#black sails review

[alexwatchesshows]

Black Sails XII (S2E4) review

Before we actually get into the meat of this post, I feel the need to explain why there's such a big time gap between the last post and this. Honestly, I've just been swamped with uni. I've been writing this very gradually in bits and pieces so sorry if it feels a bit inconsistent. Hopefully I'll be writing more often during the summer.

Spoilers for up to and including E12.

"I want you to try to talk me out of it."- Thomas Hamilton

We start with Abigail Ashe alone in a cell. I don't have much to say about this starting scene other than that I just feel so awful for her. Looking at the mouldy food and still eating it was a particularly painful way of indicating just how desperate she was. Shockingly, Vane actually makes the situation somewhat better. I'm glad we didn't get another Max-esque storyline, which is a good indicator of the shift in the show's themes and tones, but also helps with the move towards portraying Vane as a more sympathetic character. Honestly, the whole Vane/Abigail dynamic is really interesting because they come from such different backgrounds but in some ways strike me as quite similar people, especially when Vane tells Abigail he cut Ned Low's head off and all she says is "good" (and she says it with such conviction)-- they're both people who've been through hell (for Vane this would have been much longer ago) and have found the strength to keep going, and I think they recognise that strength in each other. Then, on the other hand, there are the ways in which they are so obviously different from each other, to the level where it seems like they have difficulty even communicating, like when Vane is trying to ask if Peter Ashe would pay Abigail's ransom, and Abigail sees it as asking if her father loves her. Arguably this is not the point, as there are other reasons for paying the ransom (like maintaining a clean external image) and, notably, AA doesn't respond with something along the lines of "of course he loves me", but instead reassured Vane that "he'll pay what you ask", but still the fact that Vane didn't even think to frame his question in terms of love really reveals the isolation in which he must have grown up. There's also the moment when Vane asks if Abigail can write (I feel like we established that Vane is illiterate in a previous episode or maybe that's me remembering it from previous watches) and Abigail responding "of course", showing that not only does she have this skill that Vane doesn't but that, in the world that she comes from, it's inconceivable that someone wouldn't be literate. Honestly, I just really love this dynamic.

While he may be able to secure a ransom for AA, Vane is otherwise in deep shit. He knows that Flint knows exactly where to place his ship to take advantage of the otherwise very secure fort, and he doesn't know how he worked that out. Of course, it's possible, given Gates' and Hornigold's relationship, that Flint could have known that already, but he isn't exactly wrong in guessing that there's something else going on. This situation really emphasises the fact that, although the fort's main strength (and purpose) is that it's difficult to break into, this strength also leads to a level of isolation when it comes to getting information in and out. Ultimately, there's no way for Vane to know for sure who's allied with Flint, and he's not exactly wrong in suspecting Eleanor and so, the Eleanor/Vane relationship gets (somehow) even messier! Honestly, say what you want about Eleanor, but she's good at getting what she wants. Somehow, she's managed to convince both Vane and Flint that she's on their sides and I'm honestly not sure whether she knows what side she's on but she's decided she wants strong allies either way and boy has she got them. This doesn't make anything better for Vane, though, and we know by now that he isn't exactly the negotiating type, so his threat to destroy all the ships in the harbour, while not exactly smart, is quite possibly entirely genuine. Actually, that threat pretty much sums up Vane's approach to tactics and negotiation: not nuanced, not necessarily too smart, but definitely effective in sending a message.

Flint, meanwhile is taking a slightly more tactical approach to things. Sure, he still wants to destroy Vane through pretty much any means possible, but he is at least a bit worried about what the destruction of the fort would mean. He knows, as we as the audience are slowly learning, that, as a "pirate republic", Nassau is constantly vulnerable to any forces of any empire that should choose to attack it and claim the territory as its own and he is also aware that there is a nearby British warship posing a very real threat to them. Eleanor, whose main interest at the moment seems to be the survival of an independent Nassau, preferably with her in a position of power, isn't thrilled with this idea, but she's evidently having difficulty convincing Flint that this reluctance doesn't come from her feelings for Vane, so he remains dedicated to doing whatever he must to get Vane out of the fort.

Through this dilemma (getting Vane out of the fort vs. preserving the fort) we get a bit of insight into how Flint sees himself as he turns to Silver for support (always a mistake). Silver has been sitting in the background for all of the discussions but not saying anything, which pretty much sums up his role in the plot at this point. He's accepted his role as Flint's right-hand man: managing other people & tasks for him as a kind of go-between, but now Flint is drawing him more into his confidence, asking if the pirates of Nassau "see [him] as the villain" in the conflict between him and Vane. We've seen bits of this heroes/villains mentality from him before (especially when you replace "villain" with monster") in his vision of him as a king and saviour of Nassau, driving it to become something greater that he will be admired and thanked for, opposing the portrayal of pirates as the enemies of England and how he became a monster to them. Silver is not the person to consult on this inner conflict, though. He initially seems to see this as a "are you with me or against me?" type question, reassuring Flint that, for as long as he remains Silver's best chance of getting his share of the gold, he'll stand by him. For Flint, however, who has just opened voiced his biggest insecurity to Silver, this was not the answer he was looking for. Oh, miscommunication, my old enemy. In light of this, I see his response of "it must be awful being you" as one of genuine bafflement at the difference between his and Flint's views of the world, less as one designed to mock/belittle Flint, which is probably how Flint takes it. These two are going to destroy each other.

Still, Silver goes to Nassau to do Flint's bidding and discovers none other than our good friend Billy Bones. We don't really get much of this so I don't have much to say other than that my heart broke for him when he asked for Gates. Nobody in this show can have a healthy father figure.

Eleanor, meanwhile, is doing all she can to stop Flint from firing on the fort, and decides that Miranda is her only option. Miranda, however, knows Flint better than Eleanor, and knows that no one can make him see reason when he's this focussed on something. Still, Eleanor pushes her and eventually crosses some kind of line, resulting in Miranda calling her out on how she has, up until this point "encouraged" Flint's violence. This is an interesting way to view Flint-- as if his violence is almost a separate being inside of him-- like Admiral Hennesy referred to his "darkness"-- that has grown over the course of his time in Nassau. It also sheds some light on Miranda's desire to leave Nassau-- it's not just that she's dissatisfied with her life on the island, but that she might be concerned for what it's turning Flint into. Now, on top of this reminder of how much the two of them have changed, there is a reminder of their old life-- mentioned by Pastor Lambrick in another one of his bitching sessions-- Abigail Ashe.

While most of the others are fighting over the future of Nassau, Jack, Anne, and Max are embroiled in some next-level relationship drama. At the beginning of the episode, we see Anne lying between the two, leaning on Jack, which pretty much shows their dynamic at that point-- Anne is torn between the two of them, but still feels closer to/safer with Jack. Jack, meanwhile, remains wary of Max, more so after he sees her teach Idelle how to seduce Featherstone, which is both a hilarious scene and one that shows quite how skilled Max is at manipulating people. I'm not saying that she's manipulating Anne, but Jack's not necessarily wrong in his concern that she could if she wanted to. Max seems to be operating under the assumption that Anne will have to make a choice between her and Jack and that, if such a choice were presented, that she'd stand a chance, but Anne's reassurance to Jack that "there ain't shit [Max] can do to get between [them]". Jack, reasonably, isn't feeling great about his whole situation, but Anne is very firm in her assertion that, compared to what she has done for Jack in the past, this is nothing and maybe he should just put up with it. To soften that blow, something finally goes right for Jack and he gets not just a ship and crew, but his much-desired position as captain. You win some, you lose some, I guess.

This is a big episode for the flashbacks. We transition to the first flashback with a ticking clock, which is important for later episodes, just trust me on this. Shit is going down in the Hamilton household, but James and Miranda are in the clear for now. Instead, a new horrible father figure arrives on the scene. As Thomas introduces him, he is all his titles before he is Thomas' father, and it's clear from the beginning that they can expect no support from him and Thomas, the man that he is, decides that this is the perfect time to introduce another, significantly more controversial element to his and James' plan for dealing with the pirates of Nassau: the pardon. Both men know how dangerous this suggestion could be in light of England's war with Spain, which is why Thomas asks for James to talk him out of it, and why James tries his very best to do just that, appealing to both his authority as liason to the admiralty and his friendship with Thomas, but ultimately failing to convince him.

Then, Alfred Hamilton comes onto the scene. I think we could all see this kind of pushback against James & Thomas' plan coming at some point, but with Alfred Hamilton, it's personal, and he's cruel about it in a way that only someone who knows Thomas (and Miranda, to a lesser extent) could be. He consistently, almost doggedly, ignores Thomas' arguments, regardless of how convincing they are, and instead turns to James as an apparent voice of reason. It reminds me of how parents (and this is definitely vague and not at all from personal experience) compare their kids to one of their friends/peers to emphasise their failings, never saying but always suggesting that they'd rather have said peer as a child. But James is having absolutely none of this. If anything, hearing Alfred Hamilton belittle Thomas and mock Miranda is what pushes him to speak out, and boy does he speak out. He supports the pardons ("I found his argument to be persuasive"), Thomas' morals-- which Alfred Hamilton highlighted as a weakness of his son, as if he was too soft ("I find his intent to be good and true"), reveals Alfred Hamilton's lack of morals to be a weakness in his view ("I find [your intent] to be wanting"), and then kicks a fucking lord out of his own house. You can definitely see how this man ended up becoming one of the most powerful pirate captains of Nassau. But, in that moment of bravery, he's put himself (and Miranda, more so than she already was) "in the line of fire". Throughout the flashbacks, we've been told again and again how powerful Alfred Hamilton is and now James has made an enemy of him. I can't see how this could end well, but, in that moment, James doesn't care. In that moment, regardless of how much danger he may personally be in, his immediate instinct is to reassure Thomas, telling him that "[he's] a good man, [and] more people should say that, and someone should be willing to defend it". You can see how much it means for both of them. I doubt Thomas has ever had anyone stand up for him like that, with the way we've just seen his father treat him, and I'm not sure whether James has ever had anyone/anything to fight for in the way he's currently fighting for Thomas and his plan for Nassau. As the scene ends they both have tears in their eyes and so do I.

Now, in a break from my usual format, we're going back to Nassau for the ending scene because this really needs to be at the end of my review. It's always jarring to see the change from McGraw to Flint, the reminder of some disaster that we're yet to see. Flint and Mr Scott are talking about their memories of Nassau and Flint recognises Mr Scott's role in both Richard and Eleanor Guthrie's (he's possibly the first one in the show so far to do so) and actually asks for his advice (again, something that we don't see either of the Guthries do). Mr Scott, in his infinite wisdom, advises against Flint's ultimate goal of achieving complete control over Nassau, but this is probably the last piece of advice that Flint's going to listen to, and, instead, the word we end the episode on is "fire".

[thebonnyrackham]

Welcome aboard The Bonny Rackham. The Vlog where I will be dissecting all things Black Sails. In depth episode breakdowns and season analysis, character breakdowns and any other bits and pieces I think of along the way.

Black Sails is comfortably my favourite show ever and imo one of the best written and well put together and exciting stories ever, with some of the most interesting and well developed characters ...ever!

A quick bit about me & my story with Black Sails

I'm Ben and I had a unique first watch experience with Black Sails, I reacted to it back in late 2021 for my Youtube channel. That's right, every episode I digested in front of my webcam in the name of entertainment. I'm a very small channel so a well performing view count was only about 300 odd but had a lot of fun and enjoyed reading the comments as I worked thru this great series over the span of 4 or so months.

Here is a link to the first part of the first reaction for anyone that may be interested but I'll also link my reactions with my episode analysis as well in case anyone fancies a look.

I have decided a couple years and watch throughs later to start the journey once again, this time deep diving into the episodes and making notes as I go along, and even after just only the first episode I'm already spotting and appreciating so many things I haven't before.

So if you love this fantastic hidden gem of a show like me and fancy a read every so often of my episode reviews (I was going to make this a vlog but after episode 1 hasn't even got 50 views, I'll just get my thoughts out my system this way.)

But again here is the link for the one I recently recorded if anyone is interested.

So if this sounds like your sort of read, come join your Captain Ben on board the Bonnie Rackham (my favourite ship...get it? :-) find yourselves some rum and get ready because first item (episode 1) is coming soon!

[burningvelvet]

black sails created an 18th century legendary pirate captain who is canonically queer, ginger, depressed, repressed, polyamorous, murderous, morally gray, downright insane, thoughtful, contradictive, manipulative, funny, strong, idealistic, proto-feminist, utopian, kind, proto-anarchist, anti-colonization, controlling, obsessive, stoic, strategic, intelligent, quiet, delusional, traumatized, filled with uncontrollable rage, consumed by grief and shame, a literary nerd obsessed with greek mythology and classics, a proto-romantic in the philosophical sense - whose whole story is the prequel story of a character from a classic novel who was dead from the very beginning of said novel - and they expected us to be normal about all this and to get over all this and move on from all this?????????

[zo1nkss]

'when does fan service go too far" literally 🙄🙄🙄🙄 maybe it just WASN'T. MADE. FOR YOU!

[leoandlancer]

if you're on the fence about watching Black Sails, here's your sign to just start watching Black Sails

[areseebee]

how do you like Thomas Hamilton and do you think the ending is real?

i was just thinking about this when falling asleep last night lol.

my thoughts are: i think silver killed flint on skeleton island, that it was premeditated and the story of flint in savannah was intentionally constructed by silver and jack to mitigate rebellion. i think that silver's re-telling of it to madi and how artificial it feels, and how silver relies on the semantics of "unmaking" flint to counter madi's accusation of killing flint reinforces this. i think madi, like the audience, chooses what to believe in order to move forward. and i think silver asking for her belief so that they can move forward together reifies that which he has just tried to kill in flint - asking for the belief of a lie to further a selfish (if sympathetic) end.

and yet! i keep going to back to the foundational logic of the show: if you don't see the body, then they're not dead. i would love to believe that's true for flint, but, in the context of flint's possible-but-unseen death, i see this less as proof that flint is alive more than i see it as the show using its own form and logic to introduce metatextual questions and, in a way, break the fourth wall: the story asking us to decide what we think is real, and then each of us creating our own meaning from that.

so, for me, ultimately there's what i want to be real (flint alive and kicking it with his boyfriend on a farm in savannah) and what i think is more likely real (flint dead and buried at sea, living on as legend instead of as a threat or a martyr). and, in the spirit of black sails, i'm not sure that what i want to be real and what i think is real are totally mutually exclusive. or, put a different way, i feel like i can hold both possible endings and find more truth and richness in both possibilities existing together.

do i think flint was reunited with thomas hamilton? yes, i think he was, i'm just not convinced it was while either of them were alive.

[thatlittlesentientfox]

I know this is basically (part of) the plot of Black Sails but I wanna see you lot defend why your winner is the winner

I’m hoping for some nice meta arguments, HAVE FUN

[thetylercxle]

Black Sails

4/5 (Spoilers)

I’ll start this off by saying that I am obsessed with pirates. I love the history, media, anything about high seas piracy. So naturally, when I heard of this show I was immediately keen on watching it.

What I didn’t expect was how good it would be. I went in expecting a CW quality show in both writing and filming, boy was I wrong.

This being a prequel series to Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, I was excited to see the characters introduced into that book. They did not disappoint, I admired the writing of Captain Flint and Billy Bones throughout the show and appreciated the different emotions and feelings about them that the show illicited from me. One character I didn’t think I’d like as much was John Silver, who I hated in the beginning and kept trying to find excuses not to like as the show went on. By season 3, I couldn’t find any more and admitted that I loved the character and how he changes throughout the show.

I also loved the mixing of the story characters with actual pirate history. Now this is a hard thing to do with fiction while also being accurate, but luckily pirate history in the Caribbean is something we are unsure of due to its own nature. The only parts that bothered me about some of these liberties taken was the changing of some things I thought we do know. The main thing was Charles Vane’s death - and honestly I can attribute that to me loving that character and looking it up when they killed him in Nassau.

That leads into them changing things to make sure the show can happen. Charles Vane needed to die in Nassau to further the tension that would feed the “upcoming” war with the governor. While Vane’s death is something I got over, I’ve never been able to get behind certain characters that they do this with. My main 3 being Eleanor, Max, and Benjamin Hornigold (Even though this feels pretty in character for the real life Benjamin Hornigold). These characters felt like they only existed as catalysts to make the next part of the story happen. They didn’t feel like they had a motivation that was core to their character, rather a motivation that reflected whatever the writers needed to happen next. This is why I initially didn’t like John Silver. Characters like Flint had a changing motivation one time, and it was at a point of extreme trauma. Otherwise, he had something that drove him to the actions he displayed. It doesn’t feel like these other characters (Max, Eleanor, & Benjamin) had that drive, and just did what the show needed them to do.

The only other thing that bothers me about this show is how lame Blackbeard was. Now of course we don’t actually know a ton about the real like Blackbeard, down to his real name. I feel like that was an invitation to make him awesome. They let all of these other characters be cool, so naturally I was excited for them to introduce the most famous pirate to ever live. Then they ignored the legend and lore behind him, and killed him unceremoniously, making his death more about Jack Rackham than himself. It felt like a disservice to such a legend.

Anyways, back to glazing. All of the standard show/movie things were excellent. The cinematography was beautiful, the dialogue was compelling, the sound design was excellent, and every actor acted like rent was due. I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy even one small part of this show. No matter what happened, I stayed sucked in.

Overall, we have a depressingly lacking collection of good pirate media. There are so many pirate themed shows, movies, and books that just don’t hit the mark. Black Sails hits that mark. It’s a show I’m forever grateful that I’ve seen that keeps me wishing they’d adapted the actual treasure island storyline just so I can see more of these characters. Great show, I would and probably will watch it a billion more times.

[bookshit]

Finished Treasure Island!

★★★★☆

It deserves to be a classic. Stevenson does a great job at keeping the tension throughout the entire novel, and leaves quite a lot of questions unanswered, leaving you with some mystery even after you finished it.

All the scenes with Silver are a delight honestly, his way of talking himself out and others into things is very entertaining.

Jim as the POV character is a great way to experience all that happens, yet he feels almost a little too daring to be considered brave rather than reckless. He is definitely blessed by luck- but that is permissible in an adventure like this where nothing feels set in stone except for the survival of the protagonist.

Def worth the read.

If you read Treasure Island (and enjoyed it) I also really recommend watching the show Black Sails, which is a prequel to this book and one of the best shows I've ever seen. It adds a certain level of tragedy to this book while still leaving a lot of mystery as to what happened to the characters in between the show and the book. It enhances the experience a lot.

[granturn]

[image description: a screenshot of Flint and Eleanor from Black Sails hugging. There is a text post by tumblr user garfieldfanfic that says, "im a goth girl on the inside. On the outside? A father figure"

/end description]

[livrosencaracolados]

"A Ilha do Tesouro"

Sɪɴᴏᴘsᴇ Oғɪᴄɪᴀʟ: "O fidalgo Sr. Trelawney, o Dr. Livesey e os outros cavalheiros pediram-me que registasse, preto no branco, todos os pormenores a respeito da Ilha do Tesouro, tudo de cabo a cabo, omitindo, porém, os elementos relativos à situação geográfica da ilha, porque permanece lá, ainda, uma parte do tesouro que ficou por desenterrar.» No tempo dos piratas e das grandes caravelas, Jim Hawkins anda à procura de um tesouro enterrado pelo famoso pirata Capitão Flint. Essa é a história de A Ilha do Tesouro, narrada pelo jovem aventureiro. A Ilha do Tesouro é o arquétipo dos romances de aventuras. Mas foi o relato de Stevenson, com Long John Silver de perna de pau, tricórnio na cabeça e duas pistolas à cintura que entrou na memória colectiva e marcou gerações de leitores.

Aᴜᴛᴏʀ: Robert Louis Stevenson.

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ALERTA SPOILERS!

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O Mᴇᴜ Rᴇsᴜᴍᴏ: Em pleno século XVIII, isolado do mundo no litoral inglês, Jim Hawkins, um rapaz tão banal quão o banal pode ser, ocupa os seus dias a ajudar os pais a gerir a hospedaria da família. Entre servir a pouca clientela que o local recebe e preocupar-se com a saúde decadente do pai, Jim leva uma "pachorrenta vida provinciana", sem grandes solavancos ou ambições. Ora, tudo muda quando Billy Bones, um velho marinheiro carregado de histórias pavorosas sobre o seu tempo no mar com a pior das tripulações, vem importunar a Estalagem Almirante Benbow com os seus maus modos, bebedeiras constantes e presença sinistra. Nos meses que se seguem à sua chegada, o ambiente da estalagem muda e Billy, geralmente a figura mais intimidante da sala, vai lentamente sucumbindo a um medo paralisante de um dia ser encontrado por um misterioso "marinheiro de perna só". Os seus receios acabam por se confirmar quando, por meio de um antigo companheiro, lhe chega um aviso bastante violento de que a tripulação está atrás dele. Além de apressar a morte inevitável do pai de Jim, o ataque condena Bones à cama por semanas, e este, percebendo que se encontra vulnerável e sem aliados, é obrigado a confiar a Jim o seu maior segredo: a sua arca, o único pertence que trouxe consigo, contém no seu interior a chave para o tesouro mais precioso do mundo, algo pelo qual todos os piratas estão prontos para matar, e que Jim tem de os impedir de obter. Billy morre pouco depois da revelação, deixando um Jim confuso e pouco esclarecido à sua sorte, e na mesma noite, a hospedaria é invadida e destruída pela debandada de piratas furiosos que procura o tesouro. Da arca, a mãe de Jim só consegue resgatar uma série de moedas e documentos a tempo de fugirem e, para os manter a salvo, o rapaz apressa-se até à mansão do Sr. Trelawney, um importante fidalgo, que se encontra com o doutor Livesey, a quem conta tudo. Sob a luz das velas, o trio chega à conclusão de que não está perante documentos normais, mas de um mapa que leva à fortuna escondida do infame Capitão Flint, o pirata mais sanguinário que já atravessou os mares, e decidem partir juntos para a reaver antes que seja tarde de mais. As preparações para a viagem são feitas a correr e, de um dia para o outro, o sonho dos três homens fica uma dúzia de passos mais perto da realidade, com uma embarcação, o Hispaniola, e uma tripulação experienciada pronta para partir no cais. Claro está, que se a fortuna do Flint fosse assim tão fácil de obter, não seria alvo de perseguições e mortes há décadas, então a viagem rapidamente se vira de pernas para o ar quando Jim, escondido na barrica das maçãs, se depara com a prova de uma traição que põe em risco muito mais do que as relações entre tripulantes. Sem tempo a perder, o capitão, o doutor e o fidalgo engendram um novo plano para tentar salvar os seus pescoços, mas quando o barco atraca na ilha marcada no mapa, torna-se óbvio que ser o mais esperto não vai ser o suficiente para levar o ouro para casa. Entre batalhas náuticas, tiroteios, artimanhas ardilosas, marinheiros vindos do além e alianças que mudam a cada cinco minutos, Jim vai estar constantemente por um fio, apenas a decisão sobre o lado que escolhe apoiar vai influenciar o seu fim: abandonar a ilha dez vez mais rico, ou ser enterrado junto dos seus companheiros viajantes na sua areia. Mas é bom que ele não se precipite com a sua decisão, porque se há um lema pelo qual todos os verdadeiros piratas se regem é que nunca se deixa um inimigo escapar impune, afinal, "homens mortos não mordem"...

Cʀɪᴛᴇ́ʀɪᴏs ᴅᴇ Cʟᴀssɪғɪᴄᴀᴄ̧ᴀ̃ᴏ:

Qᴜᴀʟɪᴅᴀᴅᴇ ᴅᴀ Pʀᴏsᴀ: É bastante descritiva, e tem muito a apreciar, mas não é a mais fácil de ler. Sei perfeitamente que tem de se ter em consideração o facto do livro se tratar de um clássico, mas mesmo em comparação com outras obras da mesma altura, a linguagem usada não é a mais moderna. O facto de a história englobar temas náuticos também não ajuda a situação, há muitas expressões e palavras fora do comum das quais o significado não pode ser deduzido pelo contexto em que se encontram. Isto exige um esforço acrescido na leitura (e um dicionário, e possivelmente o google), mas não é algo incómodo ao ponto de justificar a desistência do livro.

Hɪsᴛᴏ́ʀɪᴀ: É uma grande aventura que, apesar de demorar um pouco a arrancar, vale imenso a pena. Sendo o clássico que é, este livro esconde entre as linhas uma diversidade de tópicos que plantam a semente para uma posterior discussão, e que se mantêm relevantes até hoje: a inevitabilidade das traições; as limitações da empatia; se a maldade é algo intrínseco ao ser humano ou se é construída; a batalha do "eu" contra o outro; a procura constante, ainda que por vezes destrutiva, de modelos que nos inspirem; por quanto é que cada um de nós está pronto a vender os seus valores; a dependência dos outros para a sobrevivência; o poder da fraternidade... É algo fascinante que me obrigou a pensar seriamente sobre muita coisa. Mas num tema mais leve (porque vem aí uma enorme dissertação na secção seguinte), eu, que por acaso ainda não li muitas histórias deste género, considero que esta foi de certa forma diferente, apesar de manter as fundações base (o que faz sentido, sendo que é vista como a obra que estabeleceu o género e o protótipo dos piratas na ficção), e isso foi uma boa surpresa. Depois também há a questão de, e aqui há que se tirar o chapéu ao autor, ser impossível ter um personagem favorito que não tenha feito coisas horríveis, a menos que se goste do Jim pré-mapa, por isso é sempre divertido tentar justificar o porquê de se adorar tanto um dos piratas quando o argumento mais rápido contra isso é: o tipo não bate bem. A nível do enredo só tenho mesmo uma crítica: o fim. Tudo na conclusão faz sentido, a sério, tirando o facto de ser apressada e de tudo o que nos fica do Jim ser o facto de a aventura o ter arrasado. Sabemos se o dinheiro lhe permitiu recuperar a estalagem que era tão importante para a família? Não. Vemos a reunião de Jim com a mãe, que arriscou a vida para salvar o maldito mapa e que é sua última familiar viva? Não. É-nos dito se o Jim manteve relações com os três homens que lhe serviram de figuras parentais durante o período mais difícil da sua vida, algo especialmente importante porque esse se passou imediatamente a seguir de ele perder o próprio pai? NÃO! O escritor escolheu apenas mostrar os efeitos psicológicos da jornada no seu protagonista, ocultando as mudanças na sua vida prática ou até as consequências que esses desequilíbrios mentais tiveram nela, e eu acho isso foi um erro enorme.

Pᴇʀsᴏɴᴀɢᴇɴs: O Jim é um protagonista que acompanha a evolução do enredo, desenvolvendo-se e ganhando contornos mais claros conforme o avanço da narrativa, mas mais do que isso, as transformações pelas quais o seu personagem passa durante a história refletem uma jornada de amadurecimento que no fundo esconde uma reflexão muito profunda do autor sobre o mundo: a natureza corruptora da sociedade. Isto é muito fácil de observar no texto, apesar de não ser imediato, e começa logo nos primeiros capítulos quando Jim introduz a sua vida e a maneira como esta é perturbada com a chegada de Billy Bones. O que se retém destes capítulos iniciais é pouco, e não particularmente entusiasmante: o quotidiano de Jim é aborrecido e repetitivo, e ele não é muito melhor. No entanto, o desinteresse que o autor cria à volta do Jim é crucial para a narrativa porque prepara perfeitamente a forma como ele vai reagir à aventura fatal que o espera. De facto, quando Jim põe os pés no barco e se vê rodeado de dezenas de marinheiros que, além de terem anos de experiência no mar, também os têm na vida, cai-lhe a realização de que, se calhar, ele não é tão capaz como pensava, e quando situações de elevado stress se apresentam, onde várias cabeças ficam em jogo, Jim é obrigado a não só, manifestar um nível de inteligência e capacidade premonitória que não sabia que tinha, mas também a confrontar-se com os violentos instintos primitivos que, como ser humano, lhe são inerentes. Com cada vez mais em jogo, a pressão sobre o Jim só aumenta ao longo da viagem, tornando-se cada vez mais aparentes as mudanças internas que estão a acontecer no protagonista. Assim, pela altura que se chega ao fim do livro, é inegável que houve uma modificação monumental no seu caráter e conduta geral (até o seu andar parece mais pesado), e pela sua (amargurada) reflexão conclusiva sobre a frivolidade do tesouro pelo qual tanto lutou, é percetível que o Jim endureceu substancialmente e que já não retém a leveza da época da estalagem, onde a sua natureza pacata, símbolo de uma inocência perdida, dava a impressão de falta de personalidade. Estão a ver a onde eu estou a querer chegar? Efetivamente, o compasso moral de Jim não desaparece, ele mantém-se firme nos seus ideais, mas a convivência com uma multidão que, ao contrário da do mundo rural, não representa uma realidade moderada e contida, obriga-o a fazer cedências e a alargar os limites do que ele considera aceitável, tendo até de os ultrapassar em certas alturas apesar de, racionalmente, continuar a reger-se por eles. O Jim é uma personagem que dava para estudar durante horas mas, vou concluir a minha análise dele com esta observação: como protagonista, ele explora as consequências de crescer dentro e fora dos confins da sociedade, mostrando que, de facto, não é a idade que retira a pureza, essa só serve para acumular sabedoria e um maior sentido do "eu", mas que são os costumes, a ganância e a crueldade de um sistema antigo que a eliminam (especialmente para os que se tentam rebelar contra ele usando as mesmas táticas que estão na sua fundação). Mais fascinante ainda é o tema da exploração da moralidade não acabar com o Jim, muito pelo contrário, todos os personagens servem como plataforma para o escritor se debater com o que esta significa e a prova disto está no antagonista, John Silver, um vilão que pode potencialmente não o ser e que é impossível de decifrar. O único aspeto de John Silver que não está aberto a subjetividade é o facto de ele ter, quer seja no fundo ou à superfície, uma frieza letal que não deve ser desafiada. A forma mais fácil de o encarar é como um marionetista que se livra dos fantoches quando deixam de servir o seu espetáculo, mas os momentos em que ele mostra medo, simpatia e preocupação com Jim levantam a pergunta: terá John um lado humano que foi reprimido para os outros piratas não se aproveitarem da sua incapacidade física? Não dá para saber, mas o encanto do Silver é que nunca se sabe o que esperar dele.

Rᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ: Zero (aparentemente há pessoas que dizem que há um subtexto romântico entre dois personagens mas eu acho que não tem nada a ver).

Iᴍᴇʀsᴀ̃ᴏ: O princípio da história foi uma seca, não há outra forma de colocar as coisas. A ação chega eventualmente (e rápido o suficiente para não se desistir da leitura) e depois disso é impossível pousar o livro, mas até o Jim e os seus compinchas decidirem ir tirar umas férias muito divertidas e totalmente seguras, eu estava sempre a distrair-me. Fora isso, o tempo na ilha é o ponto mais forte do enredo a nível de envolvência, numa questão de frases, lá estava eu com um monte de marinheiros bêbados a celebrar a revolta contra o capitão Smollett de forma tão viva que a parte triste foi quando me lembrei que eram só letras em papel.

Iᴍᴘᴀᴄᴛᴏ: Garanto que com a quantidade de crises existenciais que tive a ler e a dissecar "A Ilha do Tesouro", não me vou esquecer desta história tão cedo. Mas agora a sério, é uma experiência e tanto.

Cʟᴀssɪғɪᴄᴀᴄ̧ᴀ̃ᴏ Fɪɴᴀʟ: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Iᴅᴀᴅᴇ Aᴄᴏɴsᴇʟʜᴀᴅᴀ: A linguagem é bastante difícil, tratando-se de piratas, a bebida é constante e exagerada, há algumas cenas de violência explícitas (não se demoram mas não são suavizadas) e as mortes não param. Isto está de acordo com o tema náutico e com a época do livro mas não faz sentido alguém com menos de 15 anos lê-lo se quiser entender alguma coisa.

Cᴏɴᴄʟᴜsᴀ̃ᴏ/Oᴘɪɴɪᴀ̃ᴏ Fɪɴᴀʟ: É um livro fantástico e eu queria mesmo atribuir-lhe uma classificação superior, porque em muitos aspetos, merece-a, mas arrastei-me pelo início e o fim deixou-me seriamente zangada (não se abandona o leitor de tal forma depois de o convidar para entrar no mundo da história), então não seria justo que tivesse mais de quatro estrelas. Mesmo assim, para os verdadeiros amantes de literatura que tenham corações de viajantes, que adorem o cenário de uma Europa pós-Época Dourada da Pirataria preenchida por piratas duros de roer, e que apreciem uma ilha deserta cheia de viravoltas a valer (e papagaios, porque eles são vitais), RECOMENDO esta história.

Pᴀʀᴀ ᴏʙᴛᴇʀ: A Ilha do Tesouro, Robert Louis Stevenson - Livro - Bertrand

Assɪɴᴀᴅᴏ: Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ 𝐿𝓊𝓏 Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

[alexwatchesshows]

Black Sails: non-spoiler intro post

Show no. 2, here we go!

Nothing in here is a spoiler for anything beyond S1E1.

Plot: In the golden age of piracy, the pirate town of Nassau flourishes. Surviving against the constant force of civilisation-- the Spanish and British navies relentlessly trying to tame it-- it stands as a symbol of resistance against the oppresive powers and all they stand for. But some people on Nassau dream of something more-- legitimacy, a guarantee of survival, or a legacy that will be passed down through the ages. These conflicting dreams and joint resistance will come together to form a story like no other.

Why I want to review this show: I first watched Black Sails about 5 months ago, and the levels of brainrot I have experienced over it were... unprecedented. I need, on a deep, psychological level, to pick it apart and find out why it has imprinted itself on me.

General tags/categories: fantasy, historical fiction, pirates, adult, LGBTQ, queer

Other stuff: If you want to find more people talking about Black Sails, I'd recommend the Fathoms Deep podcast and Rowan Ellis's video

[lightthewaybackhome]

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson My rating: 5 of 5 stars Recently I read Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and wanted to read some more Stevenson because I always wanted to love him, but had a hard time reading him as a child. I'm sure it was a bit of a language issue, just understanding some of the accents and such. Having watched through Black Sails, which I don't recommend, I felt the need to read Treasure Island as one should. I'm sure I'm not reading it with the perspective Stevenson intended because I was totally dying over every mention of Flint, Silver, Billy Bones, and Ben Gunn. It was like a stab in the guts every time their names were brought up. I rooted for Silver every step of the way. Other than that coloring of my reading because of Black Sails, it was a really great adventure. I enjoyed every bit of it. I highly recommend it, especially for boys. Jim is smart, courageous, virtuous, and honorable even if I was reading this book for John Silver. I'm glad a dark show led me back to this classical piece of literature. View all my reviews

@sheppardsmckay

[burningvelvet]

to cope with my post-binge blues from watching black sails, i just finished the treasure island audiobook. it's my first time with any treasure island media - now i have to watch the muppets movie. any way here are my thoughts:

- i knew the character of trelawney had to be based on the romantic era edward john trelawny of byron/shelley fame and I WAS RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! sources: WONG, AMY R. “The Poetics of Talk in Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘Treasure Island.’" A Sandison Robert Louis Stevenson and the Appearance of Modernism

- i know that black sails isn't fully intended to be a perfect prequel or meant to be taken as filling in all of the gaps to treasure island but i'm still going to compare & contrast the two lol

- billy spending his whole life obsessed with flint and having alcohol withdrawal induced hallucinations about him. OMG. and i'm shocked that they just casually dropped that he visited flint in georgia to get the map like did flint request to see him before he died, was it just about the map, or did he want closure about the whole thing, did billy seek flint out, why didn't they kill each other, how the fuck did that whole thing go? i need more information dammit

- saw another post on here talking about how in black sails flint has that speech about the drunk guy named flint asking his grandpa for rum before disappearing into the sea and then in treasure island we find out flints last words were asking a "darby mcgraw" for rum before he died SO IN THE BLACK SAILS UNIVERSE DARBY IS HIS GRANDPA and so im wondering DID FLINT 1.0 EVER EXIST AT ALL OR WAS IT SIMPLY FORESHADOWING ALL ALONG but at the same time it doesnt matter because the black sails creators said the ending is intentionally canonically up to interpretation and black sails canon and treasure island canon dont match up any way but still it gives us so much to think about bc we never canonically find out who the fuck darby is

- the doctor is the funniest character ever and him giving zero shits about billy or silver is hilarious LMAO

- rly enjoy the descriptions of the contents of billy's pockets and chest. i love old shit and that whole nautical aesthetic ugh. im currently wondering about the significance of the five sea shells billy had (jim wonders abt them too) if they were souvenirs from the island or what... but we never find out!!

- and what the fuck was up with those black spots I NEED ANSWERS! It worked on Billy but not Silver?

- having grown up on PotC i'm very enthused at the references (the song, the rum, "dead mens chest," etc)

- wish we saw more of jims mom, she was lowkey a badass for a moment there telling everyone off and willing to face the wrath of the pirates with her son lol

- love how the men just take jim on for his valour and then decide to make him a cabinboy and the mom just gets a replacement son to help her around the house lmaoooo i wonder if that was a common thing for single women to do though?

- long john silver has a sort of jekyll/hyde personality (btw the author stevenson also wrote jekyll/hyde for those of you who dont know!) - also why the fuck did they leave him to his own devices toward the end and not have a gun on him 24/7 like? i was also shocked that he didnt run off with all the gold only some of it. most chaotic character ever

- my biggest questions are why did black sails take out the alcoholism and the sea shanties? but importantly the alcholism - if they were going for gritty, as they were? flint and billy's alcoholism is integral to their characters (defines their characters actually) in the book as contrasted by silvers moderation & thats rly interesting. and the lack of singing is just boring - pirates rly did have sea shanties - however i can understand for time constraints per episode and whatnot them taking out the singing for practicality - but the alcoholism again is integral to those characters as well as being historically accurate and realistic & would have added a lot imo

EDIT: immediately after posting this i realized that since there are a few years between the treasure burial and flint's supposed death in georgia, he could have become a drunk in that time if we're creating a black sails to treasure island timeline, and billy wouldn't have become a drunk til later on since black sails is set roughly 20 yrs before treasure island.

HOWEVER - by the talks of it in treasure island, and all the pirates referring to flint as a drunk etc., it would still seem that flint was always that way when they knew him, prone to drinking... but at the same time i guess you could say all the characters are jollier than in black sails as indicated by their singing and their more stereotypical piratey ways.

however i still think the alcoholism & addiction theme would have added an extra layer to everything especially after flints sad drunk scene with eleanor. also in toby stephens deep fathoms interview he said flint is essentially like an addict when it comes to his delusion & desires. anyway i digress

transcript here, audio is on youtube: https://www.justsaypodcast.com/blog/2018/12/18/transcript-interview-with-toby-stephens-of-black-sails

[starbuck]

was rereading some old black sails notes in preparation for a discussion and I just.

Sure. Sounds like something I’d say…

[shrimpschips]

Continually baffled by the complete dearth of official black sails merch. Like spartacus had multiple novelizations and a video game, but Starz couldn't even be bothered to make fucking tshirt for black sails