Most fantastically baroque threat of the week This can only go to the scene in which a naked, tattooed James practised his own version of feng shui to clear the bad spirits of slavery from his newly purchased ship. Most magnificently brooding Tom Hardy moment That’s why you stride everywhere in a billowing coat or flounce around on a white horse. I would really like a big stick like Sir Stuart Strange’s with which to emphasise my anger at minions. ![]() Some reviewers in the US took Helga’s proposition to be a ludicrous reaffirmation of the unearthly charms of Tom Hardy (“no woman can resist him”) but I actually think it was more complicated than that: she was using sex to try and distract him from finding out what she knew – and he was well aware of it. Photograph: Robert Viglasky/Scott Free Prods That’s why you stride everywhere in a billowing coat. ‘I have no love for the theatre’ … no James, of course you don’t. Speaking of which, the cheek-biting scene was interesting – and I do wonder where they’re going with this (hopefully not down the old “he developed a taste for human flesh during his time in Africa” route, though that does seem a possibility). I also like the contrast between Zilpha’s outwardly civilised world with its music recitals and tasteful drawing rooms and her brother’s blood-and-gore-filled existence. The nervy yet self-possessed Zilpha intrigues me there’s always the sense that she’s laughing at everyone behind her perfect facade. Oona Chaplin continues to do a great deal with a small amount of screen time. Is Taboo trying to beat the Game of Thrones record for character actors popping up in unusual places? Additional notes But pride of place goes to an almost unrecognisable Mark Gatiss in his brief but memorable turn as the port-sodden, gout-ridden and nightmare-suffering Prince Regent. We met a number of new characters this week, including Stephen Graham’s phenomenally tattooed murderer-for-hire Atticus, Jason Watkins as the mysterious East India Company-hating Solomon Coop and Michael Kelly (aka House of Cards’ Doug Stamper) as the US surgeon and spy Dumbarton. Is Taboo trying to beat the Game of Thrones record for character actors popping up in unusual places? … Mark Gatiss as the Prince Regent. “My name is Lorna Delaney, and I have proof that I’m his widow.” Thus the key quote is Thoyt’s justification – “Do you think all who submit are evil? No, we are submitting to the way the world has become.” Delaney stands out because he has no interest in becoming a cog in the machine, no matter how well oiled. On one side you have the East India Company, so powerful it sits above the control of the Prince Regent, and on the other you have Delaney, who wants the freedom to trade in his own name … and in Nootka Sound has the means to do so. Our man is very much an individualist – and that’s the ultimate point of this show. That said, I wouldn’t assume he was working with them, more that he took what he needed for his own secret masterplan. At least we got confirmation that Sir Stuart Strange was right and Delaney had met with the Americans at some point. ![]() ![]() Thus, we might assume that the dead assassin was sent by the East India Company, but he could easily have been employed by Helga, by Zilpha or her husband, or by the mysterious American contingent. Everyone plays their cards close to their chest … Jason Watkins as the mysterious East India Company-hating Solomon Coop.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |