Black Sails – XX Review
"ARRGGGHHH There Be Storms Ahead...."
So I’m not huge on nautical movies. I’m not a huge fan of even being on a boat but with Black Sails, I love the action of the high seas, as it is full of historical elements, all of which are handled amazingly well. This episode was a great follow up to the season premiere, in that the cliffhanger from last episode- where the crew of the Walrus was facing certain doom at the hands of a “ship-killer” storm- made for an intensely overwhelming feel to most of the episode. The dread and foreboding as the ship enters the storm and the chaos that ensues afterwards, even up until the end where we get a “Holy Shit” moment as Captain Flint lashes himself to the wheel and steers the ship right towards oncoming tornadoes, had me on the edge of my seat.
The emotion conveyed by John Silver below deck as he watches one of his pirate friends drown to death, while being able to do nothing to help, showed how far this character has come from the comic relief he was in the first season and a half of the series. As one of the few (if even) completely fictional pirates on the show, I feel like the writers are gearing up for big things involving Mr. Silver. If he’s truly to become the foil of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic Treasure Island, or just a man with the same name thrown in for fun, remains to be seen.
Back in Nassau, Ray Stevenson’s Blackbeard is already making his presence felt and clearly lines are starting to be drawn in the sand. We get a little backstory of Charles Vane and Blackbeard’s former relationship, and having one of the most vicious pirates in history as your mentor, while also knowing you turned your back on him for a woman, has got to be weighing heavily on Captain Vane. Jack Rackham, who also knows the history between the two, is visibly worried that Vane may possibly flip sides as well and starts taking steps to procure the futures of himself, Annie, and Max.
This episode definitely worked for me as again plenty of action, intrigue, and throwing Blackbeard into the mix this season is definitely shaking things up. The first two seasons of this show were great. Two episodes into the third season and I’m already wishing the entire season was on my DVR so I could binge watch it.
Pros
- Crazy chaotic storm action
- Sides being picked, lines being drawn
- More Blackbeard
Cons
- Episodes aren't long enough
- Want to binge watch this on my DVR but can't
