i think one of the most fascinating elements of black sails is the silverflintmadi situation. in 4x04 billy attempts to drive a wedge between silver and flint by saying that madi would meet her end because of flint’s war. and ultimately, she almost does, which later on prompts silver to conjure a plan to betray his partners and end the war.
but the thing is, flint loves silver and madi loves silver, and silver loves them both, but flint and madi don’t love each other. they respect each other and fight together but they don’t love each other. they’re allies; very reluctant friends at best. however. they share something stronger than that. they share an understanding.
in 4x09 madi says, ‘this war, [my ancestor’s] war, flint’s war, my war. it will not be bargained away to avoid a fight, to save john silver’s life or his men’s or mine.’
this is an understanding for the cause and their war, so deeply ingrained into their beings, born out of years of personal experience, out knowledge about what civilization is. and they, unlike silver, are willing to throw everything away to fight and win that war.
but this understanding does not mean they view their relationships with silver the same way. they both love him. but they have their priorities.
and silver decides to betray them both by ending this war, knowing that he cannot lose madi again, and knowing that flint, too, would die if the war were to continue. and this is a fundamentally selfish choice, but not a villainous one, as it is done out of love for them both, and ultimately, to achieve something resembling peace.
for silver, the choice is between 'a war and a wife’. for flint, the choice is between the war and thomas (and possibly silver). but for madi, there is no choice. this war is all she has. and her choosing it over silver doesn’t make her cruel or cold; it is the only option available for her, the only way to fulfill her duty to her people.
and that’s the most tragic part, really. silver betrays those who loved him most to save madi, who would rather let him die than abandon the war, and so will never forgive him for it, and he does so by 'killing’ flint, for whom the war was also the most important thing, but who still shot the last of his men to save silver’s life.
and flint understood that. please remember that his last words in the show begin with 'you will regret this’.
