Black Sails has one thing guaranteed every episode, and that is that someone is always scheming to come out on top. So, who is the master of this dangerous game?
Granted, on some level, just by being a resident of Nassau at this dangerous time you’d have to be involved in some level of scheming to stay alive. On the other hand, there’s definitely a group that isn’t just looking to survive. They are looking to be a force of power to be reckoned with. They want to do the controlling, rather than be controlled.
Check out the major players and then vote for your choice of the master manipulator below.
Captain Flint obviously wants to regain his ship, and score the Urca de Lima’s gold. As John Silver puts it, “I don’t believe you did any of this for a pardon; or a passage to Nassau; or to be able to walk away from anything. I think you intend to reclaim your captaincy. I think you intend to take control of this ship. And then I think you intend to return to that beach, armed to the teeth, and seize every last ounce of gold off of it.”
As if that wasn’t enough of a goal, Flint still wants more. He dreams of a legitimate, sovereign nation that survives on the back of honest work. He’ll do whatever it takes to make that dream a reality for himself, and for his co-plotter, Mrs. Barlow.
John Silver has been plotting from the moment we met him. He has just stolen the Urca de Lima schedule, and killed the cook to do it. It’s been lie upon lie after that time with the end goals being riches and saving his own skin. Now that Silver has thrown in with Flint, is he an equal player in the game of manipulation and intrigue? Is he simply out of his depth?
Captain Vane hit rock bottom last year. More to the point, he completely recovered, stronger than before. Not only did he gain a new crew that is totally loyal to him, but he also overtook the Nassau fort with minimal effort and loss of life. He is quite literally the king of the mountain that Eleanor and others have to deal with to get what they want. The only thing is that once you are on the top, you become the target for take-down. Can Vane keep his position, or will he lose it all again?
Eleanor Guthrie has proved herself a woman who knows with great risk comes great reward. Despite fantastic odds against her, she organized the crews of Nassau, salvaged her business, and picked selective alliances. Her one weakness is her heart, which depending on the day, either yearns for Max or Flint. Bottomline, what Eleanor wants most is power. The question is, does she have what it takes to get it and to keep it?
Jack Rackham was once the most successful plotter on Nassau. By his own admission, “When I came here, I had nothing but my name and my wits. A man in a place like this, surviving on those two things alone, he suffers indignities, slights, and ridicule. But I overcame it. I used the wits to build the name. I became quartermaster to the crew that struck fear into the hearts of many many men.” Sadly, Jack has now fallen on hard times, where people are literally pissing on him in the streets. Will he be able to rise again and rebuild his empire?
Max gambled it all to escape her life on Nassau, and she lost really badly when she discovered that Eleanor didn’t share her dreams. Now, Max is hell bent on revenge. Despite what happened, she and Vane parted on good terms. She’s already in business with Rackham and Anne Bonny. She’s made an ally of Ned Low by selling him secrets. Lastly, she’s seduced Anne Bonny. Will this success see Max rise to the top, or is her desire for vengeance going to take her down?
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