Taboo: Episode 2

January 23, 2017 7:46 AM - Season 1, Episode 2

James Delaney continues on his path of reclaiming his inheritance and possibly build an empire, but he faces hurdles, including more death threats.

Taboo is a cool and intriguing name for a show, but it really could be called The Tom Hardy Show — and the second episode of the series continues to demonstrate why. While this episode follows up the pilot by delving more into the mystery of Nootka Sound and introduces a few more characters (Al Capone!), it’s still all about Hardy and his weird, yet intriguing character James Delaney. By the end, we’re left with Delaney’s fate left in the air. Luckily, we know that we have at least six more episodes to enjoy Hardy in full dark, mumble, and grunt mode.

Entertainment Weekly episode recap

posted by filthy light thief (6 comments total)

I'm missing the AL Capone reference (not listed on IMDb as far as I see). And a bit of translation: Felice Adventurero, the name of Delaney's new ship, means "happy adventure."
posted by filthy light thief at 7:53 AM on January 23, 2017

And if things got a bit too mumbly for you, you can read the words after the fact via this transcript (speakers aren't attributed, so it's not exactly spoilers if you read this before the episode).
posted by filthy light thief at 8:02 AM on January 23, 2017

I'm missing the Al Capone reference

Atticus, the fellow with the map on his head and book of facts, is played by Stephen Graham, who was Capone in Boardwalk Empire.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 9:43 AM on January 23, 2017

What happened to the doggie?

I'm guessing the Al Capone reference is Atticus. Edit: Oops, what AA said.
posted by 2N2222 at 9:45 AM on January 23, 2017

Even though it's mumbly, it's so compelling. The sets are amazing, the tone and atmosphere are immersive, and it somehow gets under your skin even if you don't always quite know what's happening. I am rarely thwarted by accents (having immigrant parents), but sometimes the mumbling is more than I can decipher. Still, I find myself thinking about this show days after I watched the last episode, which says something more clearly than mumbling does.
posted by biscotti at 12:50 PM on January 24, 2017

Yes it was so mumbly and with the thick accent (particularly with his horse-stealing friend) it was pretty much impossible for me to follow. Had to turn on the closed captioning to figure it out.

Really liking it so far. I know the episodes are longer than an hour but even it they weren't the show feels long. The quietness and subdued nature of the show really causes each scene to feel about twice as long as it is.
posted by LizBoBiz at 6:01 AM on January 25, 2017