Black Sails: XIV Recap

Synopsis of 2×06: Flint and Miranda share their past with Eleanor and Vane. Rackham encounters a difficult situation while out at sea. Max deals with the fallout of Anne’s betrayal by Rackham.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Picking up immediately where the last episode left off, Vane and Flint are having an all out brawl as Vane attempts to kill Flint. There is no doubt that the two are evenly matched as this is one of the first times the two have been able to go head to head. Their fight is interrupted by a very irate Eleanor, who immediately breaks them up and insists they end their dispute that minute.

With things now calm, Flint asks Vane to give over Abigail and he in return will relent the fort to Vane and stop his siege. Flint insists that Abigail is the future of Nassau, for once startling Eleanor with his response.

Meanwhile, Rackham is thoroughly enjoying his time back at sea aboard his new ship. He has set his sights upon a particular ship, the True North in an attempt to gain information about the Urca gold. Before they can reach the True North though, they are beget upon by a second ship, who looks as if they are after the same prize. The second ship, the Goliath, soon catches up with them and its captain, Harcourt and his crew proceed to board them. Things are immediately tense between Rackham and Harcourt as Harcourt recites the options Rackham has. Their crews can fight it out, the captains can fight it out, or the two captains can come to some sort of agreement.

 Back in Nassau, Flint’s men are anxiously waiting along the beach for his return. One of the Walrus men, Logan, grows impatient and disobeys orders, leaving the beach to head to the brothel, where they were explicitly told not to go. After he leaves, Billy Bones waltz back into camp, to the surprise of Flint’s crew, having believed he was dead. He is eagerly welcomed back with fervor and hugs, particularly from Dufresne.

Back at the tavern, Flint has Eleanor, her father, and Vane sit while Flint and Miranda begin explaining their past history with Abigail’s’ father Lord Ashe. Flint asserts that there is another way for them to control their future without a fight with England. He explains that if he were to return Abigail to her father, Flint may be able to win him as an ally, to ultimately broker reconciliation with England for independence for Nassau.

Eleanor is surprised to hear that Lord Ashe and Flint were once friends and she appears to believe that it is an opportunity for them to control Nassau’s future. Vane however is more concerned with that he would get from the arrangement and isn’t swayed by the fact that everything lies upon something Flint may be able to get. Promises are just that, promises only. Vane claims he will only relent Abigail in return for Flint’s Spanish Man-O-War. With his terms clear, Vane abruptly leaves, refusing to hear Flint out any further. Eleanor follows him, pleading with him to hear reason. Vane insists she has a choice to make, between Flint and him.

Meanwhile, rumors are spreading through town of Anne’s betrayal by Rackham, him having chosen to pay Max rather than keep her on his crew. Once more turned down by prospective captains, Anne has turned violent. Most of Nassau believes that Anne has apparently gone mad over Rackham’s decision. Max though insists she is only adrift and alone. Max learns that Flint has forbid any of the Walrus men from coming to the brothel, for fear of releasing potential secrets. Her curiosity stoked, she instructs one of her girls, Charlotte, to gleam as much as possible from Logan, who has just arrived from the beach.

Back at the tavern, Eleanor’s father insists that even if Flint is able to gain Lord Ashe’s friendship and assistance once more, he will not be able to return to retrieve the Urca gold as by doing so, he will anger Spanish delegates and ultimately their ally, England even more so. It seems as though courting lord Ashe and retrieving the gold are working against each other and Flint will have to choose. Eleanor then returns to Flint, claiming Vane has agreed to relinquish Ashe. Eleanor herself guarantees the exchange he has offered will be honored.

On the beach, Billy begins recalling his experience after falling overboard and being rescued to the remaining Walrus men. He reveals that the Navy is fully readied and encamped forty miles from Nassau. Dufresne asks how he fell overboard and much to their surprise, Billy lies, claiming he lost his footing.

Silver approaches Flint, revealing Billy’s return to the beach. Flint returns to the beach, and warmly greets Billy, but it is painfully obvious of the tension between the two. Flint returns to Hornigold and reveals his decision to stand down from attacking the fort. Hornigold is more than irritated by Flint’s decision to go against their arrangement and reveals that he still intends to attack Vane and the fort and will call a vote to gain control over Flint’s men, thereby offing Flint’s leadership abilities.

Anne, still enraged over her betrayal, barges in on Logan and Charlotte, demanding to know where the Urca gold is. When he refuses to tell her, Anne mercilessly slits his throat and subsequently kills Charlotte. Clearly, there is cause for concern as Anne’s mental state is certainly fragile enough.

 Meanwhile, things aren’t going very well for Rackham, as Harcourt drafts and provide Rackham with terms of conditions for the two men to part ways on. Rackham is clearly being swindled, as the split is obviously uneven, with Harcourt robbing Rackham of the majority of his valuables. However, Harcourt’s own crew outmans Rackham’s, so fighting is considered hopeless.

Max returns to the brothel to find the carnage Anne has left and Anne herself a complete mess. Max approaches her, gently insisting that she understands why Anne has done what she has done and claims that she will protect her.

Eleanor visits Vane in private, trying to once more persuade him to see reason. She insists legitimacy for Nassau is more important than all the money they could have, but Vane will hear none of it. She appears to consent to Vane and the two wind up in bed together.

Rackham finds that his second mate believes that they should take Harcourt’s deal, instead of being outmatched and perishing. Rackham though, is concerned that if he does take his deal, his crew will likely vote him off before they return to Nassau. Having done too much to gain his new captaincy, Rackham returns to Harcourt, and refuses the deal. Instead, Rackham startles Harcourt, attacking him in surprise. The two fight while their crews watch from above.

Rackham is initially bested as Harcourt lands punch after punch. As Rackham’s outcome begins to appear grim, Harcourt stumbles, revealing himself to be bleeding out from the wound Rackham first inflicted upon him. He stumbles and dies as a bloody Rackham rises victorious. Before war can break out between the two crews, Rackham appeases Harcourt’s crew and begins fair negotiations with a new representative from Harcourt’s crew.

Back in Nassau, Billy speaks privately with Dufresne, to whom he reveals that England is coming. He confesses to Dufresne that he didn’t in fact escape from the Navy at Scarborough and instead made a deal with them to deliver Flint in return for pardons for himself and nine other men. Should they doubt Flint’s ability to save Nassau, Billy and Dufresne have an alternative option to escape the war.

Meanwhile, Silver expresses to Flint his concern with his new plan, but Flint gives him his word that they will return for the gold. Silver learns of Logan’s disappearance from his men and seeks out Max at the brothel. Max is inevitably forced to share with Silver the situation of Logan’s murder. To her surprise, Silver helps Max with a cover story.

Eleanor, having apparently chosen Vane, wakes after sharing a bed with him. She secretly and silently steals his keys and reaches Abigail’s cell, unlocking it and freeing her. It seems as though she has in fact chosen Flint, insisting she is going to free Abigail.