Black Sails 2.01.
Jan. 25th, 2015 05:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakSeason 2 is here! (If you need an s1 recap, here's my review.) I was not a little thrilled to hear Bear McCreary's score again.
After a teaser which introduces a dastardly new villain, Ned Low, we go back to where the first season finale left off: Flint got deposed as Captain, his deceptions uncovered, and the only reason why his crew hasn't hanged him yet is because they just stumbled across a Spanish warship with treasure and is out of a ship of their own. Now while I did guess this would be how Fint (and Silver) will survive, I appreciate that Dufresne doesn't suddenly trust them, or sees Flint's coming up with a plan and volunteering for the most dangerous assignment as a reason to give him anything but his life; Dufresne had a great character arc last season, and I'm pleased he's not suddenly dumbed down. Meanwhile, Flint and John Silver make for an entertaining team, with Flint's seething distrust on the one hand coupled with awareness that right now he really has no one else remotely interested in backing him up and that Silver is annoyingly clever, and Silver showing a smart gambler's instinct in betting on Flint despite the current odds, even if it means he has to risk his life a couple of times. Not to mention that Silver's sense of humor plays beautifully against Flint's brooding. Also, the moment where Silver and the audience realise that instead of an nearly empty (save for the guards) ship, they've stumbled into much of the crew sleeping, is a great and suspenseful "oh crap" situation.
Meanwhile, Eleanor further endears herself to me when she stops Charles Vane's ' "let me tell you how you feel" monologue (I never like it when a male character lectures a female one on how she REALLY feels about him) by telling him what rubbish it is and marching off. But what I really love about Eleanor is that the show always puts the emphasis on her being a businesswoman; her main annoyance with Vane is that now he's made himself into sort-of-governor, he refuses to actually do the work, and what puts her to disagreement with new villain Ned Low is that paying him for his (blood soiled) cargo in full would mean losing money. Like her missing ally Flint, the show tends to place her in situations where difficulties come at her from all sides, and then she has to get inventive, so I'm looking forward to seeing her solution to this latest one (Set one psycho against another? I.e. engineer a Vane versus Low showdown and profit, would be my suggestion, but maybe she'll find yet another way.) In an additional "how is this my life?" moment, it turns out the reason Low is now her headache to begin with his that Max (still angry at Eleanor, but also, at a guess, sincerely determined to make money) sold him confidential information.
Which leads to Anne Bonny exploding at Max, and Max concluding what was hinting at a bit last season: Anne Bonny is bi, too, and by now definitely into Max. Aaaand the show has a new f/f on screen relationship. Which I'm all for. (As opposed to the fanfic writing part of fandom, I didn't want Eleanor to get back together with Max; too much has happened for that.)
And lastly, Flint has flashbacks so that we finally start to find out about his mysterious pre-pirate past other than through hints and teases. His encounter with Lord Hamilton (Rupert Penry-Jones scores another costume job) and then the later's wife (aka future Mrs. Barlow) does nothing to dissuade me from my "They had a threesome arrangement" theory developed last season. Now I'd like to know how Flint's original name is spelled - James McGrew? McGrue? McCrew? McGrow?. And I note we have future Mrs. Barlow to thank for Flint's idea that a great man is one who doesn't let himself persuaded from changing the world by anthing. (Flint's crew takes a distinctly different view on the subject.)
After a teaser which introduces a dastardly new villain, Ned Low, we go back to where the first season finale left off: Flint got deposed as Captain, his deceptions uncovered, and the only reason why his crew hasn't hanged him yet is because they just stumbled across a Spanish warship with treasure and is out of a ship of their own. Now while I did guess this would be how Fint (and Silver) will survive, I appreciate that Dufresne doesn't suddenly trust them, or sees Flint's coming up with a plan and volunteering for the most dangerous assignment as a reason to give him anything but his life; Dufresne had a great character arc last season, and I'm pleased he's not suddenly dumbed down. Meanwhile, Flint and John Silver make for an entertaining team, with Flint's seething distrust on the one hand coupled with awareness that right now he really has no one else remotely interested in backing him up and that Silver is annoyingly clever, and Silver showing a smart gambler's instinct in betting on Flint despite the current odds, even if it means he has to risk his life a couple of times. Not to mention that Silver's sense of humor plays beautifully against Flint's brooding. Also, the moment where Silver and the audience realise that instead of an nearly empty (save for the guards) ship, they've stumbled into much of the crew sleeping, is a great and suspenseful "oh crap" situation.
Meanwhile, Eleanor further endears herself to me when she stops Charles Vane's ' "let me tell you how you feel" monologue (I never like it when a male character lectures a female one on how she REALLY feels about him) by telling him what rubbish it is and marching off. But what I really love about Eleanor is that the show always puts the emphasis on her being a businesswoman; her main annoyance with Vane is that now he's made himself into sort-of-governor, he refuses to actually do the work, and what puts her to disagreement with new villain Ned Low is that paying him for his (blood soiled) cargo in full would mean losing money. Like her missing ally Flint, the show tends to place her in situations where difficulties come at her from all sides, and then she has to get inventive, so I'm looking forward to seeing her solution to this latest one (Set one psycho against another? I.e. engineer a Vane versus Low showdown and profit, would be my suggestion, but maybe she'll find yet another way.) In an additional "how is this my life?" moment, it turns out the reason Low is now her headache to begin with his that Max (still angry at Eleanor, but also, at a guess, sincerely determined to make money) sold him confidential information.
Which leads to Anne Bonny exploding at Max, and Max concluding what was hinting at a bit last season: Anne Bonny is bi, too, and by now definitely into Max. Aaaand the show has a new f/f on screen relationship. Which I'm all for. (As opposed to the fanfic writing part of fandom, I didn't want Eleanor to get back together with Max; too much has happened for that.)
And lastly, Flint has flashbacks so that we finally start to find out about his mysterious pre-pirate past other than through hints and teases. His encounter with Lord Hamilton (Rupert Penry-Jones scores another costume job) and then the later's wife (aka future Mrs. Barlow) does nothing to dissuade me from my "They had a threesome arrangement" theory developed last season. Now I'd like to know how Flint's original name is spelled - James McGrew? McGrue? McCrew? McGrow?. And I note we have future Mrs. Barlow to thank for Flint's idea that a great man is one who doesn't let himself persuaded from changing the world by anthing. (Flint's crew takes a distinctly different view on the subject.)
