The first season follows Delaney as he assembled a team of thieves, orphans, and charlatans to challenge the great powers aligned against him. Throw into the mix a half sister, played by Oona Chaplin, with whom James has an unconventional relationship, and Taboo becomes a story with passion, savagery, and heavy doses of cynicism. It is very nearly a noirset in 1814 England. The main character is hardly a person of admirable character. Delaney is a man who lets no one and nothing, not even lifelong relationships, stand between himself and his objectives. One should not look to this series for examples of moral characters and lessons in ethical actions. The series strongly suggests a supernatural undertone but never lets this subtext overpower the muddy realism of the piece.
One aspect that particularly pleased me about the season one was that it ended on a note that leaves it open for more stories but with enough closure that it can also be suitable as a self-contained story. I detest the trend for season cliffhangers. Too often the conclusions are far from satisfying.
Now that we have finished Taboo our next television adventure will be AMC’s adaptation of Dan Simmons’ The Terror.