Black Sails XXX recap

When I began watching season one of Black Sails with delight, relishing the sights, sounds, the grime, the snarl, seeing Charles Vane and others come to life, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the show. Certainly, I wanted the broadsides and spectacle, and while we got some of that, what we mostly got was the slow build, establishing character, motivations, and back story. Psha! What madness was that? Yet now, when the show gives us Billy Bones vs Flint, it resonates! Movie and tv writers take note. You can’t rush the versus…Batman vs Superman anyone? Ugh. But I won’t even start with that fiasco. I mean hell, even Warner Brothers cartoons got it right. Who wouldn’t have shed a tear at the untimely demise of our beloved Wily E. Coyote after so many close calls?

It was sad to see Billy, the righteous, fail so spectacularly. The raid of the Underhill plantation was heartbreaking for our beloved bilge rats and showed just how dastardly the plantation owners were, but I guess enslaving an entire race has its consequences, no? There were many slave uprisings in the Caribbean and when the slave population outnumbered the colonial population, well, seems a forgone conclusion. But separating families to take them out in the case of a revolt is truly abhorrent and for all of Flint’s faults, he thankfully recognized the futility of the situation and heeded Madi’s counsel. (He may not kill her after all.) Flint has displayed arrogance and irrationality (the “it”) in the past, (killing Gates, sigh) but no one can fault the man for his skill in manipulation and strategy. He is cunning as hell, and others have learned that lesson to their detriment, note Dufrense in this recap http://wp.me/p3aUdm-iI

Pirate History Check. But let’s talk Israel Hands!!! He dragged Silver off at the end of the last episode. Israel Hands has taken on many personas. He is featured in Treasure Island, but the real Israel Hands was Blackbeard’s boatswain. I mentioned him in a previous post here, http://wp.me/p3aUdm-lO, recounting how Blackbeard shot him in the knee. Hands had served on Blackbeard’s crew a long time and may have colluded with Blackbeard to run aground his ship, The Queen Anne’s Revenge, off Beaufort Inlet. Some speculate Blackbeard did it on purpose in order to break up his fleet and crew and take off with what spoils he could. Many of his crew were left stranded in Beaufort. After Blackbeard’s death, in their attempt to discredit Governor Eden of North Carolina (Eden colluded with Blackbeard, offered him a pardon, and may have benefitted from the association, or at least, that is certainly what Governor Spotswood of South Carolina tried to prove in his attempt to take over the North Carolina colony), the authorities tracked down Hands in Bath and convinced him to testify against his companions and Governor Eden in exchange for his life.

In Treasure Island, Hands is one of Silver’s crew and ends up getting shot by Jim Hawkins. In this episode, we see him hold Silver captive in attempt to earn the ransom but he made one fatal error. Not tying Silver’s mouth. Silver is most dangerous when allowed to utter words and shackling up the silver tongued devil’s hands does no good.

Wenches Behaving Just Badly. Ugh. Someone get rid of Max already. Maybe Silver? Or Mario? Yes, Eleanor’s demise shall come by Anne’s hand and Max from Silver, Mario, or maybe even Madi. I like it. At least Silver recognized and called Max out on her own hypocrisy. What, she wears pretty dresses now, takes on airs, and we should believe she is righteous and just? Even Roger’s didn’t buy her brand of shit. Thankfully, we have our silver tongued devil to contradict her when she accused him of creating the shit storm roiling on New Providence. She and Eleanor shoveled plenty all on their own. Please. End my misery. I get Eleanor and her actions feel earned and she, at least seems to have some presence of mind for what she hath wrought and is maybe trying to atone in her own way, but we can’t forgive her, nope.

Romance or Bromance? Jack and Blackbeard can’t forgive Eleanor. The exchange between them and Anne ended the episode on a poignant and almost sentimental note, at least if Anne would have let the bros continue the Charles Vane adoration.

Deep Thoughts with Anne Bonny. Squee. Anne is great. Normally I give the best lines to Jack but Anne had the best arguments for why they needed to stay the course and go after Woodes Rogers. But would she still be able to maintain the same cool head if someone had taken out Jack? She even admits the same when retelling how Max tried to take him (Jack) away from her. I love these two. They slowly grew on me over the series as did Miranda, and then they shot her! Show, you are wicked.

Blackbeard is badass. How badass? We will find out I suppose. Woodes Rogers, rather deftly counted on them taking the bait so Eleanor could go running to her grand pappy. It’s no secret I’d sworn to hate Woodes Rogers but the man is growing on me and kudos to the writers and actor for bringing out the contradictions and subtlety that was this historical figure who brought the Nassau pirates to their knees.