Black Sails 2.03
Feb. 8th, 2015 11:19 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakIn which the show keeps surprising me in a good way.
Not least because one of the few things I disliked last season was Max spending most of it first raped, then as a captive, and only at the very end again as someone pursuing her own agenda. This season, otoh, Max is an active player in Nassau, able to make make deals. And there's no rape plot involving any of the female characters. While Ned Lowe the psycho last episode threatened to rape Eleanor, he met his demise this episode without getting anywhere near her, so thank you, show, for not going that road again. Keep at that.
Lowe dying this early instead of being a seasonal threat was a suprise, but in retrospect makes storytelling sense. He was scary, yes, but such a complete psychopath that no development was possible, and Lowe versus anyone weren't the conflicts the show has build up and is interested in - who'd emotionally side with him? So he was around just enough to change a few things - give Eleanor a reason for going back to Vane, give Max something to bargain with so Jack and Anne get the black mark taken from them - and then died in a way to reestablish Vane's meanest fighter on the island credentials in time for Flint's return.
Flint versus Vane, otoh, is a long term build up conflict, and the show has made it more complicated by leaving it open as to whether Flint was actually right re: lack of safety for his property were Vane to remain in charge of the fort, or whether he's simply acting out of old enmity. What he's definitely doing is lying to and manipulating his crew again in order to get them into fighting mode; if I were Silver I would take that question as to what's stopping Flint from getting rid of him now very seriously, and no doubt Silver does (that they have an entertaining on screen rapport isn't a good answer).
Eleanor (pre-Lowe's demise) looking for other allies would have been a good idea had she not being going about it in a wrong way: alienating Mrs. Barlow when Eleanor is in a bad position was pointedlessly high handed, and I wish the show would let Eleanor be smarter this season - they did last season. Otoh Mr. Scott made a welcome return to the screen, even if Eleanor asking him for advice didn't have any results.
Speaking of Mrs. Barlow, this time around in flashback country, we see her, as Lady Hamilton, pursuing McGraw/Flint after heavily hinting her husband knows all about it. What I want to know is when I'm getting my m/m/f threesome, show. Not that I object to the Max-Anne-Jack one in the present day, but f/f/m is the safer option.
Not least because one of the few things I disliked last season was Max spending most of it first raped, then as a captive, and only at the very end again as someone pursuing her own agenda. This season, otoh, Max is an active player in Nassau, able to make make deals. And there's no rape plot involving any of the female characters. While Ned Lowe the psycho last episode threatened to rape Eleanor, he met his demise this episode without getting anywhere near her, so thank you, show, for not going that road again. Keep at that.
Lowe dying this early instead of being a seasonal threat was a suprise, but in retrospect makes storytelling sense. He was scary, yes, but such a complete psychopath that no development was possible, and Lowe versus anyone weren't the conflicts the show has build up and is interested in - who'd emotionally side with him? So he was around just enough to change a few things - give Eleanor a reason for going back to Vane, give Max something to bargain with so Jack and Anne get the black mark taken from them - and then died in a way to reestablish Vane's meanest fighter on the island credentials in time for Flint's return.
Flint versus Vane, otoh, is a long term build up conflict, and the show has made it more complicated by leaving it open as to whether Flint was actually right re: lack of safety for his property were Vane to remain in charge of the fort, or whether he's simply acting out of old enmity. What he's definitely doing is lying to and manipulating his crew again in order to get them into fighting mode; if I were Silver I would take that question as to what's stopping Flint from getting rid of him now very seriously, and no doubt Silver does (that they have an entertaining on screen rapport isn't a good answer).
Eleanor (pre-Lowe's demise) looking for other allies would have been a good idea had she not being going about it in a wrong way: alienating Mrs. Barlow when Eleanor is in a bad position was pointedlessly high handed, and I wish the show would let Eleanor be smarter this season - they did last season. Otoh Mr. Scott made a welcome return to the screen, even if Eleanor asking him for advice didn't have any results.
Speaking of Mrs. Barlow, this time around in flashback country, we see her, as Lady Hamilton, pursuing McGraw/Flint after heavily hinting her husband knows all about it. What I want to know is when I'm getting my m/m/f threesome, show. Not that I object to the Max-Anne-Jack one in the present day, but f/f/m is the safer option.
