[SPOILERS] Black Sails - Season 4 on the Horizon.

[Channel4s-JonSnow]

7 hours ago, Martini Sigil said:

I hope this show ends better than Banshee, which I loved about as much heading into its last season...   All goods things must come to an end, and I appreciate that Starz chose to end this show in four seasons rather than give it the ole' Dexter treatment and drag it on well past its prime....  I imagine that Budget has something to do with this decision.... regardless, I look forward to what Starz come up with next...

Whats the viewership figures like for this show? For something so high budget I'd expect to hear more about it, but outside of here and when I initally saw it on Amazon Prime.. I've heard nothing. 

[red snow]

1 hour ago, Channel4s-JonSnow said:

Whats the viewership figures like for this show? For something so high budget I'd expect to hear more about it, but outside of here and when I initally saw it on Amazon Prime.. I've heard nothing. 

Banshee or Black Sails? I think the filming in South Africa and using largely unknown actors has kept the budget down somewhat. I suspect they also saved money via the lack of promotion although that's possibly to the show's detriment.

I think Outlander is by Starz! too in which case it seems they do splash out on their shows. Then again, I don't think they have as many shows coming out as other cable channels so they maybe concentrate it.

[Martini Sigil]

13 hours ago, Channel4s-JonSnow said:

Whats the viewership figures like for this show? For something so high budget I'd expect to hear more about it, but outside of here and when I initally saw it on Amazon Prime.. I've heard nothing. 

I know that Starz has past Showtime as the #2 pay channel (after HBO)... and this show --along with Outlander-- are their main original shows... So there's that.... also.... unlike Banshee.... Black Sails has a significant following at Comic Cons... So I would venture to guess that it's fairly popular...

[red snow]

the show has averaged 3.6 million from one source (tv by numbers) but wiki gives it 0.6 million (maybe that's on the day viewing in US). Outlander manages 1 million (wiki) so is significantly more successful. Homeland manages 1.5 million (last season - it was more popular), GOT 7.5 (but it does exceptionally well). Banshee had about 0.3 and Outcast 0.15. So I'd say Black sails was top of the obscure shows but way behind the bigger pay channel shows and quite a bit behind a show from the same channel. Spartacus was on the same channel and had more viewers at a time there were probably less people with Starz! which is a little damning too. It always outperformed Da vincis demons though. phew.

I get the impression Black sails does well on Amazon uk.

Interestingly Black Sails is as popular/viewed as Mr Robot season 2. Just goes to show how something getting a lot of media coverage doesn't translate into high viewing figures. Although Mr Robot season 1 was a lot more successful than Black sails has ever been.

[GallowKnight]

Season 4 Full Trailer

[Arkash]

Holy fook, that looks amazing ! 

Cant freaking wait ! 

[Corvinus85]

Yes, a very good trailer. I can't wait!!!

[Astromech]

Very excited for the, sadly, last season. Nice trailer.

[sweetsunray]

And here's a recording of the panel at New York Comic Con

Totally love the S4 trailer!

The writers do imply that even if there were budget reasons for it being the last season, they wrote it so it could be the last season. Each character's arc sounds like it will come to a completion in the way it ends the prequel to Treasure Island.

[dog-days]

I reread Treasure Island last week. It'll be interesting to see if the writers really do make it a 'prequel' to Treasure Island, or a prequel to their rough recollection of the story of Treasure Island. I mean, it can't be already, in a sense, since Flint appears to have died in the mid seventeen hundreds, long long after the fall of Nassau - and it seems distinctly unlikely to me that Flint is going to be allowed to survive the TV show, unless we finish with Silver, Billy and Flint all sailing off together into the sunset on The Walrus. 

I'd forgotten how much the past weighs on the present, even in the short adventure story that RLS came up with. Almost all the major adult characters talk a lot about the Flint era.

Spoiler

We learn that Flint died from the affects of rum in Savannah, his face turning blue, and his last words being "Darby McGraw! Fetch aft the rum, Darby!"

 

I want to hear Billy or Flint come out with "Dead dogs don't bite!" And Israel Hands. Where is Israel Hands?

[GallowKnight]

48 minutes ago, dog-days said:

I want to hear Billy or Flint come out with "Dead dogs don't bite!" And Israel Hands. Where is Israel Hands?

The real Israel Hands sailed with Blackbeard, so there's a possibility that he's there.

[PyroclasticFlow]

1 hour ago, sweetsunray said:

And here's a recording of the panel at New York Comic Con

Totally love the S4 trailer!

The writers do imply that even if there were budget reasons for it being the last season, they wrote it so it could be the last season. Each character's arc sounds like it will come to a completion in the way it ends the prequel to Treasure Island.

Awesome!!

Thanks for the panel video 

[dog-days]

2 hours ago, GallowKnight said:

The real Israel Hands sailed with Blackbeard, so there's a possibility that he's there.

Oooh, yes, I forgot about that. Hope he gets at least a cameo in S4! 

[Arkash]

Well, there is that new redbeard character in the trailer, so who knows if it wont be Israel.

Sadly, I think the Mary Read ship has sailed.

[Astromech]

5 hours ago, dog-days said:

I reread Treasure Island last week. It'll be interesting to see if the writers really do make it a 'prequel' to Treasure Island, or a prequel to their rough recollection of the story of Treasure Island. I mean, it can't be already, in a sense, since Flint appears to have died in the mid seventeen hundreds, long long after the fall of Nassau - and it seems distinctly unlikely to me that Flint is going to be allowed to survive the TV show, unless we finish with Silver, Billy and Flint all sailing off together into the sunset on The Walrus. 

I'd forgotten how much the past weighs on the present, even in the short adventure story that RLS came up with. Almost all the major adult characters talk a lot about the Flint era.

  Reveal hidden contents

We learn that Flint died from the affects of rum in Savannah, his face turning blue, and his last words being "Darby McGraw! Fetch aft the rum, Darby!"

 

I want to hear Billy or Flint come out with "Dead dogs don't bite!" And Israel Hands. Where is Israel Hands?

David Wilmot has been cast as Israel Hands in s4 http://deadline.com/2016/01/black-sails-cast-david-wilmot-jocelin-donahue-crackle-start-up-1201691232/

[dog-days]

9 hours ago, Astromech said:

David Wilmot has been cast as Israel Hands in s4 http://deadline.com/2016/01/black-sails-cast-david-wilmot-jocelin-donahue-crackle-start-up-1201691232/

Cue much joyful flailing on my part. I like the casting choice - very promising!

Apparently he played a pirate in the Eddie Izzard Treasure Island (which I haven't seen), so Wilmot will be slipping back into familiar slops. 

[Zorral]

Four episodes into season 3.  Much better so far than horrible season 2 and so-so season 1.  But they still pontificate way too much.  Talking instead of showing, and those danged Flint dreams and visions, are a drag on narrative development and pacing.

 

[kairparavel]

1 minute ago, Zorral said:

Four episodes into season 3.  Much better so far than horrible season 2 and so-so season 1.  But they still pontificate way too much.  Talking instead of showing, and those danged Flint dreams and visions, are a drag on narrative development and pacing.

 

You found season two horrible?

[Zorral]

Ay-up -- it was excruciatingly dull.  And it went on FOOOOOOOOOOOOREVER!

I know this opinikon is a minority opinion, but there it is.  Even these first four episodes -- the the opening was an extraordinarily strong opening and first episode -- feel too long. I am always antsy when there are still 15 - 20 minutes more to go.

I'm not talking about a dearth of action scenes -- because the action scenes are plentiful.  It's so much pontificating, perhaps.  Too much talking, as I wrote above, and not enough showing. It's just that so many of the characters seem stuck in glue somehow, not moving, either forward or backward, and at best sidewise. They keep doing the same things and receiving the same outcome.

The most interesting element, which we haven't really seen enough of, is the very rough 'revolutionary democracy' that supposedly sprouted not only among pirate crews, but among other sorts of shipping, in a very real opposition, historically, to the extreme and rigid hierarchy of the British navy.  Ultimately this kind of rough democracy and revolutionary sentiment played a huge role in Boston's rebelling against Britain -- the sailors and dockhands, and other so called dregs were very much part of the independence cells run by Sam Adams and whose actions were directed by him.

 

 

 

[Corvinus85]

3 hours ago, Zorral said:

Ay-up -- it was excruciatingly dull.  And it went on FOOOOOOOOOOOOREVER!

I know this opinikon is a minority opinion, but there it is.  Even these first four episodes -- the the opening was an extraordinarily strong opening and first episode -- feel too long. I am always antsy when there are still 15 - 20 minutes more to go.

I'm not talking about a dearth of action scenes -- because the action scenes are plentiful.  It's so much pontificating, perhaps.  Too much talking, as I wrote above, and not enough showing. It's just that so many of the characters seem stuck in glue somehow, not moving, either forward or backward, and at best sidewise. They keep doing the same things and receiving the same outcome.

The most interesting element, which we haven't really seen enough of, is the very rough 'revolutionary democracy' that supposedly sprouted not only among pirate crews, but among other sorts of shipping, in a very real opposition, historically, to the extreme and rigid hierarchy of the British navy.  Ultimately this kind of rough democracy and revolutionary sentiment played a huge role in Boston's rebelling against Britain -- the sailors and dockhands, and other so called dregs were very much part of the independence cells run by Sam Adams and whose actions were directed by him.

 

 

 

I can only be bewildered at your attitude for this show, and season 2 especially. I see your reasons, but I can only be bewildered. What one person calls pontificating, another may call it deep thinking and analysis.