Into The Abyss. Retrospective: Black Sails Season Finale – “VIII.”

[warning]Warning: If you haven’t finished or seen this episode, there are major spoilers ahead. [/warning]

Season 1, Episode 8

Airdate: Saturday, March 15, 2014, 9/8c on Starz

Rating: ★★★★★

“God, how I’ve missed that look.” – Charles Vane

All good things come to an end, and the season finale of Black Sails, “VIII.,” leaves many questions and much reflection in the wake of its epic conclusion. The episode, directed by T.J. Scott, provides an eerie atmospheric setting while the script’s well-executed dialogue is full of loaded statements. Hell, even the storm that starts off “VIII.” is its own character, a harbinger of doom that later serves a pivotal role.

The continuing stories of Captain Flint’s (Toby Stephens) search for the Spanish treasure galleon, Urca de Lima, Eleanor Guthrie’s (Hannah New) power struggle in New Providence, and Captain Vane’s (Zach McGowan) return remain front in center. Everything about “VIII” feels very precise and focused, especially with the development of its core characters. I knew going into the season finale after watching “VII.”— where Gates (Mark Ryan) and Dufresne (Jannes Eiselen) basically plot to end Flint for what happened to Billy (Tom Hopper) and Singleton (Anthony Bishop)—we would be in for some major fallout. What I didn’t expect was to feel so torn about the turnabout with many of the Black Sails characters. At the end of the day, someone always pays the price for another person’s greed.

One for Me, And One For My Homies

In the art of storytelling, the hero (or anti-hero) must cross a threshold, a point of no return that will ultimately determine his or her fate. In the case with Flint, I thought he reached this breaking point when he separated from Mrs. Miranda Barlow (Louise Barnes), refusing to join her in Boston; then later, when he shared his insecurities with Eleanor. Here, I was thinking Flint was somewhat of a romantic—a man whose broken heart drives him to madness. Often, we’ve been told, and even given a glimpse of, how ruthless Flint is as a pirate. We know he can manipulate people like nobody’s business but the times he has shown brutality, it appears justified because it is out of survival.

Mr. Gates : “There are no legacies in this life, are there? No monuments, no history, just the water. It pays us and then it claims us, swallows us whole as if we’ve never been here at all.”

Imagine my shock and horror when Flint takes matters into his own hands by murdering Gates—the one person who, even until his last moments, offered Flint a way out. If this doesn’t catapult Flint into his own heart of darkness, I don’t know what will at this point. Gates was not only Flint’s best friend, he was the man’s moral compass—looking out for him when others were ready to see him hang for his misdeeds.

But there’s a naiveté accompanying Gates’ (mostly) good nature that, despite all his pirating ways, does not make him long for this world in Black Sails. Does he really think he can confront Flint about the mutiny, forcing his hand to go to Boston without any sort of retaliation? The minute Gates mouths off to Flint, he seals his fate. Still, Flint could have played along, pretending to go with the plan for Boston and then ditch them all. The fact that Flint is so obsessed, desperate for his treasure, and willing to kill off his closest ally reflects his madness; it also makes you wonder if Miranda’s husband, Flint’s best friend, didn’t go by similar means.

The fact remains, if Flint is going to extreme lengths now, before landing the treasure, to what end will he go after gaining it? Now that the rogue storm has wrecked the Urca de Lima to shore, Flint must not only contend with his own men but those from a Spanish ship too.

Who’s the Captain Now?

The heart of “VIII.” may have revolved around Flint’s search for the Urca but on shore in Nassau, the tides are turning once again. As promised, Vane returns with men from the mysterious Bearded Man’s land. I suspected there would be an uprising; however, surprisingly Vane returns to the island like he owns it. He starts by capturing Captain Hornigold’s (Patrick Lyster) fort. With canons blasting away at the ships along the port, what looks dire at first turns out to be just a complimentary calling card from Vane; yeah, the man is riding so high on his own badass awesomeness, he doesn’t really need to raid.

Even though Vane isn’t his usual hot-blooded self, he seems to be quite Zen in his siege of the fort. After confronting his demons early on, it seems nothing really scares him anymore. Got to give him credit though, a true test of power is knowing when to use it, and quite frankly, Vane has everything he wants from the island right now. He’s got his bit of earth, and as long as everyone stays out of his way, he’s good. Still, this quieter side of Vane is like seeing a tiger in its cage—everything appears safe from the outside but get too close and you might regret it. That being said, I love how Vane keeps stringing Eleanor along, playing with their emotional connection and torrid past. She’s his muse, really, and in some sick, twisted way, dysfunctional is the only way they function. As much as I hate to admit it, Vane is truly one of the few people who understands Eleanor.

Vane: “I think you’re just tired of fathers telling you what to do. So, I’m offering you a life of freedom.”

The build-up of Vane’s story falls a little flat, which may disappoint some viewers. Yes, it’s more subdued but it’s a smart move by the writers. The major journey at hand concerns Flint since he’s the big instigator for all the events currently in motion. Vane’s storyline is growing and to avoid any cliché villainous stereotypes, we need to see more of what he is capable of accomplishing.

One Last Look

A great moment from “VIII.” that captures and sets up Black Sails for its second season is the last series of scenes involving all the main characters looking off to the distance—toward the horizon, uncertain of where fate will lead them next. It’s a wonderful way to end what is an emotional episode with a strange sort of hopefulness.

Final Thoughts

Black Sails received a lot of flak early on by fans, and some critics, for its pacing, something I agree with, to a certain extent. Seriously, what’s a series about pirates if we never see them set sail, right? Well, my friends, it is all for a good cause.

We live in a state of instant gratification both in our technology and what we watch on TV. Standalone episodes, where everything ends neatly without much of a story arc, seem almost the standard in most scripted series. It’s not too often you find a series like Black Sails that actually takes you on a journey and makes you work for your satisfaction. “VIII.” is the product of all the labored character details since the beginning. The series takes its time setting up the boundaries of its world, in spite of what may not have been always dynamic, and delivers a compelling story where ambition proves far superior to any honor bound system of loyalties. Writers and creators, Jonathan E. Steinberg and Robert Levine, set the bar high for what the show is capable of demonstrating between its amazing cinematography and well scripted storytelling. The performances by the entire cast are equally stellar, especially those from Stephens and Ryan whose final scenes together hit hard, pulling out all the stops and leaving us feeling heavy hearted at the loss of Gates.

So, while the characters look anxiously ahead toward uncertain futures, one thing is assured for viewers: season two of Black Sails is going to be one hell of a year!

So what did you think of the finale? Did you agree with Flint’s actions? And what do you think Eleanor will do now that she’s working alongside Vane? Comment below and/or on twitter @conallen.

Follow the series on its official sites: http://www.starz.com/originals/blacksails/ and http://www.pirates-wanted.com/ 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), @markryan243 (Mark Ryan/Gates), @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), @Tomhopperhops (Tom Hopper/Billy Bones), and @hakeemkaekazim (Hakeem Kae-Kazim/Mr. Scott).