Oh Captain, My Captain. Retrospective: Black Sails – “III.”

Season 1, Episode 3

Airdate: Saturday, February 8, 2014, 9/8c on Starz.

Rating: ★★★★★

“Be honest, are you as surprised as I am that I’m the only one here behaving myself?” — Captain Vane

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

This week’s episode of Black Sails, “III.,” is a rollercoaster of highs and lows underscoring the series’ strengths and weaknesses. For those who haven’t followed STARZ’s pirate series Black Sails from the beginning, you may have been under the impression it was going to be all about swashbuckling and mindless sex scenes; okay, the last part is partially true but we’ll get to that later. Some of you may be sorely disappointed to find this isn’t the case. Instead, Black Sails is proving to move at a methodical yet cautious pace, setting up a harrowing adventure.

Survivor: New Providence

In the wake of John Silver (Luke Arnold) destroying the Urca Del Lima’s schedule, all pre-made plans between Captain Vane (Zach McGowan) and the crew from The Ranger are foiled. Luckily for Silver, memorizing the location of the Urca’s passage is his only saving grace with Captain Flint (Toby Stephens), Mr. Gates (Mark Ryan), and Billy (Tom Hopper).

Speaking of Flint, we last saw him arriving at the house of a mysterious woman who turns out to be Miranda aka Mrs. Bishop (Louise Barnes). After his tale of Odysseus in “II.,” you might think she’s his wife but that doesn’t seem to be case. Nothing in the way Flint and Miranda talk to one another indicates they’re husband and wife. In fact, Miranda remains enigmatic throughout “III.” What is clear is her allegiance to Flint; the sexual chemistry between Miranda and Flint notwithstanding, all of her scenes and interactions are written in a series of riddles. Seriously, when Flint brings her the still wounded Richard Guthrie (Sean Cameron Michael) to care for, it makes you suspicious about her ties to Flint.

Rackham (Toby Schmitz) must face the consequences of losing the pearls worth 5,000 pesos. The crew of The Ranger gives Rackham three days to “make it right” or he may find himself (literally) falling to pieces. Rackham’s desperate attempt to find a solution to his financial problems sets up a string of events that make up the best parts of “III.”

Meanwhile, Silver is held at Eleanor’s office with Gates, Flint, and Billy surrounding him. As Silver finishes scribbling down the Urca’s log passage, Flint realizes it’s incomplete. Silver, as usual, uses his charm to negotiate a deal. In exchange for safe passage on Flint’s ship, as well as a share of the loot, he will lead him piece by piece to their final destination.

Flint: “And when the Urca’s ours, what’s to stop me from killing you anyways?”

Silver: “Well, that’s a few weeks from now, isn’t it? We might be friends by then.”

Hell Hath Frozen Over

It’s always about the money and the means. And for Team Flint, which includes Eleanor (Hannah New), it means getting enough gun powder, cannons, and ships if they’re going to take on a Spanish galleon. Luckily for them, Rackham and Vane’s situation has not improved, pushing them to do the unthinkable: team up with Flint’s treasure hunt. Gates and Rackham are at their best as they negotiate terms between the two surly captains. It easily could have been an episode of Jerry Springer with the way Flint goes off on Rackham and Vane—who are uncharacteristically calm and cool. Flint is not over Vane’s murder of his men, specifically Mosiah (Ernest Ndhlovu), as seen in the pilot episode. The scene reveals so much about Flint because in a world full of greed and deception, he still has some honor towards his crew even though the feeling may not be mutual. Rackham does most of the talking while Vane sits back coolly in silence smoking a cigarillo. When Eleanor offers her word to their terms, Rackham questions her honor considering the bad blood between them. Vane speaks up, telling Rackham he trusts her. They, Vane and Eleanor, exchange handshakes and everything seems a done deal. But this is Black Sails and nothing is ever played out that simply. Just ask Max (Jessica Parker Kennedy). Apparently, Anne Bonny (Clara Paget) did get a hold of her before she escaped, and Max has been held prisoner by Vane because she broke their deal. Someone always pays and it’s almost always the one who least deserves it.

Memorable Quotes

Captain Hornigold’s response to Gates on a pirate’s life: “We’re all just thieves awaiting a noose.”

Max to Eleanor after her assault by Vane’s men: “We could have left, we could have been free. He didn’t do this to me; you did.”

Miranda: “True love shouldn’t require suffering, and you don’t have to take my word for it.”

Eleanor gives the crew of The Ranger an ultimatum about joining Captain Flint: “So what will it be? Beggars under an old captain or rich men under a new one?”

Memorable Moments

Silver navigating his way towards self-preservation is fun to watch unfold, but the best moment comes when he uses his knowledge in an attempt to gain Billy’s trust. It’s great, and somewhat surreal seeing these two interact knowing their dynamic later on in Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic “Treasure Island” is different.
Eleanor and Vane’s sex scenes were inevitable since their initial heated scenes together. But damn, who would have thought she would have the balls to storm into Vane’s tent and basically own her sexuality? It is the perfect example of rebound sex that goes all kinds of wrong.
Richard’s scenes give the most insight about Miranda. After searching through Miranda’s house for clues about her relationship to Flint, he uncovers a painting of her and another gentleman. It doesn’t look like Flint, but the name written on the painting reads “Mrs. and Mr. Hamilton.”
Eleanor and Max’s scenes are painful to watch although they do leave an impression. Both New and Kennedy exchange great performances.
The whole love triangle storyline among Max, Eleanor, and Vane is easily one of the most interesting elements of Black Sails. Who knew such cutthroat characters would have such bleeding hearts? The moment where Max and Vane commiserate about being abandoned by Eleanor is on point and true.

Overall

Perhaps Black Sails’ flaws stem from over complicating itself with some of its plot points. The continuity of the story line surrounding Flint and Vane is fine. It’s when new and additional story lines are included in the mix that it gets drawn out and scattered, making the overall episode disjointed. When “III.” tries to be mysterious, as is the case with Miranda, it ends up being too vague. She is the key to understanding Flint but we don’t get much insight other than references to books from Marcus Aurelius and a mysterious painting. And don’t get me started on Anne—Blue Steel—Bonny whose weekly brooding expressions and silence are frustrating at this point. She is a significant member of The Ranger crew but we haven’t heard more than two words out of her.

The good thing is Black Sails defines itself as more than a drama series but one that embraces its historical roots. That being said, although the pace of each episode since “I.” has been tedious, it serves a purpose. I wouldn’t say it’s entirely formulaic but when you look at such acclaimed series like Game of Thrones or Boardwalk Empire, both of which experienced similar slow beginnings, I’d say Black Sails is in good company. It’s all about the endgame and for Black Sails, once they near the Urca del Lima, it will be a massive battle royale.

Tune in to Black Sails on Saturdays 9/8c, only on STARZ.

Follow the series on its official site: 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).