Black Sails 1x02 Reaction

The analysis that Lola tried to make of Flint at the end is very very insightful, and closer than she realizes to the core of the character. And another thing, one of the main reasons that Flint was as brutal as he was in the fight with Singleton was that he had just heard from Billy that the crew thought of him as weak. So he probably had that in his mind to disprove to them.

AlexBoss

I feel that so much - their enthusiasm for the show as a whole felt great, and normally they’re quite empathetic, but they just did not get Max and it made their reactions really hard to watch. Max wasn’t the only one I felt like they misunderstood and wrongly disliked either.

cosmotron

That’s exactly one of the reaction channels I was talking about, lol. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVED their enthusiasm for the show, they absolutely loved it and still ranks Black Sails as one of the best shows they have ever reacted to, but their misunderstanding/dislike of Max, really soured their reactions for me. It was the one thing I was upset about, mainly because it felt like they weren’t even trying to understand her character.

Nyeisha Melvina Clark

i thought a few times about changing the profile pic, but if ever do now i must change it to another pingu pictures. wouldn't want to confuse people lol

sand_fl

I feel that sooo much about other reaction channels - I have scoured through them to find ones that actually *get* Max. Like I normally love Blindwave, but I tried to rewatch their reactions to this show and had to bail after this episode because they straight up didn’t get the scene between Max and Eleanor at all.

cosmotron

Absolutely, Max is one of my favorite characters and I remember watching other reaction channels react to this show and they didn’t like her or appreciate her because they didn’t take the time to understand her, I KNOW that I won’t have to worry about that problem with LM.

Nyeisha Melvina Clark

Thank you!!! Like The Wire, I can’t wait to get their perspective.

Nyeisha Melvina Clark

@TeaDrinker3000 Sent you a request 😉

HenryM

A lot of the background people are actually South African, not English, including the handjob guy.

Wanda Did Nothing Wrong

His pirate name really should be Billy Biceps instead of Billy Bones lmao

cosmotron

"Fucking Billy Biceps over here needs to calm down" is such a brilliant line, I'm going to use that whenever possible. But yeah fr, there were veins on his arms that were bigger than my hopes and dreams for the future.

TeaDrinker3000

FINALLY. This reactions first mention of Billy's arms. Fucking Billy Biceps over here needs to chill. I'm really pleased with how we're responding to these first few episodes. They aren't popular, so it means you all will really groove with what's to come. 😊

Isaac

I've really enjoyed reading all your thoughts about the show so far! Also lmao we've got Milena calling him Wayne and you calling him Zane...we just need one more name that rhymes with Vane and we have a boy band!

cosmotron

Wait, you're NOT an adorable penguin? I'm shocked

cosmotron

Just read through the whole thread, so interesting so far! I'm very pressed for time so I'm going to just paste in some points that I quickly got down the other night: - So right off the bat, I liked this episode a whole lot more. It had a slower pace compared to 1, which I liked. It's kinda rare to see a show have the 2nd episode slower than the pilot, but it worked here. The episode was far easier for me to follow than the first. - Wih the opening, they built up the relationship between El and Max so well in this scene and the previous episode that it led to a really satisfying pay-off in THAT scene later on. - The man that Max was **attending** to before John Silver bursts in the room was clearly an English actor doing an Irish accent. It's a big pet peeve of mine as English productions are notorious for doing it. We're not a million miles away, they can take a ferry just to get to us if they wanted 🙃🙃🙃😂 - Conversely, Anne Bonny is a very famous Irish pirate, but she spent many years in London, hence why *she* has an English accent. Props for accuracy! - The second watch of 1x01 drastically improved my perception of Eleanor and this one really sealed the deal. The 'break-up' scene between herself and Max was fantastic, the first great scene of the series so far for me 😁 - Johnny Boy keeping it the schedule all in his head is an interesting approach - HOW BIG WERE BILLY'S FUCKING ARMS?!?!?!?!?! - I love how Scott (El's retainer) has been introduced as a kind of 'voice of the audience type'. We got that a bit during Flint's scene detailing his plan - Flint is going to be a fantastic character, I fucking feel that shit - It does seem like Max will continue to get story, which is great She ain't down and out yet - I really liked this episode because it establishes that this is a series where actions have consequences. Case in point being Zack making it clear to Zane that Flint's actions were there to prevent a mutiny against him. - The staring down of Zane and Flint with El in the middle reminded me sooooo much of Lost (we have to go BACK!) Okay, that's it. Work starts in an hour and I haven't left the house yet. Looking forward to watching more!!!

TeaDrinker3000

Glad to see you're watching with us Nyeisha!

TeaDrinker3000

Pingu!! 😭😭😭 If it's okay I'm just going to imagine that this is you IRL, it's adorable

TeaDrinker3000

I was halfway through reading your comment and was about to make the GOT comparison, and then your second paragraph just went ahead and did it hahaha

TeaDrinker3000

Cosmo that's an absolutely excellent interpretation of Vane and Eleanor that I wouldn't have gotten myself. Nice work!

TeaDrinker3000

You should do it to assert dominance 😀

TeaDrinker3000

Totally agree about believing they would love the show because of the characters. And that they would understand characters like Max and Eleanor. Oddly enough it was once I watched one of their Game of Thrones reactions and saw how much they loved Sansa that I knew I wanted them to react to this show lol. Like, Max is of course different in a lot of ways but she and Sansa are kind of similar characters.

cosmotron

I must be neutral af then because I don’t currently have my discord pic as my patreon pic.

Melkor

Lola: "Your gender is whatever your picture is" Me: "Ah, lovely. How clear for her and everyone else reading my comments 🙂"

TeaDrinker3000

Henry if you want you can add me on Discord, my username is Dalecooper9919 , to discuss BlackSails further 👊

TeaDrinker3000

Goddamnit I still can't watch it but I will (and will join in on discussions) soon!!

TeaDrinker3000

I remember reading an article once that said that people's memories back in these times were so much better and sharper because they didn't have the option of just googling things, so whatever information they got that could be useful they had to memorize, so I do think it's possible for Silver to memorize the page. Also it just goes to show how smart he actually is, and that's what makes him dangerous. I think it's important to point out that there are no heroes in this show, like we see in this episode, everyone has their own agendas and are very comfortable with doing horrible things to achieve those agendas. One of the main reasons why I always believed you ladies would love this show is because it's one of those shows where you have to look beyond a characters actions, and look at their motivations and why they are the way they are. It's the perfect show in terms of character depth, which I know you ladies enjoy, and judging by your reviews of characters like Max and Eleanor, I can already tell you ladies will do great at characterizing the others, but that was a given!!!!!

Nyeisha Melvina Clark

Sounds like a content buffet, if you ask me!

Isaac

I'm pretty sure they do celebrate, just on January 7th instead of December 25th. Orthodox countries have different dates for Christmas and Easter.

Rynsen

They said before that it's due to Serbia not celebrating Christmas, but I like to think that they were too embarassed to admit that our comments are the only gift they could ever ask for on Christmas 🥲

TeaDrinker3000

Really ? U now why ? It s a country thing?

Vicente de Paulo Guimaraes Priante

Probably unchanged, as they don't celebrate Christmas

TeaDrinker3000

lmao that's so true

cosmotron

How will be there cristmas and new year schedule ?

Vicente de Paulo Guimaraes Priante

ok, i'm just now starting the video and i'm dying 'i don't know your gender, whatever your picture is, i'm like... that' hxhdjjs me watching this while eating https://youtu.be/OvOrbWggMTs?feature=shared

sand_fl

When they watched Arcane she would call Vi 'Why' and it was the best

Jay Craig

I can't believe you're already at the second episode of black sails while I didn't even start the wire yet😭 I'm so far behind

sakurabraus

Lol

Melkor

How has no one told them yet that the correct way to pronounce his name is “fuck you Jack” 🤣

Wanda Did Nothing Wrong

There will be tears

Basjvw

Oh I agree, I think that’s absolutely a factor at play here. He definitely recognizes Max and throws the idea of Eleanor protecting her out like the idea itself is an insult. The fact that it’s Max doing this, not just some other prostitute, definitely feeds into his reaction. I imagine it would have likely escalated in the same manner with someone else, but not as quickly.

cosmotron

"Do you really think I'm THAT pathetic?" But perhaps there was also some jealousy and resentment from Vane towards the relationship Max has with Eleanor. I'm thinking about the way he enters the room and exclaims "you" upon realizing she was the informant, and Rackham seems also a bit surprised of the overreaction. He recognizes her, and we already know there was a past relationship between him and Eleanor. Maybe his irrational reaction to Max is also connected to the previous talk with Eleanor. He feels anger and humiliation after that conversation, and then Max appears as the perfect victim to target, and wanted to kill her. I just see this as another layer to consider but maybe I'm overanalyzing , because we already know that he is established as a violent and sociopathic character, not only from this scene but also from the previous episode and later in this episode.

refo44

Yeah the painting scene is *chef's kiss* every time. Never gets old. I agree about Vane and your overall point about the characters. I certainly didn't like Vane at this point, and I don't think the writers mean for you to. The fact that some people still do (for a variety of reasons: just liking his performance, enjoying villainous characters, thinking the actor is hot, or whatever) isn't really surprising. Though it certainly does annoy me whenever I see stuff from people hating on Max and Eleanor while loving Vane, because *that* has never made sense. The discussion about all that isn't as bad as it used to be, but it still annoys me every time I see it.

cosmotron

"Let me tell you a story about a Spaniard named Vasquez..." Already, so much of this show has depended on stories that are told. Whether it's the 'story' surrounding pirate captains that make people fear them, as seen in the way people react to Flint or Vane's name. To the 'story' that Flint tells to convince people Singleton took the page, and on and on. I won't try to repeat Game of Thrones comparisons too much, but it's hard to not think of the finale where Tyrion talks about the importance of stories and it comes out of nowhere. Here in Black Sails the idea/power of stories and storytelling has been established as a consistent thing since episode one. And I'll have more to say about it as the show goes on.

cosmotron

I didn’t know about your sacrifice, thank you for giving us the full and edited at the same time a few days ago!

My Toasty Toast

The scene with the fake art painting was really funny. I almost cried from laughing. At this point, I don't think anyone could like Captain Vane's character. I remember initially despising him, especially when compared to Flint. However, it's important to remember that these characters are not heroes. They are ruthless criminals striving to survive and be free in a cruel era. They are capable of committing atrocities to save their own lives or for their own ambitions or hopes. That is part of the conflict inherent in these antiheroes. Real historical pirates were indeed known for committing various atrocities. Some, like Bartholomew Roberts, Edward Teach (also known as Blackbeard), and Charles Vane, were more brutal. Usually, pirates tried to instill fear because, once they had built a reputation for being cruel, their enemies would often surrender without a fight upon seeing their Jolly Roger (that's the name of the pirate flag).

refo44

Naq fur jvyy nyy ohg fnl fur fubhyq unir pubfra qvssreragyl yngre va f4. V ybir ubj ure eryngvbafuvc jvgu Znk pbagvahrf gb or n pbzcyvpngrq naq ynlrerq guvat, rira jura gurve ebznapr vf bire.

cosmotron

I too am tempted to call him Wayne lol, he deserves it right now

cosmotron

Okay, gotta talk about that Eleanor and Vane conversation. One of the things I love about this show is how often it allows its characters to be more than one thing. Eleanor doesn't give Vane and his crew leads for both business reasons, and personal ones. And while she only claims to be doing it for the business reasons, I just think it's interesting that both are obviously the truth. So Vane isn't wrong to say it's personal, but Eleanor isn't wrong either. In fact, the prostitute she saw with all the bruises was visited by a member of "the Ranger crew", which is Vane's crew. So we see very demonstrably that she has a fair point about him. So, yeah, I like that the show establishes characters carrying both pragmatism and emotion at the same time. Vane's behavior in that scene is interesting as well. He starts very soft. Almost awkward. And then it turns to anger over the course of the conversation. Reminds me of him asking Max if "she thinks I'm really that pathetic" while pathetically choking her out. It also establishes that, even if he does understand parts of Eleanor, there is more about her that he has never understood. That's likely a big part of why their relationship didn't last (though also I imagine because they probably fought every five minutes).

cosmotron

That discussion is why I knew you guys watching Black Sails would be so rewarding. I knew you'd get characters like Max and Eleanor, you'd be intrigued by Flint and want to know more, and that you'd pick up on there being hints toward bigger things. I've talked quite a bit about Flint, Eleanor, and Max, so let's talk about the other characters here. John Silver. We've really learned quite a bit about him based on his actions: he's very smart (sometimes recklessly so) and is out to survive. He's not interested in helping anyone but himself at the end of the day, as can be seen when he is watching Vane storm in on Max and Jack. Not that Silver could have done much against Vane, but when he asks for a weapon it's easy to think at first he is going to help Max. Instead he just...keeps watching. And of course he puts the old men at the wrecks forward to meet with Vane and Jack rather than himself. It's hard to blame him too much - he's never pretended to be trying to do anything else. But him memorizing the schedule really is a brilliant move, and one that cements the kind of character he is. Ur'f Wbua Fvyire naq ur'f tbg n ybat shpxvat zrzbel. Jack and Anne! Not too much from them yet: mostly just the impression that Jack is smart and Anne is the muscle. She doesn't have to say a lot, her glare and cutlass speak for her. Though, of course, we do notice that she sees Max fleeing at the end of the episode, and Anne is a part of Vane's crew... Gates and Billy clearly have a close dynamic. Billy isn't afraid to confide in him or look to him for advice, and it's just as obvious that Gates is affectionate toward him. Billy really does come off a bit like a kid here, and Gates is trying to help him understand more about the world, and why he and Flint would be looking to do something other than thieve someday. A few facts! We mentioned it in the post for the first episode, but so far the real life pirates you have met are Anne Bonny, Jack Rackham, and Charles Vane. Real life Vane also had a reputation for being rather cruel, even for a pirate. Anne's costume details - a big hat and her red hair - are supposed to be accurate to the real one as well. Jack in turn was a pirate known for dressing more flamboyantly, and another commenter mentioned that he was the inspiration for Jack Sparrow.

cosmotron

Your Rot13 is very true. And yeah I love Jack as well - he's not my favorite but that's only because there are so many good characters.

cosmotron

Jack is the best definitely. He’s smart, rational (mostly), hilarious and witty. He tries so hard to be the moderate voice on Vane’s crew as well to varying success. The diplomat Vane doesn’t deserve.

Melkor

I think it's cute, the dark side it's tempting. As for Silver, I really like his ability to avoid physical confrontations using only his wit, makes for some interesting situations

HenryM

I always have seen comments from people saying she’s bad in this show and I’ve never understood it

cosmotron

Feels spoilery to say as much here

cosmotron

I agree, Jessica Parker Kennedy delivered an awesome performance on that scene.

refo44

Silver is both funny and very smart as has been shown and will continue to be shown. Very resourceful as well but not really a fighter.

Melkor

Inar'f qrirybczrag vf fbzrguvat gb orubyq. Vg gnxrf n gnyragrq npgbe gb fryy lbh ba n punenpgre lbh'er qrgrezvarq gb ungr naq Mnpu qbrf whfg gung. Jack is far and away my favorite character, so it really sucked watching him take a dive with those pearls. He puts in so much work on the tactical/diplomatic front of The Ranger.

Isaac

It’s not bloody Wayne don’t join the dark side alongside her.

Melkor

I agree with Lola, If I had to memorize that page with my life at stake, my ass would have been killed immediately. I also don't think it's too far-fetched for Silver to memorize it (since quill pens and paper might have not been that abundantly available at that time for him to copy it). It's been shown to us how smart he is at avoiding capture so far. He's been keeping a cool head to pull all this off since the very first scene in episode 1, so him memorizing the page made sense to me. I watched episode 3 last night and can't wait to hear your thoughts on it. I also love the way Milena pronounces Vane as "Wayne", I'm gonna call him that from now on lol

HenryM

cosmotron comments are compulsory study material for the Black Sails reactions :D

Isaac

ehh, I don't think saying as much is convincing. They may or may not change their opinion of him over time, and I wouldn't blame them if they didn't.

cosmotron

Oh, and since you guys don't seem familiar with Treasure Island I won't mention it much outside of ROT13. I will say though, that if you have an image in your head of what a stereotypical pirate would be: wooden leg, parrot, etc, that image comes from a character in Treasure Island. The connections it has with Black Sails isn't something you need to know, though it does provide other angles to look at it from, and that can make for interesting discussions.

cosmotron

Since you guys mentioned some of my comments, I'll clarify my pronouns are indeed she/her haha. Oh, and I'm glad that you were both enjoying the comment section so much! Someone else mentioned the currency before, but I think a single 'piece of eight' would roughly be equivalent to fifty or sixty U.S. dollars tody. So a few thousand of them would be quite a lot. If someone else knows better though, please correct me. I mentioned it in the post for the full reaction, but that "fruit fruit, tits its, plant plant" bit makes me cackle every time. I love that this show isn't afraid to be funny, despite being largely serious. The moment where Vane bursts in on Max and Jack's deal is so frightening, and shows direct and unforeseen consequences to Flint/Billy lying about the page. "Do you really think I'm THAT pathetic?!" Vane screams at a defenseless woman he's strangling. Yeah, that's not pathetic at all my guy. Gur zber V guvax ba vg, gur zber V ernyvmr ubj zhpu tebjgu Inar ernyyl qbrf tb guebhtu. Ur vf cngurgvp urer, ab znggre gur sebag ur chgf ba bgurejvfr. Ohg nsgre ur vf "erobea", naq rfcrpvnyyl bapr ur npghnyyl nyyvrf jvgu gur bgure cvengrf, ur npghnyyl svaqf uvf checbfr.

cosmotron

Melkor

I thought it the very first time I saw this episode, and I think it again every time I rewatch it: Imagine if Eleanor had made the right choice here. Oh IMAGINE.

JBK405

You got this man ✊

HenryM

Damn sounds horrible good luck.

Melkor

I really wish i could watch the full reaction and this review right now but I only got back from work an hour ago and I'm due back in 10 hours from now for a 12-hour long shift. Pray for me guys 😭😭😭

TeaDrinker3000

Theres 100% some parallels between the two characters too. Good fan casting.

MOB12

I like the relationships we see with the Captain and Quartermaster of two different crews. Flint and Gates, and Jack and Vane. Both Quartermasters have to kind of try to reel in their captains, just in different ways. And while Jack is the planner for Vane, Flint is clearly the one making all the plans and Gates helps make them happen.

cosmotron

Milena watched 3 episodes a couple years ago and told her what happened. If theres anything to get spoiled on thats also a bit of a trigger warning, that one makes sense.

MOB12

My pleasure : )

Melkor

Aww thanks

cosmotron

What how does Lola know what happens in ep 3?

Melkor

I haven't seen the review yet, but glad to know I'm not alone in thinking this 😄

HenryM

Damn I need to catch up. I haven’t watched episode one yet lol stupid busy holiday season.

Jack SV

Omg yeah I totally see that being a great live action version of him your so right. How did I never think of that.

Melkor

i dont know if you saw the review but i said that he reminds me a bit of askelads in it

LM Reactions

Back when they were watching Vinland, I mentioned in a few comments that Askeladd reminded me of a certain character from Black Sails, so...yeah I get it.

cosmotron

A bit random, but the more I look at Flint's actor, the more I think he'd be perfect cast for a live action version of Askeladd

HenryM

Read all of Cosmotron’s comments on the last episode as well LM Reactions. You will appreciate the show more if you do.

Melkor

Oh yeah, and this episode more properly introduces Idelle, the prostitute who was with Silver during Max's meeting with Jack. She's a great side character, and I love the moment where she pulls out a sword after Silver asks if she "perhaps has a heavy shoe" to use as a weapon lol.

cosmotron

Like last time, I wrote this up beforehand, and will add more comments as I watch the reaction. I really like that we open on Eleanor and Max in another kind of intimate scene. This is clearly an established relationship: Eleanor confides in Max about her worries, they’re playful with each other, and Eleanor lets herself run late because her and Max just can’t help having sex one more time. I think these scenes do a lot to let us feel their relationship, which is good considering it’s about to get torn apart. In the last episode, Max told Eleanor that she was her safe harbor. Max thought that the reverse would be true as well, but in this episode Eleanor makes a choice that proves her wrong. :( More on that later though. Other things to highlight here: Eleanor is worried about the future of Nassau, and specifically about the possibility of England taking it back or an attack from Spain. She mentions the bad shape the island was in before, and this is based on real events where Nassau in the early 1700s was raided by combined French and Spanish forces. They completely sacked Nassau, destroyed the fort, and pretty much burned everything. They killed roughly a third of the people living there, and though the occupation was brief, those who survived had an extremely tough time rebuilding afterward. Within the show, it’s clear that Eleanor’s dad didn’t do much to improve that, and it’s been her and Scott who have done the work to get Nassau back on track. And of course, this all ties into why she is so enthralled by what Flint is trying to do. He’s looking to build a future here. The way he talks about it, it’s like he can see it right there in front of him. Pirates just being farmers. Normal people. And Flint? Well, he’s talked about being King, and I don’t doubt that. Yet what he says here implies something else entirely, and it feels true as well. “Odysseus, on his journey home to Ithica, is visited by a ghost. The ghost tells him that once he reaches his home, once he slays all his enemies and sets his house in order, he must do one last thing before he can rest. The ghost tells him to pick up an oar and walk inland, until someone mistakes that oar for a shovel. For that would be the place that no man had ever been troubled by the sea, and that’s where he’d find peace.” Quite a contrast from “I am your King” isn’t it? This is…something I will have to discuss later. But it’s important to note. Tbq, guvf vf NABGURE guvat gung whfg fgnof lbh va gur urneg jura lbh'ir frra gur jubyr fubj. We’ve already seen Flint be very intense, but there’s something softer about him here. Dreamy, almost. And of course the way Toby Stephens delivers all of this is wonderful, and you watch as his words and his complete belief in them totally take in Eleanor as well. And why not? He’s describing something she wants too: a future for Nassau, one that would allow them to resist invasion. And she could be one of the people making it happen. We are only two episodes in but it’s clear that Flint and Eleanor have a lot of similarities. The other big thing I wanna talk about is the scene where Eleanor asks Max for the page. It’s painful, both actresses do a great job. Max’s desperation combined with complete belief in her own words, that they can make it together and build a life. That what they have is more important than the mere “sand” that is Nassau. That line, “it is just sand, it cannot love you back” really hits. As does her analysis of Eleanor here: “Everyone you’ve ever loved has left and that terrifies you!” I’ll talk more about that as the show goes on, but I think Max is very much right. And it’s so easy to see how well they’d be able to do together. No matter what happened they’d be able to figure it out, because we know how smart and capable they both are, even though we are only two episodes in. You can see in the way Eleanor reacts to everything Max says that she feels the truth of it, *knows* Max is right, *wants* to say yes…but she can’t bring herself to. She wants that future for Nassau. Wants to prove that *she* can make it happen. After all, building Nassau is what she’s based so much of her life around. Her father never even believed she could do it, but look what she’s done for Nassau so far. This place is who she is. Isn’t it? Honestly, I think it’s a very layered scene, and it totally makes sense for Eleanor to do what she does. But that doesn’t make the choice any less of a terrible betrayal. Max tries to get her to admit to what it means: “Say it! I want her to say that she would sit there and watch as they BEAT ME to get the answer out of me to save this place.” And Eleanor can’t say it, but her lack of reply is as good as an answer in itself. That is what would happen, and everyone there knows it, even if Eleanor can’t verbally admit it. Is ashamed of its truth. And of course, that’s why her promise to protect Max rings so hollow. You can’t promise to protect someone after it’s been made clear you’d let them get beaten for the sake of information. Max’s reaction to all of this is completely understandable and utterly heartbreaking. There are people out there who think Jessica Parker Kennedy is a bad actress and not good in this role and I just??? Don’t???? Understand???? And we end on Flint arriving at a house where a woman is seemingly expecting him. For those curious, she’s playing a harpsichord, which is kind of similar to a pipe organ. It’s mostly associated with Renaissance and Baroque music. The invention of the piano basically replaced them, but they were somewhat common in the time period the show is set. They have a really lovely sound and play a bit differently than a piano: it requires a deep understanding of how to properly tune it, and that can be difficult from what I’ve read. Though of course, the real point of discussion is the woman playing it. Who is she? More importantly, who is she to Flint? Naq bu obl, jung n pbzcyrk nafjre gung vf. Gurl ernyyl qb unir n ynlrerq naq vagrerfgvat eryngvbafuvc. Fhpu n zvkgher bs ybir naq erfragzrag naq tevrs naq thvyg. Gur guvat juvpu unf ehvarq gurz vf nyfb jung xrrcf gurz gbtrgure, gur bayl barf jub haqrefgnaq jung gurl unir ybfg. Can’t wait to see what everyone thinks of this one! And the rest going forward. :)

cosmotron

Yayy

Melkor