Black Sails, S3 E1- XIX

I set fire, to the village!

Season Two of Black Sails saw many deaths, hookups, and pirates’ plans go awry. Judging from this season premiere episode alone, Season 3 is going to be just as crazy. The episode begins within the deep blue sea. In Bath, Carolina, to be precise, where three men board a boat. They’re brothers to the captain’s wife, Mary, and are in desperate need to talk to him. The captain, Drummond, doesn’t even turn around to correct the men’s lies about him. For starters though, his name is Teach. Us viewers know who this is: the infamous Blackbeard (Ray Stevenson). Gun shots blare and the visitors are no more. I’d like to note the great cinematography choice (camera angle?) they made in only showing Teach’s eyes before the big reveal; keeps things more on edge and suspenseful.

After the (still) killer opening credits, we see several cloaked men destroying a village. They’re killing whomever gets in their way, destroying property, etc. One cloaked man heads into an elderly couple’s bedroom. A removal of his head covering moments later and, it’s a newly shaven Captain Flint! He and his crew are killing anyone who would outright punish/kill pirates. A discussion about this isn’t going to sway Flint’s mind, like the elderly man thinks. He shoots both him and his wife in the forehead and obviously has no regrets about. However, the wife’s body does send him into the memory he has of Miranda Barlow’s death. Man is clearly not grieving very well. Even Billy Bones and John Silver agree.

On another boat, Vane has been sent on a wild goose chase thanks to Jack Rackham, to locate another boat and their cargo. The cargo, which the captain is trying to dump, is human beings: slaves. Rackham sent him after a slaver to keep him occupied. Vane does what he does best: saves the slaves from drowning, steals the ship, and sends the captain into the ocean with an anchor tied to him where he’ll drown horribly.

Is it just me or is her French accent toned down?

Nassau is completely different nowadays. With my girl, Eleanor Guthrie, not in charge anymore, the entire town is a free for all. Max has even composed a parody Eleanor trial to appease the Eleanor haters. I don’t care if it’s good for business, Max, that is not good ex behavior on your part. Mr. Scott agrees. He also asks her how the Fort’s repairs are coming along. She replies as if nothing is wrong, but in reality she has no idea what Jack’s doing on the issue. Cue her girlfriend, Anne, to do the asking.

Jack’s house (manor) is a nuthouse. There’s girls gallivanting around, men following said girls, booze splattered everywhere, aka: The Real World: Nassau. We find Jack trying to enjoy a nice time on the toilet (which we’ve seen too many times already), when Anne interrupts. Jack asks if her “husband” Max made her come here. I can’t decide whether to chuckle at that nickname or shake my head over the gender norms. Maxanne just want to know what the plan with their gold is on the fort! So does Vane, who grunts his way into Jack’s room. After the boat distraction, he’s pissed! Jack tells them a sob story on not wanting to let anyone down, but being rich is hard, guys! Every worker he comes across expects double or triple pay, and ends up backing out when those demands are met. Since Vane is oddly moved by the story, he allows for the newly rescued slaves to reconstruct the Fort. Soon Nassau will be back to its glory. Just wait a second on that Vane.

Something’s fishy, and it isn’t Long John Silver’s menu

On Flint’s boat, he smells something fishy a ways yonder in the ocean. And I’m not talking about the fish. They come across an entirely empty ship, with a dead captain positioned in his office. “We die alone,” is scrawled numerous times in the book in front of him. Why on earth would an unarmed, uninhibited ship (minus the dead captain), be a sitting duck in the middle of the ocean? Because it’s a trap, that’s why. Lead by our favorite people to hate (kidding, that role goes to Vane, the majority of the time. I just hate these guys.): Hornigold and Nerd Pirate 2.0. They relay to Flint and his crew that they’ll be pardoned if they surrender. “Surrender” is not in James Flint’s vocabulary; he’d rather direct the ship into the worst storm imaginable (which is what he does), than surrender to them.

“We crack Charles Vane, and then we crack the lock on Nassau’s governance.”
“Say crack again.”
“Crack.”

Lastly, let’s see how our (my) favorite former tavern owner and Nassau ruling blonde is doing. She’s resided in a dank prison this entire time, looking worse for the wear. Fortunately for her, she won’t have to be stuck in this dungeon much longer. A well dressed man by the name of Rogers bails her out. On one condition: she tells him the key to ruling New Providence/Nassau. Without skipping a beat, she scribbles Charles Vane’s name down. You eliminate him, Nassau is yours.

This could be easier said then done, as we see Edward Teach rolling up to Nassau seeking a dear ol’ friend of his: Charles Vane.

Thoughts on the season three premiere episode of 3.01: “XIX”?

Next recap: Let’s see how calm everyone is before the big, bad storm.