Taboo - General Discussion

[tennisgurl]

I am getting a kind of Penny Dreadful by way of Peaky Blinders vibe from this show, with extra helpings of Tom Hardy. I can get behind that. Its already more interesting than The Bastard Executioner, which I so wanted to be good, but it was mostly just weird and boring. So, so boring. At least I am actually interested in where this is going, plus no obligatory dead wife (that we know of anyway). 

As for the taboo? Oh yeah, I knew it was brother/sister screwing the second we saw the sister. But you cant really base a whole show around that (especially in a post Game of Thrones world), so I hope we find more exciting weirdness as it goes on. 

I am fully Team Tom Hardy. What can I say, even when I cant understand half of the shit he says, I cant stop watching him. 

[numbnut]

16 hours ago, ShannaB said:

I am a bit surprised that no one is taking bets on the murderer.  I'm betting on the son-in-law for now.  The servant is too obvious.  I was fascinated with the autopsy and the procedure to determine arsenic poisoning.  A little gross but fascinating.

James's half-sister (name?) killed their father. That's my guess. Maybe she did it because she was sexually abused as a kid, but I'm hoping there's a more original reason.

Edited January 13, 2017 by numbnut

[raven]

10 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

As for the taboo? Oh yeah, I knew it was brother/sister screwing the second we saw the sister. But you cant really base a whole show around that (especially in a post Game of Thrones world), so I hope we find more exciting weirdness as it goes on. 

Yeah, I don't think they're bothering to try to make the incest a surprise - c'mon, the spawn is right there! so I'm hoping for more exciting weirdness too.  The other possibility is that the little boy is the child of father/daughter incest but I don't think James would feel as responsible as he does if that were the case. 

I was also fascinated by the autopsy (my money's on the daughter being behind the murder) and hope we get a little more of that kind of thing. 

So James was involved in the slave trade it seems.  Dogs love him though so he's mostly good!

I liked it; I like the dirty, messy look and feel of it.  Sure it's a vanity project, but I find Tom Hardy very watchable and I can understand everything he says so I'm in.  Plus we have evil Jonathan Pryce and evil East India conglomerate, very entertaining for me.  JP does it so well - he drops the "good guy" face and shows angry, guy in charge being thwarted and not liking it face very well.

Bring on the craziness :)

[ihartcoffee]

I  watched it last night and liked it.  I'm curious to see what all developes. 

[spankydoll]

I am trying to slog through the first episode. The pacing is sooooo slloowww.  The set and costumes are gorgeous and Hardy is hunkorama as usual. But the scenes are drawn out, Hardy's hissing is overdone - and I am hoping that he isn't decorated in blackface to look biracial like his character.

I will give it one more episode to see if it picks up.

Edited January 14, 2017 by spankydoll

[Neurochick]

I watched the first episode.  I did not read anything by critics, because I don't generally like critics.  With too many of them it's "those who can, do, those who can't become critics."  

I couldn't tell if the child was James' or his father's.  Any way, the sister was probably the mother and maybe her nasty husband knows it.  

I really haven't liked Tom Hardy since he bulked up; he was a lot thinner in Star Trek: Nemesis and Band of Brothers, but for some reason I liked him in this, he's not that tall but comes across very menacing.  

I think that when he escaped from the slave ship that sank, he wound up with some supernatural powers; it seems like he's able to communicate telepathically with others.  He knew his father's secrets; he knew what happened to the dead people in the morgue.  I also think he was able to read the lawyer's minds in the room in the end, and he also knew that strange looking young man there was a hit man hired to kill him.  

I will have to watch the show on Saturdays "on demand" because for some reason, they don't show commercials after it's been a certain number of days.  I'm still not sure if I believe the show is good, but I think I read it already got a second season.

[numbnut]

24 minutes ago, Neurochick said:

I think that when he escaped from the slave ship that sank, he wound up with some supernatural powers; it seems like he's able to communicate telepathically with others.  He knew his father's secrets; he knew what happened to the dead people in the morgue.  I also think he was able to read the lawyer's minds in the room in the end, and he also knew that strange looking young man there was a hit man hired to kill him.  

I get the feeling that he died and was revived with special powers for a price. Or maybe he's still dead. That would be interesting.

[BuddhaBelly]

I watched it last night and am ready to enjoy the ride. I don't mind the slower pacing as it's the first episode but the excessive commercials have to go. It just made the show feel like it was constantly being interrupted just when it started to get good.

I don't hate the incest plot line and the child being theirs is obvious, so if they fake us out on that it would be appreciated. The characters are what you expect but I don't hate and I'm looking forward to seeing how that develops. 

Tom Hardy is bae, so I'm all in for it. I know he has an asshole reputation but I really love his acting and it was great to see what he could do with just his face. 

[Athena]

Quote

As James Delaney assembles his league of the damned; an unexpected arrival threatens to disrupt his plans.

[cpcathy]

I watched it for one reason: Tom Hardy. I don't know how he is in real life (I know he loves dogs a whole bunch), so unless we meet and he's a dick to me, don't care.  I told my husband, "we have to pay attention!" and I did, it was difficult to understand sometimes what they were saying, and I'm still not sure I know who the group of stuffy old men were. I'll keep watching, until things go off the deep end. I usually find brilliant TV on FX.

[VisceralVarys]

On 1/11/2017 at 5:32 PM, Ohwell said:

I'll have to use closed captioning because half the time I couldn't understand what some of them were saying, especially James and the butler/servant.  

Also, there were too many damn commercials that affected the flow of the episode.

OMG the amount and length of commercials was just killing the pacing! We were yelling at the TV.

[Neurochick]

It was hard to understand what everybody was saying, so I turned on the closed caption, no shame in that.  I also don't watch this show live, so when I watch "on demand" zero commercials.  It just means I have to wait to watch it, again no shame in that.  

[xfuse]

I like period pieces and I don't mind blood and guts. I don't like the incest plotline. There just seems to be something lacking so I will wait until the second ep to decide if I want to watch. I can always just watch Frontier for the period piece and the blood and guts.

[SuzWhat]

I record it and fast forward during the commercials.   I also use closed-captioning.   It helps a lot.   I am in.  

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

Should You Watch Tom Hardy Get Dark And Stormy (And Incestuous!) On Taboo?

He co-created and stars in this FX miniseries about a period Brit with a shady past.

[thuganomics85]

Took me a second to place Mark Gatiss as George of Wales.  The man sure enjoys hamming it up in fat suits, I see.

Still not entirely sure what is going on here.  Basically felt like this episode was just introducing even more characters into the mix.  We've now got ATTICUS!... er, I mean Atticus, who runs the criminal underground (makes sense; Stephen Graham was Al Capone after-all) and fingers Zilpha's husband as the guy who was trying to have James' dad murdered(I think?).  Michael Kelly shows up as some American doctor, who is actually a spy. Then, there is this Winter girl, who is Franka Potente's daughter.  This mysterious actress claiming to be the father's new wife, and now the East India Company is hoping to use her instead.  A lot to take in, and I still trying to figure it all out.

At least it is easy to figure out James and Zilpha.  I so thought they were just to going to get it on right then and there.  That is one messed up relationship.

The East India Company are still mainly sneering, one-dimensional assholes, but I could listen to Jonathan Pryce drop the F-bomb all day long.  The man has talent!

Looks like James had a real bad experience on a slave ship, that causes him to randomly strip down, when he relives it.  Avoided any actual nudity thought.  FX is cool with asses, Tom Hardy!  In fact, I'm sure it's a requirement that all leads have to show it at one point.  Get with the program, man!

[peridot]

This episode was a bit too much - especially with the cannibalism shown at the end. 

I'm only watching for Tom Hardy!

[Ohwell]

Aaaannnnddd.....I'm out.  I like Tom Hardy but this show is not for me.

[fauntleroy]

I am enjoying the bad skin and grime generally, though did catch a glimpse of some too-good teeth, and with the help of closed captioning have been able to follow much of the dialog, even. I appreciate the effort of the sets, remarkable that even a mere TV show can achieve a realistic look not possible on much larger efforts even a few years ago. The poxy filth and crowding in London are well done.

I was hoping the first few episodes were a prelude to a trip to Nootka Sound, but that is too ambitious I guess. It takes place during the War of 1812, which no matter how many times I look up, have to look up again, to see what it was about.

Edited January 18, 2017 by fauntleroy

[BuddhaBelly]

ATTICUS!

I feel like this episode made me more ambivalent that the first one, maybe because we're still in the set up mode and I'm trying to figure out what James is trying to accomplish. I'm not in any real rush, but I would like to be better oriented in the story. Is he going to start working with the Americans?

I was surprised to learn Winter was a real person. I thought she was a ghost that came to warn him. Why did they go with such a flat affect on that girl? It was sooo creepy. However, I do know not to trust James when he says he just wants to talk. He doesn't want to talk, he wants to burn your ship down.

The incest thing still doesn't bother me, but only because it's when James seems to talk the most and Tom Hardy gives the best sexy eyes I have ever see. Woof!

He ripped that man's throat out with his teeth. That...that was something, wasn't it?

[fauntleroy]

Was Winter not in the rowboat after James burned the sloop? Where'd she go? I missed something there.

[DenPratt]

1. Do we know who was the assassin?  I thought it looked like Wilton, the Records Officer, which seems really unlikely!
2. I am so impressed with the feeling of grime and grit and uncleanliness.  We moderns do not really know 
3. I am really concerned how they will go about saving Delaney.  An intestinal wound is fatal in those days.  No surgical technique to repair vascular or intestinal tears, no anesthesia, no way to cleanse fecal matter from the peritoneum, external infection (See #2.)
4. Any clue on the language he speaks?  I initially thought it was African, but it sounded Indian this episode.

[Constantinople]

Is it bad when you go "Yeaaaaaaahhhhhhh!" after you see a knife sticking out of the belly of the main character?

I'm hoping that that the titular taboo isn't incest or patricide but  trying to screw a multinational corporation.

Continuing objection to the Nootka treaty.  It's not worth the deerskin it's written on unless dear dead dad has a grant from the Crown for the land.

The dialogue is still bad, sometimes painfully so, not that Hardy's one note performance does the show any favors.

From the Guardian review of the episode

Quote

"I have no love for the theatre”. No James, of course you don’t. That’s why you stride everywhere in a billowing coat or flounce around on a white horse.

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/jan/14/taboo-recap-episode-two-tom-hardy-mark-gatiss

Edited January 18, 2017 by Constantinople

[ShannaB]

9 hours ago, peridot said:

This episode was a bit too much - especially with the cannibalism shown at the end. I

I didn't see cannibalism.  I saw James rip through to the guy's jugular in self defense.

Quote

I am so impressed with the feeling of grime and grit and uncleanliness.  We moderns do not really know 

I feel like running to the shower after the episodes.  Brushing my teeth a few times as well.  I am definitely appreciating my appliances and dentist right now.

[Neurochick]

I think I get what's happening.  James' father bought, or "bought" a piece of land on Vancouver Island, Nootka.  Both the British and the Americans want it; the East India Company want it for the British.  They made a deal with James' sister, because they thought James was dead.  But at the father's funeral, James shows up; so East India tried to bribe and pressure him to sell it to them; James was like, "fuck no," so now the East India want to kill him.

Meanwhile Brother in Law, had Papa Delaney killed, probably because he wanted to sell Nootka and get the money.  

Now it turns out that Papa Delaney married some actress and East India hope to kill James soon, so they can get the property.

James got stabbed in the gut, but I have this bizarre feeling that James might already be dead.  Interesting how he ripped out that guy's jugular, like a lion.

[peridot]

5 hours ago, ShannaB said:

I didn't see cannibalism.  I saw James rip through to the guy's jugular in self defense.

I wasn't sure, I saw him take a bite and didn't see him spit anything out afterwards.  That was a big chunk of flesh missing!

[Neurochick]

I thought it was interesting that James' brother in law called him the "N" word.  Brother in law is ignorant as well as racist; I don't think James' mother was a black woman.  James also referred to the Madam's daughter as a "mulatto" which was a word used in the 18th century, so that wasn't so strange.

This show is strange, but until it goes totally off the rails like a lot of American Horror Story seasons have, I'll stay with it. 

[tennisgurl]

It says something about my usual taste in fiction that, after James bit that guys jugular out, I was like "holy shit, he's a vampire!" Or a werewolf or something. I feel like there is something weird and supernatural going on here.

Even more characters this week! I am still trying to keep up thing, but its holding my attention. Winter was all kinds of creepy, I was convinced she was a ghost.

Tom Hardy is still hot, even when he is ripping guys throats out or making sex eyes with his sister.

[VisceralVarys]

I think he was calling him by the N word as a reference to James' sympathies towards the slaves and natives.

At first I thought Winter was a ghost but when we discovered later she was indeed a living person I felt that was a way of the show telling us not all of this is a ghost story or figments of his imagination. He is not imagining everything. His visions of the dead are "real" in that they are a thing that is happening whether it is a PTSD affect (guilt?) or he has some supernatural communication with the dead. But he is not crazy.

I cannot say I understand everything that is happening but the show holds my interest. The visuals are impressive and yeah, I'll go ahead and throw in Tom Hardy as one of the visuals. I'm enjoying the character actors all around. 

Were those beads he dumped into the water or gems? He found beads which looked solid on the boat but they looked translucent later so I'm a little confused.

Sister lover had no problem keeping that diamond, did she? Her husband is going to be a casualty fairly soon I'd wager.

[pezgirl7]

18 minutes ago, VisceralVarys said:

I think he was calling him by the N word as a reference to James' sympathies towards the slaves and natives.

I think so too, and maybe also because he was living in Africa.

Do we know why he was on a slave boat? I feel like it might have been mentioned in the big exposition dump at the East India Trading Co. meeting, but I kind of glazed over that.

[BuddhaBelly]

I think he worked on the slave ship with the EIC when he was wonder. 

I figure the brother in law is calling him the N word because he knows that James is half-native, he's lived in Africa for 10 years and has clearly picked up habits from the tribes he;s lived with. 

[SharonH58]

I LOVED it.  The supernatural vibes, James strutting thru town (he looked 7'!)  His character is very menacing.  And I loved the interaction between him and the butler.  Plus the dog!  I kept saying feed that poor dog!  I read he loves dogs and takes his wherever he goes. 

I agree about the commercials!  What is up with that!?  And I always use CC cause it's hard to understand some shows or their accents are thick. 

I thought the same thing someone above said, the beginning is a lot like the Vikings.  I don't mind the pace.  I'd rather have a slow pace than something like this last horrible season of Sherlock when all I said what WTF?

[SharonH58]

On ‎1‎/‎18‎/‎2017 at 10:03 AM, BuddhaBelly said:

 

He ripped that man's throat out with his teeth. That...that was something, wasn't it?

Made me think of Rick on Walking Dead.  And to the person above,  I don't think he ate the guy's neck.  They were fighting. 

VisceralVarys they were glass beads.  Read in a review that the EIC traded slaves and beads. I was curious too.

I thought the Winter girl was a ghost too.  I didn't notice her on the row boat when he got back but...  I liked his friend Atticus and his book he is writing.  :)    Mark Gatiss's make up looked put on with a trowel.   I agree the look of the time is great.  I can't imagine having to live in all that muck and mud.  And those teeth!    

Edited January 21, 2017 by SharonH58
adding

[SharonH58]

Oona was on Sherlock (she had a tiny part as one of John's girlfriends) and of course Game of Thrones.

[RedHawk]

On January 21, 2017 at 10:04 AM, SharonH58 said:

Made me think of Rick on Walking Dead.  And to the person above,  I don't think he ate the guy's neck.  They were fighting. 

VisceralVarys they were glass beads.  Read in a review that the EIC traded slaves and beads. I was curious too.

I thought the Winter girl was a ghost too.  I didn't notice her on the row boat when he got back but...  I liked his friend Atticus and his book he is writing.  :)    Mark Gatiss's make up looked put on with a trowel.   I agree the look of the time is great.  I can't imagine having to live in all that muck and mud.  And those teeth!    

I once read somewhere that if we could travel in time and those in the past could come to us, we who went into the past couldn't tolerate the intense smells and they who came into our "future" wouldn't be able to tolerate the constant noise. 

[Kierstyn]

I'm sorry to be that kind of internet pedant, but the royal character is not King George III, it's his son. I believe this is set in 1814, during the reign of George III, but he was already deep in the throes of dementia by then. The Prince Regent, aka Prinny, the man who would become King George IV, was depicted in that scene. Taboo did a pretty good job of depicting him as a grotesque, which is how many historians depict him. It's worth it to check out the political cartoons of the day - they have a lot of say about his appearance (he wore stays to hold in his belly), his intemperance, and his vanity. http://www.thamesandhudson.com/George_IV/9780500251270

[pezgirl7]

Quote

James Delaney finds himself alone with the mysterious Dr. Dumbarton, discovering an unlikely new ally. With enemies lurking in every corner, James decides only radical action and perilous affiliations will be able to safeguard him from those intent on his demise.

As he works to prevent further attempts on his life, James realises there are other softer options - people close by - that his enemies may choose to destroy in his place.

[thuganomics85]

So.... James is basically saved by the doctor/spy played by Michael Kelly, who had him followed after their first meet.  In turn, James as now made a will where all of the land will got the United States if he dies, so that prevents the East India Company from trying to kill him again.  But now their plan is to use this widow, although it seems like she is an unwitting participant in the schemes, and James is trying to protect her now.  I am so confused by all of this.

Zilpha's husband is trying to get into James head by claiming his return has made their sex life even better then before, but judging from that dinner scene, I really doubt there is much romance going on at all between those two.

Hey, the Duke of Richmond (guy the widow stabbed) was the Spice King from Game of Thrones!

Still not sure what to make of this Winter girl that keeps popping up at random moments.  Or all of the weird flashbacks that James keeps having.

Looks like James is now going to bribe/blackmail the East India Company guy who writes their notes to give him dirty, including what they say whenever they raise their hands.

Show is still wait too slow, but I'll still watch for Tom Hardy.  And Jonathan Pryce dropping F-bombs left and right.

[Neurochick]

9 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

So.... James is basically saved by the doctor/spy played by Michael Kelly, who had him followed after their first meet.  In turn, James as now made a will where all of the land will got the United States if he dies, so that prevents the East India Company from trying to kill him again.  But now their plan is to use this widow, although it seems like she is an unwitting participant in the schemes, and James is trying to protect her now.  I am so confused by all of this.

I sense your confusion.

The whole thing is everybody wants this piece of land.  Delaney tells East India that if he dies it goes to the US.  He told the US spy that he wants to control the trade and he'll deal with whomever gives him the best deal, so the US might now want to kill him for the land.  What I am confused about is what point is using the widow if Delaney's left the land to the US.

Brother-In-Law wants a baby, but is wife won't go for it.  He was complaining that she's still getting her period, meaning she's not preggers. 

Winter seems to be real, but it's strange how she keeps showing up. 

Love the look of this show.

[johntfs]

Winter reminds me of a spookier version of Selina Kyle from Gotham, who just kind of randomly shows up and tags along with various villains.  Who don't, you know, kill her for some reason. 

Because the widow was the apparently legal wife of Delaney's father, she supposedly has a claim on his land and property despite his will, which means Delaney can't just do whatever he wants with the land without her consenting to it.  I'm using words like apparently and supposedly because it strikes me as slightly odd that widows would have so many legal guarantees in 1814 England, but whatever works.

[Neurochick]

5 minutes ago, johntfs said:

I'm using words like apparently and supposedly because it strikes me as slightly odd that widows would have so many legal guarantees in 1814 England, but whatever works.

You're correct.  I don't see her as being a co-owner; but I believe she would only be entitled to a third of the property and its proceeds, meaning everything couldn't belong to James. 

[coppersin]

I'm wondering if there is wiggle room with the will because either a) the father signed it before he remarried (did they say how old that will was?) or b) they're using his instability as an excuse.

I'm curious why Mr. Geary knew about the incest. You'd think the family would've tried to keep that as quiet as possible.

I'm all for Tom Hardy spending half the episode in nothing but a loose shirt but I had to wince when he crawled into that cesspool of a cellar with bare feet and a fresh wound. I know 1800s London wasn't the height of cleanliness but at least make an effort, James! If he isn't more careful he's gonna off himself and save everyone else the trouble.

I am really digging this show. I love the look, I'm enjoying every character (even the ones I'm rooting against), and it's fun to keep up with everyone's plots and schemes. I thought this show was supposed to be a one-and-done miniseries, but apparently the goal is three seasons. Still, whenever they wrap, by the end of the show my hopes are the same:

-Brace lives (and hopefully retires somewhere warm because that man has earned a break)

-Zilpha gets one or two solid punches on her husband, one to his smug face and another further south. I've been wanting her to slug him since episode one. After this episode though, I suspect it's 50-50 which Delaney sibling guts him and leaves him in a ditch.

-We see just how much of James' body those tattoos cover. Because I'm shallow.

[Constantinople]

I'm struggling to think of anything I've ever watched that was more predictable than James surviving the assassination attempt.

I don't understand the point of boarding up the house if random street urchins can show-up in the basement none the worse for wear.  That's some great building security.

I'm also finding it a little hard to believe that East India Company and Solomon Coop, the Prince Regent's man, have three bazillion spies between them, but they don't know about recreational activities of Godders, the guy who takes the minutes at the EIC board meetings?

Speaking of the Prince Regent, they kept referring to him as the King or His Majesty.  This is supposed to be 1814, so he's neither.  Even Wikipedia knows he was referred to as His Royal Highness, The Prince Regent.  But that's a minor error compared to either the British or US government recognizing the validity of the sale of Nootka Sound from the local inhabitants to James's dad, absent some kind of grant from the government in question.

James & Zilpha have zero chemistry.

Edited January 25, 2017 by Constantinople

[Neurochick]

25 minutes ago, Constantinople said:

James & Zilpha have zero chemistry.

It's a strange chemistry; two people who really don't like each other but just fuck.  WTF was going on in the church?  When she walked over and straddled James I was like, "is this show really going to go there?  I know this is FX but..."  Gladly they didn't, but the scene was still strange.  

[johntfs]

42 minutes ago, coppersin said:

I'm wondering if there is wiggle room with the will because either a) the father signed it before he remarried (did they say how old that will was?) or b) they're using his instability as an excuse.

I'm curious why Mr. Geary knew about the incest. You'd think the family would've tried to keep that as quiet as possible.

I'm all for Tom Hardy spending half the episode in nothing but a loose shirt but I had to wince when he crawled into that cesspool of a cellar with bare feet and a fresh wound. I know 1800s London wasn't the height of cleanliness but at least make an effort, James! If he isn't more careful he's gonna off himself and save everyone else the trouble.

 

The will isn't really the issue.  Inheritance law (as far as this show goes) entitles the widow to a share of the property and its proceeds.  As long as she (or her heirs) live, Delaney can't do anything with the property without their agreement.  She was also the main reason Delaney was marked for death since she would automatically inherit Delaney's share if he died without a will.

Just assume Mr. Geary knows everything.

To be fair, nobody really knew about the link between dirt and infection at that point.  Besides, Delaney is some kind of cannibal magician who presumably learned occult powers from actual Magical Negros.  It's just that they were more about blood, death and vengeful power and way less about folksy sayings.

[Marianne]

58 minutes ago, Neurochick said:

You're correct.  I don't see her as being a co-owner; but I believe she would only be entitled to a third of the property and its proceeds, meaning everything couldn't belong to James. 

 

I'm confused.  I thought that in the early 19th century, the only rights a widow would have had in her husbands property was life estate in the income from 1/3 of the property.  So she could collect that income for as long as she survived, but she had no right to ownership of the title and she couldn't prevent the sale of the assets by the person who inherited under the will or through intestacy.  I know the law changed later to be more like the modern approach, where a disinherited spouse would get a forced share (1/3 or 1/2) of the deceased spouse's property.  

So it just seems to me that the show is wrong on the law, which is annoying.  :)

[BuddhaBelly]

1 hour ago, coppersin said:

I'm wondering if there is wiggle room with the will because either a) the father signed it before he remarried (did they say how old that will was?) or b) they're using his instability as an excuse.

Based on the law alone, James would have naturally inherited everything his father left behind, although the father could have willed Zilpha something.  It gets a bit wiggly because of how women are viewed in terms of owning property. As his widow, Lorna would be entitled to a jointure/dower but only of the father left it to her in his will. Technically, she should only get what James is willing to give her. This gets a bit more confusing bc I've read that the dower could be valued at 1/3 of the estate left and would be the widow's right whether it was willed to her or not, but that could have been a law change.

I think I need to do a bit more research.

Edited January 25, 2017 by BuddhaBelly

[Athena]

Quote

Bow, encouraged by Delaney, allows herself to be arrested by the Crown. About to be raped by Coop, she is rescued when the East India Company intervene having been tipped off by Delaney. Cholmondeley advises Delaney on gunpowder. They plan to steal saltpeter from a Company warehouse. An attempt to kill Delaney instigated by Dumbarton ends with the disembowelment of his attacker. Delaney invites Bow to a ball where Thorne, suffering from laughing gas provided by Cholmondeley, challenges Delaney to a duel to the death.

UK original air date: January 28, 2017

[cpcathy]

I finally got through an episode understanding almost everything they said perfectly! And more daylight scenes (yay for daylight!)

Still enjoying this, but not in the way I was on the edge of my seat with, say, Fargo season 2 (OK, only Fargo season 2).

Can I just say, dayammmmm, Tom Hardy. Man, I've started becoming obsessed. He's such a presence, and the character of James has humanity, strangely enough. And I could listen to his accent endlessly.

[tennisgurl]

I have to say, I am really enjoying this show, even with the slow plot. Its just weird enough to hold my interest, but it still basically makes sense.

Tom Hardy is the kind of guy who just becomes hotter the dirtier he is. Its like that's somehow his natural state. And his character is growing on me. He`s definitely an intense criminal who uses violence and threats, but he does seem to have some decency in there. Plus the people he's going up against are even worse.

Winter is a really creepy little kid. Her and her street urchin gang look like some kind of steampunk Kidz Bop group that hasn't bathed in five ears.

I am interested to see what the deal was with James mother. She apparently died in a mental hospital? Did she really run around wearing all that makeup on her face, or was that just one of James creepy visions?