Taboo happens to be the most underrated series I have ever watched. Instead of sugar-coating the 19th century, colonial British era, taboo showed it for what it truly was, brutal, cruel, dark and plain dirty, with an element of supernatural. I couldn't get enough of this series and was quite surprised to see so many negative reviews for this masterpiece.

Taboo starts with James Delaney's (Tom Hardy) return to England after spending twelve years in Africa, following his father's death. Soon he discovers that he has inherited a small yet valuable piece of land on the coast of North America, "Nootka Sound". This land is on the border between the US and Canada and is very valuable to both the Britain and the US, with the two countries at war. Delaney's ownership of the land catches the eye of The Crown, the Americans and the East India Company, who either want him dead or as ally but all the parties have one common goal, to get James to sign off the land to them, by whatever means necessary. With enemies lurking at every corner James finds himself with uncanny allies, his half-sister Zilpha, his recently discovered stepmother and a crazy chemist.

The series has all the elements from action to horror. It jumps genres between Gothic horror, heist and romantic tragedy. There is the incest and violence from Game of Thrones, gore and supernatural from Penny Dreadful and the making of illegal substances (in this case gun-powder) in a makeshift lab like Breaking Bad.

Taboo explores the dark side of 19th-century London, its politics, corruption, prostitution, incest, the misery of the working class, and the overall gloomy atmosphere surrounding the city and its residents.

Taboo is a raw, mysterious and dark period drama, with scenes that are hard to digest, yet draws the viewer into its insanity. Tom Hardy's exceptional performance is an added bonus to its strong script. It ends with viewer wanting for more, as the series revealed a lot yet revealed nothing.

All in all it's an excellent watch but not for faint-hearted as there are moments where the viewer will be left unsettled.

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