Black Sails 2.04
Feb. 15th, 2015 07:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakWhich is a character episode with little outward action but much going on inside.
It's chock full with good character scenes, with perhaps my favourite the one between Flint and Silver, where Silver realises Flint is actually bothered by what people think of him. The episode juxtaposes Flint in the past, where as Lieutenant McGraw he dared to support his idealistic friend Thomas Hamilton, to Flint in the present, where despite thinking ahead and aware that destroying the Fort of Nassau could be a disaster in the long term and despite hearing good arguments from both Eleanor and Scott, he still in the end gives the command to fire because his pride, hate of Vane and belief that if he loses face by withdrawing he'll never regain it is stronger. And yet you can see a direct line leading from one to the other, and the same stubborn "I can do no other" against what pretty much everyone else is thinking in both cases.
The Scott and Flint conversation was another neat character scene, and I love the show pointing out via Flint that neither Richard Guthrie nor Eleanor would have been able to run their fence trading empire without Mr. Scott, and that Scott has his own opinions instead of being treated as the faithful retainer.
Eleanor trying (in vain, no pun intended) to get Flint and Vane at a table this week gives her more positive stuff to do than the show has recently done, though she doesn't succeed. However, by attempting for a second time to get Miranda Barlow's help (only this time with less arrogance), despite being turned down she's alerted Mrs. Barlow to the situation, and this together with the Pastor's unintentional information gives Mrs. Barlow an idea, the precise nature of which the audience isn't told yet. But the last flashback tells us that Lord Peter Ashe was the only one two stand with Thomas Hamilton and McGraw, the future Flint, his daughter Abigail is currently Vane's hostage, and the return of Eleanor's unmissed father Richard (presumably notified by Mrs. Barlow who is in contact with him) comes with Eleanor being told that "all she ever wanted" is within her grasp. Now one obvious result could be that Ashe, notified of his daughter's whereabouts, shows up and sides with Flint against Vane, but while that would change the stalemate, it wouldn't improve the island's future or the prospect of infighting, because Vane just wouldn't surrender. But some sort of trade is obviously at hand. Flint outlined the basic dilemma to Eleanor early in the episode: he'll only leave if Vane leaves the Fort; Vane won't leave in a way that makes it look as if he's forced out. The solution has to be a way that allows both Vane and Flint to save face, and one tried and true means for this would be a common enemy. So, alternatively: Ashe shows up with several warships and Flint and Vane have to team up if they're to have a hope of not all being hanged as pirates?
Silver countering Eleanor's smart move of Vane's beach declaration with paying a guy to tell the gruesome tale of Vane taking the Fort, thereby spreading antiVane propaganda, cracked me up, but then we get the end of comic relief as Silver finds Billy Bones, last seen by the audience being tortured by a government employee on a beach elsewhere, and last seen by the crew of the Walrus going overboard, with none of them knowing whether or not Flint pushed him. And the first thing Billy asks for is to talk to the very late Mr. Gates, killed by Flint. Oh, joy. Now Billy's life is actually prequel protected (since he's still alive at the start of Treasure Island), but clearly Silver won't just charm him into keeping quiet. The show so far has played Silver as a young trickster, looking out for No.1 , cheerfully amoral but not yet doing anything evil (that's what the older pirates are there for). Obviously older Silver is still cheerfully looking out for No.1, but he's also capable of ruthlessly cutting the throat of a young man who trusted him. So I wonder whether this storyline with Billy - who after all is afraid of Silver at the start of Treasure Island, whereas in s1 Billy regarded Silver very understandably as a lightweight - will be where Silver starts to go dark?
Lastly, Max-Anne-Jack: this better be going somewhere fast, because this week's scene was repetetive of last week's, only minus the sex. Show, we've already established everyone's state of mind and emotion and that Jack and Anne now thanks to Max have a ship, can we move on? Though, as ever, nice to see Max as a player and not a victim this season.
It's chock full with good character scenes, with perhaps my favourite the one between Flint and Silver, where Silver realises Flint is actually bothered by what people think of him. The episode juxtaposes Flint in the past, where as Lieutenant McGraw he dared to support his idealistic friend Thomas Hamilton, to Flint in the present, where despite thinking ahead and aware that destroying the Fort of Nassau could be a disaster in the long term and despite hearing good arguments from both Eleanor and Scott, he still in the end gives the command to fire because his pride, hate of Vane and belief that if he loses face by withdrawing he'll never regain it is stronger. And yet you can see a direct line leading from one to the other, and the same stubborn "I can do no other" against what pretty much everyone else is thinking in both cases.
The Scott and Flint conversation was another neat character scene, and I love the show pointing out via Flint that neither Richard Guthrie nor Eleanor would have been able to run their fence trading empire without Mr. Scott, and that Scott has his own opinions instead of being treated as the faithful retainer.
Eleanor trying (in vain, no pun intended) to get Flint and Vane at a table this week gives her more positive stuff to do than the show has recently done, though she doesn't succeed. However, by attempting for a second time to get Miranda Barlow's help (only this time with less arrogance), despite being turned down she's alerted Mrs. Barlow to the situation, and this together with the Pastor's unintentional information gives Mrs. Barlow an idea, the precise nature of which the audience isn't told yet. But the last flashback tells us that Lord Peter Ashe was the only one two stand with Thomas Hamilton and McGraw, the future Flint, his daughter Abigail is currently Vane's hostage, and the return of Eleanor's unmissed father Richard (presumably notified by Mrs. Barlow who is in contact with him) comes with Eleanor being told that "all she ever wanted" is within her grasp. Now one obvious result could be that Ashe, notified of his daughter's whereabouts, shows up and sides with Flint against Vane, but while that would change the stalemate, it wouldn't improve the island's future or the prospect of infighting, because Vane just wouldn't surrender. But some sort of trade is obviously at hand. Flint outlined the basic dilemma to Eleanor early in the episode: he'll only leave if Vane leaves the Fort; Vane won't leave in a way that makes it look as if he's forced out. The solution has to be a way that allows both Vane and Flint to save face, and one tried and true means for this would be a common enemy. So, alternatively: Ashe shows up with several warships and Flint and Vane have to team up if they're to have a hope of not all being hanged as pirates?
Silver countering Eleanor's smart move of Vane's beach declaration with paying a guy to tell the gruesome tale of Vane taking the Fort, thereby spreading antiVane propaganda, cracked me up, but then we get the end of comic relief as Silver finds Billy Bones, last seen by the audience being tortured by a government employee on a beach elsewhere, and last seen by the crew of the Walrus going overboard, with none of them knowing whether or not Flint pushed him. And the first thing Billy asks for is to talk to the very late Mr. Gates, killed by Flint. Oh, joy. Now Billy's life is actually prequel protected (since he's still alive at the start of Treasure Island), but clearly Silver won't just charm him into keeping quiet. The show so far has played Silver as a young trickster, looking out for No.1 , cheerfully amoral but not yet doing anything evil (that's what the older pirates are there for). Obviously older Silver is still cheerfully looking out for No.1, but he's also capable of ruthlessly cutting the throat of a young man who trusted him. So I wonder whether this storyline with Billy - who after all is afraid of Silver at the start of Treasure Island, whereas in s1 Billy regarded Silver very understandably as a lightweight - will be where Silver starts to go dark?
Lastly, Max-Anne-Jack: this better be going somewhere fast, because this week's scene was repetetive of last week's, only minus the sex. Show, we've already established everyone's state of mind and emotion and that Jack and Anne now thanks to Max have a ship, can we move on? Though, as ever, nice to see Max as a player and not a victim this season.
