Black Sails 1.02 “II”

If you were looking for some exciting and explosive action in Episode 2 of this gritty new series, I shall warn you now that there isn’t much…as a matter of fact there is no action in this episode. What gives? A new pirate series that is supposed to be gritty and dark doesn’t have any action in the second episode? As much as I missed seeing some great swordplay or a violent brawl, we were instead treated to some very interesting character development and some pretty good storytelling. In any case that vital piece of information that is in the hands of John Silver (Luke Arnold) has everyone racing around to find him, for whoever gets a hold of it can perhaps have their dreams come true; this may sound a little cliché, but I can assure you that it is very true, five million dollars is a lot of money.

Captain Flint (Toby Stephens) is a man full of ambitions and goals; besides wanting to get a huge payday he wants nothing more than to just be free of the British and to sail freely without having the Royal Navy down his back. And of course the only way he can pursue his dreams is to find John Silver who has snuck off with the piece of paper that would help out a great deal. I enjoyed the fact that it didn’t take too long for Flint, Billy Bones (Tom Hopper) and Gates (Mark Ryan) to find out exactly who actually had the information amongst the crew. This led to Silver fleeing the ship and having to work very fast to sell the information with the help of Max (Jessica Parker Kennedy). However he doesn’t get too far, with both Flint and Vane (Zach McGowan) giving chase, but it is Flint who comes out on top. Silver secures his life by burning the information — but not before memorizing every little detail of that document.

Now I had mentioned in my last review that there were a lot of betrayals happening and so forth but there is one that I did not see coming for this episode and that was with Eleanor Guthrie (Hannah New). With her father’s absence she fears for herself and the business that they have built. With everyone searching for the document, she decides to help Flint in getting it, as it would suit her needs as well, but this winds up betraying Max.

Max and Eleanor have had a relationship together and were more than just friends, they were lovers. Watching the two of them have their spat was a little heart-breaking considering they looked so happy together in the beginning of the episode — and keep in mind this is only the second episode. There scene together was pretty powerful and both actresses did an amazing job in their respective roles. Max pledged her love for Eleanor and Eleanor simply betrayed her; it was hard for her but she had everything else to think about, not just Max. Everybody in their own way in this series is looking at the bigger picture; I guess Max didn’t fit into Eleanor’s bigger picture.

In all, this episode was great despite the lack of action that one is accustomed to seeing from this sort of genre. The scene between Max and Eleanor was great and heart-breaking. I have learned that Silver is a man that can escape from almost any situation, and his time spent being on the run was suspenseful. By the end of the episode, Flint’s crew is celebrating and partying around a campfire, while Flint himself leaves covered in robes only to find himself at the home of some mysterious woman. Who is this woman you might ask? I am not sure but we shall have our answers when the next episode comes around, stay tuned.