S02.E01: IX

[maraleia]

 

The Walrus crew is stranded, with an army of Spanish soldiers standing between them and the precious Urca gold. With their crimes against their brethren no longer a secret, Flint and Silver must join forces in a desperate bid for survival

 

[WatchrTina]

Whoo hoo!  Black Sails is on the Forum homepage.  Thanks maraleia.  Here's hoping people turn up to talk about after next Saturday's season 2 premiere.

[Skyfall]

Aye!

[Tabasco Cat]

Only caught Season 1 after it had finished airing and binge watched it over a couple of weeks early last summer, so I'm really looking forward to these new episodes. I hope the writers can continue to pump out quality television for us, Season 1 was a tremendous watch.

[Neurochick]

I think I'm going to binge watch this show again. Don't want to pay for STARZ for ten weeks.

[Morrigan2575]

Welcome Back, Show!

Very good episode I like how they picked up right where we left off last season. Nice strong connection, makes it feel like one long story instead of a story per season.

I'm really interested in the new character, Ned Low. Although, I was rather distracted trying to figure out why I knew him when he seemed new to the show (hello, Vikings).

I'm also curious about Lord Ash and who that woman was that they captured.

Finally...when is Billy Bones coming back?! He can't be dead, dead unless they're totally ignoring Treasure Island. Speaking of TI it was nice to see the relationship between Flint/Silver when it's them against the world. Kind of fascinating to watch.

[WatchrTina]

Well, that was all kinds of good fun!  I was laughing and cheering through various parts of it.  Here's what I loved.

 

1. The conversation between Flint and John Sliver after he volunteers.  John is a coward and completely untrustworthy.  Why do I like him?

2. The scene with all the men sleeping on the cannon deck.  So very tense.

3. John going after the "bauble." I was screaming "No you idiot!" -- the same reaction as Flint.  Only to be surprised by how clever he was.

4. The moment after Flint kills the guy on deck, only to look up and see the whole crew watching. Chills.

5. John giving up everything and selling Flint out at the barest hint of torture.  Except that he didn't.  Really that John Silver is completely unpredictable.  I like it!

6. Flint having to coach John about what to do after he clobbers the torture-threatening guy and gets the drop on the other two.  "What the fuck did you think was going to happen!"

 

Really, the two of them together are hysterical.  And since John is the only man for 100 leagues who doesn't wish Flint dead, I'm thinking we'll see more of that daring duo.

 

7. Vane was his usual dirty self in both senses of the word.  Looking forward to more of him.

 

Here's what I didn't love:

1. The new guy -- Captain Low -- the guy with the bad eye.  Don't like him.  But then, I'm not supposed to.  I hope he and Flint come to blows.  That will happen if he hurts Eleanor.

2. Anne Bonny and Max having sexy times.  For now, they bore me.

3. Rackham.  I feel sorry for him.  Not fun to watch.  But since he's basically hit rock bottom he's got nowhere to go but up.

4. Max fucking up Eleanor's business again by stealing from a client and trying to profit from it. She learned nothing last season.  Max is an idiot.

 

Oh one more thing I loved. The theme song and opening credits are fucking awesome.  It's playing now as the episode is repeated.  Bear McCreary rocks!

 

ETA: One more thing for the "I loved it list."  Captain Flint, back in the day when he was 10 years younger and clean-shaven (and using his real name) was all kinds of hot.  He cleans up nice!

Edited January 25, 2015 by WatchrTina

[ybrik]

Welcome back show.

 

Man Ned Low is quite creepy. I am not sure if it is the eye or his calmness. Eleanor should be worried. This isn't Vane. We aren't going to see him crying because Eleanor was mean to him.

 

So who was the girl in white?

 

Vane is enjoying himself too much right now. He has the upper hand but seems to be just using it to force Eleanor to deal with him. He is setting up for a big fall.

 

Silver and Flint were so fun to watch. Silver had so many great lines especially when Flint was trying to instruct him who to shot. I really can't wait to watch more of them this season.

 

Captain Harry Potter (I've forgotten his name) is getting a little to big for his britches. Seriously I liked him when he had the long hair and was scared to fight but suddenly cut his hair and have some battle experience and he has become insufferable. I am going to enjoy watching Flint take him down.

 

Poor Jack. He is being pissed on literally and figuratively for something he didn't set up. However, I have hope for him to get back what he has lost.

 

Max and Anne are intriguing. Not sure if Max should get mixed up with her though. She is Anne Bonny after all.

[WatchrTina]

 

Captain Harry Potter (I've forgotten his name) is getting a little too big for his britches.

I think you are speaking of the Quarter-master, Dufresne, and unless I am mistaken he is played by a different actor this season.  I wonder if that is why they cropped his hair late last season.  Did they know the original actor was leaving the show and the cropped hair would make it easier to pass off a new actor in the role?  Thank goodness for the Harry Potter glasses or I would have been wondering aloud who the hell he was.

[ArizonaAdmirer]

Great start to season 2.

 

Next to the interactions between Flint and Silver, I really enjoyed the flashbacks showing Flint before he became a Pirate, and meeting Mrs. Hamilton  (Barlow) for the first time.  I'm looking forward to seeing Flint's metamorphosis from Captain in the Royal Navy to Outlaw, and seeing how and why he and Mrs. Hamilton decided to hook up.

 

I wonder if the writers are going to show just how truly awful Ned Lowe was.  

He forced captives to eat their own body parts.

 

When Eleanor went to the fort and heard the noises on the other side of the door for a split second I was horrified, because I thought it was Lowe's female captive being raped.

 

I was really hoping Anne Bonny was going to give Max a beatdown.  Max deserved it.  Her intelligence doesn't equal her ambition and ego.

 

As for Dufresne, he's been annoying ever since he went all vampire on that guy on the Andromache in season 1.   He's not as smart as he thinks he is, and he's no match for Flint and Silver.   BTW, I noticed the guy who plays Dufresne this season is not the same guy who played him in season 1.  Just sayin.

 

If Billy Bones is coming back this season or at all, the showrunners are doing a damn good job of keeping it under wraps. No mentions on IMdB, or any reports of Tom Hopper sightings in Cape Town.   I wouldn't be surprised if we have to wait until season 3.

Edited January 25, 2015 by ArizonaAdmirer

[peacefrog]

I liked it but can't remember everyone's name. I do like Flint and Silver together and the other guy Rackham(name?).  Still wondering how every woman is bisexual but none of the men are, lol.

 

I will admit I started to doze near the end so I missed many of the finer points of the plot.  Looking forward to hearing others take on it.  

 

Edited to add: All the London scenes were flashbacks?! I never even realized that. I must have dozed in the beginning also. I need to rewatch.

Edited January 25, 2015 by peacefrog

[WatchrTina]

 

All the London scenes were flashbacks?!

Yes, that dashing young representative of the Admiralty was a younger, cleaner version of our poor beleaguered (ex)Captain Flint.  The conversation he has with the lady in the carriage is apparently the first time he met the woman we now know as Mrs Barlow -- the widow he "keeps company' with.  When I looked up Toby Stephens in IMDb I was shocked to discover that he is younger than me.  Captain Flint certainly does not look younger than me.  But when I saw him in the flashback I got it.  They did a nice job aging him up and down to make the two timeframes so clearly different.

[Tabasco Cat]

I liked it but can't remember everyone's name. I do like Flint and Silver together and the other guy Rackham(name?).

That would be Calico Jack Rackham.

 

All the London scenes were flashbacks?! I never even realized that. I must have dozed in the beginning also. I need to rewatch.

I remembered seeing somewhere during S1 that the year was 1715, so when 1705 flashed on the screen I knew it was a flashback. They should have reminded the viewers that the current year is 1715 from the story pov.

The historical Urca de Lima wrecked just off the coast of Florida in 1715. I live about 10 miles from that location. Having a connection to the geography is kind of neat, but the eastern coast of central Florida looks nothing like the location in the show (South Africa), and that kind of ruins the immersion. I suppose for the story's purposes the exact location doesn't matter as much as I would like it to.

Flint tells Silver that St. Augustine is 4 days away on foot. The distance from the real Urca wreck to St. Augustine is about 180 miles, probably not feasible in 4 days during July.

Anyway, I enjoyed the episode and can't wait to see the rest.

[NorthstarATL]

I was really looking forward to the return and this episode did not disappoint! Flint and Silver are awesome together! Looking forward to see what they do next, and whereas on shows like Arrow I find flashbacks (and wigs) tedious, I am intrigued by Flint's story.

 Things are pretty much where we left them at Nassau I see. Eleanor really needs some sort of bodyguard backing up her swagger, and unfortunately Vane just opted not to take that gig. Ned Lowe is a nasty piece of work, and he has a beef with her that I think she is not fully ready to deal with. Max's learning curve really isn't very steep, is it? I was rooting for her last season and hoping she'd find some power in being a businesswoman, but none of that was on display this ep. Poor Jack. He needs a win.

  Still missing Billy.

[Sharkatefonz]

Welcome back show! I'm still dancing a jig, and rewatched throughout the evening. Glued to my seat the first time, and laughed out loud at the Flint/Silver interactions.

Second time around I just enjoyed the hell out of their scenes, and enjoyed much of Hannah New's delivery in her scenes.

I enjoyed how each flashback served a purpose at different points in Flint's own introspection. He's looking back at those turning points and we're being shown the differences in him, rather than just told.

It didn't come across as heavy handed when Thomas mentioned Flint's meager upbringing, or him giving his former last name to Mrs Hamilton.

I also loved her dialogue. Right from the start I believe she was drawing him in, and even then she was wistful for another lost time. The way she 'envied' what it felt like first meeting her husband. It already sounded like she was missing something in her marriage. The early cracks that brought her to Flint. I still believe she was the one who orchestrated what happened between them, and Flint will start to see that in hindsight.

There is no turning back for him, and he knows it. He's world weary and even if he has regrets or has moments of remorse, it's just too late and he has to desperately continue to move forward or perish.

Count me in to the 'dont like Dufresne' Club. He's a little too high and mighty for someone who considered killing Randall, along with Degroot and that other crew member who all wanted to silence Randall and keep the plan in motion last season.

And his actions were ignorant and dangerous while preparing to cripple the ship before she brought around her broad side. Not saying they definitely would have succeeded, but he is no captain, and certainly without a clear vision. Flint had reason to be angry with him for his part in their shipwreck as well. It looks like the preview is showing his limitations next week, getting Flint another opening at Captain.

That's why I enjoy it all so much. Each of them has flaws and schemes. They are pirates after all.

Ned Lowe is awful and disgusting as he should be, but his character shouldn't take over the whole show. We'll see if that happens. I'm hoping more for him being the outsider to bring old foes Vane and Flint together as unlikely allies for a short time.

Vane had a good scene with Eleanor, and again we see who will turn on who and for what price.

Max again becomes part of throwing a wrench into things and affecting the course of events. Most notably, Lowe's young captive, and just who she will be used as a bargaining chip to control.

I too disliked her selling to Lowe out from under Eleanor, because I think she did it because she could and not for any more useful or sensible reason.

She reacted in the moment and didn't think beyond getting a jab in at Eleanor. As for her going to Bonny , I don't see real feelings on her part yet, beyond seducing Bonny to get what she wants. Right now it's to win favor because she sees how attracted Bonny is and she'll use that.

I also think it's not cool that she did that to Jack after he was pleading her case to Bonny. I could be wrong, but I think her deeper feelings will be with Max and Jack will be the outsider.

If I do have one gripe though it would be to agree with those who mentioned the obvious bisexual females and lacking in any male/male relations. Maybe this year will be different, but I'm expecting true love for Max and Bonny, and the only male interaction I'm not sure of at this point.

If this season remains this good, I really hope they get some awards recognition beyond make up or sets.

Edited January 25, 2015 by Sharkatefonz

[luckyroll3]

I wonder if the writers are going to show just how truly awful Ned Lowe was.  

He forced captives to eat their own body parts.

Well, he did say that he boiled some man's child in front of the man and his crew!  Eleanor needs to learn to pretend to play the game instead of always being so heavy handed.  The threat from Ned Lowe wasn't explicit, but goddamn was it implied with his little creepy ass speech.

[WatchrTina]

 

If I do have one gripe though it would be to agree with those who mentioned the obvious bisexual females and lacking in any male/male relations.

I wonder if that might be an accurate reflection of the times.  I wonder if male homosexuality is common but highly taboo while female homosexuality is viewed as nothing serious -- a mere amusement between two bored ladies.  Eleanor's relationship with Max certainly seems to have been common knowledge last season.  Max reminds one customer that "he knows the rules" when he complains about only being able to get a hand-job from her.  He clearly knows that Eleanor pays to keep Max reserved for herself.  On the other hand Vane seems clearly to have been sexually molested as a child and been scarred by it -- that's the vibe I get from his encounter with the big, bald pirate he killed after rising from the grave.  Consenting sex between men is not the same as a sea captain forcing his cabin-boy to be his sex slave but in this environment I don't think men make that distinction so there is lots of shame in involved.  My understanding is that even 150-200 years later, during the reign of Queen Victoria, male homosexuality would be a criminal offense in Britain while female homosexuality would not for the simple reason that Queen Victoria did not believe "sex" was possible between two women.  If you saw "The Imitation Game" you saw what the stakes were for gay men in Britain right up to recent history.  1715 Nassau isn't England and the rule of acceptable behavior are clearly different but I get the sense that consenting male homosexuality is done very very quietly there.

 

Edited because I was being long-winded and redundant.

Edited January 25, 2015 by WatchrTina

[ArizonaAdmirer]

I think you are speaking of the Quarter-master, Dufresne, and unless I am mistaken he is played by a different actor this season.  I wonder if that is why they cropped his hair late last season.  Did they know the original actor was leaving the show and the cropped hair would make it easier to pass off a new actor in the role?  Thank goodness for the Harry Potter glasses or I would have been wondering aloud who the hell he was.

 

I was wondering, too.   There's a sad reason for that- Jannes Eiselen, the original Dufrense, suffered a recurrence of brain cancer in late 2013, right before season 2 began filming and had to leave.  He said of his misfortune, "Well two things happened: I got my big break and then I broke."  http://www.janneseiselen.com

Edited January 25, 2015 by ArizonaAdmirer

[Sharkatefonz]

'On the other hand Vane seems clearly to have been sexually molested as a child and been scarred by it -- that's the vibe I get from his encounter with the big, bald pirate he killed after rising from the grave. '

God that guy was so creepy and disgusting. I had that vibe too, and very glad Vane defeated him. That was a character that I was glad to see short lived.

Very thoughtful post, thank you.

'There's a sad reason for that- Jannes Eiselen, the original Dufrense, suffered a recurrence of brain cancer in late 2013, right before season 2 began filming and had to leave. '

That's heartbreaking.

**Edited because proper quote function seems to be misbehaving on my tablet. Apologies for any confusion**

Edited January 26, 2015 by Sharkatefonz

[Tabasco Cat]

On the other hand Vane seems clearly to have been sexually molested as a child and been scarred by it -- that's the vibe I get from his encounter with the big, bald pirate he killed after rising from the grave.

Wha? That vibe is only "clearly" apparent to those predisposed to wanting to see it. I didn't get that at all. That's some serious fan fiction right there!

[attica]

I didn't know Rupert Penry-Jones (Hamilton, the one in flashback with the wig assortment) was joining the cast; I'm always happy to see him. And what a reunion for him and Stephens, who spent a bit of time together playing Cambridge Spies.

[cali1981]

Like everyone else I was looking forward to Black Sails returning.  The Season 2 opener was smashing. It covered so much current and past ground (via Flint's flashbacks) that I had to rewind the DVR a few times to make sure that I heard all of the dialogue.  The writing during season 1 was very good but if last night is any indication, it's going to even better this season.  When Silver pulled his "give up Flint" feint on the Spaniards and then pulled his chestnuts out of the fire, I was truly surprised. It was well played and the subsequent "escape" was exciting and hilarious.  Toby Stephens and Luke Arnold really work well together.  Oh and Max and Anne getting it on was OK by me.  Jessica Parker Kennedy is one of the more intriguing women on TV these days.  It's nice to have a quality show to look forward to every week.

[Sharkatefonz]

I'm still not certain how to properly quote others when replying, as I'm using a tablet. My last post included quotes from other posters and I wouldn't want anyone to think I was using their words as my own. I'll try to edit my early post upthread. Apologies for any confusion.

[Sharkatefonz]

Many thanks ;-)

[WatchrTina]

 

 

SHARKATEFONZ, ON 25 JAN 2015 - 12:59 PM, SAID:

On the other hand Vane seems clearly to have been sexually molested as a child and been scarred by it -- that's the vibe I get from his encounter with the big, bald pirate he killed after rising from the grave.

Wha? That vibe is only "clearly" apparent to those predisposed to wanting to see it. I didn't get that at all. That's some serious fan fiction right there!

Actually I wasn't pre-disposed to see it.  Someone else pointed it out in the season 1 thread (the "Past Seasons Talk" thread) and I thought they made a good case.  I'm open to being convinced that something else is going on.  Here are the hints:

1. Vane is clearly "haunted" by the guy.  He see's visions of him during opium dreams.

2. When he gets to the island the big guy does not recognize him at first.  That suggests that the last time he was there he looked very different and I presumed that meant he was much younger. The visions Vane had were of the big guy as an adult so they weren't children together in that place.

3. Vane and a young boy -- who bears the same brand as Vane -- keep having meaningful eye contact. What is that about if not what I have speculated?

4. Vane himself says that when he was there before he was "the lowest among you."  That suggests again that he was young when he was there before and his status was very low, which I would expect would be the case if he was the head guy's cabin boy / sex-slave.

5. The practice of ship captains using their cabin boy for sex during this era occurs in a lot of fiction.  I always assumed the practice had a basis in fact since, unfortunately, the world has a long history of children being sexually exploited by people in a power positions.

6. The big guy's paternalistic attitude toward Vane was downright creepy.  He says "I'm proud of you" right before he "kills" Vane and has him stripped and buried.  That is one sick mofo.

 

Anyway, that's why I though it was a plausible suggestion.  It's not something I "want" to be true and certainly wouldn't write any fan-fiction about it.  It just seems to fit the evidence.

Edited January 26, 2015 by WatchrTina

[ganesh]

Come on, we know Anne and Max were going to get it on and we only get 3 seconds of that. We got like a full minute of Rackham on the can!

 

Speaking of Rackham, I know he's not in a great place right now, but when he finally breaks out of it *all* of those people who fucked with him are going to pay very very dearly. 

 

The crew without Flint are just plain idiots. Obviously, with everyone protecting the gold, the ship is ripe for capture. The scenes with Flint and Silver were gold. Especially Silver thinking that he was supposed to volunteer because they were going to escape. Then whomping the guy on the head and realizing he'd have to actually fight. 

 

I don't get Vane. He wanted in on the consortium, but now he doesn't want to do his part? That's kind of a dick move. I hope he's not expecting to be paid. 

 

I don't think this new captain Lowe is very smart either. You couldn't think that keeping the barrels clean would be a good idea? Or you figured that you'd just threaten your way to full price? Because you burns kids? Crazy never beats cunning. This little plot is ripe for Rackham to get his groove back. 

 

It seemed like Nassau was doing good business too. 

[speedroc]

 

John giving up everything and selling Flint out at the barest hint of torture.  Except that he didn't.  Really that John Silver is completely unpredictable.

Silver can talk his way out of EVERTHING. The greatest thing about it is that he's making sense all of the time. Great episode. One thing that I love about this show is the level of machinations that occur in Nassau. Never get tired of those scenes and think they add just as much, if not more than the action at sea.

 

One thing I would appreciate clarification on. Is the warship that they jacked the same one that handled them in the season finale? Also, when they washed up on the beach and showed Flint the wreckage of the Urca, there was another ship nearby. Was that The Ranger or are we to believe they were destroyed along with The Walrus?

Edited January 26, 2015 by speedroc

[Neurochick]

I'm happy now.  I called my cable company and STARZ is having a sale now, how sweet.  They made me an offer I couldn't refuse so I didn't and I watched the episode last night.  Loved it!  

 

I didn't like John Silver last season, he reminded me of those men who know they're hot and think you should know it too.  But I liked Silver and Flint together.  Flint hates that he can't get a read on Silver.  

[WatchrTina]

 

One thing I would appreciate clarification on. Is the warship that they jacked the same on that handled them in the season finale? Also, when they washed up on the beach and showed Flint the wreckage of the Urca, there was another ship nearby. Was that The Ranger or are we to believe they were destroyed along with The Walrus?

Good questions.  My take is that the warship that shredded the Walrus and the Ranger is the escort assigned to the Urca de Lima and it is the same ship that was stationed offshore from the wrecked Urca in the last scene of Season 1.  And now the pirates have taken that warship.

 

As for which ship was wrecked on the shore beside where Flint came to, it's not clear (at least to me).  Silver comments that she'll need a lot of work if she's ever to sail again (or words to that effect) but he never actually says which ship it is.  We ought to be able to figure it out, however, because the two ships have completely different sterns and I think the scene of the wreck shows the stern.  I presume someone will look that up and let us know.  

 

If we assume, for now, that the wreck is the Walrus (which seems most likely since we see Walrus crew members around), then the question remains -- did the Ranger sink or limp away after the fight?  If it sank, did none of the crew (Vane's former crew) survive?  That seems unlikely since I presume at least some of them were good swimmers.  

 

I presume someone will say what happened to the Ranger when the warship arrives back in Nassau.  Vane is certainly going to want to know what happened.

[speedroc]

Thanks.

[ganesh]

And Vane will presumably pout as well. 

 

One thing I like about all the starz shows is that all the nude women are actual women. There's no plastic parts. More of this. 

 

I'm also equal opportunity and demand male nudity. If I looked like Vane I'd have it written into my contract. 

[WatchrTina]

 

One thing I like about all the starz shows is that all the nude women are actual women. There's no plastic parts. More of this.

I heard this was a rule in casting the female extras in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies, which are set in the same world.  No one with breast implants need apply.  The corsets of the era smashed everyone's breast upwards -- Keira Knightly has spoken about how odd it was for her to have cleavage, though in her case make up enhanced the effect.  Artificial breasts don't move (or smash) the same way.

 

That being said -- there is one whore featured in season 2, episode 1 of Black Sails who I suspect is not an all-natural woman.  Her corset fits her all wrong and you see the curve of her breasts (unnaturally large, perky ones)  between the threads of her loose corset rather than bubbling over the top of the corset as was the look of the day.  The costume designer over on Outlander took some heat for that look with regard to the main character's wedding dress. People said it didn't fit.  But I've seen the reference photos (portraits from the era) that she posted in her defense and smashed breasts bulging over the top of a tight corset was definitely the look of the day.  I guess the actresses playing whores can get away with not being natural since they spend their days "en deshabille" and don't lace their corsets but I agree that it is refreshing to see women who look more natural on camera.

[ganesh]

Spartacus was like that too. 

 

Starz: We have hot nude all natural women! Sometimes we show the men! Plus, pirates and Scots!

[ulkis]

Well, that was all kinds of good fun!  I was laughing and cheering through various parts of it.  Here's what I loved.

 

1. The conversation between Flint and John Sliver after he volunteers.  John is a coward and completely untrustworthy.  Why do I like him?

 

I like him, or at least sympathize, because, well, I totally sympathize. I'm a wimp too. If I found myself on a pirate ship somehow I would do my best to just stay out of trouble too and probably try to weasel my way out of it. Although I am a lousy liar so I'd probably get thrown overboard fairly quickly.

 

Also I think he's hot, heh. Despite the weird hair. (although I can apply that sentiment to most of the men on the show. I would say I could also apply the same sentiment to the women, but they mostly have nice hair.)