Black Sails Season 1 Finale: Money

The only thing wrong with the season 1 finale of Black Sails is that it ended too soon. Seriously, I appreciate a good cliff-hanger as much as the next viewer, but I would have really liked to have seen just a little more on that beach at the end.

Otherwise - whew, great television:  I got Flint and Gates completely wrong in last week's review.  I thought Gates would turn around and support Flint in the end.   Instead, he continues to tow the line we saw last week, between loyalty to the crew, live and departed, and loyalty to Flint.  And Flint surprised me not by not being willing to go along with Gates's plan, but by killing Gates to seal the non-deal.   Nothing can get in the way of the money.  Except, I think Flint was clever enough to figure out a way to proceed towards the loot without sacrificing Gates.

Still, I was rooting for Flint when he called for his cannons to fire on the Spanish ship, and I hated that the newbie quartermaster shot him.   In fact, I dislike the quartermaster so much I was sorry to see him survive.   But not so Flint and Silver.   And their partnership, emerging in the way Silver came to Flint's aid, speaks well of what we may be seeing next season.  Silver, like Flint, is guided by one thing: getting that gold, and applying their considerable intelligence to that goal.

Meanwhile, back on the island, it was good to see Vane getting into a partnership, too - with Eleanor.   He confesses how attractive he finds her, but his motivation is also business.   As is Eleanor's for allowing the sharing of the island.   These pirates and the women around them are ancestors of the people we see in The Wolf of Wall Street.  Amassing wealth reigns supreme.

The battle of the ships was a sight to see, an outstanding piece of cinema for television.   I could almost feel my room shake when the Spanish ship rounded on Flint's, and opened cannon fire.   Black Sails is fine new addition to the new golden age of television and one of its best specialties, historical drama. I'm looking forward to more.

See also Black Sails: Literate and Raunchy Piracy ... Black Sails 1.3: John Milton and Marcus Aurelius ... Black Sails 1.4: The Masts of Wall Street ...Black Sails 1.6: Rising Up ... Black Sails 1.7: Fictions and History
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