[SPOILERS] Black Sails Season 4: All that glitters is not Silver

[GallowKnight]

25 minutes ago, sweetsunray said:

Was it? I'll have to look again. I thought it was the axe, because he used it on Jacob, who was killed by it. But it would explain it.

Strange though: he fights Jacob with grappling axe and cutlass/hammer, but then hammer and cutlass against Billy? Why did he change weapons?

He never used an axe, just the hammer. He uses the spike to tear up Jacob's throat and then he nails Billy with it.

[red snow]

33 minutes ago, sweetsunray said:

Was it? I'll have to look again. I thought it was the axe, because he used it on Jacob, who was killed by it. But it would explain it.

Strange though: he fights Jacob with grappling axe and cutlass/hammer, but then hammer and cutlass against Billy? Why did he change weapons?

Given he's the terminator I'm sure he just likes to mix up his killing weapons of choice from one fight to the next.

[Astromech]

2 hours ago, GallowKnight said:

It's not an axe, it's a war hammer. So it was more like a curved spike in the shoulder.

It was available on Ebay  http://www.ebay.com/itm/BLACK-SAILS-ISRAEL-HANDS-DAVID-WILMOT-SCREEN-USED-HAMMER-SS-4-/311817991799

5 hours ago, red snow said:

They all have "1 year that feels like 4" healing factors

.

That explains Blackbeard's ability to survive three successive keelhauls. So much for just being a tough bastard.

[red snow]

17 minutes ago, Astromech said:

It was available on Ebay  http://www.ebay.com/itm/BLACK-SAILS-ISRAEL-HANDS-DAVID-WILMOT-SCREEN-USED-HAMMER-SS-4-/311817991799

That explains Blackbeard's ability to survive three successive keelhauls. So much for just being a tough bastard.

One of the characters must have Howlett as a surname and we are watching a prequel to what Wolverine's dad got up to

[akh]

Another build-up episode. 

So that's the island the stash will remain (along with Long John Silver?), huh?

[Pliskin]

2 hours ago, akh said:

So that's the island the stash will remain (along with Long John Silver?), huh?

Well, it's Skeleton Island, so yes.

Spoiler

But it's along Ben Gunn, not Silver...

 

[akh]

31 minutes ago, Pliskin said:

Well, it's Skeleton Island, so yes.

  Reveal hidden contents

But it's along Ben Gunn, not Silver...

 

Oh ya,

Spoiler

Ben Gunn

does sound familiar. I read the book as a kid, so it has been a while.

[sweetsunray]

BTW that intro scene with Woodes galopping the island at night seemed a shout-out to Dick Turpin

 

All we lacked was the intro music of Dick Turpin on that mad dash on a horse with scarf for a mask at night. Also noticed that De Groot called Woodes' ship the Eurydice, aka Orpheus's wife that Orpheus tries to retrieve from the underworld, but fails to do so (because he looks back before she's out) and only can be reunited with in death again. And there was this zoom in on his face when Billy talks how Flint killed Gates over a little bit of money (cough cough the Urca Gold as "little bit of money" ) and how if partners can be so easily separated they had no connection to begin with. That were painful words that Woodes does not want to believe. Eleanor's diary though talks about "moving heaven and earth". So, with the Orphic hint and Eleanor's words we are seeing a connection beyond the grave.

This episode showed what a master liar and manipulator Flint has become. He had me beleive him almost when he talked about Madi in that way. But at his next opportunity he seeks Dooley as new partner to ditch Silver, because Silver's coming up with his own plans and not following Flint's orders anymore. Honestly, I love Toby Stephens' acting, but am so done with Flint since S3. Eleanor was definitely wrong when she believed Flint could be reasoned with. I hope Silver delivers him to Thomas Hamilton who'll not want to have anything to do with the man James McGraw has become.

Still believe we're seeing Max's swan song, and Grandma Guthrie will be the one to do it. But she seems to may redeem herself in sacrificing herself for Anne's ake. I suspected Mrs. Mapleton might have been Grandma's agent. No confirmation on that yet, but I was right about expecting her to appear in 4x08. 

Edited March 20, 2017 by sweetsunray

[GallowKnight]

So we finally get to the Treasure Island.

We got five men going with Israel Hands and Dooley is with Flint. That makes for six men and a treasure chest.

Toby Stephens was amazing in this episode. From his reaction to Silver's plan and their subsequent interactions, it was all great. His story about Henry Avery discovering the island was fantastic and incredibly atmospheric. The visuals of the island and the wrecked ship certainly helped too.

Plus we got to see Flint's single-minded determination to make war on England and to get things his way return. And his plan is presumably hide the treasure and make him-self indispensable to anyone who wants to reclaim it. I feel a bit sorry for Dooley though, as he's definitely becoming the latest casualty of people getting caught up in Flint's plans.

Did Max just fuck Jack over again? I'm losing a bit of patience with Max. I never really bough that she is in love with Anne so I don't really know how I fell about that plot-point being brought up so much. I think I'll be pretty disappointed if she gets away scot-free with Anne in the end.

Otherwise its all good. Billy is a dick and the scene where he talked about money breaking up a partnership was excellent, especially with Rogers there, presumably making a parallel of Billy's words with him and Eleanor. Woodes Rogers is a dick. We got a Mr Gates shout-out and a Henry Avery shout-out. Ben Gunn is probably feeling a bit like a fool. Jack has gotten himself another fine coat.

Edited March 20, 2017 by GallowKnight

[Astromech]

Skeleton Island and its back story(whether bs or not) were terrific, so atmospheric. Good to hear about Avery and Gates again.

I knew Flint was bullshitting when he talked about how important Madi was. Haha, that straight face he gave Silver while delivering the lies.

 I realize the plot requires it, but why didn't Silver simply send men after Flint and Dooley when Israel Hands first showed him they were making off with the gold? It's funny that Israel Hands is the most honorable character in the show. Only one crown indeed.

Damn it, Max. All that build up just for you to deny Guthrie for love? FFS, I was actually starting to enjoy her arc, as unbelievable a character as she is. The plot armor got her this far. She could at least carry out the most interesting story she's had for a long time.

Next week looks fantastic.

[Corvinus]

9 minutes ago, Astromech said:

Skeleton Island and its back story(whether bs or not) were terrific, so atmospheric. Good to hear about Avery and Gates again.

I knew Flint was bullshitting when he talked about how important Madi was. Haha, that straight face he gave Silver while delivering the lies.

 I realize the plot requires it, but why didn't Silver simply send men after Flint and Dooley when Israel Hands first showed him they were making off with the gold? It's funny that Israel Hands is the most honorable character in the show. Only one crown indeed.

Damn it, Max. All that build up just for you to deny Guthrie for love? FFS, I was actually starting to enjoy her arc, as unbelievable a character as she is. The plot armor got her this far. She could at least carry out the most interesting story she's had for a long time.

Next week looks fantastic.

I think he did, but they showed it in the past, which is something recurring in the series. Two people talk about certain events, and their dialogue is either already in the past of said events or in the future. 

[sweetsunray]

BTW for those interested: I took a still of Eleanor's diary, because the voice-over does not read the complete 2 pages, and aside from one or two words deciphered the handwriting as follows:

LEFT PAGE: “I have the strange feeling that never again will I see Woodes. Dreams come now, strange dreams all confound (?) with Spanish Armadas and Man O War, my Woodes sending a Galleon. How could that be possible. That he would done so to speak with an enemy, and such an enemy as Spain"

RIGHT PAGE: "and Gov Raja who has a bloody vendetta to take care of with Woodes. [6] 1.

I fear for my husband’s safety from men I’ve long called enemies, from men I once called friends. I will move heaven and earth to protect him. While playing this role, the limits of my influence are ever present”

We only heard what follows after the [6]1, which I presume is a dating - 6th January [1716]. Now that part of her diary that was not voiced over is extremely interesting. Mrs. Hudson said it was the 24th the morning of 4x03, which is the same day that the pirates took Nassau town, and Eleanor fled to the Fort in 4x04, made her deal and Woodes sailed off in 4x05. So, the dream write-up surpassed the 12 crazy days after Christmas (12th night and the world order being on its head). And she's been having dreams about the Spanish coming and Woodes being with them. Eleanor had a deep enough connection to have informative dreams across time and space about Woodes and what was coming to the island, and she knew enough about the Manila Galeon story from Woodes to know that Raja had personal reasons to see Woodes dead.

Edited March 20, 2017 by sweetsunray

[The Fattest Leech]

Thanks to some convincing by amazing poster here , I just binged all of Black Sails from Season 1 to now over the last week and now I can join threads like this one!

Holy hells, this show is A-ma-zing!!!

Now I have to read through all the posts here to make sure I did not miss anything on such a quick watch, and to prepare myself for the final episodes.

[Zorral]

Have any of you come across these biographies of Woodes Rogers?  I ask, since I haven't read them myself, but plan to, now that I've encountered their existence:

Pirate Hunter of the Caribbean: The Adventurous Life of Captain Woodes Rogers (2012) by David Cordingly (he's also written Under the Black Flag: The Romance and Reality of Life Among the Pirates, and consulted for Pirates of the Caribbean);

Pirate Hunter: The Life of Captain Woodes Rogers (2009) by Graham A. Thomas.

I am so looking forward to being able to watch this whenever it becomes available on Netflix -- maybe this summer, as this is the final season? Or is that expecting too much?  Whenever it happens I'll begin by re-watching from season 1.

Have just returned from two weeks in the Caribbean.  While in Baracoa, the oldest settlement / ville, first capital of Cuba, where in the cathedral I viewed what remains of the first cross Cristofer Colón set up there) this series briefly entered my mind, because when Baracoa was abandoned by the Spanish for Havana Bay, it became a place like Nassau in the series, a base for pirates, piracy and smuggler. I would loved to have dug more in to that, but there was never time for that, as the mission was something else.  But I did think of Black Sails and you all discussing it at least once in these last two weeks!

Edited March 24, 2017 by Zorral

[sweetsunray]

On 24/3/2017 at 7:23 PM, Zorral said:

Have any of you come across these biographies of Woodes Rogers?  I ask, since I haven't read them myself, but plan to, now that I've encountered their existence

Haven't read them yet, but I certainly intend to. Heck, I wanna read his own written "cruising around the world" as well.

I do hope they'll do him some justice in the end, even if he ends up in debtor's prison. Hate the English types like Hume, earls Hamilton, Henneseys and such, but that man historically changed Nassau for the better. I think they might though: while we have so many book "readers" on the show, we have only a few "authors": Eleanor's personal diary, Max's ledger, Abigail's journal, Avery's logs and Rogers' published book. The first three represent the women behind the men who influenced the world, then the legendary pirate who made Nassau a pirate haven and then the one who ended it and made it a commercial, emancipated success.

On 24/3/2017 at 7:23 PM, Zorral said:

Have just returned from two weeks in the Caribbean.  While in Baracoa, the oldest settlement / ville, first capital of Cuba, where in the cathedral I viewed what remains of the first cross Cristofer Colón set up there) this series briefly entered my mind, because when Baracoa was abandoned by the Spanish for Havana Bay, it became a place like Nassau in the series, a base for pirates, piracy and smuggler. I would loved to have dug more in to that, but there was never time for that, as the mission was something else.  But I did think of Black Sails and you all discussing it at least once in these last two weeks!

Good memories of Baracoa. Campeche in Mexico built a giant fortressed wall around the city to defend against pirates. Black Sails has managed to put a story out there to rethink those times. It still has its flavor of adventurism and romanticism, but clearly anti-heroic.

[sweetsunray]

On 24/3/2017 at 3:04 AM, The Fattest Leech said:

Thanks to some convincing by amazing poster here , I just binged all of Black Sails from Season 1 to now over the last week and now I can join threads like this one!

Glad to watch the two last episodes together. Tomorrow the penultimate epsiode. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!

At the start of S4, after S3 I had hoped they could have done it in 5 seasons. But this season had me so all over the place, with suspense, surprises, hopes, and sorrow, it was like 2 seasons into one emotionally. I'm now ready for those final 2 chapters and the story to end. Although I'll probably go straight back to the beginning. Reading and watching with full knowledge helps to watch characters in a full new light.

[Zorral]

1 hour ago, sweetsunray said:

Haven't read them yet, but I certainly intend to. Heck, I wanna read his own written "cruising around the world" as well.

I do hope they'll do him some justice in the end, even if he ends up in debtor's prison. Hate the English types like Hume, earls Hamilton, Henneseys and such, but that man historically changed Nassau for the better. I think they might though: while we have so many book "readers" on the show, we have only a few "authors": Eleanor's personal diary, Max's ledger, Abigail's journal, Avery's logs and Rogers' published book. The first three represent the women behind the men who influenced the world, then the legendary pirate who made Nassau a pirate haven and then the one who ended it and made it a commercial, emancipated success.

Good memories of Baracoa. Campeche in Mexico built a giant fortressed wall around the city to defend against pirates. Black Sails has managed to put a story out there to rethink those times. It still has its flavor of adventurism and romanticism, but clearly anti-heroic.

Hurricane Matthew wreaked enormous damage to this UNESCO World Heritage site, alas.  Still, if I were to live in Cuba, Baracoa is where I'd like to be.  It's so far out of the way of everything, but bursting with culture and art and history. The food is good too.  And it's very beautiful.  The people are more calm than in a lot of places in Cuba.

 

[sweetsunray]

35 minutes ago, Zorral said:

Hurricane Matthew wreaked enormous damage to this UNESCO World Heritage site, alas.  Still, if I were to live in Cuba, Baracoa is where I'd like to be.  It's so far out of the way of everything, but bursting with culture and art and history. The food is good too.  And it's very beautiful.  The people are more calm than in a lot of places in Cuba.

 

I did end up preferring Trinidad over Baracoa, but this has a lot to do with the people we met. Cuba is a double edged experience imo - on the one hand there are all the rules of sociolisation, who's allowed to socialise with tourists, and that went against my initial sensibilities of freedom, but on the other hand a lot of the "friends" I made were only interested in well using you. And in Trinidad we spent several evenings with a group of artists who refused to let us buy anything for them, unless they chipped in. It felt more like a true exchange, a true meeting afterwards, whereas it became clear after Baracao that some people there were not that genuine after all. Though it took me weeks to process that. I loved it while there. It was a relaxed place, friendly, not touristy, a mix, less colonial, but afterwards I had a double feeling about it. So, for me it would be Trinidad, and walking up the hill to the church ruin at night and pass the rum around, while listening to guitar players and talking to the painters.  

I liked Bayamo too, because it reminded me more of Mexico, and Pinar Del Rio is truly peaceful and different. Havana also grew on me, and we had a good friendship with people of a dance school where we went every day and we met for a final goodbye party. Not a fan of Camaguey and Santiago. 

Edited March 25, 2017 by sweetsunray

[The Fattest Leech]

4 hours ago, sweetsunray said:

Haven't read them yet, but I certainly intend to. Heck, I wanna read his own written "cruising around the world" as well.

...

I agree that you should read them.

4 hours ago, sweetsunray said:

Glad to watch the two last episodes together. Tomorrow the penultimate epsiode. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!

At the start of S4, after S3 I had hoped they could have done it in 5 seasons. But this season had me so all over the place, with suspense, surprises, hopes, and sorrow, it was like 2 seasons into one emotionally. I'm now ready for those final 2 chapters and the story to end. Although I'll probably go straight back to the beginning. Reading and watching with full knowledge helps to watch characters in a full new light.

I think this is an awesome idea, but don't be surprised if I go silent for minutes at a time 'cuz that is just me not being able to breath or blink because I don't want to miss what is happening

I have occasionally gone online to read about the different characters. I read TI way back when and I loved it, but I needed a refresher for both the literary characters and the historic ones. I am glad I did that.

[sweetsunray]

2 minutes ago, The Fattest Leech said:

I agree that you should read them.

I think this is an awesome idea, but don't be surprised if I go silent for minutes at a time 'cuz that is just me not being able to breath or blink because I don't want to miss what is happening

I have occasionally gone online to read about the different characters. I read TI way back when and I loved it, but I needed a refresher for both the literary characters and the historic ones. I am glad I did that.

Well - together sort of - I can't catch it live, remember. I'll probably see it before it airs in the US. Probably will have watched it at least twice. I tend to see it once and then usually go for a slower re-watch on Sundays, as soon as I get my hands on it.

But looking forward to sharing the after-feels and thoughts tomorrow