"Gentlemen, at last, some good news."
Full spoilers for Taboo continue below.
And now we're getting to the good stuff.
With only three episodes left of Taboo: Season 1, the set up is finally ending and the real chess game between Delaney and the East India Company is beginning. George Chichester's introduction into the show last week gave Taboo new momentum as he became the very direct conduit for Delaney's anti-EIC agenda because of their treatment of the slaves on the Cornwallis.
Here, again, it's Chinchester and not Delaney who is pushing that plot forward. While Delaney is off grappling with his mental state, it's Chinchester who is confronting the EIC straight on -- and though he wasn't able to contact Delaney in this episode, we know that he is trying. Now that Chinchester has the crown's backing, the gloves can come off. We get definitive insight into what happened with the Cornwallis and why Sir Stuart Strange is so defensive. It's because of Chinchester that Strange even gets serious about playing his game of chess with Delaney and the crown, and I personally can't wait to see what magic (pun intended) happens when Chinchester and Delaney finally team up to take down the EIC.
With that as the backbone of episode 6, the rest of the plot also started coming together. Zilpha, who is even more unhinged than her half-brother at this point, finally snapped and killed her husband -- and good freaking riddance. That scene was both unsurprising and completely fascinating. In fact, it's probably the most satisfying thing that has happened on Taboo so far. Zilpha and Thorne's storyline, while providing significant emotional baggage for Delaney, was also one of the weakest of the show. Her being freed of Thorne allows her to play a more interesting role with her half-brother now that her ball and chain is removed from the picture. It also allowed for a pretty intense sex scene between her and Delaney. No questions left there about the nature of their relationship.
What's more interesting than Delaney's relationship with his half-sister lover is what we learn about his mother, though. Brace told James some uncomfortable truths about his mother that put the vision he'd been having of her in the river into new perspective: that is his visualization of her trying to drown him as a baby. He is plagued by visions of her drowning him throughout the entire episode and even returns to what seems like the scene of the almost-crime at one point. It's not subtle that Delaney is seeing a manifestation of his mother in Zilpha, as well.
That forward momentum with those key storylines was necessary to give Taboo some impact going into its upcoming final two episodes. The gun powder storyline that have been the focus of the past two episodes was wrapped up when Delaney delivered the powder to Dumbarton, sealing the deal for his eventual departure from England. (That entire delivery scene with the cholera and coffins was fantastic, as was the follow through of how Delaney dealt with a betrayal.) It's even more wrapped up when the EIC destroys Delaney's ship, elevating their battle and elevating his desire for revenge.
With Delaney's deteriorating mental state and the murder of Winter at the end of the episode, the gloves are off for Taboo's central character. But a character like Chinchester is what's necessary to usher this season to a satisfying conclusion. Delaney isn't one to travel to his destination in a straight line, which means they guidance needs to come from elsewhere. Fortunately Taboo now has that, and it's setting up an impactful ending as all its pieces fall into place.
The Verdict
Taboo isn't a show to spell itself out, but the inclusion of a character like George Chichester has added some much needed forward momentum for the central plot. It's through Chinchester that all the disparate pieces are coming together, and just in time for the final two episodes of Season 1. With some big developments taking place, "Episode 6" was the best chapter of this season so far.
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