The BEST episodes of Taboo season 2

Every episode of Taboo season 2, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Taboo season 2!

Around the world there are people of different cultures who take actions and decisions that seem out of the ordinary to the average westerner. Considered taboo, these people and their stories are now being known.

Last Updated: 1/29/2024Network: National GeographicStatus: Ended
Share:
Sacred Pain
star
9.00
1 votes

#1 - Sacred Pain

Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 12/8/2003

Taboo examines how cultures sometimes use pain in religious rites including tongue boring in Nepal, self stabbing and possession rites in Indonesia, and extreme body piercing and self-mutilation in Thailand.

Watch Now:Amazon
Extreme Entertainers
star
9.00
1 votes

#2 - Extreme Entertainers

Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 1/19/2004

Entertainment in different cultures. Included: the training of a Japanese geisha; cross-dressing cabaret performers of Thailand; American circus sideshow performers who pierce their bodies with skewers and chew glass.

Watch Now:Amazon
Marks of Identity
star
9.00
1 votes

#3 - Marks of Identity

Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired 3/15/2004

Ritualistic body modification in different cultures around the world is examined. Included: neck stretching in Thailand; samurai body tattoos in Japan; branding scarification in the U.S.

Watch Now:Amazon
Delicacies
star
7.00
1 votes

#4 - Delicacies

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/13/2003

In Iceland's traditional Thorrablot celebration in February, a chef prepares rotting shark meat, goat's head and other hard to swallow dishes for their traditional buffet. And in India, an Anglo-indian lady prepares a special luncheon that features a goat foetus stew called kutti pi. In Togo, the cameras follow hunters out into the hot wilderness to hunt a rat to be used in a stew and voodoo ritual. And finally in Taiwan, a chef prepares bull's penis soup to boost his diner's virility.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Child Rearing
star
7.00
1 votes

#5 - Child Rearing

Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 1/12/2004

Taboo examines how people in different cultures raise children including young gymnasts in China, India children raised in prison, and unsupervised children in Indonesia.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Blood Bonds
star
7.00
1 votes

#6 - Blood Bonds

Season 2 - Episode 10 - Aired 1/26/2004

Taboo looks at different family arrangement around the world including the matriarchal Mosuo tribe in China, criminal gang families in South Africa, and polyandry in northern India.

Watch Now:Amazon
After Death
star
6.67
3 votes

#7 - After Death

Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/3/2003

Death ceremonies from around the world are examined. Included: the Aghori sect in India embraces corpses in an effort to break the cycle of reincarnation; in Taiwan, bones are exhumed and cleaned before being reburied. Also: embalming bodies in the U.S.

Watch Now:Amazon
Initiation
star
6.50
2 votes

#8 - Initiation

Season 2 - Episode 12 - Aired 3/23/2004

Some rites of initiation may seem bizarre and extreme, but many cultures believe they are worth the pain.

Watch Now:Amazon
Justice
star
6.00
1 votes

#9 - Justice

Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/6/2003

Systems of justice in different cultures are examined. Included: tribal justice in the West African nation of Togo and revenge killings in Albania.

Watch Now:Amazon
Body Perfect
star
6.00
1 votes

#10 - Body Perfect

Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/10/2003

On the island off the coast of Indonesian Sumatra, the wife of the Mentawi tribe chieften, undergoes a teeth filing ritual to beautify herself. Her teeth are sharpen with a machete. In Los Angeles, California, Jay wants to have buttock implants, and undergoes a 2 hour long surgery by Dr. Sinclair. Next, a man receives eye lifting surgery by Dr. Griffin to improve his looks. And in Chongqing, China, a short man has the bones in his legs broken, stretched, then healed to make himself taller. The 'bone breaking' and 'leg stretching' procedure is a painful and lengthy process and the recovery takes years.

Watch Now:Amazon
Rites of Passage
star
5.00
1 votes

#11 - Rites of Passage

Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 12/30/2003

Taboo looks at rites of passage around the world including a boy's circumcision in South Africa, an Apache's girls ritual of womanhood, and American couple's journey into old age.

Watch Now:Amazon
Creature Cures
star
0.00
0 votes

#12 - Creature Cures

Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/20/2003

Unusual medical procedures include bee stings for arthritis; putting maggots in open wounds; medicine made from baboon claws; therapy with leeches.

Watch Now:Amazon