Archive

“Black Sails” recap (1.03): Two Fawns

Previously on Black Sails, Flint wanted to lead the charge to find a Spanish Treasure ship, but he needs the ship’s schedule, which Silver memorized and burned; Mustachio lost 5,000 pesos worth of pearls; Max begged Eleanor to leave Nassau with her, but Eleanor refused, asking Max to stay with her on the island instead. Max, heartbroken, chose to leave in the dark of the night instead.

Last we left Captain Flint, he had collapsed on the threshold of a mysterious woman’s house, who didn’t seem all that surprised to see him. He wakes up in her house the next morning, and she dutifully tends to his wounds. He tells her that he’s found the ship, and she asks about the schedule, so obviously she’s in the know about Flint’s obsession. We find out her name is Miranda, and Flint wants her to watch over the wounded and kidnapped Mister Guthrie.

In Eleanor’s office, Silver is attempted to recreate the schedule with everyone watching intently NO PRESSURE. I hope he has a great memory because it’s been a whole night and he didn’t have all that much time to upload it into his brain in the first place.

Scott pulls Eleanor aside to tell her that Max snuck past her guards and left late last night. Eleanor doesn’t understand; she told Max she would protect her. She turns to Silver and tells him that he better be worth all this trouble.

Mustachio, we learn, is actually called Jack, and though according to you all in the comments, he’s famous actual pirate Calico Jack, since they have yet to drop that nickname, I think I’ll just call him Mustachio Jack. Mustachio Jack is confronted by his crew about the missing pearls. They look less than pleased and says that he better make it right, and fast.

LadyPirate is still just brooding. Flint has joined the watch-Silver-recreate-the-schedule party in Eleanor’s office, and he tells Silver that he’s missing the last bit. Silver says that he’s withholding it for life insurance. He wants on the crew, and a cut of the treasure. Flint asks what makes him think he won’t just kill him once they find the treasure, but Silver flashes his baby blues and says that Flint might just get attached to him by then.

Despite Billy’s outcries, Flint asks Eleanor if she thinks this is a fair deal, and she agrees, so it is done. She tells Flint that he’ll have the supplies he needs. Scott pulls her aside is like, “Didn’t want to say anything in front of the boys, but we don’t have all that stuff you promised them.” And with a look of deep regret, she says she’ll have to ask her father for help

Eleanor goes to Miranda’s to see her father, who stares in stony silence while Eleanor makes her plea. She starts to leave, but then she whips back around and informs him that it’s either help her, or flee to Boston, where his brother and father will mock him for being a loser. She says that she and her mother made him into the man he is, and that he doesn’t have any other choice but to help her. Billy sentences Silver to a day of peeling potatoes with the crazy chef to keep him in line, but Silver uses the position to his advantage and starts to try to figure out who might be anti-Flint. Billy tries to do the same thing, but he’s less coy about it and ends up making two of said anti-Flinters nervous.

Mr. Guthrie, apparently finding his voice once his daughter left, asks Miranda who she is to flint. She stays tight-lipped about it, but tells him to read Marcus Aurelius. She says they can discuss it after, and suddenly I wish I knew anything at all about Marcus Aurelius because it seems important.

On the other side of the island, Silver finds Billy and tells him what he knows about the mini mutiny. Billy had already known about the crazy cook and someone named Turk (who has been claiming a witch has been controlling Flint for ages), and says they’re harmless. The third man, however, is Wally, and Wally is someone Billy didn’t know was anti-Flint. Billy asks Silver why he showed him this, and Silver once again does that eye-sparkle thing and says he’s trying to earn his trust. (Sidebar: One of the other pirates gave Billy a hard time for not having gotten laid on the island yet, so I’m hoping he turns out to be gay. Silvy? Billver? I’d ship it. They’re both pretty.)

Meanwhile, Mustachio Jack tries to bond with Gates about the fact that they’re both quartermasters. Gates knows that MJ’s just laying it on thick because he’s up a creek since he lost the pearls. Mustachio Jack can’t disagree with that, but he heard that Gates is going to captain a second ship for Flint’s treasure hunt, and tries to make Gates feel guilty about his age, saying he’s too old to captain a ship.

Gates goes to Flint with this new self-doubt and says they should consider using Vane and his crew as their second ship instead. Flint laughs and says even if he did want this, why would Vane say yes?

Well, Vane would say yes because Mustachio Jack is very persuasive. He points out that maybe Vane doesn’t stand to only gain treasure, but also Eleanor’s respect. At this, Vane caves.

Mustachio Jack helps ensure this by telling Eleanor that the whole scheme was Vane’s idea.

Tensions are high, mostly because Flint has a temper (and is possibly legitimately insane) and keeps demanding an apology and repayment for the death of Mosiah and his men. Gates pulls him outside and sasses him for losing it, and when he returns, restates the question much more diplomatically. Eventually they come to terms, but Mustachio Jack wants to know who will enforce them, since he believes Eleanor to be biased in favor of Flint. He suggests her father, and Eleanor bristles at the thought, especially since he has no idea of this particular endeavor. Vane steps in and says Eleanor’s word is good enough for him and they shake on it.

On the way out, Mustachio Jack tells Vane that he has to clean up “last night’s mess” so they don’t ruin all the lovely arrangements. Vane goes into a building to find Max, naked, chained, and beaten. Vane asks why she left the protection of their mutual…friend. Max looks at him and asks him, “How did you feel when she threw you aside?” This gives Vane a bit of a soft spot for her, and even though Mustachio Jack surely meant for him to kill her, Vane orders him to put her on a boat off the island after dark. MJ asks what if she comes back, but Vane knows she won’t.

Maybe it’s because I find everything to do with Eleanor significantly more interesting than anything else on this show, but the whole Miranda/Mrs. Barlow thing was all very confusing. She had tea with a pastor while Mr. Guthrie snooped around her house, she recited some erotic poetry about palm trees to aforementioned pastor, and then dismissed him when he started inquiring about the British ships that docked a few days prior. By the time she goes back inside, Mr. Guthrie is back in bed. Later, Guthrie is reading the book Miranda gave him, and she recites more quotes about palm trees. Later, when Billy approaches Wally about why he’s anti-Flint, Wally says that he wouldn’t trust him either if he knew about Mrs. Barlow. So I imagine there’s something sinister going on, but I haven’t quite been able to put the pieces of that one together and am wide open for input/obvious clues I missed.

Eleanor goes to visit Vane, and to thank him for being on his best behavior, straddles him. They have sexytimes, and the only good thing that came of it was Eleanor’s bedhead. One thing I will give Vane is that he does seem to care about Eleanor. But Eleanor needs someone better, someone smarter.

Mustachio Jack is smuggling Max off the island when the rest of Vane’s crew stops him. They say that they’re not done with her yet, and poor Max looks terrified. While Eleanor is dressing after her tryst with Vane, she suddenly hears Max’s screams. She runs toward the sound, and shoves her way to the center of a large circle of people, who are watching–just watching–while one of Vane’s men rapes Max, right out in the open. It’s horrifying. Eleanor grabs a stick and starts beating the man on top of Max, getting him away from her. She turns to Vane and blames him for this, her eyes wide and wild. Eleanor screams at Vane’s crew, they are no longer welcome on her island. They are not welcome to her lodging, food, work, nothing. The only way they can avoid becoming beggars is to renounce Vane as captain and join Flint’s crew. Slowly, they all start walking toward Flint, a sign that they accept this deal. They’re no fools, they’re pirates. Their loyalty lies where the money is. LadyPirate takes a step, but Vane threatens her, so she reluctantly stays by his side.

Eleanor tells everyone to, “Get the fuck away from her!” and goes to Max. Eleanor pleads with Max, apologizing that Vane did this to her. Max looks up at her, broken, and says, “He didn’t do this to me, you did.” They could have left together. They could have started a new life. Eleanor said no, and Max holds that against her.

Shellshocked and surely devastated, Eleanor watches as Max approaches Vane. She says it’s her fault they’re out 5,000 pesos worth of pearls, and that she will give herself to him until the debt it paid. LadyPirate seems to like this deal. Eleanor, I imagine, feels like her whole world just came crashing down around her. She’s probably feeling a mixture of heartbreak, guilt, anger, betrayal. She probably doesn’t know who to trust anymore, including herself. Somewhere out on the sea, Max, her ears probably ringing from the intensity with which Eleanor is thinking about her, stares at the same moon. She’s probably feeling a lot of the same feelings Eleanor is feeling, plus a million more things for what she just had to endure, and what she just signed herself up for. Oof. What did you think of Episode III? How many pieces did your heart shatter into this week? Do you think there could ever be hope for Eleanor and Max to fix things, or are they broken beyond repair?

Lesbian Apparel and Accessories Gay All Day sweatshirt -- AE exclusive

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Back to top button