Black Sails XVII (Starz 21 Mar 2015, with Russell Savadier)

In Black Sails XVII Flint and Miranda are allowed to meet Lord Ashe, he is only willing to listen to them because of the safe return of his daughter. They make it plain to Lord Ashe that they still believe in their plan for total reconciliation.

After consideration Ashe tells Flint he will help him but only with strict conditions. Ashe says he will return with Flint to Nassau and if the situation is as he says it is then the two of them will travel to London where Flint must lay bare everything including his affair with Thomas.

The situation breaks down when Miranda spots a clock on Lord Ashe’s wall that she knows belonged to Thomas’s father. It becomes clear that Lord Ashe was working for Alfred all along. He is actually the man responsible for Flint and Miranda’s exile! Miranda starts to lose her temper leading to one of his bursting in and killing her. Flint is then badly beaten and arrested.

Vane and his men are laying in wait close to Flint’s ship and launch a devastating attack. He quickly overpowers Flint’s taken unawares crew. Silver, luckily, who has remained at large, has a plan.

Flint also reveals to Miranda why he chose the name Flint as his pirate nom de plume, it was from a story told by his grandfather who had been a sailor in his youth and had a strange experience one night in which a man appeared on his boat. His name was Mr Flint.

Eleanor, having buried her father, knows she has to stop Rackham recovering the gold as it could prove devastating to the fate of Nassau (“emboldening piracy for decades”) and launches a dead move on Rackham’s crew. Rackham himself is only saved by the timely re-appearance of Anne Bonny. Hornigold and Dufresne have decided that the Eleanor is the real source of trouble on Nassau and that they need to be rid of her.

Black Sails cements its position as truly great television with each successive episode and XVII is the best so far. So many plates are spinning and kept spinning magnificently by the production team. Miranda’s death is truly shocking quickly followed by the double shock of Vane persuading the crew to rescue Flint and then Eleanor being turned over to the English by Hornigold and Dufresne.

production details
USA / Starz / 1×60 minute episode / Broadcast 21 March 2015

Writers: Brad Kaleb Kane / Director: Lukas Ettlin

Series: Black Sails Season 2 Episode 9

cast
Toby Stephens as Captain Flint
Hannah New as Eleanor Guthrie
Luke Arnold as John Silver
Jessica Parker Kennedy as Max
Tom Hopper as Billy Bones
Zach McGowan as Captain Charles Vane
Toby Schmitz as Rackham
Clara Paget as Anne Bonny
Hakeem Kae-Kazim as Mr. Scott
Sean Cameron Michael as Richard Guthrie
Louise Barnes as Miranda Barlow
Nick Boraine as Peter Ashe
Meganne Young as Abigail Ashe
Lars Arentz-Hansen as William Rhett
Craig Jackson as Featherstone
Russel Savadier as Underhill
Adrian Collins as Vincent
Robert Hobbs as Jenks
Patrick Lyster as Captain Benjamin Hornigold
Laudo Liebenberg as Dooley
Mark Elderkin as Pastor Lambrick
David Dukas as Captain Hume
David Butler as Frasier
Matthew Oats as Boat Captain
Josh Ramsey as Baymen Lieutenant
Sibongile Mlambo as Eme
Lawrence Joffe as Randall
Lyle McLeod as Rigger
Mzu Ntantiso as House Attendant
Nicky Rebelo as Merchant
David James as Pirate Thug
Winston Chong as Joji
Richard Lukunku as Joshua
Roland Reed as Dufresne
Patrick Lavisa as Babatunde
Richard Wright-Firth as Muldoon
Craig Macrae as Yardley