Black Sails: XXIII Recap

Synopsis of 3×05: Vane and Teach make a startling discovery. Flint and Mr. Scott propose a partnership with the maroon community and their queen. Governor Rogers and Eleanor face a new threat and Max makes a play for her future.

Rating:★★★☆☆

Picking up likely hours after last week’s harrowing episode, the Walrus crew are shocked when the escaped slaves and a wounded Mr. Scott, the community’s king, arrive from Nassau in haste.  Flint recognizes Mr. Scott immediately and realizes that they may have a chance for survival after all.

Back out at sea, Teach and Vane dwell on their new freedom, having escaped Nassau and the Governor with a small fleet of loyal ships and men. Before long, they sight a Spanish ship, which Teach orders they immediately pursue, despite Vane’s subtle apprehension.

Mr. Scott, still gravely injured, speaks with Flint privately and reveals what has happened in Nassau since Flint’s absence. Mr. Scott is far more intelligent that most men, having secretly run two separate communities. Mr. Scott, now lacking access to Nassau, proposes a partnership with Flint: Flint would supply the maroon community with supplies in return for the crew’s freedom. Despite Mr. Scott’s status as the community’s king, he admits that the queen has final say over Scott’s proposed plan though.

Now that all resistance has been removed from Nassau, the Governor begins taking over and creates his headquarters in Nassau. Hornigold arrives to share the news that they have found the remainder of the Spanish gold within the fort’s vault. As for Rackham and Anne, Eleanor soon learns that Rackham and Anne have fled but she still believes them to be key players in the bid for Nassau.

The governor and his men soon begin the lengthy process of providing pardons for the men. Max, having stayed in Nassau, is more than surprised to see Eleanor Guthrie walk through her doors with a contingent of soldiers accompanying her. I can’t imagine Max was planning on seeing Eleanor ever again. Eleanor shares with Max that the Governor proposes the formation of a government council, composed of both leading merchants from Nassau and the Governor’s men. Eleanor coolly and decisively claims that Max has not been selected, as she is a pirate organizer. Eleanor seems to have quickly jumped aboard the Governor’s ship and asks for Max’s blessing for the new council.

Meanwhile, Vane and Teach spare no mercy for the crew of the Spanish ship they have just assailed. Relentlessly they strike down their opposition, until Vane spares one man’s life. Before dying, the man claims that there was something of significance below decks of their ship. Teach investigates and finds a Spanish intelligence offers who was attempting to burn classified information. The officer commits suicide upon being discovered, but the crew are able to recover some notes, including some with Vane’s name.

Max approaches the Governor, claiming that she cannot bless the council without her involvement on it. Max has come a very long way from season one and she makes a convincing proposition, presenting Governor Rogers with a single black pearl. The pearl, of which she claims there are plenty more of, is a representation of Max’s share of the Spanish gold. In essence, Max is blackmailing the Governor with untraceable wealth.

With both his life and his crew’s on the line, Flint is called before the queen to speak with her regarding Scott’s proposed partnership. Flint speaks honestly, drawing on his conversational dreams with Mrs. Barlow, and Flint makes a fairly convincing argument. Flint proposes that they can help each other, by taking things back, starting with Nassau. An alliance of pirates and slaves sounds like a force to be reckoned with but Flint has been known to have lofty unreachable ambitions in the past.

Back in Nassau, Governor Rogers and Eleanor get closer than the two intended and the two share a chaste kiss before being interrupted. The interrupter, Eleanor’s handmaiden so to speak, claims that a man named John approached her 6 months before asking for information of the Governor’s plans. She shares that the man was an officer of the Spanish Intelligence officer and that the Spanish learned of Max’s transactions to trade some of the Irca gold. The governor, now tongue tied, must return all of the Irca gold, including Max’s, Rackham’s, and Anne’s shares if he hopes to keep their arrangement with Spain. The woman claims that the Spanish believe only half of the original Irca gold claim remains in the fort’s vault.

Rackham and Anne, having fled Nassau with nothing more than the clothes on their back and their share of the gold, debate how to proceed. Rackham proposes to Anne that they return to Nassau instead, but Anne is less than thrilled with his plan. Rackham insists on going back to Nassau to at least see how things have fared and if they will be able to procure pardons.

Flint’s remaining crew are released, much to their surprise, as the queen has agreed to a partnership with Flint. Flint eagerly musters his men with the goal of finding Charles Vane and retaking Nassau with his help. With so many interchanging character threads, undoubtedly all roads lead back to Nassau and I am eager to see Vane and Flint reunite on the high seas. Because, let’s be real, Flint and Vane are the heart of this show and the dynamic between the two is a rarity on television these days.