What could happen in Taboo series two?
Could James travel to America? Would the truth of his family come to light? And could we see real-life history intrude on the action?
At the time of writing it’s not clear whether Tom Hardy-starring period drama Taboo will get a second series, but if it does there’s plenty of places for the story (spearheaded by Peaky Blinders’ Steven Knight) to head to.
The first series ends with Hardy’s James Delaney on a ship headed to Ponta Delgada in the Azores, an autonomous archipelago of Portugal where he plans to finally meet American agent Colonnade (an offscreen figure mentioned frequently in the series) and presumably attempt to secure his rights to Nootka Sound, the key piece of land he spent the series trying to exchange for a monopoly on either tea or sea otter pelts (depending on who you ask).
So unless there are seafaring episodes planned it seems safe to assume that a second series would open with James and his friends entering this new environment, tracking down the mysterious Colonnade in Portugal before sailing back to America to finally visit the Nootka land that’s had such importance in the series so far (we can’t imagine they’d spend the whole series in the Azores, though we could be wrong).
In America we might finally see James interact with the Native American tribe that his mother Salish (below) was part of, while also explaining her backstory a little more. And we could also tap into loose ends like the secret behind James’ tattoo as well as his experiences in Africa, which remain somewhat mysterious even after some darker elements of his past were revealed in earlier episodes.
But in other areas it probably wouldn’t all be nice trips down memory lane, as we doubt James has seen the last of the East India Company after he wiped out their upper management at the close of the first series. Jonathan Pryce’s Sir Stuart Strange may be gone, but that doesn’t mean the global reach of the East India has disappeared with him, meaning James’ clashes with a now-vengeful company (under some new, equally evil management) might have only just begun.
That is of course assuming that soldiers of the crown don’t get to James first, after the Prince Regent (Mark Gatiss) unsuccessfully tried to have him killed during the series one finale. In other words, despite his famously friendly disposition James has enemies galore ranged against him.
Elsewhere, we can also look to history for some idea as to what awaits James. The war between Britain and America that formed much of series one’s conflict ended in early 1815, just after the first series was set, which could cause huge shockwaves for Taboo’s storyline. If a second series included these events it might make James’ plans slightly more difficult – if Britain and America are more friendly, how can he play them off against each other? – but we imagine he could adapt to the situation quickly, assuming he hasn’t already factored that exact scenario into his intricately-detailed plans.
I mean, that's what he usually seems to have done.
So yes, there’s plenty that we can imagine for Taboo series two – though based on the weird and wonderful first series, it’s much more likely that we’ll have got every single one of these predictions spectacularly wrong, with any new episodes going in a completely off-the-wall direction that we could never have seen coming.
Either way, we can only wait and see to find out what happens in the continuing adventures of James Delaney. Hopefully, we’ll have news sooner rather than later.
Last updated on 8 September 2017
