#silver simply doesn't hate england like flint does

[constructedstories]

      “This has nothing to do with reason and you know it. You only want them following me to the extent that I, in turn, will follow you. I’m convenience. Designed to aid you in ruling over Nassau with the same uncompromising grip you’d vilify from Flint.”

      “A war that is sooner or later guaranteed to end in defeat. You know I’m right.”

      “I’m committed to Flint. I’m committed to Madi. Yet the road they intend to travel is one I’m losing the ability to understand.”

      as Billy points out, John Silver is a rational man. he’s not a Madi or a Flint, he’s not an idealist or living out his own psychodrama, but he's rational and realistic. In regards to these scenes in 4x05 it’s INCREDIBLY important to point out how Silver got involved in this war in the first place: he lost his leg, he put his lot in with the men of the Walrus because he saw their loyalty as more valuable to him than a share of the Urca gold ( as he says, without them he’s nothing but an invalid ). He has had to play a role, that of the quartermaster -- he did not originally want to be a pirate. Arguably, he still doesn’t put much stock in being a pirate -- he’s no free spirit who partakes in piracy because he loves the freedom of it all. He doesn’t care about that. His desire at the beginning of the show was to walk away with wealth and prosperity and, even now in s4, that desire hasn’t completely waned. 

      Hence why he asks Madi whether, at the end of it all, if everything was to go to shit, he, as a man, as a potential husband or partner, would be enough for her. And because of her commitment to her people, she hesitated to answer, and he realised that she wouldn’t because of her men. Also important to point out is that Silver has no motive to be in this war. He’s not like Jack, who wanted vengeance, nor is he like Madi who wants to liberate slaves across the free world, and he’s not like Flint who has an egregious grudge against England for what happened with Thomas. He has no reason to plausibly hate England, and so his getting involved in this war was only because of the potential benefits for himself: loyalty, a place to belong, and power.

      I’ve seen people asking why Silver would have even considered siding with Billy in the first place and I would point out that Silver and Billy were close before he made grounds with Flint in 3x03. They were unified under the assumption that they would bolster Flint’s position while they didn’t particularly care about him as an individual, and then Silver grew to respect and trust Flint over the rest of season 3. Also, Billy spoke a lot of sense in that passage above. The war against civilisation that Flint is suggesting would have disastrous consequences -- and it already has. We know from history that England is inevitable: Nassau is eventually occupied by British forces and all of the pirates are hanged. Silver is a realist. He can foresee this, to some degree, throughout s3 but he pursues Flint’s agenda -- partly because he’s taken in by Flint, partly because he’s taken in by Madi, but also because it benefits his own position to advocate for this war.

      Now, in 4x05, he’s beginning to realise that at the end of this all, at the end of Flint’s war, is utter ruin. Flint and Madi cannot conceive of it, yet ( if they ever will -- particularly in Flint’s case ), but Silver is not stupid. Even without knowing that Woodes had gone in search of Spanish aid to raze Nassau to the ground, he knows that what they are fighting for is just not realistic. But he’s evidently also torn because he respects Flint and Madi so much, because he wants to protect them both from this path they are on and because he would be perfectly happy to maintain Nassau’s defences and control and govern it for as long as he was able to, as Billy said. 

      Basically, in this last ep, the light finally started to dawn on Silver that this may all be the road to ruin for everyone -- but he makes the choice to side with Flint because of his love for Madi ( and clearly, to an extent, his respect for Flint as well ). I have my ideas as to how he’ll develop over the next few eps ( particularly with Israel Hands’ influence ), but from here on out I feel like Silver is going to be faced with choices that only lead to bad outcomes. He’s essentially in Eleanor Guthrie’s position at this point, as the ‘boss’ or king of the island and he has to make choices in order to maintain his throne, choices that will put certain loved ones of his at risk -- so far, he’s avoided a choice like the ones Eleanor has made, but hers and Anne’s comments about Nassau forcing people to hurt those they love will eventually apply itself to Silver, too.