Black Sails Season 3 Episode Guide
3.01. XIX - Review
3.02. XX - Review
3.03. XXI - Review
3.04. XXII - Review
3.05. XXIII - Review
3.06. XXIV - Review
3.07. XXV - Review
3.08. XXVI - Review
3.09 XXVII - Review
3.10. XXVIII - Review Coming Soon
Black Sails 3.08. "XXVI"
Directed by Stefan Schwartz & Written by Evan Bleiweiss
This was a pretty tense episode from start to finish. Following Rogers' announcement that he will play the enemy that Flint wants him to be and the declaration of the lack of pardon available to anyone practising piracy, there now appears to be a battle line being drawn. Has Flint abandoned Nassau for good or is there something more going on? The English seem to think he's left but Eleanor has other ideas, and knows Flint too well that he won't let go of Nassau without a fight.
She's right, of course. It turns out that the Walrus is simply just far enough away from the shore so they can get away with rolling up their sails and looking as though they have vanished for good, with only the glint of a spyglass giving away their location, something which Hornigold picks up on when Eleanor goes to him. She's expecting that Rogers is going to walk into a trap, and Flint will somehow surprise him in his bid to rescue both Rackham and the Spanish Gold that is currently on its way to an exchange.
Flint and Vane, lurking in a cottage and waiting for information on the route Rogers is transporting Jack, are joined by Anne who cast her lot in with Vane last episode after allowing the English to take the Gold. They're slowly working under the radar of the British, and are formulating plans for a rescue that will, if everything goes off without a hitch, humiliate Rogers and leave him embarrassed as well as the agreement with the Spanish in ruins. The tension in the exchanges between Rogers and Jack was evident throughout their time on the transport, Jack letting slip how he would be rescued upon learning that Anne was still alive and Rogers explaining that there is more to him than Jack thinks there is, things that he's left out of his book. Jack explains how he came from nothing as someone who was forced to run when he inherited his father's debts, and says that if Anne is still alive then there is a chance that he will not be hanging at the hands of the Spanish. It's a bold declaration from Jack, but at the same time, Rogers is confident that the exchange will have a resounding payoff.
Of course, everything goes awry for the British when a group of masked horsemen appear on the route having learned the information of where Rogers was taking Jack. They make light work of the accompanying guards and crash the transport, with Flint heading off with the gold leaving Anne and Vane to rescue Jack. However, there's just one problem, Rogers isn't giving up without a fight, and Hornigold was actually willing to work with Eleanor and Max after all, who were able to convince him to put aside his dislike of Eleanor in favour of the greater good for Nassau's survival, as it were. Rackham is freed with the help of Anne, but Rogers is do more than just hold his own with Vane, and eventually, the man behind much of Nassau's resistance is captured. Flint and his allies have effectively exchanged one prisoner for another, only this time, the rescue attempt won't quite be as straightforward as the last one was, if it was ever straightforward at all.
Back on the Walrus though everything isn't quite as easy as it seems just waiting for Flint and Silver and Madi had to deal with problems of their own when one of the crew attacked a freed slave for torturing and killing four crewmembers back on the Island. Silver does his best to sort everything out knowing that if word escapes it will destabilise their alliance with Madi's mother, however Madi tells Silver that the man won't talk, and the perpetrator of the abuse is dealt with by other members of the crew during the night for his troubles. Silver didn't have much a role to play in this episode as the rest of the cast but it was still an effective one, and just like the rest of the episode, incredibly tense indeed.
Rogers returns to the town meanwhile and suspects a rat, that someone isn't exactly on his side. He takes it out on Eleanor and asks if she's trustworthy, worrying what she'll do when confronted with a former lover. She tells Rogers over the ending narration that she simply doesn't know what lies in store for her when she reunites with Vane. However, that doesn't stop her from going to pay him a visit in the dark, guarded cell, leaving an excellent cliff-hanger for the episode. Things have become incredibly tense and now the stakes are higher than ever before. The pace of this episode and the build-up to the attack went off remarkably well, working incredibly strongly indeed. The war of words between Rackham and Rogers was great to see and it further reminds you of just how great a villain Rogers is and can be, and he is certainly playing the part very well indeed, and now, with Vane in his control, wants to act quickly.
However, Flint is already working on a plan to rescue Vane, and Billy Bones is keen to contribute, and even though his role has been reduced greatly since the first few two seasons it was still pretty good to see him here, volunteering to head into Nassau to spark dissent.
Overall Episode Verdict: A
Positives:
+Rackham and Rogers' exchanges before Rackham's rescue.
+Rogers vs. Vane
+Billy staying behind.
+Silver and Madi working together to deal with a crisis on The Walrus.
+So, so tense.
Black Sails 3.09. "XXVII"
Directed by Steve Boyum, Story by Brad Caleb Kane & Tyler Van Patten & Teleplay by Brad Caleb Kane
Of course, Flint and his allies aren't able to rescue Vane, but damn, these two episodes were so good! The tension was just incredible and the build up to Vane's execution was handled so superbly. I got the feeling that there was a big death coming this season and fair play to the show for having the sheer audacity to kill off someone with such a major role as Vane. Zach McGowan has been such an incredible actor over the course of the three seasons that we've had with him and it's been great to see him on the series, delivering a fantastic performance. Between this and The 100 it feels like he's been everywhere for the first quarter of this year and one thing that makes his death a little bit easier is the fact that he's basically playing the same character in The 100 anyway, except he is a Prince rather than a Captain (I'd say more, but spoilers). This was an incredible journey for Vane's character and it's just amazing to think how he has developed from the villain of Season 1 into one of the heroes of Season 3.
But without further ado, believe it or not, Vane's death wasn't the only thing that happened, and there's plenty of other drama that XXVII had to offer as well, all of it just as tense and well paced as the previous hour. We opened where we left off, with Eleanor and Vane confronting each other, which is a conflict that has been building since Eleanor decided to go with Rogers back to Nassau and spare her hanging, and it really worked well. Eleanor offers him the chance at a fair trial in England where he would be executed mercifully, as she's doing her best to make sure that his death doesn't spark a chain reaction that will lead to resistance in Nassau. However Vane refuses the offer, seeing right through her and using the death of her father Richard to taunt her. Vane delivers one final parting shot as Eleanor leaves, that her father betrayed his own daughter when he was captured. Eleanor understandably, is provoked, and lashes out at Vane.
She then goes to a bedridden Rogers where he has decided to appoint Eleanor as the emergency Governor of New Providence Island until he recovers, due to her expertise of the Island. The Island itself though is slowly being turned against her with Billy deciding to spread the word that Vane's execution should be held on Nassau rather than in England as it would take longer to happen and increase the chances of a possible rescue attempt. Eleanor knows this and believes once again rightly so that this is part of the resistance's objectives.
However Flint is in trouble of his own and has to shake Hornigold once more, eventually loosing him after completing a risky manoeuvre. Whilst doing this Hornigold gains the location of the beach, noticing the assembled army, and decides to head back to Nassau to warn the Governor. However Flint now has the Gold and Rackham, and as a result the people of the Island can prepare for battle against a superior force which should be due in about a week, giving them seven days to prepare. During this time the Islanders mourn the death of their King, Mr. Scott, and during the mourning process, Rackham agrees to side with Flint for the fight ahead after what Vane has already done.
To combat Billy's plans of a long delay before Vane's execution, a speedy trail was held for Vane by the English and the verdict was decided swiftly with the execution happening later that day. Billy does his best to start chaos with a group of men but Vane motions him to stop, believing that his death will start an uprising. Billy starts to believe it as well, and as a result allows Vane to be hanged, and Vane, throughout the hanging, did not cower, did not scream and simply remained silent, taking a bold, and ultimately fatal stance against the English oppressors.
And to make things more interesting, word has now got back to Blackbeard. Following the fight with Flint we've seen little of the legendary pirate Edward Teach but now that he has learnt that his protégée is dead, he will have cause to intervene. Because at the moment Eleanor has come up with a plan to stop Flint's force from fighting the battle on his terms, and has sent a begrudging Hornigold with Rogers' forces in support in an attempt to make the deciding factor. It'll be interesting to watch how it all plays out with there being plenty of tension in the air. The battle that's been building over the course of the season looks set to arrive and I have high hopes for a grand finale of epic proportions.
Overall Episode Verdict: A+
Positives:
+Vane's sacrifice to start a revolution in Nassau.
+Flint escaping Hornigold again.
+Rackham deciding to play his part with Flint.
+News of Vane's death reaching Teach.
What did you think of XXVI & XXVII? Did you enjoy both episodes as much as I did? Let me know in the comments below and be sure to check out the Season Finale tonight at 9pm on Starz, as it sure looks like a hell of an episode indeed. This Season has transformed Black Sails into one of the best shows on television and regardless of what happens in the finale, I can easily see it being in the upper half of my top 10 come the year's end. Superb stuff for sure.
