Season two of the acclaimed Starz series Black Sails came to a close on Saturday with the final episode wrapping up the ongoing storylines of the season and leaving open some new questions as well.
During the second season Captain Flint lost command of the crew and his captaincy and fought to regain it. The season also brought Flint and John Silver closer as they found themselves aligning and conspiring together with the Spanish treasure as their mutual goal. Of course, the two still kept their own secrets.
Another thread throughout the season was the reveal of Flint’s past, living in London as an officer in the Royal Navy prior to his turn to piracy. Through a series of flashbacks it is revealed how Flint and Mrs. Barlow met and the nature of their relationship, along with a betrayal, and Flints ultimate fall from civilization. Flint and Mrs. Barlow’s past come back to greet them, when they find that the daughter of a former English friend turned Charleston, SC governor has been kidnapped by pirates. Flint and Barlow devise a plan to return the girl to her father in hopes of receiving a pardon in return. That ultimately goes sour, as we find at the end of this final episode.
The main romantic relationships between Eleanor Guthrie, Max, and Vane, as well as Anne Bonny and Rackham were all shaken up this season. The new love triangle became Anne, Rackham, and Max, leading to Anne and Rackham questioning their relationship and loyalties to each other that have stood for a long time. Vain and Eleanor fall in and out of love yet again, this time Eleanor is the betrayer to Vane, taking a prized treasure from him. The second to last episode of the season brought a major twist of fate to Eleanor Guthrie as she was arrested for conspiring with pirates and sent to England just after burying her father, who was murdered by Charles Vane in retaliation. Phew, things got pretty crazy. This new journey for Eleanor leads me to wonder what is in store for her character in season three and very much hoping this is not the last we’ll see of her character.
This last episode began feeling more like the prequel for Treasure Island. I really enjoyed this past season and felt the story was very solid as its own entity, but sort of forgot about the direction it is ultimately heading. John Silver is the main link from this story to Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel and the final episode brings to life the fated loss of Silver’s leg as well as a new found devotion to the crew, not just himself. It leads me to wonder if Flint and crew will get closer to the Spanish gold, which for the moment is in the hands of other characters who had been seeking the treasure for themselves.
And, yes, season three is happening. Filming has already begun, set to be released in January of next year. The Black Sails team has already released a sneak preview, which introduces the newest character, Blackbeard to be played by Ray Stevenson (Rome, Dexter).
Neptune Your Dial 