Black Sails – "IX” Season 2 Premiere Retrospective. It's About Time!

Season 2, Episode 1

Airdate: Saturday, January 24, 2015, 9/8c on Starz

Rating: ★★★★★

“Civilization needs its monsters.” – Captain Flint

Black Sails is back with a vengeance in the season two premiere “IX.” Well worth the wait, Starz’s pirate saga doesn’t disappoint as it gets down to the nitty-gritty events left in the wake of season one’s finale, “VIII.” Full of impressive action sequences and sharp dialogue, “IX” leaves you wanting more by the end. We revisit the plight Eleanor Guthrie (Hannah New) faces now that she’s in charge, and witness the consequences Rackham (Toby Schmitz) suffers after turning against his own crew. Then there’s the matter of new characters like Ned Low (Tadgh Murphy), whose introduction in the beginning sets an ominous tone throughout the episode—later becoming a morbid reminder that in the world of Black Sails, greed is God.

That’s One Way to Make an Impression

Ned Low, the latest and craziest pirate in Nassau!

Its been nearly a year since we last saw the pirates of New Providence and with only 10 episodes in the second season, I predict shifting alliances will have dire consequences and bold new enemies will arise quickly. It also means anything left behind from season one would be best resolved sooner rather than later for fear of becoming too convoluted. That said, I have no complaints about the latest plot points and characters in this episode.

“IX” starts off with a bang as the camera pans in on the open sea where an English cargo ship, Good Fortune, navigates the perilous waters of the Caribbean. It’s not long until the ship captures the attention of the men from the pirate ship Fancy. It looks like a routine takeover, similar to the scene of Captain Flint (Toby Stephens) and the crew of the Walrus during the series premiere. The key difference is Ned Low. Unlike Captain Vane (Zach McGowan) or Flint, Low isn’t as physically menacing, but you shouldn’t rely on muscle to show signs of strength. Low only has one good eye, causing his opponents to think he’s weak—he is far from it. Let’s just say crazy beats out brawn every time. The naïve captain of the Good Fortune underestimates the severity of the situation, believing his surrender will make his circumstances less dangerous. Unfortunately, for the men of the Good Fortune, their luck runs out when Low discovers a treasure more precious than gold on board. In a swift move, Low executes the captain of the Good Fortune and orders his crew to massacre everyone else. Later in the episode, Low explains how good he is at giving his men confidence, but his true talent lies in deception. By giving people a false sense of security with his soft voice and initial calm demeanor, he’s the type of guy who is all about the action and not so much the words.

The Silver and Flint Show!

Silver and Flint can’t seem to escape trouble. Ok, maybe that applies more to Silver.

Hands down, my favorite story line of the premiere is John Silver (Luke Arnold) and Flint working together. They are a perfect match, providing some of the much needed humor and swashbuckling drama in “IX.” Silver and Flint’s first scene takes us back to the beach where a ragged looking Flint finds the Urca de Lima wrecked from the storm. The surviving crew of the Walrus is left to decide Flint’s fate after his misdeeds land him in hot water. With Silver as his only ally, Flint proposes a test of faith. If he can seize the war ship guarding the Urca de Lima, he gets to live. The only catch — Flint needs some assistance. Silver comes to Flint’s aid; he’s the only one who will risk his life to aid Flint, and the rest of the episode revolves on whether Team Silver-Flint can make Flint’s ‘mission impossible,’ possible.

Arnold and Stephens have a great onscreen rapport that makes their characters interesting and, at the same time, people you want to root for amid all the chaos. Even though Silver and Flint’s scenes were somewhat limited in season one, we immediately see the potential in how perfect they are suited for each other in “IX.” Silver has the cunning mindset to know how to manipulate people, a skill that, so far, has been extremely worthwhile for him. Whereas Flint commands respect, he has the brutality and mad determination to fight for what he wants. My favorite part of their scene is when Silver reasons with Flint to work together when they board the war ship.

Silver: “…might you consider for one moment that your distrust in me is completely unwarranted? I warned you about Billy; was I right? I find you over Mr. Gates’ body and did I do anything but defend you? When you were sinking to the bottom of the sea, who do you imagine dragged you onto that beach? Brace yourself, but I’m the only one within 100,000 miles who doesn’t want to see you dead.”

Yours and Mine

While Flint and Silver fight for their lives on distant shores, the citizens of Nassau face their own problems. Anne Bonny (Clara Paget), Max (Jessica Parker Kennedy), and Rackham don’t get much screen time in “IX” but what we get definitely leaves an impression. The biggest difference revolves around the amount of dialogue for Paget as she has more in this episode than she ever did in the entire first season. Paget portrays Bonny with wonderful detail and purpose. Meanwhile, Max is still at her best playing the master schemer, even managing to get on Eleanor’s bad side. I guess you can say there is still no love lost from their major fallout, which is, in many ways, a relief. I didn’t like the way Max was used and abused in season one; hopefully, she’ll have a better chance at kicking ass this season. But of the complex trio of Bonny, Max, and Rackham, my heart goes out to Rackham. Choosing Bonny over the rest of his crew brings immense resentment from the other pirates in New Providence where he finds himself abused almost daily.

Max stirs up trouble, and things get awkward quick.

When I wasn’t in suspense over Flint and Silver’s risky undertaking, I was eagerly anticipating more details about Eleanor and Vane’s story line. Eleanor is still feisty, but I don’t know what’s happened to Vane. Since rising to power, he seems tamer. Throughout “IX,” Vane remains cool and collected, observing Eleanor panic over her new problems, maintaining control of trade and her new nemesis, Low. After seeing how transformative Vane’s life became after defeating his demons, I expected to see something explosive happen; however, the more I observe Vane’s actions, the more I see the subtly in what he is doing. If you look beyond the immense sexual undertones in their scenes together, you’ll find there is more at play between them. Equally as charming and unscrupulous as Low, I suspect Vane is patiently waiting for Eleanor to fail so she will have no one else to turn to but him. It’s brilliant, really, and serves both their needs despite how incredibly dysfunctional they are together.

Overall

One of things I loved about the premiere, which I’m sure fans will appreciate, is the consistency. Episode writers and creators of Black Sails, Jonathan E. Steinberg and Robert Levine, connect details from season one, opening the door to many untapped possibilities for its core characters in future episodes. That said, you don’t have to be an expert on the series to pick up the goings-on in Black Sails. “IX” stands strong on its own, focusing on the universal problems that power and money bring to people, especially those in the pirate trade. Low’s presence is the wildcard that will definitely give the seasoned characters we’ve grown to care about a run for their money. Murphy is a great addition to the cast, and his portrayal of Low as a sadistic and calculating pirate will leave you on edge. A force to be reckoned with, Low makes the perfect adversary for Vane—that’s if they don’t kill each other first.

What did you think of the season premiere, “IX?” Post your comment below or on Twitter @conallen.

Follow the series on its official sites: http://www.starz.com/originals/blacksails/ where you can also watch videos and clips of the episodes.

Follow Black Sails on its official twitter: @BlkSails_Starz and don’t forget the cast and crew:

@BlkSailsCreatrs,@mfernandezLA, @ScrambledLuke (Luke Arnold/John Silver), @ClaraPaget (Clara Paget/Anne Bonny), @hannahnewuk (Hannah New/Eleanor Guthrie), @JParkerK (Jessica P Kenned/Max), @Zach_McGowan (Zach McGowan/Captain Vane), @fallofasparrow (Toby Schmitz/Rackham), @seancmichael (Sean Cameron Michael/Richard Guthrie), and @hakeemkaekazim (Hakeem Kae-Kazim/Mr. Scott).

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