The fourth episode of this season was at a pinnacle point in the series; what would the pirates of Nassau do, will the English take over, what will happen to Flint and his crew? We were not disappointed either as more than one surprise and turn of fortunes happened.

Back in Nassau we find that almost all the pirates are going to take the pardons and the others have to give in because there aren’t enough to fight now. The only person not given a pardon is Vane and instead a bounty is put on his head. Jack holes his crew along with Anne and Vane in the fort and even though his crew wants him out, Jack doesn’t want to do it. There are even pirates banging on the front door of the fort to have Vane, but all Jack does is open the door and shoot one point black before shutting it again.

It’s finally agreed that Vane will go because he knows he can get to Blackbeard and be safe. Jack makes a distraction by blowing up part of the fort. Not only to distract from Vane disappearing, but I think too to weaken England once they take over. I liked Jack and Vane’s goodbye to each other, “God speed” and “F*ck you Jack” respectively. I’m pretty sure that’s the only way Vane knows how to say I love you.

Vane makes his way through Nassau, fighting off pirates as he goes. It was a really nice running fight scene and in the end when Vane is surrounded, Blackbeard steps in and makes sure Vane is alright. They go to his ship and Blackbeard tells him to look at the main English ship with his telescope. Vane sees Eleanor on deck, very alive and very free. I’m afraid it might be the final nail in the coffin of their romance. I’m sure Blackbeard showed him to try and make sure of it too.

While Eleanor is free, she isn’t in the sense like everyone around her. She is under Woodes protection and should she step out of line she will either be killed or sent back to England in chains to either die there or rot in prison. Woodes seems to be warming to her, or at least her sense of know how and intellect. We’ll see if something more blossoms (I’m betting so), and he makes her his adviser. While pleased, Eleanor is nervous about it. How the other English will take it, how the pirates of Nassau will take seeing her by his side. She rightfully tells him that she has many enemies and it may not end well for him if they should see he’s aligned himself with her.

 

Meanwhile back on the deserted island, Flint’s crew is working to try and get their ship back in good order and looking for supplies. Flint and Silver are talking about Flint’s behavior and the two seem to mend fences a bit. Billy, off on his own runs right into one of the natives there and finds himself captured. Why do you always get captured Billy? It’s not just him though as the natives are soon able to get all of Flint’s crew, including Flint and Silver, held hostage and march them through the jungle.

Flint advises them not to fight, but one man runs off and soon dies as he falls into one of their traps (a pit with spikes). They are taken to a small village where there are many more of them. We find out that most of them are maroons, either pirates cast off from their ships or slaves that had escaped. The crew is thrown into a large jail cell/cage and left there until further notice. There is one other prisoner there and he introduces himself as Ben Gunn.

For anyone who didn’t immediately recognize that name, he is the marooned pirate on Treasure Island that helps save Jim and his crew. As Black Sails is a prequel to that book, seeing him on this unnamed island (soon to be Treasure Island?) was very exciting! We’re one step closer to the book. We only have a few more pirates to go now until they’re all introduced from the book. Look out for Pew, Israel Hands and Black Dog.

Ben explains how everything works on the island and that their leader is a woman. A Queen really who runs the place with an iron fist and no one dares disobey her or seems to even want to. He says there is a King too, and that he pirates for the things that they need to make this place run. Ben has never seen him though and thinks he is made up. Much different from Nassau and Eleanor Guthrie, but I loved that both were women who ran the place. Also loved the remark from Max before about how in any other place she would be considered a Queen and here is also a black woman who runs the island and is considered a Queen.

Silver is convinced he can find someone that has a different opinion about this place and he can use that to escape with his crew. He finds his mark and Gunn explains that that is the Queen’s daughter and likely successor. They keep making eyes at each other until she sends a guard for him. Before that, Silver and Flint are talking again and Flint has all but given up. He sees no way out of this and wonders if England taking over Nassau and giving pardons isn’t the best after all. It was kind of like what he wanted to do originally anyways, so why should he fight it? He also hallucinates/dreams of Miranda again. They miss each other and Flint says he just wants to be with her again. It was very heartbreaking, but I’m still mad at him for giving up on his crew so easily.

Silver speaks with the Queens daughter, Madi, and while he doesn’t seem to make much progress he has planted the seed of doubt. She argues with her mother later and seems to relent to her will, but I wonder if it will stay that way? I also wonder if Madi has a bigger part to play. In the book Treasure Island, it’s stated that Silver’s wife is a black woman, but her name is never revealed. I had assumed that this might be Max, but maybe it’s Madi? Maybe it’s neither, but the writers are clever and I wouldn’t put it past them to add in Silvers future wife.

Two last surprises for this episode are back on Nassau. First Blackbeard and Vane come up with a bold plan to escape the bay and England. They wait until the dead of night and sacrifice one of their ships. They set it on fire and send it straight at Woodes ship. Everyone panics and their attention is on it and silently Blackbeard and his crew escape without anyone’s notice. I don’t know when the English will notice that Blackbeard has escaped. They may give chase and they may just let them go as they still have the whole of Nassau to deal with. It would be something for them to always be looking over their shoulders knowing Blackbeard and Bane were lurking, somewhere.

The biggest surprise wasn’t revealed until the last moments of the episode. We had seen earlier that Mr. Scott had agreed to help Hornigold recapture the escaped slaves. Hornigold seemed surprised, but Mr. Scott reasoned that it was best for them as England won’t treat escaped slaves well and they would most likely listen to him than anyone else. It was dropped and I thought nothing of it until we later see Mr. Scott with the escaped slaves. They have little boats and he is telling them how to get to an island where his wife is and that they would be safe there. Mr. Scott is the King they were talking about earlier!

He must have been skimming things from the cargoes brought in for years under all the pirates and Eleanor Guthrie and her father’s noses. Any slaves that ‘escaped’ were probably all his doing and were sent to that island instead. Mr. Scott is the best pirate I’ve ever seen on this show.

The surprise doesn’t end there though as two red coats happen upon the group right before they take off. Mr. Scott tries to intervene and get them sailing but everyone pulls their guns and starts shooting. The red coats go down and so does Mr. Scott. He is badly injured, but the escaped slaves put him on the boat and start their journey.

I’m not sure how long it will take them to get to the island, it’s uncharted but with those small boats they had, it can’t be that long of a trip. Will Mr. Scott make it? Will he be able to vouch for Flint and his crew? If he dies, will that be the turning point Madi and others need to rebel and show that they’re not afraid of England? It can go so many different ways and I can’t wait until next Saturday to see how it ends up.

What did you think of this past episode? Tell me in the comments below or find me on twitter, @quietlikeastorm. Make sure to subscribe and never miss another article and follow us on twitter, @thenerdygirlexp. Black Sails will return this Saturday, February 20 at 9:00PM/ET on STARZ.

– Erica