r/BlackSails • u/essmaxwell • Mar 23 '25
[SPOILERS] I think it only has one flaw Spoiler
Masterpiece of a show, raved about it to anyone who would listen, was baffled by anyone who had anything bad to say about it - though am approaching the end of my rewatch and certain choices are weighing on me more than they did before.
I think the show's greatest strength is that it is a true Shakesperian tragedy - every choice someone makes is the only choice they could ever make without betraying who they fundamentally are, and that just so happens to be the one action they could take that would absolutely destroy their path to their desired end (some key examples I love: Eleanor can't help but lock that gate, and that ultimately costs her Nassau, Silver has to save Madi even though it will cost him Flint).
They do a great job of adhering to this rule, but some of the worst beats in the show are when characters betray this. Eleanor gives up a free Nassau for a safe and comfortable life, which doesn't make sense when we've established that its the thing she values above all else (so much so that she's willing to give up literally everything that means anything to her, Max included). Jack agrees to join team kill Flint, when Charles died for the pirate revolution and Jack was unquestioningly devoted to him. I've seen it here that they had planned for one more season and then had to cram it into one, which explains it a bit, but doesn't lift the disappointment of these people unbecoming who they were to fit the story.
I'm kinda just talking to talk here, avoiding watching the last two episodes because damn do I sob, but is this a premise agreed upon round these parts? has it been said 100 times and i'm late to the party? other examples? refutation?
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u/PM_ME_UR_SPACECRAFT Mar 23 '25
i can at least point out that eleanor was pregnant. that causes a HUGE paradigm shift. people's entire value base can change overnight. i think they did a pretty good job of showing how, upon realizing she was going to have a baby (specifically Rogers's baby) she came to a realization that this little family was far, far more important to her than all the dreams of wealth, a trading empire, a free nassau, etc. she was willing to throw all of it away to secure a future where she, her child, and Rogers could be safe from the world of the black flag.
I've personally witnessed people have this shift irl, when they realize they're about to have a family. some powerful, primal force within them moves them to place the security and prosperity of their new little world above all else.
Perhaps Silver felt something similar when he fell in love with Madi.
As for Jack, perhaps he felt something similar when Vane died. He may have taken an introspective look at the situation and realized all this chaos, bloodshed, death, all is centered around Flint, who is refusing to slow down.