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S03.E10: XXVIII


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(edited)

Well hello Anne Bonny. She was freaking hot.

Aw, poor Mr. Dobbs. The show did a good job getting me to feel for him considering I wouldn't have been able to pick him out of a crowd three episodes ago. Hornigold's end felt a little anti-climatic though. Really? Riding towards Flint with a gun on a horse? I thought he was smarter than that. Oh well.

Poor used and abused Mr de Groot too, heh.

Flint and Silver's dialogue is too telling and not actually showing, imo. Very dressed up, telling-not-showing, but that all the same. I did like Silver saying, "well I hadn't drank or ate in a while." Also Flint's smile when he said that Silver was the only one she trusted not to betray them for money was great too. No matter how corny or bathetic I find Flint's dialogue sometimes Toby Stephens is always fantastic to watch.

I liked that Woodes wasn't mad at Eleanor.

Jeez, Blackbeard still acting like angry grandpa. At least he felt a bit defensive of Nassau though. Rackham going, "there was nothing more to that, was there?" was funny.

I think the conversation between Max and Mapleton showed that she may yet get a chance to change sides. And the last shot of the season once again goes to Max. Obviously Madi is probably

Silver's wife

but I did find it interesting Max got to be the first to say the (in)famous nickname, given their interaction. Given the conversation between her and Mapleton maybe he'll convince/coerce her to turn away from Woodes and Eleanor.

Re: Woodes,

so unless they drastically switch it up we know he eventually rids Nassau of the pirates. Maybe it's just because I don't dislike her that I feel this way, but I do think Eleanor will manage to survive, it feels appropriate, all these pirates trying to bring her down but managing to evade them. If she does go down I think it will be because of Woodes or herself.

Edited by ulkis
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Well that was a great cap to the best season yet.  I've enjoyed this show to various degrees since it began, but TBH I didn't really connect with it before this season.  I watched it because it had a Bear McCreary score, and good actors, and it was on when most of my other shows were on winter hiatus.  This season actually really sucked me in though.  I have a lot of thoughts about motivations and character arcs that I'm reluctant to write about too much until I do a rewatch, since I'm not sure if I'm remembering everything correctly since the first two seasons didn't always hold my attention the way this season did.  

 

Since Eleanor has become one of my favorites (I always fall for the woman fandom hates for some reason) I would have liked more of her before the year long hiatus, but it makes total sense she was mostly background.  First because there was so much else going on, but I also think it was probably smart to let her fade into the background right after the Vane thing for a bit.  Not that I think the writers cater to what fandom wants, but I think having her in the forefront scheming and taking charge right after killing fandom's inexplicable favorite might have seemed like a bit much.  I too liked that Woodes sided with her.  Eleanor's arc this season has been all about trust, and about rebuilding. I know not everyone likes their relationship and that's fine, but it makes total sense to me.  People like to talk about Eleanor's betrayals in seasons 1 and 2 without the context they were made in, and that context was largely everyone else's petty rivalries screwing her over constantly.  With both Vane and Flint, she was constantly struggling to hold a plan together.  With Nassau as a whole she was constantly struggling to hold power at all.  She doesn't have that struggle with Woodes.  He treats her with the utmost respect, and now, he trusts her.  The fact that they are truly partners now means everything to her.  Her face when he says her enemies are his now, she's so shocked and surprised, because she's not used to having someone have her back without caveats and strings attached.  Flint and Vane always had their own agendas and she had to hold her own against them, but Woodes is just...on her side, completely.  This was a big rebuilding year for Eleanor, she started out at the bottom and had to navigate her way back up, uncertain about her place in things pretty much the whole time.  She's not uncertain anymore.  I think going into season 4 we'll see more of take charge Eleanor, and I think she and Woodes will be a significant force for the pirates to deal with.

 

I think it makes sense for Max to delay deciding what side to support.  It makes sense from a self preservation standpoint, but also from a character standpoint.  Of all the characters on the show, Max seems to be one of the most decent, the one who tries to protect herself while screwing over other people as little as possible.  Not that she won't do it if she has to, but it's a last resort for her.  I think more than anyone else on the show all Max wants is a quiet life - sure she wants a certain amount of power and money too, but for her I think it's all about the safety and security such a position brings her, it's not about glory or legacy or money for money's sake.  And now the sands are shifting under her feet again and she has people she cares about on both sides of the conflict.  I think it really is her best bet to just wait and see right now.  I don't think it's a given that she'll eventually join the resistance, just because she hasn't told anyone about Idelle yet.  She really is a wild card going into next season.  

I think part of me wants her to side with England purely because historically they win, and I'd like her to come out on top after all the shit she suffered early in the series.

 

 

The entire battle on the island was very well done.  Intercutting Flint and Silver's conversation throughout was a nice editing choice.  I don't really have a problem with the eloquent way they speak - I'm currently in the cast for a Shakespeare play, so I'm kind of big on the hyper-realism of speech in plays and other works of fiction at the moment.  Black Sails, for all that it's a pirate show with Michael Bay as a producer, has always been more of a character drama than an action show, and to me part of that is the speeches that would seem to belong more on the stage at the Globe than coming from 17th century pirates.  

 

I could still take or leave Blackbeard, he does nothing for me at the moment, but I can see some potential in his interactions with Rackham.  I just hope he gets more to do next season than be the grumpy old contrarian, because that gets old fast.  

 

Anne Bonny is a glorious mermaid goddess of death and she needs to ditch the hat more often because good lord is Clara Paget stunning when you can actually see her face.  

 

It's a credit to the writers of this show that I genuinely like characters on both sides of this conflict, but also objectively think they're all sort of awful people (except Max, Max is a cinnamon roll).  Getting into history spoilers,

while the writers have shown they're willing to play loose with history, they really haven't diverged that much.  So far mostly they've fudged dates - who knows who when, who dies in what order, etc.  They haven't, that I can remember, really changed anything dramatically, just tweaked things to fit their dramatic narrative.  And frankly I think the pirates losing, but managing to keep the gold away from the English, fits best with what we know of Silver, Flint, and Billy from the beginning of Treasure Island.  So I don't see them changing history so drastically that England loses, which means eventually Woodes will win.  I kind of want Eleanor and Max to stay by his side and come out on top in the end if only to piss of fandom, since those two ladies have gotten by far the most hate even though pretty much all the men on this show have done worse things than either of them.  But I really don't know what to expect.  I don't know how long they see this show going, or how far towards Treasure Island they plan to take the pirates.  I think the fate of non historic/non Treasure Island characters like Max and Eleanor is going to depend largely on those two factors.  If season 4 is the last (and there's nothing to indicate it will be, I'm just throwing out hypotheticals) then I can easily see them surviving.  The longer the show goes on though the less certain I get about the outcomes for them, and any other characters who don't already have a specific future set out for them.

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(edited)

The entire battle on the island was very well done.  Intercutting Flint and Silver's conversation throughout was a nice editing choice.  I don't really have a problem with the eloquent way they speak - 

 

Oh, I don't mind the actual words - at least not with Flint and Silver - but what they're saying. Like last season when they had Mr Scott tell Billy that the men were taken in by Silver's stories and he was as good a storyteller as Flint instead of really letting us hear one of the stories, or them talking about Silver going further down A Dark Path after smashing Dufresne's head in, okay. Last week's conversation about going down a Dark Path after having Dobbs beat with bags after Dobbs assaulted one of their allies? Eeeh, I don't know if that was worth a "Dark Path" speech. Maybe if he had had Dobbs thrown overboard. I guess it was to tell us that Silver did it out of vengeance as well as making sure Dobbs didn't step out of line again but I think they showed that when they interspersed the scenes of Silver and Madi while the men were beating Dobbs. But yeah, I guess if they're stylistically going for Shakespearian speech of telling us what's going on with the characters/what happened off-stage/screen, that makes the flowery exposition more understandable. Still, it felt repetitive at times to me.

 

 

People like to talk about Eleanor's betrayals in seasons 1 and 2 without the context they were made in, and that context was largely everyone else's petty rivalries screwing her over constantly.  With both Vane and Flint, she was constantly struggling to hold a plan together.  With Nassau as a whole she was constantly struggling to hold power at all.  She doesn't have that struggle with Woodes.

 

Yes, although she doesn't really have a choice about not struggling with Woodes, at least, not a great one. She could struggle against him but it's not that easy. And I while I do think Woodes respects her in a way Flint and Vane didn't (well at least Flint, I'm undecided on how much Vane actually respected her) he can afford to be more magnanimous with her because he has a power over her that they didn't, she is his prisoner. But at the same time, the power struggles with Flint and Vane are why I don't dislike her for throwing in her lot with Woodes. And again, because she is still technically a prisoner. As in as she seems with Woodes, if she strays from him things could turn dangerous for her very quickly, more dangerous for Flint and his crew, who aren't in Woodes/the navy's hands. 

Edited by ulkis
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I watched the episode this morning and I've been thinking about it for a few hours now.  An interesting episode to end a brilliant season.  

 

First I'm glad there isn't so much Eleanor hate here.  To me, Eleanor is like a woman who did a lot of drugs at one time, then hit bottom and is now trying to change her life.  Vane was like the ex-boyfriend she always did drugs with and Eleanor had to cut him out of her life (though Eleanor did it permanently).  When she told Vane, "Nassau is moving on and so am I," that was very telling, Eleanor is trying to change her life.  To me, Eleanor and Vane never would have worked because she wanted more from life than he.

 

I liked the conversation between Silver and Flint.  Is Silver evil now?  I don't think so.  Silver has always been about self preservation.  I think when Flint told him about Thomas, Silver realized "oh shit, another dead  partner/friend/lover.  That's three, I don't want to be number four."  When Silver told Flint, "without these men, all I am is an invalid, I think he meant it.  There is no place for Silver to go, he's got to be a pirate, there's more at stake for him.  He senses that it's a very good possibility that Flint could and would kill him and wanted to let Flint know that in no way will he let that happen.

 

And as far as showing something, Silver's "smile" at the end of he and Flint's conversation said so much, it wasn't a genuine smile, it was a smile that said, "yeah, keep believing that, motherfucker."

 

I'm of a different mind about 

Madi being Silver's wife.  Earlier in this season I thought that might happen, now I don't and I'm not sure why.  This season they made it clear several times that Max was a "negress" and "of African decent," which was exactly how Silver's wife is described in Treasure Island.  There was no reason for us, the audience to know that about Max, I mean this is season 3 and there was no real point to it IMO.  Also, Madi was brought up to rule, she's very much like the Khaleesi in Game of Thrones, she's a queen, very regal.  In Treasure Island Silver and his wife own either an inn or a tavern and I just can't see Madi doing that, I can see Max doing that though.  Also on a shallow note, I've seen a few videos from Comic-con from two years ago of Jessica Parker Kennedy and Luke Arnold and they are so adorable together, so there is that on my part. 

Edited by Neurochick
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Loved the finale. A nice end to a very good season and a good set up for season 4. I loved that Flint kicked the Brits' asses right back to Nassau. Flint wins at life. But I agree that I wanted a bit more from Hornigold's demise. Like maybe Flint beating him to death with his bare hands but I'll take what I can get there. At least him and his freaky feathered curls are gone.

 

I am disappointed that Rogers isn't more upset with Eleanor. He does realize she's cost him the streets, right? That more are turning on him everyday? He can't be so whipped that he doesn't see what's happening here. Or maybe he is. Either way, he's been a dud of a new character to me.

 

I understand Max hedging her bets. It's smart of her to sit on the fence until she has a better view of what's to come before picking a side. She sees where Eleanor is erring even if Rogers can't.

 

I enjoy Billy and his little Rebel Alliance. He's really in his element.

 

Anne -- freaking awesome. Always perfect. Jack and Blackbeard could be very entertaining together.

 

I loved the conversation between Flint and Silver. That was very effective. Both actors played it so well and a nice set up for things to come. I like Silver well enough but I'm always TeamFlint. So I loved Flint's little scary smile at the end of their talk and his clearly implied "Just try it, pal".

 

So for some Treasure Island and history stuff . . ..

I don't think Madi will be Silver's "TI" wife. It's too obvious and what everyone is expecting. I do think they will hook up but they won't end up together. Perhaps she chooses her people over him or something tragic befalls her. I still see him married to Max and it's a "business arrangement", not a real marriage. Interesting that Billy is making this pirate lore of a Black Spot real and using Silver's name to do it and someday Silver will use that on him (in Treasure Island). I do wonder what will happen that leads up to the TI events with Flint, Billy and Silver.     I'm sure Rogers will "win" against the pirates. It's like my other favorite Starz show "Spartacus". The pirates will win some battles and give the audience alot of "Hell, Yeah!" moments but, ultimately, they will lose the war. But it won't be much of a "win" in the long run for Rogers because he eventually lands in debtor's prison because he can't repay all the money he borrowed to fund this endeavor.

Edited by Garnett7
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There is very interesting stuff happening on Tumblr, yes, Tumblr.  Two factions.  One group does not like Madi/Silver because the actress who plays Madi has some pretty homophobic shit on her Twitter (I've seen some of it, I think she's a fundamentalist Christian).  The other group likes Madi/Silver because it's rare for a brown woman to get any love on any TV show that's not made by Shonda Rhimes.  

 

Now, I do think that

the end game will be Max/Silver; something about this episode changed my view.  Maybe it was because Max was the one who said "Long John Silver," or maybe it's because I can't see Madi running a pub with Silver in Bristol, but I can see Max doing that.  Also, in that scene where Silver and Flint were on opposite sides of the grove (or whatever that was), Madi and Silver were NOT standing together, like a couple.   I think that the producers wanted it to be Max/Silver from day one.  But they knew there would be people (like me) who might feel that they whitewashed the character by having a lighter skinned actress play her.  Now, in TI, Silver's wife isn't described, but there is a racist assumption made that the reason Silver always likes to go to sea is because his wife is black.  So maybe the producers thought, they would give Silver a true love who was black, and then if she either died or decided to stay with her people, Silver would turn to Max and it would not be a whitewash of that character.  

Edited by Neurochick
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Oh my GOD, that was so good!!!  The legend of "Long" John Silver is born!  Long live the King (of Pirates)!

 

Also my love for Jack & Anne grew by leaps and bounds tonight.

 

Okay -- off to watch it a second time with headphones.

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I love this show. This was a good season finale. I love Flint and Silver's conversation. I was surprised Flint confided in Silver about Thomas, but glad that he did. Now Silver truly understands Flint. He can protect himself from him. I don't believe for a second that either of them will be the death of the other. They have become much too dangerous men and they need each other too much to ever cross that line.

 

I am glad that Teach came to their aid. I look forward to Ray Stevenson having a larger role next season. Anne rocks.

 

I am glad that Max has not hurt Idelle. She is adorable. Billy is hysterical creating the legend of Long John Silver.

 

Rogers was right to stand by Eleanor who did the dirty work for him.

Edited by SimoneS
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Very nice. I did find it a little amusing that the battle, as big as it was, was almost treated as a prelude to whatever might happen in Season 4. I mean, Hornigold, Scott, Vane, and that guy whom Billy's group killed are dead. Pretty much all of the other important players on both sides are still around. That council of...five? Yeah, that might not hold for long. And do they plan on still using that island as a base?

 

I kind of liked how the talk between Flint and Silver was spread out through the episode, as if that was the crux of the episode as opposed to the battle. I did find it a little odd that they skipped over Flint telling Silver about his relationship with Thomas and went right to the fallout. On the other hand, I did not mind the more "tell" aspects of it. Silver's insistence that his men would not betray him framed that sequence leading to the ambush in a different light, less of a "will he/won't he" and more of a how. And all that stuff about Silver noting a pattern and refusing to be part of it was just his laying his cards on the table. While he may have tried doing stuff behind Flint's back before and may do so in the future, I think that he respects Flint too much now to pretend that their relationship will not be tested and be found wanting. And I think that Flint may not have liked what he heard, but he at least respected Silver for not lying to him about it.

 

Actually, the whole back and forth reminded me a bit of the Red Cliff movies, even though it is not quite the same. The two protagonists were military leaders of two rebel groups and formed an alliance to repel the Empire. They also formed a pretty easy-going friendship, based on respect for each other's character and strategic intelligence. Throughout the movie, however, they each casually alluded to the distinct possibility that they would end up on opposite sides of a conflict in the near future. According to the histories, the two actually would become bitter enemies, and the audience is expected to know this going into the movie. The movie, however, ends long before this happens, with them bidding goodbye not just to each other, but also to a friendship that was genuine, if only temporary. It is as if that they knew that it would not last, but instead of that knowledge keeping them at a distance to each other, it brought them closer, as if this is something that should be cherished before it is destroyed. So...yeah, not quite the same, but it did remind me of that.

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After 20 minutes I was really worried we were going to be left with an unresolved cliffhanger. There was no way they could wrap it up in another 35 minutes. How wrong I was! Outstanding season finale. The look on Jack's face when Anne succeeded in her mission was priceless, "That's my girl!" So many great performances in this episode with a minimum of dialog. Bravo!

Edited by Tabasco Cat
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I always enjoy the little cat-and-mouse dance going on with Flint and Silver.  They both respect and mistrust each other at the same time, and it is fascinating to watch.  

Edited by Fable
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(edited)

I liked the conversation between Silver and Flint. Is Silver evil now? I don't think so. Silver has always been about self preservation.

Yeah. I don't think Silver has become more morally darker per se as I guess tougher/braver. I don't think the Silver of previous seasons would object to anything he's done this season on moral grounds but would object because he would think his season 3 self was bat-shit insane for putting himself into half these scrapes in the first place. Which I suppose might be more what Silver (and Flint) are more afraid of when they say "darkness", that they mean madness/insanity as much as moral darkness. Okay, in that light all the talk of The Darkness is a bit more tolerable for me, heh.

Also there is a limit to how tyrannical any captain can be towards his crew before they turn on him, but especially Silver. Sure, they may fear him now but if he ever went too far with them one of them is eventually going to say/think, why are we so scared of the guy with one leg? Billy, at least, seems willing to risk Silver won't become a tyrant, since he described Flint as one but then backed Silver up.

When she told Vane, "Nassau is moving on and so am I," that was very telling, Eleanor is trying to change her life. To me, Eleanor and Vane never would have worked because she wanted more from life than he.

Was that in last week's episode or from another episode?

Neurochick, I definitely wouldn't mind if I was wrong

about Madi being Silver's wife, cause I think Luke Arnold and Jessica Parker Kennedy have chemistry. Although I still think Madi's the wife I can definitely see them, as you say, having Silver fall for Madi but then she's the one who got away because she decided she had to stay with her people or she decided Silver was too batshit or what have you.

Rogers was right to stand by Eleanor who did the dirty work for him.

Yeah, I think Woodes realizes that the street would have turned against him anyway, with Flint, Silver and the crew agitating against the new regime. Maybe Vane ultimately has stirred more rebellion dead but he definitely would have stirred a whole bunch more alive, and Woodes doesn't know that he wouldn't have been more troublesome to him alive. So I get why he's not angry at Eleanor. Plus there is the bonus that if he really does care for Eleanor sincerely, she just had her ex-boyfriend killed which is pretty ego-boosting for Woodes.

I do think this was the best season but my favorite individual episode is still the second season premiere. The Flint/silver sequences in that episode and the taking of the man of war are good stuff.

Edited by ulkis
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If you remove the insipid Woodes-Eleanor mess from this, this was a hell of finale to top off a terrific season.

 

Lots and lots of good stuff here.  The legend of Long John Silver is born, both as a tactical measure and as a way for Billy to get a dig in at Flint.  I've been really loving Billy these last few episodes.  When he's given more to do than stand behind Flint glowering over what awful thing he has to go along with now while showing off his pretty arms, he's really shown himself to be resourceful and quite clever.  It actually makes a sort of sense for him not to want to pin all their hopes on Flint as Featherstone suggested in case Flint is killed or something else happens, but you could tell Billy was enjoying the idea of denying it to Flint just the same.

 

This was also the episode where Blackbeard finally started to take Jack seriously.  Blackbeard may have managed to get one more dig at him in, but I loved Jack's very pointed comment about how very useful it can be to be underestimated.  Blackbeard very clearly got his meaning as he went along with Jack's strategy.  Also loved Jack's beaming at Anne's success in taking over the British ship and you could see that Blackbeard was impressed there too.

 

Hornigold's end was a bit underwhelming but that's the way it goes sometimes, I guess.  Flint and Silver will never ever not be compelling to watch, and I love that they were heavily laying out everything that leads to Treasure Island here.  Hopefully, Woodes will be rethinking hitching his wagon to Eleanor when what remains of his forces comes limping back in still without the missing treasure because the implausible schmoopiness there is doing neither character, each of whom is compelling in their own right, any favors.  It also remains completely ridiculous that any British forces are taking orders from a woman they know to have been a condemned prisoner of the governor about five minutes before.

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Anne Bonny is a glorious mermaid goddess of death and she needs to ditch the hat more often because good lord is Clara Paget stunning when you can actually see her face.

Word!  I am so glad to have my bad-ass season 1 Anne Bonny back.  And yeah, she is stunning when she's not hiding under that hat.  

 

Jack got the best two lines of the shows.  First when Flint told Silver that he was deemed to be one of the people who had to know where the treasure was because he was trusted not to betray them for money and Jack said "The irony of that statement was not lost on us" -- that was glorious.  Then, after that awkward conversation with Blackbeard I was SO glad to hear Jack tell Blackbeard what to do, pointing out "That to be underestimated is a gift."  I'm sure the subtext of THAT statement was not lost on Blackbeard.

 

I have to say I'm surprised that Flint told Silver about his relationship with Thomas.  I'm glad that Silver didn't go all judgmental and instead considered the information only in light of "what does this mean for ME?" -- because that's true to form for Silver.  But I still find it surprising that Flint would EVER admit to his love for Thomas to anyone given the prejudices of the time against homosexuality and Flint's need to be feared in the ultra-macho world of the pirates.  I guess it's a measure of his growing relationship with Silver -- not that he trusts him so much as he knows that they need each other and that that mutual dependency will prevent Silver from ever trying to use that info to undermine Flint's reputation.

 

I am intrigued by the idea that "Long" John Silver is as much an invention of Billy Bones as the direct result of Silver's actions.  Nice twist that.

 

So . . . did anyone catch the name of the new guy?  I mean the one they hired to stir shit up before Vane's hanging last week -- the one who "helped" Charles by yanking on his legs.  He's had quite a few lines tonight so I guess that means he's one of the crew now but I still don't know his name.

Edited by WatchrTina
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(edited)

I have to say I'm surprised that Flint told Silver about his relationship with Thomas. I'm glad that Silver didn't go all judgmental and instead considered the information only in light of "what does this mean for ME?" -- because that's true to form for Silver. But I still find it surprising that Flint would EVER admit to his love for Thomas to anyone given the prejudices of the time against homosexuality and Flint's need to be feared in the ultra-macho world of the pirates.

I found it a little weird that Silver took it all in such stride. I wouldn't expect him to call Flint names or anything, but like you said, given Flint goes to such lengths to keep up his reputation I expected Silver to at least say something like, "really? You were in love with a man? Who would have thought? Well, moving on, how does this affect meee."

I guess it's a measure of his growing relationship with Silver -- not that he trusts him so much as he knows that they need each other and that that mutual dependency will prevent Silver from ever trying to use that info to undermine Flint's reputation.

I don't know about that, I was a little surprised as well they had Flint tell him. I can't help but think Silver will use it against him somehow eventually.

Edited by ulkis
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IMBD lists the character as regular Jacob Garrett.  I can't remember if I've ever actually heard him called that though.

 

I was surprised Flint would talk about Thomas at all too, although I guess if you're going for a partnership of dark souls as they seemed to be much of this season he figures you might as well go all in.  I think Silver was too caught up in thinking about how everybody who's ever sat where he was sitting ended up dead to really give it much consideration or judgment.  I didn't catch until rewatch when Silver was talking to Madi about her mother and how uncomfortable it would have to be looking in to the eyes of your replacement that he was also meaning himself for Flint.  And that was before Billy launched the legend of Long John Silver, pirate king.

 

Both the land and sea battles were bloody and terrific.

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Was this the first time that Jack and John have met on screen? Maybe, they could have in the first season, especially when everyone was trying to get that map that John had. 

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Jack and John were partners (along with Max and Anne) in the conspiracy to salvage the Urca gold from the beach after John lied to the Walrus/Man 'O War crew, telling them that Spain had already recovered it. So I assume they've met. But you may be right -- they may never have had a scene together before. Max may have always been the intermediary.  I just tweeted the two actors to ask if that was their first scene together.  I'll let you know if one of them responds.

ETA: One of Blackbeard's ships was a Man 'O War. Is THAT where the ship Flint captured -- the same one Vane tried to take at the end of Season 2 -- finally ended up?

And this is a nit-pick but when Blackbeard's fleet engaged the British shouldn't Jack have been on board the Walrus, commanding it, instead of hanging out on Blackbeard's ship trying to learn how not to flinch when cannon balls fly by?

Edited by WatchrTina
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The most exciting thing about this episode - and this entire season - was (for a Treasure Island fan) the way the writers are slowly but surely starting to weave all the pieces of the book together. 

 

I know there are a lot of Silver/Flint shippers out there, and I'd be the last one to spoil their fun but ... well, remember that line from Frozen when Kristoff says: "Can I be the one to tell him?" and Anna says: "Don't you dare!" Yeah...that's I feel right now. Shippers seem to be under the impression the Flint/Silver scene was shippy in nature, and obviously they're free to interpret it that way if they want, but it's really, really not. Seriously, read the book. That shot of Flint and Silver staring at each other from across the water, with Madi standing just beside Silver was a perfect visual of their roles, relationship, and where they'll end up in Robert Louis Stevenson's novel. Well played, show. 

 

Other than that, Silver's description of himself as being "liked and feared" at the same time, Billy's decision to use him and not Flint as Nassau's bogeyman, the introduction of the black spot, and the long-awaited pronouncement of "Long John Silver" evidences a very deep working knowledge of Treasure Island, and it's to be applauded. 

 

Laughed at Jack trying to remain casual while the cannons blasted the deck behind him (and Blackbeard's reaction to it).

 

After waiting THREE WHOLE SEASONS we finally got to see Anne in action, and she was glorious. 

 

Immediately figured out that Dobbs was playing a double agent, but it still worked well.

 

As soon as I saw Madi join Silver at the lines, I thought "here we go, he's about to give the 'what are you doing here, go back where it's safe' speech" - and instead he hands her a rifle. HAH. 

 

Had shivers when Jack, Blackbeard, Flint, Silver and Madi (+ Anne) all sit down at that table together. 

 

My wish list for season four is short: more for Ben Gunn to do (seriously, I'm not sure why he's even here at the moment) and an introduction to Mary Read (whose absence is officially glaring at this point, and you can't have a show about the Golden Age of Piracy without including her). 

 

Since Eleanor has become one of my favorites (I always fall for the woman fandom hates for some reason) I would have liked more of her before the year long hiatus,

 

 

Heh, I know the feeling. I completely avoid the Arrow message boards thanks to the grotesque amounts of Laurel hate. It's like a rule or something: that there has to be at least one female character per show that everyone fanatically despises. 

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(edited)

I know there are a lot of Silver/Flint shippers out there, and I'd be the last one to spoil their fun but ... well, remember that line from Frozen when Kristoff says: "Can I be the one to tell him?" and Anna says: "Don't you dare!" Yeah...that's I feel right now. Shippers seem to be under the impression the Flint/Silver scene was shippy in nature, and obviously they're free to interpret it that way if they want, but it's really, really not.

 

I'm sure plenty of that already know about whatever happens in the book, heh. I've never known canon to stop a determined shipper, whether it be the characters' actual sexual orientation, being mortal enemies, incest, whether a character has had their brains eaten by a zombie, etc etc.

 

Oh, I remembered, have to take back something I thought last season about the finale, that killing off Barlow felt a bit like fridging her, but I see that she kinda had to go to establish the pattern of "get close to Flint and you die" along with Thomas and Gates.

 

My wish list for season four is short: more for Ben Gunn to do (seriously, I'm not sure why he's even here at the moment)

 

I guess to give the audience a member in the crew to replace the bunch that got killed off for now and a familiar name for the book readers at the same time. (If the crew didn't manage to tv-magically replenish itself, there'd probably be about 10 crew members left by now, if that).

Edited by ulkis
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The most exciting thing about this episode - and this entire season - was (for a Treasure Island fan) the way the writers are slowly but surely starting to weave all the pieces of the book together.

I have a theory about that scene in the farmhouse.  Remember how Billy said that the locals would embellish any story they create about John Silver and that that's not a problem for them?  Billy seemed to be fine with the idea of multiple stories about "Long" John Silver -- pirate king and boogyman -- circulating simultaneously, embellishing the myth and creating confusion and tension by contradicting one another.  I just wonder if that wasn't the show writers letting us know that we should think of the novel, Treasure Island, as just one guy's fictional take on the "legend" of Long John Silver, not the authoritative "truth" of the story.  I wonder if they weren't forewarning us that there may be discrepancies between the "truth" (what we see on the screen) and the embellished and revised version of it that ended up in the novel.  You have to admit it would be a pretty clever way for the writers to give themselves permission to NOT be slavishly locked into writing a prequel for the novel that exactly fits into the story told there.  I've never read Treasure Island and I'm grateful that the people who want to talk about it and its relationship to the show have been keeping their comments behind spoiler bars.  I just hope that if the show diverges from the "canon" of the novel, the book fans will recall what Billy said in this episode and accept the differences as just two versions of the same legend -- both of which are playing fast and loose with the underlying "facts."

 

 

After waiting THREE WHOLE SEASONS we finally got to see Anne in action, and she was glorious.

It was glorious to see her back in action again but we didn't have to wait three seasons.  She was bad-ass in season one.  It was only during her sojourn at the brothel and her relationship with Max that she started being portrayed as something else -- an unbalanced psycho who was a danger to everyone, including, alas, poor Charlotte.  But I'll just sweep that under the rug so that I can enjoy the return of bad-ass Anne.  Nature abhors a vacuum so she needs to step into the gaping hole left by the death of BAMF, Charles Vane (and by that I mean Clara Paget needs to get more action stunts since Zach McGowan is no longer around to do them). So while Blackbeard and "Long" John Silver compete with Flint to fill the role of biggest, baddest, meanest, motherfucker on the island (a position that Flint and Vane had been fighting over since season 1, episode 1), Anne Bonny can step up to fill in the swashbuckling duties that Vane handled for the past three seasons.  #ForVane

Edited by WatchrTina
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IMBD lists the character as regular Jacob Garrett.  I can't remember if I've ever actually heard him called that though.

I'm double-posting because I just did some research on the new guy -- the shit-stirrer that Billy hooked up with to raise hard feelings about the trial of Charles Vane in the last episode (the guy who ended up "helping" Charles die faster).  He was there at the meeting in the kitchen where the legend of "Long" John Silver was born so I assume he's a new regular.

 

Thanks to nodorothyparker I went looking for him on IMDb and sure enough he was in one episode in season 2.  Remember the episode when Anne Bonny is nearly catatonic at the brothel after killing Charlotte?  Remember her going downstairs for soup and being approached by a customer?  He introduces himself as "Jacob Garrett, carpenter's mate with the Intrepid."  She says "Don't you know who I am?" and he says "No, why are you famous?"  She says "No" and he says "Me neither, but I'm working on it."  He actually comes off as a real charmer in that scene -- a man with the gift for talking and winning friends.  He works really hard to win over Anne, which is amazing considering that she barely responds to him in that scene. That dovetails nicely with what Billy tells Ben Gunn -- that Featherstone recommended him for the job of agitator on behalf of Vane because he's a gifted talker who wants to be famous.

 

So I guess this means he's going to be a regular now.  I'm betting the show-runners really liked the job he did back in that one scene in season two and have been holding him in reserve as a potential replacement cast-member.  They'd have to think that way given the death-toll on this show.  If so, welcome aboard, Jacob Garrett, as portrayed by the very handsome South African, Aidan Whytock.

Edited by WatchrTina
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Yeah. I don't think Silver has become more morally darker per se as I guess tougher/braver. I don't think the Silver of previous seasons would object to anything he's done this season on moral grounds but would object because he would think his season 3 self was bat-shit insane for putting himself into half these scrapes in the first place. Which I suppose might be more what Silver (and Flint) are more afraid of when they say "darkness", that they mean madness/insanity as much as moral darkness. Okay, in that light all the talk of The Darkness is a bit more tolerable for me, heh.

 

 

Yes, I agree with this.  Season one Silver would think Season three Silver had gone batshit insane to still be with Flint, Season One Silver would be like "get the fuck out of there before he kills you like he did Gates."

 

I found it a little weird that Silver took it all in such stride. I wouldn't expect him to call Flint names or anything, but like you said, given Flint goes to such lengths to keep up his reputation I expected Silver to at least say something like, "really? You were in love with a man? Who would have thought? Well, moving on, how does this affect meee."

 

 

I didn't find it weird because Silver has always been about Silver, he's always been about "MEEE, MEEE, MEEE."  He hasn't even hooked up with anybody since the show started (except the "initiation" scene in 101), because he's all about himself.  But I wouldn't be surprised if Silver thought, "Shit, you're starting a war with England just because they fucked over your boyfriend?  Dude, that's deep."

 

Also there is a limit to how tyrannical any captain can be towards his crew before they turn on him, but especially Silver. Sure, they may fear him now but if he ever went too far with them one of them is eventually going to say/think, why are we so scared of the guy with one leg? Billy, at least, seems willing to risk Silver won't become a tyrant, since he described Flint as one but then backed Silver up.

 

 

 

Silver will never become a tyrant.  Remember what he told Flint when they were in the rowboat, "without these men, all I am is an invalid."  He NEEDS the men, the crew to feel useful.  It's kind of co-dependent:   Silver needs the crew to feel worthy and the crew needs Silver's approval to feel worthy, they need the approval from Silver that they would never get from Flint.  I will never forget the very first episode where Gates told Flint that Billy wanted to come with him somewhere and Flint said, "who's Billy?" right in front of Billy's face.  Gates, like Silver, knew the crew and cared about them, while Flint seemed to use them as a means to an end.

 

ulkis you may be right but,

if I were Madi, I'd be very wary of Silver, he's smoking hot, but also borderline batshit because you just KNOW that Flint's craziness has rubbed off on him.  I also can't see Silver falling for anybody unless it benefits him.  In Treasure Island, Silver and his wife own a pub and I just can't see Madi in that role, I can see Max in that role.  I mean Silver and Max owning a pub in Bristol has sitcom written all over it. I mean both of them are experts as reading people.  Right now, I think Silver is into Madi because of her position, that's why he handed her the rifle, because he knew that if they won, she'd take over and become the Khaleesi, so to speak and his position would be more than secure.

Edited by Neurochick
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Oh wow.  That's a good catch, WatchrTina.  I kept thinking I had seen the actor playing Jacob Garrett before, but I didn't look far enough to realize he'd already been introduced on this show.  Interesting that he wants to be famous.  Running with this crew is a good way to do that one way or the other.

 

You have to figure they're going to keep introducing or bumping up new people with the death toll the show has seen this season.  I know they've already announced we're getting at least one more Treasure Island character with

Israel Hands

next season, but they're going to need more than that just to man all the ships.   The show has so far lined up pretty well with what I remember from the book (which I last read a looooong time ago) and while I love spinoffs, sequels, prequels, adaptation, etc., that are faithful to their source material, I've always assumed certain liberties might have be taken along the way to get to their final destination.  I'm okay with that because the surviving characters are all much older in the book and it's told primarily through the POV of a character who will only know what he does of any this secondhand and will never figure in here for reasons that are obvious to book readers.  Creating the legend of Long John Silver, pirate king, and then fitting the man to that instead of the legend having to fit the man actually makes the book narrative work even better.

Edited by nodorothyparker
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Best. Pirate Fight. Ever.

 

Gosh, after watching Daredevil all week, with all the nighttime close combat scenes (and so on and so on), it was particularly de-freaking-lightful to see a daytime brawl like this one. So much fun, both on sea and on land. 

 

And go on with your bad self (and the dagger between your teeth!!!) Pirate Anne!

 

Giddy. That's what this show makes me.

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I was so afraid that the entire episode was going to be Flint and Silver talking when it began, and then the action just took off and became a fitting end to the best season of this series thus far! Everyone was perfect in this. I have no complaints. Loved, as many others did, seeing Ann play an active role at sea! Who knew she had that in her?  Jack is always one of my faves, and he did not disappoint. I liked the way he explained his and Ann's relationship to Blackbeard, and Blackbeard's reaction to him throughout. Max, of course, is going to look out for herself, and I like the way she hedges her bets. It's why the older woman never really moved up the ladder. Too quick to act on information that is best left for a more opportune time, if at all, to be used. The "round table" at the end was awesome. Every character had earned his or her place. Looking forward to next year!

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A fantastic end to a fantastic season. Bonus points to the showrunners for not killing off any of the queer ladies (Eleanor, Max, Anne) or falling into the other tropes associated with lesbian and bisexual women on TV. I'm looking at you The 100 and The Walking Dead to name two prominent shows that did this.

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To me, this whole season has been “How Silver got his mojo back.”

 

In the beginning of the season; Flint didn’t respect Silver, he didn’t respect Silver’s position as quartermaster, he looked down on Silver.  That made Silver question himself, he didn’t challenge Flint when Hornigold offered them pardons, he told Billy, “he had ME there, and that’s not supposed to happen.”  But it did happen, because Silver had no mojo. 

 

Then the storm came and Silver couldn’t save that crewman who drowned right in front of him, that made Silver feel even more useless; then they were becalmed and in the doldrums, Silver didn’t want to eat because he felt useless, like he couldn’t do anything and it was Billy who told him to take his rations because at some point he would have to challenge Flint, and that Silver was the only one who could do that.

 

Then there was the incident with the two crewmen accused of stealing, Silver was trying to find out which one of them was the thief, when Flint walked in and shot one man, Billy told Silver that he had to do something, but Silver couldn’t and Flint blew away the other man.  Billy finally got through to Silver and told him he had to make Flint respect him and see him as an equal, that scared Silver because both Gates and Miranda ended up dead (and Silver knew that Flint killed Gates).  Finally Silver told Flint about the Urca gold and that’s when Flint started to respect him. 

 

I think after that, Silver got a little more confidence, when they were captured by the Maroons, Silver rightly noticed that Madi, the daughter, the successor to the queen might have different feelings than her mother and he totally read her and got into her head.  Then he got into Flint’s head when Flint was willing to sacrifice himself, he told Flint that if he convinced Silver to stay with the crew, he could convince anybody of anything.  That worked and Silver got a little bit more mojo.  Then when he stayed with the Maroons, he realized that Madi kind of liked him, she offered to  be his “tether” if Silver got too into the darkness, see that was what scared Silver, he knew that if he got too into Flint’s head, he’d end up cray, cray, like Flint, but Madi was offering to help him, so Silver felt more confident. 

 

Then, the curb stomping of Durfrense, Silver realized that he was capable of violence and that it felt good, getting his mojo back a little bit more.  And with Dobbs, Silver made the decision of have Dobbs’ ass beat after he saw how Madi had handled the situation (remember Madi’s been practicing this a lot longer than Silver) and he knew, or he sensed that Dobbs didn’t resent him, that Dobbs was ashamed of disappointing him, because Silver is the Mama Bear of the Walrus, meaning he’s the nurturer, he’s the person who speaks for the men, and who will protect him from Papa Bear Flint when he goes into his cray cray moods. 

 

So I’m torn on Silver, does he no longer want to be a partner with Flint?  Is he a douchebag now, or is Silver more like, “I don’t’ want to end up dead like all of your ex’s."

Edited by Neurochick
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Well that was a great cap to the best season yet.  I've enjoyed this show to various degrees since it began, but TBH I didn't really connect with it before this season.  I watched it because it had a Bear McCreary score, and good actors, and it was on when most of my other shows were on winter hiatus.  This season actually really sucked me in though.  I have a lot of thoughts about motivations and character arcs that I'm reluctant to write about too much until I do a rewatch, since I'm not sure if I'm remembering everything correctly since the first two seasons didn't always hold my attention the way this season did.  

 

Since Eleanor has become one of my favorites (I always fall for the woman fandom hates for some reason) I would have liked more of her before the year long hiatus, but it makes total sense she was mostly background.  First because there was so much else going on, but I also think it was probably smart to let her fade into the background right after the Vane thing for a bit.  Not that I think the writers cater to what fandom wants, but I think having her in the forefront scheming and taking charge right after killing fandom's inexplicable favorite might have seemed like a bit much.  I too liked that Woodes sided with her.  Eleanor's arc this season has been all about trust, and about rebuilding. I know not everyone likes their relationship and that's fine, but it makes total sense to me.  People like to talk about Eleanor's betrayals in seasons 1 and 2 without the context they were made in, and that context was largely everyone else's petty rivalries screwing her over constantly.  With both Vane and Flint, she was constantly struggling to hold a plan together.  With Nassau as a whole she was constantly struggling to hold power at all.  She doesn't have that struggle with Woodes.  He treats her with the utmost respect, and now, he trusts her.  The fact that they are truly partners now means everything to her.  Her face when he says her enemies are his now, she's so shocked and surprised, because she's not used to having someone have her back without caveats and strings attached.  Flint and Vane always had their own agendas and she had to hold her own against them, but Woodes is just...on her side, completely.  This was a big rebuilding year for Eleanor, she started out at the bottom and had to navigate her way back up, uncertain about her place in things pretty much the whole time.  She's not uncertain anymore.  I think going into season 4 we'll see more of take charge Eleanor, and I think she and Woodes will be a significant force for the pirates to deal with.

 

I think it makes sense for Max to delay deciding what side to support.  It makes sense from a self preservation standpoint, but also from a character standpoint.  Of all the characters on the show, Max seems to be one of the most decent, the one who tries to protect herself while screwing over other people as little as possible.  Not that she won't do it if she has to, but it's a last resort for her.  I think more than anyone else on the show all Max wants is a quiet life - sure she wants a certain amount of power and money too, but for her I think it's all about the safety and security such a position brings her, it's not about glory or legacy or money for money's sake.  And now the sands are shifting under her feet again and she has people she cares about on both sides of the conflict.  I think it really is her best bet to just wait and see right now.  I don't think it's a given that she'll eventually join the resistance, just because she hasn't told anyone about Idelle yet.  She really is a wild card going into next season.  

I think part of me wants her to side with England purely because historically they win, and I'd like her to come out on top after all the shit she suffered early in the series.

 

 

The entire battle on the island was very well done.  Intercutting Flint and Silver's conversation throughout was a nice editing choice.  I don't really have a problem with the eloquent way they speak - I'm currently in the cast for a Shakespeare play, so I'm kind of big on the hyper-realism of speech in plays and other works of fiction at the moment.  Black Sails, for all that it's a pirate show with Michael Bay as a producer, has always been more of a character drama than an action show, and to me part of that is the speeches that would seem to belong more on the stage at the Globe than coming from 17th century pirates.  

 

I could still take or leave Blackbeard, he does nothing for me at the moment, but I can see some potential in his interactions with Rackham.  I just hope he gets more to do next season than be the grumpy old contrarian, because that gets old fast.  

 

Anne Bonny is a glorious mermaid goddess of death and she needs to ditch the hat more often because good lord is Clara Paget stunning when you can actually see her face.  

 

It's a credit to the writers of this show that I genuinely like characters on both sides of this conflict, but also objectively think they're all sort of awful people (except Max, Max is a cinnamon roll).  Getting into history spoilers,

while the writers have shown they're willing to play loose with history, they really haven't diverged that much.  So far mostly they've fudged dates - who knows who when, who dies in what order, etc.  They haven't, that I can remember, really changed anything dramatically, just tweaked things to fit their dramatic narrative.  And frankly I think the pirates losing, but managing to keep the gold away from the English, fits best with what we know of Silver, Flint, and Billy from the beginning of Treasure Island.  So I don't see them changing history so drastically that England loses, which means eventually Woodes will win.  I kind of want Eleanor and Max to stay by his side and come out on top in the end if only to piss of fandom, since those two ladies have gotten by far the most hate even though pretty much all the men on this show have done worse things than either of them.  But I really don't know what to expect.  I don't know how long they see this show going, or how far towards Treasure Island they plan to take the pirates.  I think the fate of non historic/non Treasure Island characters like Max and Eleanor is going to depend largely on those two factors.  If season 4 is the last (and there's nothing to indicate it will be, I'm just throwing out hypotheticals) then I can easily see them surviving.  The longer the show goes on though the less certain I get about the outcomes for them, and any other characters who don't already have a specific future set out for them.

I quoted everything you wrote because I agree! 100% Especially loving Eleanore and the female characters most of fandom hate.

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Welcome aboard, Jacob Garrett, as portrayed by the very handsome South African, Aidan Whytock.

I tweeted Aidan Whytock saying "You played quite a major role in the last two episodes of #BlackSails Season 3. Are you working on season 4? (Can you say?)"

And he tweeted back "Hey hey, I'm not allowed to say anything, which should tell you something <wink emoji> Hope you're enjoying the show!"

Oh good. I think it's safe to say he'll be back. I am interested to see what the writers are going to give to the two new guys, Jacob Garrett and Ben Gunn. Garrett has already been revealed as a smooth-talking charmer (like season 1 John Silver) who wants to be famous (like Jack Rackham) while Ben Gunn is an unknown quantity (I don't know what role he played in the novel, Treasure Island, and I don't want to know.) I'm betting Ben Gunn (he of the dreamy blue eyes) is going to be revealed to have a dark side. I don't think he's forgotten watching his entire crew be killed by the Maroons. Jacob Garrett . . . hmmmm . . . likable characters don't last very long on this show (with the exception of Billy). I'm a bit worried about Jacob now (especially since his alter-ego was nice enough to answer my tweet.)

Edited by WatchrTina
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Who'd thunk Nassau was the birthplace of "seafood" fast food restaurant chain :D

 

Laughed at Jack trying to remain casual while the cannons blasted the deck behind him (and Blackbeard's reaction to it).

This.  And I also sensed Blackbeard was getting a new son in Rackham and Rackham found a fatherly figure in Blackbeard.  Perfect match.

 

To whoever asks about this every single week: The mystery of the missing Man O War was finally solved!! ;)

 

To add to the points made regarding Flint  & Silver conversation, I believe Silver who was feared and liked had already surpassed Flint who depended solely on fear.   This was evidence by contrast in their views regarding Dobbs and how it turned out in Silver's favor.  Flint's smile at the end their chat, though, I could not tell if he knew that he was beat OR if he still underestimated Silver.

 

 

 That shot of Flint and Silver staring at each other from across the water, with Madi standing just beside Silver was a perfect visual of their roles, relationship, and where they'll end up in Robert Louis Stevenson's novel. Well played, show. 

Also, Madi looked ONLY at Silver, she never glanced at Flint during that scene.  This is the other reason Silver is better than Flint as he has a partner he can trust.

Edited by DarkRaichu
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I know there are a lot of Silver/Flint shippers out there, and I'd be the last one to spoil their fun but ... well, remember that line from Frozen when Kristoff says: "Can I be the one to tell him?" and Anna says: "Don't you dare!" Yeah...that's I feel right now. Shippers seem to be under the impression the Flint/Silver scene was shippy in nature, and obviously they're free to interpret it that way if they want, but it's really, really not. Seriously, read the book. That shot of Flint and Silver staring at each other from across the water, with Madi standing just beside Silver was a perfect visual of their roles, relationship, and where they'll end up in Robert Louis Stevenson's novel. Well played, show.

 

Yes, this! But really it's all shippers across the board -- Billy/Flint, Silver/Flint, Vane/Eleanor. I think they're all setting themselves up for a fall and then cry and scream when it happens about how they were "misled" and "queer-baited". No, you're not. That Flint/Silver scene was the least shippy thing I've ever seen. It ended with veiled threats from both parties. They're not getting together. Ever. No more than Billy/Flint are because Billy isn't secretly in love with Flint. No more than there was ever a chance for a V/E reunion after she screwed him over and he killed her father. Shippers, man. They're scary.

 

The "who's Billy" scene in 101 was played for humor, IMO. To get a laugh out of the audience but also it's a moment of Flint screwing with Billy after Gates has just declared to an uncertain Billy that's he hugely important. There's a hundred instances in the writing after that scene that lets you know Flint knows who Billy is. He knew him enough to know he'd go along with the blank page lie about Singleton. He told Silver he trusted Billy. He knew Billy's backstory to tell Abigail. When he mentioned Billy by name to Miranda, she knew who he meant, enough to suggest Flint has talked to her about the crew before. Most of all, I just can't see a control freak like Flint not knowing the name of his own bosun who is instrumental in keeping his ship in working order.

 

IMO, I see Silver as getting a little too cocky right now in his new found power. He thinks he's got the men wrapped around his finger and perhaps he does some of them. But Silver is no military strategist like Flint. He's not the guy who will come up with a plan to defeat the British Navy and he's not physically capable of leading it into action like Flint did this week. That is the reason they're successful as partners. Flint has the mind for war, Silver the ability to talk the men into following the plan. Together, it works. When they turn on each other, it will all fall apart.

 

I fully expect the writers will play with history and "Treasure Island" as much as they can. They've actually admitted in interviews that they have and will continue to do so. I think about Flint's line to Mr. Scott this season -- "They only ever have half the story". That will be the same for TI. Most of what we learn about Silver's history with Flint is told to the reader from Silver's own mouth. Naturally he's going to tell the story to favor him. It's what he does. You can count on certain aspects of "TI" happening, like Silver losing a leg. But the stories and legends recounted to the reader in the book will be laced with a lot of bull crap.

Edited by Garnett7
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There is a parallel between Silver and Flint and Madi and the Queen.  In order for progress to happen, the master must step aside and allow the apprentice to surpass him/her.  Otherwise there is no progress.

 

I don't think the men fear Silver the same way they fear Flint.  With Flint they actually fear that he'll kill them, because he would and not give a shit.  But the men fear not pleasing Silver, why?  Because Silver is the only person that can protect them from Flint.  So to me, Silver needs Flint because if Flint was a different type of captain, Silver never could get the men totally on his side.

 

Early on this season, Silver acted like a man addicted, he was addicted to Flint and his insanity, Flint was like a drug, pulling Silver deeper.  Then Silver was away from Flint in the Maroon camp and he basically detoxed off of Flint and told Madi just how he felt, how scared he was that he would get so deep inside Flint's head that he's go psychotic.  Madi knew she had to do something, the fate of her people, at that point rested on Silver and Flint not killing each other or driving each other insane, so she offered to be Silver's "tether."

 

My issue with Silver and Madi is this, I think he's using her because she is now the leader of her people and that puts him in a better position than Flint, who had an ally in the Queen, and the other is because I see zero chemistry between Silver and Madi.  She may have been looking at Silver but he wasn't looking at her, and they weren't even standing close together.  Madi could still be wary of Silver, but probably sees that he's less insane than Flint. 

 

And Billy,

well Bill just sealed his own fate creating Long John Silver and the "black spot."

 

The scary thing about shippers is, it makes you wonder what type of relationships they have.  My issue with a lot of shippers, not all but some, is that they seem to love relationships that are high in passion and not much else.  If Silver and Flint were a couple, it would end badly in some murder/suicide pact. 

 

Don't know how I feel about Madi/Silver anymore now that I found out the actress is a fundamentalist Christian and had some homophobic shit on her Twitter (that she did take down).

 

ETA:  I am not sure now that Silver is addicted to Flint, what I think Silver is addicted to is being a pirate, being at sea, having the men look to him.  The words he told Flint, the most telling, "without the men, all I am is an invalid."  He can marry, he can have 10 children, but he'll always want to be at sea, he'll always feel that pull. 

Edited by Neurochick
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This show just gets better and better.  To my great surprise, I'm enjoying Jack Rackham more and more.  "The irony wasn't lost on either of us."  Bwah.

 

That shot of the British ship getting hit by the stern chasers was brutal, and fantastic.  I'm not even gonna ask how a bunch of pirates can swim to the british ships faster than the pirate ships can get there cuz this was just awesome.  

 

Can't wait for season 5. 

Edited by henripootel
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ETA:  I am not sure now that Silver is addicted to Flint, what I think Silver is addicted to is being a pirate, being at sea, having the men look to him.  The words he told Flint, the most telling, "without the men, all I am is an invalid."  He can marry, he can have 10 children, but he'll always want to be at sea, he'll always feel that pull. 

 

I don't know if it's being a pirate so much as he's addicted to scheming/planning, heh. And it's pretty much impossible for him to scheme on his own now and this is his only outlet now. These men know him, trust him and respect him now, I don't know if Silver could do that  anew with another group, whether it be a pirating group or what have you.

 

To add to the points made regarding Flint  & Silver conversation, I believe Silver who was feared and liked had already surpassed Flint who depended solely on fear.   This was evidence by contrast in their views regarding Dobbs and how it turned out in Silver's favor.  Flint's smile at the end their chat, though, I could not tell if he knew that he was beat OR if he still underestimated Silver.

 

IMO, I see Silver as getting a little too cocky right now in his new found power.

 

I think Flint was warning Silver not to underestimate him in turn. Like Garnett said, Silver is getting a bit cocky. Instead of Flint underestimating him (which I don't think he does anymore) the tables are turning a bit.

 

I rec'ced some sea shanties and books for the break here:

 

http://forums.previously.tv/topic/37948-music-of-black-sails/?p=2104554

 

and here

 

http://forums.previously.tv/topic/1952-small-talk-eleanors-tavern/?p=2104584

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I just finished watching the finale (also watched episode 9 this morning).  I binge-watched the entire season over the past 3 days, and I have to say:  WOW!!!  I thoroughly loved this season.  I have to be honest, I was kind of losing interest at times in season 2, and the main reason I even binge-watched season 3 was out a sense of loyalty/desire to see this to the end.  I was beyond happy that this season thoroughly engaged me. 

 

I still don't care about Eleanor (I don't "hate" her; I just don't care), but the overall story roared back to life for me this season .

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I only just realized that this was the finale after spending the entire morning trying to track down last night's episode!  I was so excited for this week's episode after the greatness that was last weeks, only to get crushed because we have to wait a year for the next one.  

 

Love that the pirates are bad ass in and out of water, and that we got to see more of Anne living up to her legacy.  Y'all have covered everything else.

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I really like this show.  But I notice this season.  That they have become infected worth the disease I call "noble outlaw" disease.  First ID on the TV show sons of anarchy.   

 

Where uneducated thugs.  Give long winded speeches worthy of Thomas Jefferson or Fidel Castro on subjects and matters that would not be able to understand or even image if shown then in real life.  They need to drop all this witty and foolish dialogue (and long one shots on the speaker) and go back to less speech is more ideas!

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On 4/2/2016 at 1:12 PM, Duke Silver said:

I still don't care about Eleanor (I don't "hate" her; I just don't care), but the overall story roared back to life for me this season .

Agreed. I don't hate Eleanor but I'm not particularly a fan of hers. However, I do like Max and Anne, and I'm very curious to see where the latter lands since it doesn't look like she's sold on Eleanor/Governor or Flint and the other pirates at this point. 

I recently finished this season as well and thought it was excellent. As always I enjoyed the shenanigans at sea more than the ones going on at Nassau and the brothel.

I really enjoyed the storyline with Maroons and the backstory with Mr. Scott. Great way to introduce that group.

 I never cared much for Charles Vane, but over the seasons I did come to understand what made him who he was. He turned out to be an interesting figure who I was actually upset to see die, but I understood why it had to happen.

John Silver - you've come a long way baby. When we were first introduced to him in S1 I never would've imagined him getting to the point he's at now, adding bravery and badassery to his cunning and clever repertoire.  The conservation between him and Flint in the finale was quite interesting. I don't know if we'll ever see them on opposite sides perse' but I do think Silver's conversation with Madi about taking over her mother's duties could also apply to the Flint/Silver situation. Though Flint certainly has plenty of fight left him, his time is coming to an end and Silver's ascension has begun. I think we'll see this play out extensively in S4.

With regards to who Silver will end up with, who the hell knows. LOL. I'm not putting a whole lot of stock in what happen with him and his wife in TI to provide an indication of who the show may decide is his endgame (if he even has a love interest that's an endgame on the show). That said, I do think there is a strong attraction between he and Madi. From the moment they laid eyes on each other it was clear that they were intrigued.  I do think their own agendas did play some role in their attraction to one another in the beginning and to a degree probably still does. However, I don't think the moments we got with them bonding and being vulnerable with each other was for nothing. Do I think they'll run off into the sunset? Probably not. Has anyone had that ending on this show? But I do think the show is telegraphing a romance between them that will go deeper than a mere fling. I do like the two of them together and apart. The actors are good in their own right and have nice chemistry. So I'm not opposed to a relationship being explored between them. 

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On 3/28/2016 at 6:26 AM, maraleia said:

A fantastic end to a fantastic season. Bonus points to the showrunners for not killing off any of the queer ladies (Eleanor, Max, Anne) or falling into the other tropes associated with lesbian and bisexual women on TV. I'm looking at you The 100 and The Walking Dead to name two prominent shows that did this.

I kinda hate necroing threads but you do realize you just named the entire important female cast save Black Queen and Black Princess? So, what, if the show decides to make every important female queer they're all untouchable? That's identity politics for you. The death of storytelling.

Given the narrative and how many people Eleanor has betrayed over the course of the series, right or wrong, the logical conclusion is she will die. If she were a man she would hang, but since she's not, she'll be allowed to go out with far more dignity should that outcome materialize.

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