardy henchman) get a few lines too.

Megaman's Jockstrap
Jul 16, 2000

What a horrible thread to have a post.

Chop Sunni posted:

his mate Scroobius Pip

Move over Benedict Cumberbatch, we've found The Ultimate British Name

withak
Jan 15, 2003


Fun Shoe
Scroobius Pip is a spoken word poet and hip hop recording artist.

KilGrey
Mar 13, 2005

You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? Just put your lips together and blow...

I loved this show. I glued to every episode. I can't wait for the next season. I'm sad the chemist died though. I really liked his character.

counterfeitsaint posted:

The one thing that has me confused is, early in the show, probably in the first episode, it was stated that Delaney joined military service for the EIC at age 11. I just assumed that meant he left London at that time, so the kid couldn't have been his and his sisters right?

I don't think he joined the military. It was more of a military boarding school type thing I believe. He would have still been able to go home. Delaney is in his late 20's at least and the kid has to be about ten, so I'm guessing the kid was conceived when Delaney was in his late teens, early 20's probably just before he left to go on the fateful cruise that got him lost in Africa. There was plenty of time for him to have a nephew-son with his sister. Also, there would have been no reason to hide the kid if it wasn't.

KilGrey fucked around with this message at 03:27 on Apr 1, 2017

Megaman's Jockstrap
Jul 16, 2000

What a horrible thread to have a post.

KilGrey posted:

I loved this show. I don't as tied to every episode. I can't wait for the next season. I'm sad the chemist died though. I really liked his character.


I don't think he's dead. Last shot is him whispering to the (former) prostitute and just of ambiguously staring. I am 90% sure they left the fate of the actress and the chemist in limbo so they could either write them out or bring them back as needed.

He was a cool dude. My wife pointed out they could have easily just done an episode that followed him around. He was clearly one of the greatest minds of the age but he used it to chase tail and get high. A modern man if there ever was one.

ovenboy
Nov 16, 2014

withak posted:

Scroobius Pip is a spoken word poet and hip hop recording artist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_Gh8TWpQE8

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a mysterious cloak
Apr 5, 2003

Leave me alone, dad, I'm with my friends!


Megaman's Jockstrap posted:

I don't think he's dead.

I think he's dead, because my brain refuses to suspend disbelief that even today, with the best care available, a person probably would be extremely lucky to survive those burns.

I'm cool with the mysticism though

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