Movie/TV Reviews

Black Sails

Aye aye matey’s join me as I dive into the world of the pirates.

Oddly enough, despite the myths, there is not pirate related content I’ve seen where pirates say they. I wonder why that is…

In today’s blog post, I will be discussing the show Black Sails- specifically the characters.

Follow me over yonder

What is “Black Sails” About?

As written on Rotten Tomatoes

A prequel to the classic Robert Louis Stevenson novel "Treasure Island," "Black Sails" is a pirate adventure that centers on the tales of Captain Flint, who has a reputation throughout the West Indies as being the most brilliant, most feared of all the Golden Age pirates. It's 1715, and as Flint fights for the survival of New Providence Island – a debauched paradise teeming with pirates, prostitutes, thieves and fortune seekers – in the wake of threats from British and Spanish forces, he aligns himself with Eleanor Guthrie, daughter of the local kingpin, to hunt the ultimate prize and ensure his people's survival. But standing in the way are rival captains, Eleanor's intrusive father, and perhaps the bigger obstacle of all: John Silver, a young, fast-talking, authority-flouting sailor recently added to Flint's crew.

This show is everything. It’s mayhem, it’s betrayal, it’s respect, it’s trust. There are so many layers to the storyline and it makes for such a great watch.

If you can’t tell by the trailer, there are some grotesque and explicit moments. If you cannot stomach that, I suggest you wait for the next season of Bridgerton, which is right around the corner.

In fact, I talk about it in this blog post⬇️

Without trying to divulge any major details, let’s get into these characters!

Captain Flint

Flint is such a complicated character on so many levels. There are so many times where you wish someone would shoot him and then there are times where you realize how crucial he is to the cause.

There is so much faith put into Flint and every single time, he never fails to push people to the edge.

First of all the pilot episode is insane. Although, it was Billy’s fault, how do you kill someone knowing you’re in the wrong? As soon as Billy and Gates allowed his lie to fester the madness and the audacity got worse. That was madness #1.

Madness #2 was when he killed Gates for questioning his line of thinking. And no one questioned Flint about it.

Making your men sail into oblivion was madness #3. This was what made Billy go off. Granted, Flint was in dark place after the death of his lover and friend, Mrs. Barlow, but making the men sail into a nasty storm was crazy. I understand he was running from Hornigold, but it was still wild that he chose the storm without hesitation. And his men just followed him blindly.

Flint is a risk taker but he knows what he’s doing. You might hate his guts but you know he’s right.

Silver

Silver is the definition of “coming a long way.” If that phrase was googled in the dictionary, his name and face would be right there.

From being a stowaway to memorizing a schedule to keep yourself alive to working as a cook, then becoming Quartermaster, then having your leg chopped off, and then finally, becoming THE LONG JOHN SILVER…a truly respected man.

That is what you call character evolution.

The one thing that kept Silver alive, for the most part, is his mouth. He’s a very good talker. He’s very slick and savvy, and he knows how to talk his self into or out of situations.

Silver + Madi

Let’s talk about the only real couple in this show. Let’s talk about TRUE LOVE.

As soon as I saw Madi, I already knew what this was about to be. The writers kept playing g with my emotions. one moment Silver is possibly dead, the next moment Madi is knocking on Heaven‘s door; please allow true love to prevail.

Billy Bones

Billy was my man for a minute. When he fell into the ocean, I thought he was done for. I was relieved when he came back and joined his old crew. Then, when Billy, set up the pirates that were going to accept the pardon’s? He was cool in my book.

Then, things took a turn when he and Silver were no longer on the same page. Thats when he really started to take the piss.

Do I understand why he ratted out his crew? Of course. I get why he was like, F this.

I still hate that he did it. You know?

Bringing the men to Skull Island, was that really necessary?? Switching teams as if the team he moved to won’t kill him in an instant is beyond crazy.

Eleanor Guthrie

This is one character that I hated from beginning to the bitter end. I was so ready for her downfall.

Eleanor Guthrie is a liar and she betray’s everyone.

The only thing that I appreciated her doing was helping Madi out during that nasty fight at the end. Besides that, good riddance.

Next up on the chopping block is her dimwitted husband.

Mr. Woodes Roger

This man brought the Spanish Navy into this small fight over the island of Nassau and in the process, indirectly killed his wife and unborn child.

I want to apologize, Eleanor actually did a decent thing by trying to salvage the cache and telling her husband to meet her in the America’s. So, I may not fully hate her.

But no, her husband, Mr. Rogers, said, “if I cant have Nassau, burn it to the ground.” HE DID NOT CARE.

And then he found out he lost his wife and child…he really became a menace. He was doing anything because he had nothing to lose. He became dangerous. Rogers before Eleanor‘s passing was really Mr. Nice Guy (just for context- he was not nice).

Captain Charles Vane

This just a side note, am I the only one who kept screaming “Roan” at the screen? I recall Zach McGowan from the hit series, “The 100”, which happens to be a favorite of mine, and every time he popped up on my screen for the first season, I kept shouting, “Go Roan!”

Anyways, Vane was a REAL PIRATE. He didn’t take no b.s. Vane’s character did have to grow on me. The first scene, when he meets Eleanor Guthrie and slaps her…I GASPED. I was not expecting that at all.

Outside of that, Charles Vane is the real deal. He’s loyal. He’s smart, He knows how to cover his tracks and he learns from the past.

The most selfless thing that he did was tell Bones to not rescue him from the noose. Charles Vane could have lived to see another day, but instead gave up his life because he knew that he drew his last breath, a new beginning would start for Nassau.

Max

Max has her moments. At times, she could prove to be the best person to have in your corner. Other times, she’s your worst enemy.

Despite everything Max did in this series, I’m not mad at her; everything she did, she did to protect herself and her livelihood. Max is a smart businesswomen who knows how to adapt. She didn‘t out the pirates, she kept it cute to save her neck. I can’t be mad at that.

Anne + Rackham

I’m sorry, these two are such an unserious couple. Their dynamic is…weird. Both of them together was already complicated. Then they introduced Max into their situationship and it got weirder.

Despite the awkwardness of their relationshi, Anne and Rackham are very protective of each other. It’s as if one cannot do without the other. There’s a deep love, a deeper connection, that they share and it’s beautiful to see how they take care of one another; and you see that time and time again through the series.

Namely:

When Anne set out to exchange the cache for Rackham.
The most impressive, was when Anne told Jack to not elect anyone to fight the huge British soldier so that she could fight and set everyone free.
Rackham allowing Anne to be with Max despite his personal feelings.
Jack tending to Anne after her fight.

Conclusion

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this show. The writers of Black Sails, do a fantastic job of intertwining individual stories and molding everything together to present the bigger picture to the audience. This show is captivating, engaging, thrilling, and suspenseful.

There are so many powerful characters in this show. Every single character holds their weight. It‘s genius. It’s brilliant writing and an even better production. I wish this show had one more season but hey, I’m glad I got to enjoy what was put out. A truly amazing show. I hope to see more like this.

Thank you to the creators of Black Sails.

Thanks For Reading!

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog post. I know it’s a long one, so I truly appreciate your time.

Hopefully, I was able to put you on to a new show. Black Sails, is an amazing watch and I hope that you check it out.

If you end up watching it, or you have watched it, let me know your thoughts in the comments. Thanks to much! ❤️

Have a lovely day and an even better week!