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[Miles Quaritch]

- THR review from Tim Goodman:

Before committing, however, you should be all in on Hardy. If not, look elsewhere, because this is absolutely his show; the camera almost never strays from him.

This is great news.

 

[obin_gam]

this is absolutely his show; the camera almost never strays from him.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

- Blurb from Salt Lake City weekly:

I love Baskets, but that is a weird blurb.

 

[Miles Quaritch]

I love Baskets, but that is a weird blurb.

Clearly another Baskets fan. There are dozens of us! Dozens!

 

[Budi]

I think Hardy said in his Chatty Man interview that for starters, they won't show genitalia and gore violence since the show is also being aired on FX simultaneously.

This can sound like an odd thing to be disappointed about. But from the trailer, I was expecting genitalia and gore. Not necessarily simultaneously

 

[RatskyWatsky]

This can sound like an odd thing to be disappointed about. But from the trailer, I was expecting genitalia and gore. Not necessarily simultaneously

Same tbh~

 

[Cornballer]

- Boston Globe review

I was fascinated by the first three episodes of “Taboo.” Some of the storytelling is muddled, which may well be intentional, and the hints of the supernatural are at times distracting. But still, if you like your historical fiction grim and your cobblestones dirt-caked, if you don’t mind looking into some of humanity’s bleaker facets, this one’s for you.

 

[Mascot]

Love the look of Taboo. Very excited for it. Anything between the Napoleonic and Victorian eras instantly gets my attention. The trailers look great.

 

[strafer]

Can't wait. Tom Hardy makes anything watchable.

 

[winjet81]

I love Baskets, but that is a weird blurb.

probably meant the Americans.

 

[dead souls]

probably meant the Americans.

Eh, The Americans isn't fit to deliver Arby's to Baskets.

Super hyped for this to start on Tuesday.

 

[Funky Papa]

This kind of sounds like the Penny Dreadful spin-off I never thought I wanted.

Subbed.

 

[Cornballer]

- Collider review

Taboo — despite its name — is mostly, perhaps mercifully, restrained. It’s weird and occasionally overwrought, but violence is effectively minimal, and sex is mostly suggested rather than shown, even though a great deal of time is spent in brothels. The show is smart, but not beyond comprehension, and it layers a foundation of adventure, mystery, and solid drama that is ambitious but never boring. Despite its desire to show the dark and gritty aspects of Georgian London, it also has a style to it that is all its own. 4 stars

 

[Cornballer]

- SF Chronicle review

At heart, “Taboo” is a melodrama, but a melodrama with superior attention to character detail and finely nuanced performances. It is filled with darkness, danger and mystery, and has a level of quality and import not often seen in television miniseries.

 

[Cornballer]

- IGN review the premiere

Taboo looks beautiful and has talented people in front of and behind the camera, but its premiere episode is a challenging watch as it's better consumed as part of the season's longform storytelling. Taken on its own, the premiere is often inscrutable, but within the context of later chapters of the story, it becomes much more comprehensible. On the first go-around, this could prove to be the weakest installment of an otherwise engaging TV experience, but on repeat viewings (with the added context of later episodes) its quality greatly improves and it becomes a solid hour of television.

 

[Cornballer]

- Variety review

At times it seems the show is shying away from substance in favor of delivering more superficial appeal. And to be sure, if “Taboo” were fun, perhaps that would be understandable. But “Taboo” is not fun — it’s grim, dour and self-important. It’s odd — the show should have spades of atmosphere and talent to offer. But for all its mustache-twirling, it never reaches a cohesive, sharp point of significance. Instead it seems a little like “Penny Dreadful” and “Game of Thrones” were hacked apart, and in an unholy dissection, eviscerated for parts. “Taboo” is a reanimated corpse of prestige drama tropes — manufactured darkness, heavy-handed grit, and sexual titillation, assembled with little to no unifying vision.

- Sepinwall's review

The series is slow, dark (visually as well as tonally) and unrelentingly humorless. Any of those three qualities on its own would be fine, but put together in service of what’s ultimately a trashy, if pretentious, revenge story, it’s an utter slog, and the biggest creative misstep FX has made in a while.

 

[pitchfork]

I like my historical fiction Grim and my cobblestones Dirt caked

Had this on series link since BBC put it up on my planner

Very intrigued

 

[rtcn63]

- Variety review
- Sepinwall's review

Definitely an FX show

 

[NotTheGuyYouKill]

Interesting mixed reviews.

 

[TWrecks310]

Oof, some of the latest reviews aren't looking great, and Sepinwall is the TV opinion I turn to the most.

Still think I will give the show a try though.

 

[RulkezX]

The BBC must have confidence in it given they've given it prime time BBC1 slot instead of putting this stuff on BBC2 and never advertising it.

 

[Cornballer]

- Star Tribune review

Hardy may want to mix in a romantic comedy sometime soon, if only for his own sanity. But for now, he’s got demons to work out and it’s an exorcism worth watching. 3.5 out of 4 stars

- Detroit News review

It’s a rich mix of intrigues with the occasional bout of brutal violence as Delaney tries to build his own empire and assumedly reclaim his one true love. Grade: B

 

[obin_gam]

Hardy may want to mix in a romantic comedy sometime soon, if only for his own sanity. But for now, he’s got demons to work out and it’s an exorcism worth watching. 3.5 out of 4 stars

This is a terrible viewpoint. Let the man do what he wants for fucks sake. Also, no one actually likes romantic comedies.

 

[Niraj]

Going to give this one a shot.

 

[Rolfgang]

I'm so hyped for this show. And I'm all the more excited now that I hear it starts slow. I like my dramas to build up slowly and not be a Michael Bay action movie straight out of the gate.

 

[Cornballer]

- NY Times interview

Tell me about James Delaney.

We wanted to kind of create a modern story, some new writing, which felt like it had come from a book that hadn’t been found 100 years ago and then see what we could do without any dragons or C.G.I. James Delaney is an explorer, a Machiavellian sort of type. He should run the gamut from heinous to noble. He’s gone so far through barbarousness and savagery that he’s come out the other end.

- THR interview

This was the first time you've worn multiple hats on a project. What did you learn about yourself?

It was like university for me because I'd never done a short film or anything like that. I never really finished school properly or got my degree or anything. What was nice was I was allowed to observe from a position of having a relative amount of experience from working with some amazing film directors and talents in my career. But learning to move between departments was different to being employed to participate in somebody else's infrastructure. I learned that I actually feel very comfortable as part of that infrastructure and that there are parts of me that really do enjoy the benefit of being able to look behind the curtain at what the problem could be, whether it's financial or logistical, and help find a solution. When you're working on somebody else's job, you're not allowed behind the curtain so you just get fed a lot of bullshit. Which is cool because you don't need to know necessarily — it's not your business — but there is a part of me that goes, "But I could help and I really want to help."

Taboo is being billed as a limited series. Would you like to do more?

Yeah, there is a mythology to it so we can and I love being in production. I definitely want to continue down that road. I have no desire to be an auteur visionary director but I do love being part of the machinery and the infrastructure, as well as the writing and acting.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Oh wow, Sepinwall is a huge FX fanboy. Really surprised he didn't like it. Then again, being dour and humorless are major no-nos for him, so I guess it makes sense.

 

[Cornballer]

- IndieWire review

“Taboo” is a period drama that relishes its cutting and incendiary dialogue as much as the crudest details. Horseshit cakes London’s cobblestone streets, characters spout period-appropriate racial epithets, and despite its FX platform, f-bombs and swear words go un-bleeped. Even Jimmy’s inexplicable choice to walk around with his thick coat unbuttoned feels like a clever manipulation of a well-known environment to make it intimidating, masculine, and, yes, damn cool. It’s an aggressive, fearless, and periodically nasty story filled with men who Delaney wants to kill, and told in a fashion that makes waiting all the more entertaining. Grade B+

 

[dead souls]

Damn, I don't always agree with Sepinwall but that review has deflated my hype.

 

[Cornballer]

- Polygon review

Taboo may not end up being one of the great series of 2017, but it’s good enough that I’m willing to stick with it until the end and see how the story wraps. Not to mention that a performance as strong, powerful and, quite frankly, rare as Hardy’s is something to behold.

Also, note that this is airing tomorrow on BBC1, so if any of you planning to watch on Tuesday (FX) are extremely spoiler-phobic, you'd be wise to stay out of the thread until after you've seen the premiere.

 

[Cornballer]

- Deadline review

Debuting on January 10, Taboo is a visceral, brutish and bloody tale of early-19th century intrigue that is very dark, very dense, truly novel and very much worth watching.

 

[Carbonox]

Tonight's the night. Looking forward to it.

 

[obin_gam]

Premiers on HBO Nordic in 7 hours!
7 Hours until TOM HARDY PARTY!

 

[Ydelnae]

Starting now.

 

[Lyonaz]

First episode was great, Tom Hardy was awesome, love the supernatural elements, can't wait for the rest of the episodes.

 

[Ydelnae]

Well, it was an introduction episode alright. It wasn't amazing or excellent, nor outright bad or boring. Some scenes dragged on (curiously, the ones that didn't feature Hardy). It has to pick up, and judging by the next episode's preview, it seems it does. For a miniseries, maybe this episode was slower than it needed to be.

Hardy was great though and the weird spooky stuff was interesting, I am looking forward to see how it plays out in the next episodes. Will rewatch it with subtitles since I think I missed out some dialogues there and there.

 

[neorej]

Pretty strong start, Hardy is excellent in this. Pretty good supporting characters, looking forward to next week!

 

[Beefy]

Great opening eposode. Man Hardy pulls of the don't mess with me look way too easy. Pretty obvious who the boy is. I hope he kills his sisters husband, he is annoying as fuck.

 

[ScipiosDefence]

That was a really good start for me, High point being the meeting with East India Company towards the end. that was dripping in atmosphere you could cut with a knife!

 

[Ydelnae]

That was a really good start for me, High point being the meeting with East India Company towards the end. that was dripping in atmosphere you could cut with a knife!

"I don't want money"

"Please open the envelop"

"are you deaf"

lmao. That scene was also one of the hightlights for me.

 

[Drazgul]

First episode was great, Tom Hardy was awesome, love the supernatural elements, can't wait for the rest of the episodes.

How overt were they? Are they a focus for the show, or more of a background thing?

 

[Memento Mori]

Completely disagree with Sepinwall, I thought that episode was unintentionally hilarious. No idea what accent Tom Hardy was doing. Sometimes it seemed to lapse into an Irish lilt and others it would verge on going full Bane.

Enjoyed it though and will watch more.

 

[Ydelnae]

How overt were they? Are they a focus for the show, or more of a background thing?

So far, they are a part of Hardy's character background. Not really a focus but I suspect that they will be more prominent as the show goes on.

 

[ScipiosDefence]

How overt were they? Are they a focus for the show, or more of a background thing?

They were pretty well placed for me. Really freaky when they did come in but that worked all the better I think.

 

[MrS]

I thought the production value was really low, almost amateurish honestly. Some of the acting in the scenes was laughable too (thinking of all of the half-sister scenes, here). I'm intrigued to see the next episode though - the pilot had some enjoyable moments for sure.

Completely disagree with Sepinwall, I thought that episode was unintentionally hilarious. No idea what accent Tom Hardy was doing. Sometimes it seemed to lapse into an Irish lilt and others it would verge on going full Bane.

Enjoyed it though and will watch more.

I think this is pretty spot on too.

 

[obin_gam]

As I expected
Raining 24/7, everyone has chronic depression and cold, lots of opium hallucinations, and Hardys charisma eats up every frame he's in.

The story itself could have been a bit more thick though. Thus far the "mysterious 10 years in Africa" isn't really hooking me completely.

How overt were they? Are they a focus for the show, or more of a background thing?

So far, they are a part of Hardy's character background. Not really a focus but I suspect that they will be more prominent as the show goes on.

They were pretty well placed for me. Really freaky when they did come in but that worked all the better I think.

There is no supernatural elements imo. What is showns could be interpreted as hallucinations of Delaneys dementia.

 

[Tugatrix]

Tom Hardy nails it again, the guy has such a gravitas in every scene he's in.

the show already exhibits a tension that will undoubtedly lead to a big bang

 

[ScipiosDefence]

There is no supernatural elements imo. What is showns could be interpreted as hallucinations of Delaneys dementia.[/QUOTE]

I don't remember where it was said Delaney has Dementia? I have had a glass or two of wine tonight though, I may have missed that bit.

 

[Carbonox]

That scene towards the end between Hardy and the East India Company was fantastic. Tense as fuck.

 

[RulkezX]

Well I'm hooked already. Really strong start imho.