Sea Battles and A Booty Call. Retrospective: Black Sails – “VI.”

Season 1, Episode 6

Airdate: Saturday, March 1, 2014, 9/8c on Starz.

Rating: ★★★★★

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

“You had your say, now I’ll have mine.” – Anne Bonny

Last week, “V.” gave viewers one of the most (literally) explosive episodes thus far. You’d think there might be some breathing room for viewers to digest everything that went down, but that wouldn’t be much fun. “VI.” raises the stakes, and doesn’t shy away from throwing down some shocking scenes; it leaves you with enough emotional whiplash that you just might get PTSD from it all. What makes “VI.” great is how well it pairs with ”V.” It’s not disjointed, the tone is steady, and the pacing flows seamlessly, leaving no plot point unattended. Furthermore, “VI.” hones in on the secondary characters, proving they are as big a part of the problem or solution (depending on who you’re rooting for in the show) to getting the whale of a treasure from the Spanish galleon, Urca de Lima.

Ode To Billy Bones

Billy Bones (Tom Hopper) has had one hell of a time lately between maintaining alliances with his crew, to his ever growing crisis of conscious working with Captain Flint (Toby Stephens). It’s an interesting dynamic watching the back and forth Billy shares with Flint as he struggles to make the best move with the least amount of collateral damage. But this is Black Sails and if you’ve followed the series for a while now, you know what happens to the nicer characters—just ask Max (Jessica Parker Kennedy).

The turning point for Billy is his decision to approach Gates (Mark Ryan) about how he distrusts Flint. The guy just can’t let it go, even in the face of what may be certain death for many a men on the Walrus. We also learn the details of the letter Billy pilfered from Flint’s quarters—a letter from Mrs. Miranda Barlow (Louise Barnes) revealing a betrayal on Flint’s part.

Billy: “I know about the Marie Alyne…He played games with the crewmen’s lives then, and he’s doing it again now because he knows he can get away with it, because we are protecting him; because you are protecting him. “

This becomes the crux of the issue at hand in “VI.” and we see the deadly consequences towards the end when Billy starts pissing off the wrong people. Meanwhile, the Walrus crew is still anticipating their next move as the man-of-war ship Scarborough trails them, and slave ship captain Bryson (Langley Kirkwood) of the Andromache lays in wait for back up. There’s an intensity as Flint tries several maneuvers to get the Andromache crew to abandon ship; something that according to Richard Guthrie (Sean Cameron Michael) has never been accomplished in the ten years it’s been out at sea.

The Cost of Freedom

Coinciding with the drama above deck with Flint and his men, we follow up on Mr. Scott (Hakeem Kae-Kazim) who we were shocked to find shackled as one of the many slaves on Bryson’s ship. In one of the more poignant storylines of “VI.” Mr. Scott sticks to his moral code with Eleanor’s (Hannah New) well-being in mind.

Eme: “We have a chance to be free.”

Mr. Scott: “I don’t care. There are weapons on this ship. The pirates plan to return to Nassau, the weapons are very dangerous to someone I love. No matter what happens to me or to you, those weapons cannot be returned.”

It’s the small moments like the ones we see exchanged between Mr. Scott and fellow slave Eme (Sibongile Mlambo) that demonstrate the show’s dedication in making sure every character, even the secondary ones, have a major role to play in the grand scheme of things. Kazim and Mlambo have a great rapport onscreen, and watching their contrasting views of freedom and their enslavement makes for one of the more somber elements of “VI.”

Just when we think all is lost for the slaves aboard the Andromache, Mr. Scott resorts to extremes in gaining everyone’s freedom. When his plan succeeds, what happens next is nothing short of carnage, and more disturbing is the satisfying feeling of justice. I’ll admit I don’t like seeing death but when Bryson gets his just desserts, I didn’t mind one bit.

Operation: Free Max

For a while, the abuse Max suffers at the hands of the Ranger has been almost intolerable. The girl can’t catch a break. Witnessing Max get raped was enough but having one of its most vile members, Hamund (Neels Clasen), target her is almost too much to bear. Heather Bellson (episode writer) does an amazing job of kicking up a pretty damn good revenge storyline for Max. Rather than letting Max’s dilemma be a quick fix, Bellson utilizes Anne Bonny (Clara Plaget) and Eleanor in an intricate plot, showing the women on Black Sails are a force to be reckoned with.

In a surprising turn of events, Anne goes to the one person we least expect: Eleanor. Without much thought into how she (Anne) can help Max, Eleanor decides the only way to get what they want, the only means to make sure they are all safe, is to kill the remaining crew members of the Ranger.

The real scene stealer is Anne—who has been mostly silent for the majority of the series, her every emotion and thought translated into a stark expression—which Plaget plays with great skill. There’s a gruff edge that makes Anne a formidable opponent. Any girl who can successfully murder someone while getting the life nearly choked out of her is not someone to mess with.

Memorable Moments

The Many Loves of Mrs. Barlow – Oh, Miranda, what are you doing? If having Flint as a lover after having married his best friend isn’t scandalous enough, getting it on with a pastor on your front porch raises a few questions. She seems kind of aimless right now despite being the heart of Flint’s motivation. We don’t know too much other than what we’re told, but seeing her in action makes you wonder if she’s got more up her sleeve. Maybe she and Richard are soul mates.
Silver Linings, Sort of – John Silver is still shackled up in Eleanor’s office but he plays an instrumental role in the murder plot of the Ranger crew. Silver’s scenes with Eleanor are revealing and hard to look away from when you see how similar they are in persona. Silver sees straight through Eleanor’s façade.

Silver: “When I first met you, I pegged you for an easy mark. But now between you and Flint, I’m not certain who I should be more afraid of. When I saw you earlier, after you lifted the ban, you were angry and not just about Max. Those men out there, they made you admit you were wrong. They made you feel weak. I think you felt compelled to let everyone on this island know, that in this place, no one fucks with you and gets away with it.”

*You’re So Vane? – Vane is absent until the very end where we see the man from his visions is a real person. Now, I don’t think this is a spoiler but my thoughts are the stranger is Blackbeard because a) Blackbeard was known to be scary and intimidating, and b) the man has a large black beard.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Black Sails provides viewers a unique perspective into the dangerous world of piracy; it’s been an ambitious debut season for this fledgling series but well worth it after watching the major storylines intersect this week in “VI.” The fruition of Captain Flint’s efforts to get the treasure ship Urca de Lima, to watching Eleanor deal with her precarious situation like a real HBIC (head bitch in charge), makes these final moments before the season finale pay off big time. “VI.” gives us so much more depth to understanding pivotal characters like Mr. Scott and Anne Bonny who deserve more scenes. The writing is great and continues to move the story along without dragging its feet. The direction by T. J. Scott continues the great level of detail to the sea battle scenes. Also, the production team and the special effects deserve credit here, especially with Bryson’s fate. Overall, “VI.” is picking up the pace, and leaving so much in the air, let’s hope two more episodes will be enough to get us through until season two.

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

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).