Taboo, Episode 3

Last week ended with protagonist James Delaney mortally wounded on the cold streets of London.  This hour we look to see how he survives his assassination attempt using his strange mix of allies.  James will need to use his wits and gold to survive the relentless aggression from the British East India Company and beyond.   

In the muddy flats near the docks, Winter and a few other children find the body of a man. After poking him with a stick, crabs exit a gaping wound in his chest. A girl remarks, “The fishes ate his heart out.” Winter remarks it might not have been the fishes.  Winter spots the man’s silver tooth, confirming the body is that of the “Malay", James’s would- be assassin.  Winter helps “harvest” the man’s silver tooth.

James sits restrained in Dr. Dumbarton’s work area. The doctor sutures up his abdominal wound while explaining, “Your devil’s saved you. My agent said he saw you commit unspeakable acts.” (Referring to James’s savage attack on the Malay.) Dumbarton notes that the Americans want him alive.  Dumbarton observes James, “You take pain like a stone, is that something you learned in Africa?”

The doctor continues to question how James knew the name of the American operative “Carlsbad.”  On hearing the name, James bites back the pain to implore Dumbarton to get a message to Thomas Jefferson and the President of the United States. The bemused doctor states he’ll get the message to Carlsbad.  Dumbarton notes an unusual knife wounded James, guessing its origin to be Malay or Chinese.  Dumbarton states he’ll continue to tend to James if James turns over the Nootka land to the United States.  He asks James what his price is for the land.

“Tea,”  James replies.  Dumbarton scoffs, “Carlsbad, she said you were crazy.” James elaborates, “I want a trade monopoly from Fort George to Canton.”  For such an arrangement, James will grant the land to the highest bidder. The wounded man muses he’d then have “all the tea in China.” Dumbarton notes he should have announced his intentions from the start that he might not found himself in such dire straits.  James questions Dumbarton; he notes he revealed his agent Carlsbad is a woman.

King George speaks with his secretary Coop about James’s land and Delaney’s interest in trading with China. The Nootka land is on an important border. Coop informs the King that Delaney is “a savage of ill repute.” The King replies, “Then he is a man you’ll be able to do business with.”

James stumbles back into his home. Brace is alarmed at the condition of his master who requests brandy and bandages.  James sits down, dousing himself with the brandy.  He instructs Brace to board up the windows.  Brace is annoyed at the similarities between James and his crazy deceased father.  The servant doesn’t understand why he puts himself in this kind of danger.  James orders Brace to call the carpenter and loosen his bandages.

Atticus and another large tattooed man row a small boat.  They stop to pick up James, noting the gossip on the street about how he killed a man and ate his flesh. Brace advises James to “Not trust the snake.” (Referring to the large tattooed man.) Atticus proudly shows James a cache of guns.  Atticus quibbles about his “business title” he notes the large man is his brother-in-law.  The men offer James pork to eat but he declines, even after admitting to eating human flesh.  James throws up off the side of the small vessel.  James refuses to leave London.  He requests to be taken to Lincoln’s Inn.  He orders Brace to hand deliver a handwritten note to the secretary of the King.

Thoyt is interrupted by his clerk who informs him, “Some men with guns are here, James Delaney, he wishes to write a will.”

A while after, the clerk runs to the East India Company to relay the news regarding James Delaney’s new will.

Sir Strange meets with Wilton and Pettifer.  They sadly tell him the assassin is dead and Delaney is still alive, news he is already aware of.  He informs his underlying’s that the will states in the event of his death the Nootka land will go to the United States.  Strange spits, “He’s a savage and cunning man! It is now in our urgent interest to keep him alive!”  He barks at his subordinates to arrange a meeting with the King’s secretary Mr. Coop by noon the next day.

Delaney moves slowly around his boarded up home. Brace complains about Atticus and the company he keeps.  James informs his servant he no longer has to worry about the East India Company or the Crown. “I’m only in danger from the Americans, the lesser of the three adversaries.” 

James wades down into his flooded cellar, searching.  He sees the ghostly woman in black reflected in the water.  Winter sneaks up behind him, stating she sometimes sleeps in his basement.  The girl adds, “I saw you do for the Malay, like a wolf you tore out his heart. Then, splash, you put him in the water.”  Winter offers him the silver tooth from the dead man.  She implores James to “teach me about magic, I want to be a wolf or maybe a bird, like the one on your neck.”  James doesn’t answer her but warns her to stay away from his home, as it’s not safe there.

James wanders into a room with dried dusty flowers.  He picks up perfume bottle and paints his hand with yellow and red pigments he finds on the desk. Again, James sees the white painted lady dressed in black, wading in the water.  James sits on the floor in front of a fireplace, which has been boarded up with wood.  Slowly, he breaks down the barrier and blows around the ashes from the fire. In the soot, he reveals a drawing of a bird which matches the one on his back.  Brace enters, interrupting his contemplation.  As usual, Brace is upset over James’s behavior, noting his breakfast is ready.

James begins to question Brace, “When was my mother last in this room?”  Brace notes she was put in this room because she was “sick” for her own protection.  James is annoyed, recalling how his mother was restrained and not allowed to leave his her room or speak her native “savage” tongue because they thought she was mad.  Brace denies these allegations. James notes the bird in the soot and how it matches the one he received on his back in Africa when he was taken prisoner.  He accuses the old servant, “You don’t speak, but you have the answers!”  James touches the old man’s head. James sees the women in black one final time, she is laughing at him wildly.

James goes to visit his mother’s grave, a simple wooden plank outside of the churchyard set aside for “heathens, pagans and suicide deaths.”  The marker reads, “Anne Delaney died March 1795, ‘Salish.’”

Sir Strange and Mr. Coop have a tense meeting at the East India Company.  Coop implores Strange to find a common cause, noting the King is not fond the East India Company. Strange urges the King to “Forget India.” Coop warns Strange that he underestimates the King.  Strange notes the Company underestimated James Delaney.  The men brag about the number of spies they employ, including someone in Thoyt’s office.  Strange laments the fact their problems “can no longer be solved with a musket.”  Coop reveals the King has received a letter from Delaney stating the Crown can have the land if they can guarantee Delaney a trade monopoly from Vancouver to Canton.  The Crown would happily accept such an arrangement, especially because it punishes the East India Company.  Coop muses what the Company did to enrage James, but adds, “Assume I know.”  Strange rips down the map of the Delaney territory noting Delaney has made the same offer to the United States, land for the trade monopoly.  Coop adds that perhaps the two sides can find “common cause with the widow.”

Lorna acts on the stage in a rowdy performance about the dreaded Frenchman Napoleon.  Coop observes the play from a private box.  A woman enters, offering Coop “services” from the chorus girls or boys.  But Coop insists on speaking to Lorna herself.  He threatens the woman he’s on a mission from the King himself and he will execute her she does not bring his note to Lorna.

James takes a carriage to a dark brothel filled with men dressed as women, singing and entertaining.  A man in drag runs upon seeing James.  He follows her, despite her protests that “I’m spoken for.”  James identifies her as Godfrey, the secretary of the East India Company.  James threatens to expose the man’s secret life unless he complies with providing him with the minutes of the East India Company meetings.  James promises him a weekly income but needs information immediately.  Godfrey is frightened, and asks James how he knew about his secret, and confesses he has long been in love with James.  James is almost tender and promises to protect him.  But soon he slaps the man in order to get him to begin talking.  Godfrey admits he knows about the meeting between Coop and Strange, noting they have found a “common cause” against him.

James sits at his desk writing to Zilpha.  He tells her that he has restored their father’s company and insured the endeavor with Lloyd’s of London.  He tells her he has readied a ship and is preparing to leave England.  Zilpha sends him a reply. “I woke up from hypnosis when you left and realized the monstrosity of our sin.  I want no part in your plans.”  A montage shows James inspecting his ships as brother and half sister share these intimate letters.  James tells her husband “is already gone.” (Now that he knows of her past incestuous deeds.)  He warns there “is treachery all around them.”  Zilpha replies, detailing how her husband abuses her for her past with James and how she “deserves” it.  James answers that they used to trust each other, he calls her husband a fool.  He knows she can’t be tamed by religion.  Zilpha states she will no longer read his letters but vows to burn them unopened.  James, undeterred states he will “visit her in her dreams” and calls her “his love.”  One last reply from Zilpha, “I’m your sister, all else is a lie.”

James arrives home to an unexpected visitor, Lorna. The actress declares she has hired the best lawyer in town to fight for her claim. Her main interest is in the house and will give it to James in return for the Nootka land.  James throws her careful prepared document in the fire.  Lorna is upset, stating that he has just burned her letter of intent.  James explains why the house is boarded up, warning her she is in danger if she stays with him.  Lorna seems to have the latest information about regarding the new will and the negotiations with the Americans over the land.  James appears unimpressed by her abilities to gather intelligence.  Lorna boasts of a relationship with Mr. Coop.  Lorna does peak James’s interest by claiming she has personal effects belonging to his late father and mother.  Her words cause James to see the ghost woman in black; he slips back into his mother’s native tongue.

James summons Brace to make up his mother’s old room for Lorna and to “make her welcome.”  He warns his alleged stepmother, “If you are in contact with the King you are already in grave danger.”  James states she can stay there while “we sort out our business.”

James goes out to the shipping business offices.  Thorne, his wicked brother-in-law pays him a visit under the guise of extending him an offer of insurance on his new ship. James notes he plans to leave for the West, not for Africa as Thorne has assumed.  The two men sniff at each other appraisingly as aggressive dogs.  Thorne decides to stay and accepts a cup of coffee.  Thorne details his abusive relationship with Zilpha; he relishes punishing her stating it makes him “hard and angry.”  Throne states his wife accepts his treatment because she “knows she deserves it.” Thorne admits he never had any intentions of extending James insurance but rather came to gloat about his sexual dominance of James’s half-sister and lover.  Thorne puts it more simply, “I came to thank you.”

Zilpha walks through a cemetery and enters a church where James is waiting for her.  James is bemused to as why she called the meeting. “Shall we pray?” Zilpha says, “I used to think we were the same person.” James insists that they are.  She moves to straddle his lap and kisses him deeply on the mouth.  Seconds later, she straightens her skirts and walks away stoically. “I never want to see you again,” James calls after her, insisting that they will speak again.

Lorna practices her lines in the dank Delaney living room.  James loudly unrolls maps on the table in an attempt to distract her.  Lorna insists she will make it to tonight’s performance despite James’s warning. “You are a weakness, they will find you and use you!” Lorna leaves the room in a huff.  Brace offers to kill her and her canary.  James instead orders his servant to summon two carriages.

Thorne and Zilpha share a tense evening meal.  Thorne reprehends his wife for “bleeding.” They have been trying to have a child; Thorne is desperate for an heir. He blames her.  Fiendishly he adds, “I’m sorry I’m not related to you!” (Implying her love for James is keeping her infertile with him.) He continues to use disgusting language and throws dishes at their frightened house servant.

The stage is lively with a mostly male crowd chanting for the appearance of “Madame Vestris” one of Lorna’s personas.  She appears in a very short dress to perform for the hungry crowd.

Lorna leaves the theater cautiously looking over her shoulder.  A well-dressed woman in a carriage calls out to her, offering her a ride home.  Lorna accepts, but the woman makes her true intentions clear by kissing the actress full in the mouth. The woman explains, “I’m a lady with very particular tastes.” (Ugh, right out of 50 Shades of Grey dialogue.)  The lady suggests they can have relations while the Duke watches them.  Lorna flees the carriage only to be caught by the rotund Duke who grabs her by the throat.  In an instant, the Duke recoils from having been stabbed by the actress.  James points a gun at Lorna’s attackers and the pair escapes. The Duke shouts after Lorna, “I’ll see you in the gallows before first mass!”

In a dark secluded place, James hands Lorna a large diamond.  He urges her to use it and flee for Paris.  Lorna refuses the gem and to leave London.  She disappears alone. (Not smart.)

At home Brace notes he didn’t light the fire in Lorna’s room so that she will be forced to fall asleep in the dark and damp. James notes the actress is in real danger now after stabbing the Duke.  Lorna is shown lying wide-awake in her room.

The series certainly is living up to its name. Taboo subjects abound, including cannibalism and incest. Homosexual characters also have to navigate the society’s condemnation of their existence. The thread of greed and deception unifies most of the character’s flaws. Thorne’s behavior and words are perhaps the most disturbing of all, especially since he considers himself a “righteous Christian.”

Overall, the story is moving along as a slow but compelling mystery series with a few horror elements thrown in. Tom Hardy’s performance unifies the series and makes it satisfying abet somewhat troubling to watch.

Thoughts on Race related to Women’s March on Washington

I was dismayed to hear negative comments regarding the Woman’s March on Washington not from the Trump supporters but from Black Lives Matter.  A photo has been circulating on Twitter, one picture of an African-American woman confronting police in riot gear and the other of our very own Portland marchers with police taking selfies in pink hats.  The angry poster of the tweet stated, “No caption needed.” But as the wife of a former photojournalist, I can tell you a caption is ALWAYS needed.  Context writes the narrative but it seems that BLM wants to fit everything into their narrative, which seems like, “white people hate us and are privileged and all police are monsters who hate minorities.”

I felt it was important to research and caption those photos.  The photo of the African-American woman, Ieshia Evans a thirty-five year old mom and practical nurse was taken in July 2016 in Baton Rouge, La.  The two thousand protestors had been non-violent but than a large group started blocking the highway and police in riot gear were brought in.  Ieshia decided to ignore police instructions to not move forward and was subsequently arrested. Obviously she surrendered peacefully but was heard saying just prior, “I’m going to get arrested.” This was her choice, to not follow orders in full knowledge of the consequences.  I have no problem with her actions and the resulting photo is powerful but does not tell the whole story.  The police in riot gear weren’t there for her, but for those blocking the highway, to restore the flow of traffic and public safety. (I sourced this information from UK Daily Mail, NY Daily news and CNN.)

The Woman’s March on Washington had permits for their event. In my experience Saturday, it wasn’t just a march for white women; the Portland march was organized by an African-American woman and attended by all races and genders, including Black Lives Matter advocates.

The Portland event had a permit from the city and a parade route.  The photo showing women with Portland police was something I personally witnessed.  The women thanked the police for “keeping us safe” and asked to take photos with him. The officer was happy to oblige and even donned a “pussy hat.”  I thought it was great, I never noticed the skin color of those in the photo.  If you want to yell that’s because of my “white privilege” so be it, but I fear that’s missing the point.

This is just the beginning of the resistance movement against Trump and his agenda. I realize it will not always result in peaceful non-violent marches.  Arrests may happen; Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. were both arrested numerous times. Their movements succeeded, especially in King’s case is that he sought to change legislation and law of the land.  We must keep our eyes on how to successfully enact change, blocking freeways just angers and alienates people whom otherwise may have supported our cause.

I feel its important now more than ever to not divide this country any more. Especially hurtful is when women fight amongst themselves. Divided we are always weaker and that’s what the current government wants. So please, consider moving past what you feel divides us to work for the greater good before none of us enjoy any of these rights.

Taboo, episode 2

Taboo, episode 2

Last week laid a nice foundation of mystery and tension as the viewer followed James Delaney’s return to London after the death of his father.  Macabre elements were woven into the dark tapestry, James exhumation of his father’s corpse, his visions of ghost slaves and his chanting in an obscure language whether alone or in private.  The “villains” are those employed at the British East India Company, an unknown hit man, and James’s brother-in-law Thorne Geary.  Throughout this second hour, James is steadfast in his desire to reclaim the glory of his father’s business and hang on to the Nooka land in the far away Pacific Northwest.

The episode opens with Sir Strange throwing a wad of paper at the hapless Mr. Pettifer.  When the big man bends to pick up the paper, Strange yells at him, “At least it appears you are capable of following orders!”  Sir Strange threatens him, if he does not kill James Delaney within two days he will be fired from the company.

James rides his white horse outside of London.  He unearths a bag, which he had buried in the previous episode.  James returns home.  Brace grumbles as he deposits a large safe on his desk.  Brace balks when James gives him a pistol, muttering that he again finds himself in the company of a “mad Delaney.”  James inquires about his father’s last days.  Brace informs him that his father hardly ate, subsisting on beer, which was brought to him from a pub on Featherlane.  James wants to find this pub owner but learns the man is dead and his wife has fled town. (Perhaps they were responsible for poisoning the father with arsenic.)  James opens the muddy bag to reveal a cache of large clear stones. (Diamonds)  He locks them in the safe.

James walks with purpose to an auction of ships.  He bids eight hundred pounds on a seized Spanish vessel know as the Feliz Adventurera. (Translates to happy female adventurer.) James declares the ship now belongs to the “Delaney Nooka Trading Company.”

At the East India Company, Wilton relates the auction story to fat Pettifer.  Sir Strange listens impatiently, “Why defy logic and the King?”  Strange is dismayed that James knew about the secret peace talks in Ghent.  He deduces that James much have contact with American spies.  Strange also wonders where James got such a large sum of money.  Sir Strange wants the James “taken care of” as soon as possible.

When James leaves the auction he finds a note with the name “Atticus” on it where his horse was tethered. He enters a rough looking pub and calls out for Atticus.  A man with a compass tattooed on his bald-head appears.  He pumps James for information about his African travels, stating he’s planning to write a book.  James impatiently asks for his horse to be returned.  Atticus wants money James’s father owed him, he states he has information regarding the old man’s death.  James tries to get Atticus to give him information.  He agrees to be James’s “eyes and ears” for the fee of fifteen pounds.

A man named Coop is presented to the King. (King George III, whom suffered from mental illness and a blood disease known as porphyria which effects the nervous system and the skin.) The King looks unwell and complains about his stomach and his toe.  The King is distracted by Coop’s presentation of the naval positions in the Atlantic.  The King insists a red not blue “X” should have represented the English ships.  Instead of listening to military strategy, he tells Coop about a dream he had in which he was an island and surrounded by shrimp who were gnawing at him. The King interprets the dream to mean the Americans are the shrimp, trying to eat Britain. He wishes to attack offensively.  Coop states he has other news regarding the East India Company, King George exclaims, “Fuck them as well!”

James ventures out to the docks at night.  A teenage girl approaches him and introduces herself as Winter, stating she lives at the brothel but does not take part in it’s business.  She informs him Helga has a man sent to kill him, so that she can get her brothel back.  Winter offers to show James where the man is moored on a boat with but for a prostitute.  The pair row off in a small boat.  Winter asks him about Africa.  Winter tells him she dreams of going to America.  James asks her again who has sent this man to kill him but the girl does not answer.  He asks her to wait as he swims towards the larger vessel.

Once aboard, James lights a lantern and wanders the empty vessel.  He sees ships hanging to dry, and sniffs a powder in a container.  He spreads the gunpowder and sets the cabin ablaze.  He quickly abandons the ship.  A huge explosion destroys the vessel.  James climbs back aboard the canoe but it appears Winter has left.

James returns home at dawn still wet from his adventure. Brace notes how his behavior is similar to his father’s.  James inquires where his father stored important documents in the home.  James needs to find the treaty.  Brace quips the treat will be “his own death.”  James has a pragmatic need for the treaty, without it the Crown may seize his land as a “spoil of war.”

Brace believes the land is best left alone.  The servant is certain the East India Company will kill James for it.  James mutters again in an unknown language. A brief vision of a ghostly woman dressed in black with a white painted face appears. (Is this perhaps his native mother?)

James continues to search through his father’s papers.  He finds a theater advertisement for a show called the “Painted Savage.”  The drawing of the “savage” has tattoos, which resemble the one’s on James’s body.  A name “Lorna Dow” is circled on the program.  A portrait seems to stare down at him in disdain.

James takes to the streets again heading toward the dock offices. Despite the eviction notice Helga is still using the offices to “entertain” men.  James interrupts her with a client.  She thanks him for the disturbance.  James asks if she has a “mulatto” girl there.  Helga denies it, stating she’d love to have such a girl because “The Danes will pay double.” James removes the madam’s blond wig to reveal her shorter darker hair.   He tells her, “I like to see what lies beneath.  I know you have goodness inside you yet.”  He deduces that Winter is her daughter that is why she doesn’t participate in the “business.”  James implores Helga to work with him.  She crudely asks for physical affection but James simply asks instead “Where is the silver tooth man?”  Helga says she’ll ask after the “Malay.”  James curtly thanks her and leaves.

James signs papers of ownership to complete his purchase of the Spanish vessel.  He ventures inside and finds red beads on the floor.  He lies down on the floor and finds chains bolted on the floor. James speaks to himself in the foreign tongue and undresses completely.  On the floor, he has flashbacks to slaves in chains drowning in the sea. He carves a bird on the ship’s floor, it matches the one tattooed on his upper back.

Dressed again, James wades into the water and throws handfuls of the beads he gathered from the ship's floor into the river. 

James returns home to find his servant furious with him for his unpredictable behavior.  He informs Brace “Someone has been sent from London to kill me. I need to find out why.”

James sets out again, this time to a hospital.  He is searching for a doctor named Dumbarton.   He is led to an office where he tells the doctor he was wounded by a Yankee bullet.  Dumbarton (Michael Kelly, House of Cards) asks if he should call him “comrade” in an American accent.  James is fascinated to find the doctor busy dying linens. Dumbarton explains, “In times of war there is much need for changing flags.” James notes he’s a doctor, merchant and a spy.  Dumbarton warns James the “shoulder wound” is no longer an acceptable password.  James wants a conference with the Americans.  James tells Dumbarton the British are trying to kill him and to get a message to Carlsbad.

Upon hearing this name, the doctor draws a pistol on James.  James remains calm, asking, “Do you treat illnesses of the mind?” Dumbarton pauses, sizing up James before slowing lowering the gun.  The doctor notes, “We are an angry nation!” James replies, “I’m counting on it.” 

Zilpha receives a note but there are no words, only a large clear gem within.  She deposits it into her locked jewelry box.

James meets his father’s attorney Thoyt at his office.  James states he intends to use the land.  He tells Thoyt the ship he purchased used to belong to the East India Company.  James notes the beads he found on the floor were used for trade in Africa. (England banned the slave trade in 1807, although people still owned slaves throughout the empire territories until they abolished slavery roughly thirty years later.)  James chastises Thoyt for “reporting his father’s business to the enemy.” Thoyt defends his actions, noting the East India Company is God, with more ships and weapons then the entire British empire.  Thoyt adds his choice is pragmatic, “I’m merely submitting to what the world has become.”  James replies, “Even the mighty East India Company wouldn’t follow me to Boston.”  Thoyt admonishes his words as treason against Country and the Company.

Thoyt is reading the will to the assembled and rowdy public. The older Delaney died with many debts.  Thoyt confirms that Zilpha will receive nothing; James is the sole heir to the property and business. Throne yells in disgusts and he and Zilpha exit.  Thoyt explains that James does not inherit his father’s debts.  But James dumps a bag of silver coins on the table, stating he will pay every debtor if they line up in an orderly fashion.

A woman approaches James and the lawyer. The crowd laugh, thinking she is a prostitute still owed. The woman states, “I am owed a lifetime of care and everything that is owed to a wife.” She states her name is Lorna Delaney, and she claims to have married the father in Ireland two years prior.  Thoyt escorts her and James into a private office.

Alone in the office, Lorna repeats to herself, “Calm, pretty, certain, fragrant.”  The men join her.  James recalls her name from the program of a show called the “Painted Savage.” (Does he have a photographic memory?) Thoyt asks the former actress if she married Delaney before or after his madness.  James notes his father’s health was ailing and asks for “proof of consummation.” (How on earth can this be proved?) Lorna states she has passionate letters from the deceased, which proved he loved her.  Thoyt requests to see the letters and the actress stammers.  Finally, Thoyt requests to obtain a copy of their marriage certificate and testimony from the priest who married them in Dublin.

Outside, James meets with some rough looking men, including Atticus. They claim the man sent to kill him was present at the will reading. “He’s the man who said your legacy is a death sentence!” Thorne uttered those words as he left.  He hardly seems capable of murder but his hatred for James is clear.

Sir Strange heads a meeting of the East India Company with Thoyt also in attendance.  He chides a young man named Godfrey to read the news about the “Delaney widow.” The young man explains an actress has claimed to be the Delaney widow and their marriage certificate has been found to be valid.

Strange asks if anyone can explain the significance of this development to their plans for James.  Pettifer offers, “The girl is an opportunity, for she will have a shared ownership of the Nooka land.”  Thoyt notes the widow must file a suit to claim such ownership.  Strange adds, the widow would have sole claim on the land in the likely event of James’s death, which maybe “imminent.”

James approaches a grand home where an orchestra is playing Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony.  James eyes his half-sister in attendance.  Their eyes meet.  Moments later, Zilpha joins James outside. “Please don’t!”  James is bemused by her aversion to him. He notes how she used to “Straighten her skirts afterward and walk away like nothing had happened.”  With that one sentence, the viewers learn that they had an incestuous relationship, one that Zilpha is determined to remain “buried deep down.”

Zilpha looks at James deeply, “Did you really eat flesh in Africa?”  He offers to tell her the whole story if she comes with him.  She resists, stating she can’t stand even standing so near him.  James replies, “I’ll always be this close to you.” He leaves down a dark deserted alley.

A figure in black with a veiled hat follows James. A knife is brandished, James is stabbed in the gut. James wrestles with the attacker, breaking his neck. As a final act of rage, James bites the man’s neck savagely. As the man lies dead in the street, a silver tooth shines in the moonlight.

James collapses in the street, badly wounded. He has flashbacks to Africa, where warriors found him in the savannah.

The preview for next week shows that our protagonist is not dead, but will seek out the help of the American doctor. 

This hour continued hint at James’s mysterious past. Having relations with his half-sister certainly is one “taboo” behavior he has engaged in. It seems the East India Company had a hand in murdering his father and now has tried to kill James. Knowing there is an assassin out looking for him, why did he go almost everywhere in this episode alone? Does he want to die? How does James’s know so many of the United States's secrets? Hopefully we will get more answers and meet the mysterious Carlsbad in the coming weeks. So far the story is interesting but a bit coy at sharing its secrets with the audience. 

Taboo, Season 1, Pilot

Taboo brings together many talented actors of the big and small screen tells a tale of gothic horror set in early nineteenth century London.  For those saddened by the demise of the “Penny Dreadful” series on Showtime, this creepy series may help fill the niche for strange and weird television.  The show stars Tom Hardy as the prodigal son, “back from the dead” who returns to London after the passing of his highly eccentric father.  Onna Chaplin, (Game of Thrones and Charlie Chaplin’s grand-daughter) co-stars as his half-sister Zilpha.  Christopher Pryce (Game of Thrones) appears as Sir Stuart Strange, the president of the British East India Company and Franka Potente (Run Lola Run, and The Bridge) appears as a colorful prostitute.

The cinematography is beautiful throughout this episode.  The opening scene is of a man being rowed by a tender to the rugged shoreline.  He appears in dark, hooded oilskin. Once the man reaches the shore, he pauses to dig in the mud.  It is unclear whether he is digging something up or burying an object.  He then leaves on a white horse to a large city visible in the distance.

In a tomb-like room, a corpse is laid out with coins over each eye. (To pay the ferryman over the river Styx.) The hooded man enters the room and looks at the body.  He removes the coins from the eyelids and mutters an incantation in an unknown language.  Finally he says out loud, “Forgive me father, for I have indeed sinned!”

The title sequence is shown, it contains of montage of bodies floating through dark water.  A slow ominous music box tune accompanies the swirl of bodies, including chained slaves and a torn early American flag.

London, 1814.  Gritty daily life occurs on the docks.  From this scene a funeral procession marches past with a man announcing, “Behold, a good man!”  Behind the carriage containing the coffin, a woman rides wearing a black veil over her face. When she is seated inside a church, a man asks whether they would like to pay an extra few shillings to ensure her father is buried deeper, to prevent grave robbers. The woman’s husband is dismissive of this concern.

The tall man enters the church and murmurs erupt,  “There walks a dead man!”  The woman gasps, recognizing him, “James Keziah Delaney, my brother!”  James deposits the coins absconded from his father’s eyes and deposits them into the church’s coffers.  The funeral starts.  The procession follows the deceased to the churchyard for burial.  The priest proclaims, “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust…” Meanwhile, James can be heard muttering a prayer of his own in an unfamiliar language.  He rubs a red dye on the right side of his face.  The other attendees observe his behavior with alarm.

After the service, James, and his brother-in-law quibble about the depth of the grave. James’s sister Zilpha states, “He is buried to the depth of my love.  In the last years, he disgraced me!”

At the wake guests whisper about James’s returning from Africa and discuss wild rumors about his conduct there.  They, (Nicolas Woodsen, Poirot Mysteries) the lawyer of the estate leaves the gathering to look for James under the guise of using the outdoor facilities.  James follows the older man out to the privy; a man butchers large quantities of meat nearby.  After the old man leaves the privy he asks James how he knew his father was dead.  James replies, “I heard he was sick and got on a ship.”  Thoyt describes how his father would light fires and call out for James.  James claims to have “heard him calling.”  Thoyt explains that James is the heir to his father’s land, held in a treaty by the Nooka tribe.  Thoyt notes the land is a “wasteland of rocks and Indians.”  The lawyer offers to “relieve him of this asset” and promises to send a detailed proposal.  James turns away stating,  “They’re my rocks now.”

The wake attendees have grown loud, eating meat and kissing.  Zilpha’s husband complains that whores have descended on the gathering to prey upon the older men.  James decides to leave, telling his sister, “I still love you, if you need me, I’m here.”  James departs.

Men have gathered at the East India Company to read the will. Sir Stuart Strange begins, “May Delaney rot in Hell!”  The gathered men laugh.  Thoyt addresses them, noting that Delaney’s son James has returned from Africa.  The men review James’s history; he was a cadet then soldier for the East India Company until about ten years ago.  He had started out a good soldier but developed behavioral problems, including attacking officers and committing arson.  His fellow soldiers documented that James began to talk about seeking treasure and fortune and in 1802, he left for Africa.

Sir Strange notes that Delaney left his son everything and that their “delicate negotiations” with his sister have been in vain.  One man suggests they burn the will but it is noted that James would still be the heir, “according to our law and God’s law.”  The boat James purportedly sailed to Africa on had sunk so he had been presumed dead.  The men discuss the rumors that James engaged in “awful and unnatural acts” while in Africa.  They are unwilling to share the details with Sir Strange.

James wanders the docks followed by a large dog.  After dark, James travels to a large home where he opens the door with a skeleton key.  James uses a lantern to navigate the large dusty home. He gazes a portrait, presumably of his father. The eyes look startlingly lifelike.  A man calls out to him in the darkness.  James embraces his old servant Brace.  Brace offers James tea but the younger man requests the butler drink brandy with him.  Brace expresses regret for missing the funeral. The butler chastises James for not writing his father, recounting how his father was mad with grief near the end of his life.  They discuss the “gulls” looking to scavenge the deceased man’s wealth.  James is aware of the situation, “I know what they want, a piece of land belonging to my mother’s tribe.”  Brace is surprised that James knows the secret of his mother’s identity.  James notes, “He bought her with gun powder and beads.”  James says his mother’s name was Salish.  Brace warns him that the owned land is cursed. James replies, “I’ve sworn to do foolish things.”

James continues to explore his father’s ledgers and logs by candlelight. He burns some parchment while gazing out the window into the mist.  Suddenly, a woman dressed in black with painted white skin appears.  She laughs at him before disappearing.

James continues to work when Brace brings him tea. He asks the servant about the other business logs his father had. The butler states his father burned them all in the later years.  A note has arrived from Thoyt, offering to buy the Delaney shipping business.  Brace notes that James’s father would send Thoyt horse droppings as a response to this request.  James promptly burns the message, asking if a similar reply can be sent.  James notes that there are thirty-two years left on their lease of the docks and he intends to go reclaim this part of the business.

James heads off to the busy docks and opens the door to a large warehouse with a key.  Helga, an older rough looking prostitute opens the door. (Franka Potente) He remembers she was the one who took his virginity but that doesn’t warm him to her.  She is using the warehouse as brothel and offers him half of their daily earnings plus “extras.”  James wants her out, in two hours so that he can restore the shipping company’s offices.  Helga tries to tempt James by offering him men or boys or certain “taboo” activities.  James says he’ll kill them if they don’t vacate.  Helga shouts at James, “I heard if I give you a girl, I’d never see her again!”  James sneers, “You heard right!” He leaves, with a parting warning to “Be punctual!”

Zilpha looks out at the rain as she finishes her note in a sitting room.  Her husband Thorne enters and reads the note.  He insists she change the note to offer James fifty pounds to leave England or he’ll kill him.  He explains to Zilpha that her brother is a “savage” (using a word I won’t quote here but begins with an ‘n’).  Thorne rips up the original note and asks his wife to “try again and show disgust.”

James walks by the docks with a dog following him.  An older man walks up to him surprised that the dog has taken a liking to James.  He notes the wild dogs feed on the flesh of suicide victim’s form a nearby bridge. (Quite the visual.) The man is there to discuss the continued care of James’s son, noting he has never received money for taking the boy in ten years prior.  James promises to deliver the money personally.  The man, Ibbot, scoffs that James hasn’t even asked how the boy is fairing.  James walks on.

Under the cover of darkness, gravediggers exhume a body.  James’s father is taken back to a stone room filled with medical instruments.  A young man takes a drink and introduces himself as a graduate of the Royal Academy of Surgeons.  He describes the procedure he will perform, removing some of the stomach contents and testing them.  As the surgeon begins to work, James has a flashback, seeing several corpses lined up in a morgue.  He speaks to them, “I have no fear to feed you!”  The body of chained African man rises from one of the tables.  James speaks to him, “I have no guilt for you! Today I have work to do!”  In the following moments the room is empty.

The surgeon lights the stomach contents on fire through an instrument.  He places a glass near the flame and a film forms, confirming arsenic poisoning.  The doctor notes that heavy doses of arsenic will cause madness.  He deduces large quantities of the poison had been ingested.  James threatens the surgeon to bury his father again and not use his body for other purposes. (Grave robbing was a huge business to provide cadavers for medical study.)  The young surgeon asks if he wants “words to be said over the body” when returning it to the ground.  James replies, “No, no one is listening.”

Zilpha works on needlepoint when Thorne returns from a meeting with the East India Company.  The news is grime; due to James’s return they are to receive no inheritance.  Zilpha laughs which agitates him further.  “He should have stayed in the jungle!”  Zilpha agrees, “He doesn’t belong in this world.”

James rides a horse to a mill in the country.  He asks to see his son but stays at a safe distance while the youth shovels hay in the barn.  James hands Ibbot an envelope of money, stating it is for the “past, present and future” of the boy’s life.  He advises Ibbot to put some money aside “In case he grows up to be rash like me!” Leaving, he states he never wishes to see his son again.

James arrives to meet with members of the East India Company.  James is introduced around, first to Mr. Pettifer, the chairman of the African desk than to Sir Strange, the head of the company.  Mr. Pettifer begins by offering his condolences to James but James urges him to get to the point, the land.  The members explain how the land has become a “point of contention” between the United States and Britain whom are currently at war.  James is aware of the conflict and the secret peace talks under way in Ghent.  The land is on the border, on Vancouver Island.  James is well aware that this location is strategic as not only a border between two countries but as a “gateway to China.” 

Sir Strange implores James to behave as a “loyal British subject” and sell his land to Britain.  James is firm; the land is not for sale.  James directs his ire at Strange, railing against the brutal tactics of rape and plunder practiced by the East India Company.  A man named Wilton interjects that if they can’t appeal to his patriotism perhaps they can appeal to his greed.  They present him with an envelope containing a “very generous offer.”  Strange notes that James’s father was crazy but he has no such “excuse” to refuse them.  James rise to leave, the envelope falls to the floor.  James tells the men tersely, “Good day!”

Once Delaney has left, Strange instructs the men, “I tried to appeal to reason, he’s all yours now.” (Implying the next offer won’t be in an envelope. They will likely try to kill him.)

James returns home in the evening.  He has received another letter from Zilpha, this time not filtered through her husband’s concerns.  She implores him to keep their family secrets buried in a “deeper grave.”

It was a compelling first episode with hints of some brilliant performances by an all-star cast.  Perhaps it is trying to capture viewers who’ve missed having the second half of American Horror Story in the early winter months.  The season is only eight short episodes and I have no idea whether this will be a stand-alone season. There is potential to explore the darker side of colonization in a loosely historical context. I’m hoping for an interesting, abet disturbing journey.