I love how often the loyalties shift in this show and how natural it feels? Like ngl I’m real sad that Max is putting herself as an enemy of both Jack and Anne, but I think she really meant what she told Eleanor at the end of s1 - that Eleanor taught her the lesson of never letting anyone stand between her and her ambitions. I do hope she eventually comes around, but her acting this way feels natural for her.
Also during the entire season one I just wanted Vane to drop dead. I was mostly indiferent to him during s2 but he turned into a very interesting character, with lots of depth. It’s nice that he’s still around and his partnership with Flint truly feels genuine.
Episodes 3 and 4 and new developments in the Max angle - that she wanted the gold to secure her and Anne’s future but as separated ones. Her conversation with Anne was pretty sad, that she can’t believe that they would ever have the opportunity to keep their relationship out of Nassau. It’s also a very realistic, cold take - I think most of Max’s idealism died when Eleanor betrayed her trust and feelings.
The Maroon colony is a very interesting place to take the story, and even if it feels like Flint’s state of mind is hanging by a thread (then again, when it isn’t lmao), I believe he’ll pick himself up soon. Interesting to see that he actually does respect Silver enough now to share his state of mind with him. Progress! (?)
Blackbeard and Charles Vane made a surprinsinly good team. Not sure how much I like Blackbeard yet but so far he’s eh, fine enough. I heard this end in tears for both characters so i guess their team up/partnership isn’t for long tho
Absolutely in love with that scene where Silver is scared shitless that Flint is going to beat him to death with that oar but he still tells him anyway that he was the one who lied about the Urca de Lima gold, and he tells him just to gain his respect and it works. Good for him, honestly
The third season begins in an interesting place, with the time skip. Part of me wishes we had seen the immediate aftermath and how Flint and Vane and Jack reached their deal, but I get the feeling this season wants to focus on new things, so it’s fine.
Max is in also in a very interesting place - I said before that in season 2 it feels like she’s a character who has a lot of control, both of herself and of the people around her, but even if her power and influence grew, that sense of control of hers seems gone, her insecurities showing much more. I like that it feels like she’s sharing more of herself with Anne now, I like how it makes their relationship seems more genuine and mutual now - when she tells Jack that she loves Anne, I believed her.
Also love how clever Max is - that she already see how unsustainable their situation is long term, and that she’s looking for ways to exchange the gold for more secure possessions and that her ultimate goal is to secure a life for herself, and for Anne as well. This sentiment actually reminds me a lot of how she wanted to run away with Eleanor in season one and form a new life with her someplace else. Variations of the same theme, both indicative of Max really wants, etc.
John Silver is a character I like a lot, and I find him very hard to pin down. He does seem to wear well the in-no-one’s-side-but-mine persona, but all he did for the crew during s2 finale seems genuine. The scene where he has to watch that crewman drown because they are trapped and there’s nothing he can do to save him is very heartbreaking :(
And Flint!! I can’t get quite a feeling of how he’s doing this season yet, but very clearly how much grief is affecting him. Also the scenes of the ship facing the storm are SO good, really loved them.
Finished the second season of Black Sails…
I don’t say it lightly, but this show sure is a masterpiece. I thought season one was good, but season two is much stronger and take the story so much farther. It accomplishes something that I think it’s uncommon for a show to reach - it does a fantastic job both in weaving a narrative that is very complex and compelling and credible AND it also fleshes out its characters as three dimensional beings, allowing both their monumental qualities and defects to be shown.
Also the fact that it’s motived by queer rage, that it all started with two men in love (and a woman they both loved) being utterly betrayed by a friend makes it all even more engaging to watch. Hope the next seasons can mantain this level of quality!
Aw man, Miranda… I knew she was going to die at some point, but damn, this is rough
Max is such an interesting character, and so are her relationships, like
I feel like with Eleanor, Max was very in love with her, maybe to the point of blinding her to Eleanor’s flaws and her ,ambition and thirst for power, and when it felt apart she felt so utterly betrayed and angry, and it was also a time where she was most powerless out of this relationship, but like
After all she suffered and endured, Max now has a reasonable amount of power, and her relationship with Anne reflects it. She’s in control, she’s the one calling the shots. It’s a relationship that Max initiated with what I feel was a profound sense of gratefulness - like she says, when she was suffering abominable abuse it was Anne the one who cared about her and who did something to set her free, and I don’t think Max would forget that, so she started to sleep with Anne because she saw that Anne desired her, so she wanted to give Anne something, and it’s the same reason she protects Anne when she goes in a murder spree, but I do have the feeling that this is also a relationship that morphs a lot, you know?
I mean I haven’t even finished s2 yet, and Max is hard to pin down but I think gratefulness and genuine respect is not the only things she already feels for Anne and I can see this getting stronger with time
Abigail Ashe is a sweet character stuck in a harsh and brutal narrative, but I do hope she makes it out alive - I do like how she was able to see beyond her pre conceived notions and see the crew not as monsters out of a horror story but as men - flawed, unpleasant, but still humans nonetheless.
I love that while Black Sails is like this super serious, gritty show, there are some fun sprinked in there too, like - Billy fuming while talking with Silver siding with Flint and gaining the men’s trust and Randall telling Billy “We like him :)” and then Silver fuming because he knows he can’t just conveniently kill Billy to keep his mouth shut because Randall is also there and telling him “We like him too :))”
