Long Gone Silver.
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
I don't know what Black Sails' final season ultimately has in store for us, but if this premiere is an indicator then we're in for some thrilling and chilling drama.
In stark contrast to the winning warpath Flint was on at the top of Season 3, this episode opened with a massive defeat for Team Pirate as Flint's fleet wrecked itself upon purposefully sunken ships and then fell to cannon fire. Only Teach, Jack, Anne and their crew escaped clean (in an attempt to draw the enemy out and away from his fallen friends), while Flint and Silver were separated during their retreat.
How does this bode, this big defeat for our heroes? One thing's for certain, it kicks off this final season with everyone scrambling and reeling to recover - which in turn makes it even more important that the "Long John Silver" narrative endure. The pirates are going to need this bedtime story, this legend, to rally them in the face of such a huge loss.
Because right on the cusp of what was supposed to be an easy ambush, with Flint and Silver's bond strong and the two of them determined to yet again accomplish the impossible, the schism started - the cosmic push to elevate Silver up and over Flint. Silver was whisked away from his friends, later washing up on shore -- after a harrowing escape through a sinking ship -- and coming face to face with one of his Pirate King devotees.
And look, Silver doesn't exactly like being used by Bones for the Pirate King story, but the guy's arc alone, plus this amazing escape (which looked incredible onscreen) from certain death, is a pretty epic journey. Silver might be humble right now, but he's done enough impossible things to warrant this new lofty status among the men.
Let's talk about this opening battle sequence for a moment. It was really freakin' impressive! Sure, other shows have given us bigger armies and more bodies, but wrangling and wrecking these pristine pirate ships is a massive task. And the shot of those behemoth boats crushing up against the underwater traps and teetering over was damn amazing. As was, of course, the underwater shot of Silver trapped and looking up at the carnage on the sea's surface. It was both brutal and gorgeous. I don't think it needed to, but if this show was looking to grab people's attention here at the end of its run, it did a bang-up job.
Where does this leave our pirate rebellion now? Well, firmly in the hands of... Billy Bones. Bones' hatred-turned-resenment of Flint has now manifested itself masterfully in a plan to build up Silver as a legend in a way both useful to psychological warfare and dropping Flint from the picture entirely. Bones basically manipulated things on land in such a way that Flint became disposable. Silver now, whether he likes it or not, is poised to become the face of this rebellion and he and Flint will assuredly clash over this - despite Bones being the instigator.
Meanwhile, Jack risked his life in combat trying to feel worthy of Vane's sacrifice, blaming himself and his less-than-lethal tendencies for Charles' capture, while Woodes confessed his debt problems to Eleanor. Notable here too, back in Nassau with the "enemy," was the introduction of Captain Berringer, Woodes' new right hand - played by star Toby Stephens' real life brother Chris Larkin. It's hard not to feel that Flint and Berringer, both played by sons of Dame Maggie Smith, have to get a scene or two together at some point this season.
Tugging at our heart strings here, as we enter the show's endgame, was both the old love that Eleanor has for Max, and the bond that the two of them still share, along with the new love between Silver and Madi. With Silver now gone from her side, she's taking a hard look at her involvement in the war. Will she stick with Flint, a man she didn't trust (but Silver did) or will she side with Bones now, using her knowledge of the treasure chest as a bargaining chip?
The Verdict
Black Sails threw us right into the center of chaos with an opening onslaught that was both an awesome spectacle and crucial to the story going forward, as perhaps pertaining to Flint vs. Silver. Both sides of this war are in trouble, though of different sorts, and victory will probably come down to which camp has the least amount of dissension.
Editors' Choice
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