Black Sails XXXVII (Starz 26 Mar 2017, with Toby Stephens)

In Black Sails XXXVII, the penultimate episode of the whole, the tension is almost unbearable. Madi is captive on Rogers’ boat and Flint and Silver and their crew on the Walrus are following them right into waters surrounding sinister Skull Island. The slow burn throughout the entire series of Flint’s fate and most likely life lying in the hands of John Silver is never more implicit in flashback scenes of Flint teaching Silver how to use a sword.

Woodes Rogers has told Madi he wants her to sign a treaty that would quell the “rebellion” and saves Silver’s life. Like Flint she sees the cause as more important than any single life.

As the episode begins though Flint (along with crew member Dooley) has taken the cache onto the island to bury, he is being tracked by a group of Silver’s men who have now been joined by Silver and Israel Hands. Having tricked the men into splitting up Flint in quick and brutal fashion.

Jack Rackham is also on his way to skeleton island, part of his deal with Marion Guthrie is to kill Flint, what he really wants though is the cache he sees as truly belonging to him.

During a tense standoff between Flint and Silver, where Silver makes it plain he cannot allow the madness to continue and if he cannot persuade Flint to see the same point of view is prepared to kill him. As they begin to fight they realise that their ship The Walrus is going down. It’s fully ablaze having been set alight by Roger’s men. Forced to abandon ship the men try to swim ashore only to be mercilessly shot by redcoats (and Billy Bones) waiting in launches to take pot shots at them. In a brief glimmer of his old oath Bones allows Ben Gunn to get away.

Hard to believe we are almost at the end of this superb series, the things we know about Treasure Island have always colored our thoughts on certain characters but at the same times added to the waves of tension that encompass the action. There has been an air of sadness over much of this final season particularly in the dynamic between Flint and Silver, closer than brothers, it has seemed inevitable at times to both of them that only one of them will stay the distance.

production details
UK / Starz / 1×60 minute episode / Broadcast 26 March 2017

Writer: Dan Shotz / Director: Steve Boyum

Series: Black Sails Season 4 Episode 9

cast
Toby Stephens as Captain Flint
Hannah New as Eleanor Guthrie
Luke Arnold as John Silver
Tom Hopper as Billy Bones
Toby Schmitz as Rackham
Luke Roberts as Woodes Rogers
David Wilmot as Israel Hands
Zethu Dlomo as Madi
Andre Jacobs as De Groot
Craig Jackson as Featherstone
Laudo Liebenberg as Dooley
Chris Fisher as Ben Gunn
Winston Chong as Joji
Ron Smerczak as Mr. McCoy
Wilson Carpenter as Ellers
Dale Jackson as Lieutenant Utley
Tyrone Keogh as Adams
Rory Acton Burnell as Colin