Tom Hardy’s hotly-anticipated BBC1 series, ‘Taboo’, made its debut on Saturday (7 January), and viewers were introduced to the world of his character James Delaney, who has returned to England after years spent in America and Africa.
As often happens with new dramas, episode one presented more questions than answers and there’s plenty to keep viewers tuned in to the next seven episodes.
But what do we really want to find out? Here are the nine big questions we’re asking…
1. Who killed James’s father?
The older Delaney was not spoken of favourably by those at the East India Company, or his daughter, Zilpha Geary, and her husband, and the piece of land he owned meant both had reason to want him dead. But did either of them poison him? Or was someone else responsible?
2. And was he really such a bad man?
His daughter and her husband did not have kind words to say about Delaney Sr., though it remains unclear whether they were mislead. We really want to know more about what he was like in the months and years before madness appeared to take hold.
3. What has James done?
There was plenty of talk about rumours surrounding his time away, but as of yet, we have no answers as to what really happened in the years he spent away from London.
His defiant nature implies that deeds which cannot be forgotten were committed - the reactions to his return served as further proof of this - and fingers crossed, we’ll find out more about exactly what they were in the coming weeks.
4. And what is he going to do next?
His return to London was apparently sparked by the news that his father was ill, but it’s fair to say Hardy’s character has many loose ends to tie u, including the issue of his family office space, which is currently being occupied and used as a brothel.
5. Who was the young boy?
We saw Delaney had over a huge bag of cash to take care of a pre-teen’s care, but their exact relationship is still shrouded in mystery.
6. What is Delaney’s relationship with his sister?
When he arrived at the funeral, Zilpha quietly declared that “it’s hell opened up”, but we later saw him offering to help her financially. We then discovered they are half-siblings, and the closing scene that revealed that she had sent him a letter wishing him well.
7. And who was his mother?
His mother’s history was briefly mentioned, as we discovered that she was actually bought by his father, while others noted that she was sent to Bedlam, one of the only public mental institutions that existed in the early 1800s.
8. Will his brother-in-law get his comeuppance?
Let’s be honest: He does not seem like a good guy. Delaney’s unforgiving nature surely means a head-to-head is on the horizon.
9. Finally, what are the East India Company planning?
Their desperation to get their hands on the land now owned by Delaney was clear, and it seems they will use any methods possible, but the distances they are prepared to go have not been made clear. What are they planning? And will they prove to be any sort of match for the protagonist?
Catch up on ‘Taboo’ here. The next episode airs on Saturday 14 January.