Black Sails 2.06
Mar. 1st, 2015 12:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakIn which the characters are blissfully unaware of the fanboy wailing due to last week's episode and continue with their shady, convoluted lives.
First of all, last week's cliffhanger resolvesl ike I predicted it would : Eleanor breaks up the Vane/Flint fight. With a gun. Go, Eleanor! She's in good form through the episode. Since Miranda actually got through to him with last episode's conversation, Flint uses the break to adopt Miranda's plan and present it to everyone else, everyone else at this point being Eleanor, Vane, Richard Guthrie and Miranda. It also makes sense to everyone else, except for the part where Vane is annoyed he's supposed to give up his valuable hostage and get nothing tangible in return except the hope this via Peter Ashe will eventually result in a self governed Nassau, so he makes a demand which he knows can't be fulfilled (Flint's Spanish warship) and wanders off seethingly. His later conversation with Eleanor underscores the additional problem that Vane basically isn't interested in a governed anything; he's a pirate, and that's the lifestyle that suits him best. Meanwhile, Richard Guthrie, proving that while he's a lousy father he's not stupid, points out another logistical problem: even if they get Abigail Ashe back to her father and if Peter Ashe can be persuaded to sign on the Nassau Utopia plan again and push it through parliament, Flint simultanously raiding Spanish ships and taking Spanish treasures when the war with Spain is just over will not make anyone in Britain inclined to support this. And Flint can't NOT go after the gold of the Urca - he's dangled that carrot to his crew for far too long for that.
I love it when a show creates obstacles and dilemmas for their characters that make complete sense. And where you can understand (nearly) everyone's pov. And where no one is completely right. Flint's argument that Britain sooner or later will show up with great force and limitless supplies to get Nassau under control again if they don't do something first is a good one (and he's correct as we find out via Billy Bones that the British navy ships are already close), but Guthrie's right, too, and it touches on something he said to his daughter last week. You can have legitimacy or you can be a pirate/trade with pirates, but you can't have both. Flint still wants to be both a pirate and one day a vindicated, Thomas-honoring legitimate ruler of Nassau. Eleanor has that dream of legitimate trade but is reluctant to give up the fencing that made her livelihood. Vane doesn't have that problem since he's never wanted to be anything but a pirate, but he's also shortsighted and unable to take the bigger picture into account. Meanwhile, Flint's crew has to be convinced, too (more about that in a moment), and I continue to love that this show never treats crews as blind yay or nay sayers unable to make up their own minds. It's all easiliy as complicated as any modern day political saga, and I adore that.
On the bright side, Miranda and Flint are in a better place now. Really, last week's revelation was great not just for Flint's character but hers. She and Flint didn't make sense as romantic lovers who ran off togther. But they make SO MUCH sense as two survivors who miss and mourn their third whom they both loved, two people with survivors guilt which they sometimes take out on each other even while they also need each other because no one else understands what they've lost and understands them. When Miranda, after having saved Flint from himself with that conversation about Thomas last week, recommits herself to the whole Nassau project and stays to take part in it, I felt incredibly cheered. (Sidenote: as dissimilar as shows and circumstances are, it occurs to me I've seen that "a woman, a man, the supposed dead man they both loved, lost and have guilt of not rescuing about, woman talks man down from suicidal and many other people endangering enterprise, they at last are able to live with their loss and move to the future" twice in a week.)
Meanwhile, we see what results last week's betrayal/choice had on a partnership that was there from the start of the show, Jack Rackham and Anne Bonny. Anne in her devastation lashing out I had expected, but I hadn't expected the deaths, and I should have. Not just becaue Anne is violent but because she's in a nothing to lose/having lost everything now as far as she's concerned, and like Max I suspect what this really was about is Anne going for heroic suicide by enraged Flint crew. BTW, it was a bit ambiguous until know whether Max really cared for Anne or whether it was just strategy and tactics, but I think the episode settles she really cares, and in this particular situation also identifies because that's how she felt when Eleanor chose Flint and Nassau over her early in s1. Meanwhile, Jack - who is a historical character, I know, but characterisation wise strikes me as a more realistic version of Captain Jack Sparrow - isn't enjoying his new command and ship long before it turns out that while the lead Max gave them is correct, there's another pirate ship also there to take the prize. I was really curious how the writers would solve this situation, because Jack is smart but not the physical fighter Flint or Vane are - that was always what Anne did in their partnership. Otoh, as he says, he betrayed the one person in the world he cares about for this, so turning tail and go back to Nassau without results was out as well. Jack's solution - a surprise throat cut because he'd get that close only once and changing the odds by pretending the other captain had wanted to kill all the crew of the prize ship, which gives them a motivation to join up with him - was both ic and effective.
Billy Bones is greated by the former Walrus crew like a homecoming hero and does say Flint didn't push him (I like that the show still leaves it ambiguous whether Billy says so for tactical reasons, i.e. the coming British navy he knows about, or whether it's the truth), but as opposed to last season he's got another option, it turns out - a pardon for himself and nine other men if he delivers Flint to the navy. Most other shows and movies would here make either Billy or Flint the unambigous villain. This one lets Billy argue - to Dufresne, and I missed their conversations until now - that whether he'll use the pardon option will depend on whether or not Flint can deliver what he promises, a Nassau allowed to self govern. And because the show really keeps in mind what each individual character wants, it hasn't forgotten John Silver couldn't care less about Pirate Utopia, not because, like Vane, he loves being a pirate (at this point, he probably thinks once he has his share of the gold he can just go whereever), but because his motivation to support Flint has been the Urca gold. At which point we get another delightful Flint and Silver scene, at the end of which I think Flint makes a mistake when he tells Silver "you have my word" that the Spanish gold is still a priority. Because not only has Silver watched him break his word repeatedly (most recently only this morning with Hornigauld) and has better reason than most to know that Flint lies when it's convenient, but, as Silver told Billy, he doesn't do he whole "believing in Flint" thing to begin with that made Billy and Gates feel so betrayed.
Right now, Silver doesn't have a not-Flint option (since he doesn't know about the pardons, and Vane is just too one track minded, but methinks once Jack Rackham's back he might consider teaming up with him and go straight for the Urca gold (after all, he knows where it is) while Flint is sitll busy negotiating with Peter Ashe. Supporting this theory is that Silver for the first time since episode 1.02 meets Max again here as he comes to collect Flint's missing crew member from the brothel only to find out Anne has killed him (and the unfortunate Charlotte who designed the skull and bones flag Jack uses for the first time this episode). Silver not only agreeing to cover up the deaths but improving Max' "they fell in love and ran away" story to make it sound a bit more plausible would be a good lead-in for something like this; Max now owes him one, and she does own a share of Jack's ship. (Yes, Treasure Island prequel wise we know Silver will end up with Flint again, but he did sail with other captains, too, and it would just fit the character to try other options at this point.)
Lastly: I knew Eleanor would fulfill her promise to Flint by getting Abigail out on her own after Vane refused to, but I had the distinct impression Vane was opening his eyes when she left, so now I'm worried.
First of all, last week's cliffhanger resolvesl ike I predicted it would : Eleanor breaks up the Vane/Flint fight. With a gun. Go, Eleanor! She's in good form through the episode. Since Miranda actually got through to him with last episode's conversation, Flint uses the break to adopt Miranda's plan and present it to everyone else, everyone else at this point being Eleanor, Vane, Richard Guthrie and Miranda. It also makes sense to everyone else, except for the part where Vane is annoyed he's supposed to give up his valuable hostage and get nothing tangible in return except the hope this via Peter Ashe will eventually result in a self governed Nassau, so he makes a demand which he knows can't be fulfilled (Flint's Spanish warship) and wanders off seethingly. His later conversation with Eleanor underscores the additional problem that Vane basically isn't interested in a governed anything; he's a pirate, and that's the lifestyle that suits him best. Meanwhile, Richard Guthrie, proving that while he's a lousy father he's not stupid, points out another logistical problem: even if they get Abigail Ashe back to her father and if Peter Ashe can be persuaded to sign on the Nassau Utopia plan again and push it through parliament, Flint simultanously raiding Spanish ships and taking Spanish treasures when the war with Spain is just over will not make anyone in Britain inclined to support this. And Flint can't NOT go after the gold of the Urca - he's dangled that carrot to his crew for far too long for that.
I love it when a show creates obstacles and dilemmas for their characters that make complete sense. And where you can understand (nearly) everyone's pov. And where no one is completely right. Flint's argument that Britain sooner or later will show up with great force and limitless supplies to get Nassau under control again if they don't do something first is a good one (and he's correct as we find out via Billy Bones that the British navy ships are already close), but Guthrie's right, too, and it touches on something he said to his daughter last week. You can have legitimacy or you can be a pirate/trade with pirates, but you can't have both. Flint still wants to be both a pirate and one day a vindicated, Thomas-honoring legitimate ruler of Nassau. Eleanor has that dream of legitimate trade but is reluctant to give up the fencing that made her livelihood. Vane doesn't have that problem since he's never wanted to be anything but a pirate, but he's also shortsighted and unable to take the bigger picture into account. Meanwhile, Flint's crew has to be convinced, too (more about that in a moment), and I continue to love that this show never treats crews as blind yay or nay sayers unable to make up their own minds. It's all easiliy as complicated as any modern day political saga, and I adore that.
On the bright side, Miranda and Flint are in a better place now. Really, last week's revelation was great not just for Flint's character but hers. She and Flint didn't make sense as romantic lovers who ran off togther. But they make SO MUCH sense as two survivors who miss and mourn their third whom they both loved, two people with survivors guilt which they sometimes take out on each other even while they also need each other because no one else understands what they've lost and understands them. When Miranda, after having saved Flint from himself with that conversation about Thomas last week, recommits herself to the whole Nassau project and stays to take part in it, I felt incredibly cheered. (Sidenote: as dissimilar as shows and circumstances are, it occurs to me I've seen that "a woman, a man, the supposed dead man they both loved, lost and have guilt of not rescuing about, woman talks man down from suicidal and many other people endangering enterprise, they at last are able to live with their loss and move to the future" twice in a week.)
Meanwhile, we see what results last week's betrayal/choice had on a partnership that was there from the start of the show, Jack Rackham and Anne Bonny. Anne in her devastation lashing out I had expected, but I hadn't expected the deaths, and I should have. Not just becaue Anne is violent but because she's in a nothing to lose/having lost everything now as far as she's concerned, and like Max I suspect what this really was about is Anne going for heroic suicide by enraged Flint crew. BTW, it was a bit ambiguous until know whether Max really cared for Anne or whether it was just strategy and tactics, but I think the episode settles she really cares, and in this particular situation also identifies because that's how she felt when Eleanor chose Flint and Nassau over her early in s1. Meanwhile, Jack - who is a historical character, I know, but characterisation wise strikes me as a more realistic version of Captain Jack Sparrow - isn't enjoying his new command and ship long before it turns out that while the lead Max gave them is correct, there's another pirate ship also there to take the prize. I was really curious how the writers would solve this situation, because Jack is smart but not the physical fighter Flint or Vane are - that was always what Anne did in their partnership. Otoh, as he says, he betrayed the one person in the world he cares about for this, so turning tail and go back to Nassau without results was out as well. Jack's solution - a surprise throat cut because he'd get that close only once and changing the odds by pretending the other captain had wanted to kill all the crew of the prize ship, which gives them a motivation to join up with him - was both ic and effective.
Billy Bones is greated by the former Walrus crew like a homecoming hero and does say Flint didn't push him (I like that the show still leaves it ambiguous whether Billy says so for tactical reasons, i.e. the coming British navy he knows about, or whether it's the truth), but as opposed to last season he's got another option, it turns out - a pardon for himself and nine other men if he delivers Flint to the navy. Most other shows and movies would here make either Billy or Flint the unambigous villain. This one lets Billy argue - to Dufresne, and I missed their conversations until now - that whether he'll use the pardon option will depend on whether or not Flint can deliver what he promises, a Nassau allowed to self govern. And because the show really keeps in mind what each individual character wants, it hasn't forgotten John Silver couldn't care less about Pirate Utopia, not because, like Vane, he loves being a pirate (at this point, he probably thinks once he has his share of the gold he can just go whereever), but because his motivation to support Flint has been the Urca gold. At which point we get another delightful Flint and Silver scene, at the end of which I think Flint makes a mistake when he tells Silver "you have my word" that the Spanish gold is still a priority. Because not only has Silver watched him break his word repeatedly (most recently only this morning with Hornigauld) and has better reason than most to know that Flint lies when it's convenient, but, as Silver told Billy, he doesn't do he whole "believing in Flint" thing to begin with that made Billy and Gates feel so betrayed.
Right now, Silver doesn't have a not-Flint option (since he doesn't know about the pardons, and Vane is just too one track minded, but methinks once Jack Rackham's back he might consider teaming up with him and go straight for the Urca gold (after all, he knows where it is) while Flint is sitll busy negotiating with Peter Ashe. Supporting this theory is that Silver for the first time since episode 1.02 meets Max again here as he comes to collect Flint's missing crew member from the brothel only to find out Anne has killed him (and the unfortunate Charlotte who designed the skull and bones flag Jack uses for the first time this episode). Silver not only agreeing to cover up the deaths but improving Max' "they fell in love and ran away" story to make it sound a bit more plausible would be a good lead-in for something like this; Max now owes him one, and she does own a share of Jack's ship. (Yes, Treasure Island prequel wise we know Silver will end up with Flint again, but he did sail with other captains, too, and it would just fit the character to try other options at this point.)
Lastly: I knew Eleanor would fulfill her promise to Flint by getting Abigail out on her own after Vane refused to, but I had the distinct impression Vane was opening his eyes when she left, so now I'm worried.
