Previously on Black Sails, Eleanor pretended to be the Governor while he was unconscious and hanged Vane; Blackbeard found out and set sail; Billy helped Vane’s death mean the beginning of a resistance; and Flint’s war officially kicked off.
Throughout this whole episode, Flint and Silver have a conversation around the hole where Flint buries the treasure chest. It flashes back and forth, but mostly the timing of it doesn’t matter, just the conversation does. We’ll check in on them here and there, but hopefully it doesn’t get too confusing in recap layout.
Flint tells Silver that he’s impressed at how Silver has gotten the people of Maroon island to trust him; for example, the Empress of the island was okay with Flint hiding the treasure and not telling her where it was, as long as Silver was one of the few people who did know.
Silver tells Flint that he used to think Flint’s anger caused storms, and that maybe that’s an exaggeration but maybe there’s a hint of truth to it. That maybe they’re chasing Flint’s demons. And if he’s going to keep following him, Silver has some questions.
And the fighting begins.
On Jack’s ship, Anne is worried that they’re sailing directly INTO the bedlam.
They see British ships coming from the east, and the quartermaster wants to retreat, but Mustachio Jack knows Flint would never stand for that. After hearing what kind of fleet it is, he decides to go toward the ships instead.
After some bloody and clever fighting on land, Flint calls his men to retreat under the cloak of smoke bombs. The British captain is ready to chase them, but Hornigold warns him that Flint is smarter than that and that this retreat is part of the plan. The Brit isn’t totally convinced, but that’s why Eleanor sent Hornigold in the first place.
On Nassau, Max goes to see Eleanor to tell her about a letter a gentleman found in his home.
The note has a black spot on it and insists they take down Vane’s body from where it hangs in the square. Max says maybe they should listen, but one of the Governor’s men is worried it would look weak. Max would rather be alive and perceived weak than the alternative, but that’s the difference between women and men in charge.
Eleanor agrees with him, though, despite seeming to hate saying so.
She says that they can’t directly respond to the note, but that they should take the body down after three days.
She’s called back to the governor’s room, and Max is concerned that Eleanor disagreed with her.
When Eleanor gets to Rogers’ room, he’s awake and looking out the window at Vane’s body. She’s worried about his reaction, knowing how it probably looks to him, but he says that he knows it took courage to do what she did. He says her enemies are his enemies; he’s on her side, much to Eleanor’s relief.
Jack and Anne board one of the ships and find Blackbeard and his crew. Blackbeard tells them Vane is dead at the hands of the governor, but Jack knows Eleanor was behind it. He vows to get even, but first, they have a war to win.
At their little bonding campfire, Flint tells Silver about Thomas, and while he’s not scandalized, he is worried that this adds another number to the data that suggests everyone who gets close to Flint dies. Silver isn’t TOO worried about it, though; he’s pretty sure if it came down to him or Flint, he would come out on top. He tells Flint that to prove he’s a different leader than him; he sent Dobbs, the man he recently punished, to deal with Hornigold, because where Flint would be resented, Silver believes Dobbs will want to gain Silver’s trust back. Flint would definitely not have made this decision, and hopes Silver knows what he’s doing. Otherwise, this war is already lost.
And when Dobbs is faced with Hornigold, he throws down his gun. He says he’s sick of Flint and his men and is willing to help Hornigold end this war. To prove his loyalty, he asks Dobbs to shoot a member of his crew, and Dobbs does it practically before the order is out of Hornigold’s mouth.
On the island, Princess Madi goes to the hideout to tell her mother that she’s going above ground to stand by the men in this war.
Her mother is sad, but she doesn’t fight it.
Back in Nassau, Mrs. Mapleton asks Max why she hasn’t moved to find out what Idelle has been up to or who she was working with, and most importantly why she hasn’t told Eleanor yet, but Max says she doesn’t need to make new enemies right now.
As they walk down the street, a body swings in front of them. The man who ignored the black spot has been hanged.
On the ship, Jack gives Blackbeard advice that he actually takes, prompting Anne to ask why they suddenly trust him. Jack says he’s one of the only people who hasn’t tried to kill them, and plus they all have Vane in common. The battle cry sounds and Anne says she’ll see him on the other side of the war.
Anne goes below deck and shimmies out of a cannon hole, swimming in the ocean like a beautiful pirate mermaid.
On the island, Hornigold is feeling super smug when he sees Dobbs smirking and realizes he’s made a horrible mistake. Just as Silver predicted, Dobbs did exactly as they wanted because Silver is that rare but powerful combination of liked and feared.
So suddenly the British find themselves out-gunned, out-manned, out-numbered and, most importantly, out-planned.
Anne and her fellow pirates swim onto the opposing ship and finally gets to do some proper pirating.
She helps turn the tide of the war, and she looks damn good doing it.
On the island, Flint shoots Hornigold and looks him in the eye, so he’s the last thing Hornigold sees as he dies. As the British sound their retreat, he shouts after them to tell their governor that he’s coming.
Flint tells Silver that he’s not worried about this supposed curse Silver seems to think follows him; he’s survived too much to worry about anything his protege can bring.
In their hideout on Nassau, Billy and the kids cook up a pirate’s tale to strike fear in the hearts of the people. Idelle is worried no one will believe it because it’s all lies. Besides, does Silver know they’re using his name to spread fish tales?
Billy says Silver won’t mind. He’s seen Nassau follow madmen, rich men, tyrannical men, and Eleanor Guthrie; he knows if they play this right they’ll follow Silver like he was their king. And he knows Silver will accept the crown they forge happily.
Max gets the letter Billy wrote and reads it to the important people on the island. It says that the black spots must not be ignored and that this is only the beginning. It says that the people on the island have to choose now, between Rogers and Flint, essentially, and that this is only the beginning of a brave new world. It’s signed by Long John Silver, and just like that, a legend is born.
What did you think of “XXVIII”? Are you also devastated that we have to wait until January to see the rest of the war play out? What was your favorite thing about this season? What do you hope to see next season? I’m in denial about this season being over, so I need you to tell me everything your pirate-loving heart is feeling!
