Black Sails S1E4 - "IV." Review

This week's episode of Black Sails sees shifting in power dynamics and the usual sneaking and conniving. Billy Bones is promoted to quartermaster by Gates and manages to do a decent job in getting many tasks done and handling the increase in responsibility. It's a nice opportunity for the character to develop, though it's only just a tad. Of course young Billy can't be permitted to simply breeze up into higher rankings; John Silver seizes an opportunity to twist the conversation between Billy and Morley to try to tarnish his reputation to Captain Flint, but it doesn't seem to work - for now. If Silver's going to insist on targeting Billy, I'm hoping for an a proper brawl between them. I'm not one to ask for violence just for the sake of violence, but seeing as how Billy is not so brutish compared to the other pirates, it would be interesting to see him snap and truly lose his cool.

This whole business with Mrs. Barlow is too mysterious and has too many questions for me to formulate an opinion of her. Until more of her story unfolds, she'll continue to be an enigma. Eleanor appears to be on a bit of a downward spiral. With how hard she's struggling to maintain both power and control, it will be interesting to see just how far she'll be willing to go to keep them. The plot line with Max is one that's becoming rather problematic. While the brutality of pirates is both known and documented, the frequency and ease with which film and television incorporate violence against womyn is long past alarming. The fact that she's already stayed under the command of Vane, in a position even more likely to lead to rape, out of some misguided sense of pride against Eleanor is hard to wrap one's head around. But for the writer's to add an especially brutish member of Vane's crew to have a taste for "extra"-violent rape is simply adding insult to injury. Enough with the bashing against womyn. Get on with the stealing and adventure-ing.

Black Sails airs on Saturdays on Starz at 9/8c.