Black Sails is no stranger to murder and mayhem, but did you see that death coming in last night’s episode?
Black Sails has never been afraid to kill off both main and featured characters. Last season, we were faced with the shocker of Captain Flint (Toby Stephens) murdering his quartermaster and loyal friend, Mr. Gates (Mark Ryan). This year we were led to believe that Ned Low (Tadhg Murphy) would be a major antagonist, yet he lasted barely three episodes. Last night, we lost another key player.
Richard Guthrie (Sean Cameron Michael) met his end in a particularly gruesome way. Presumably Captain Charles Vane (Zach McGowan), either alone or with the help of his men, strung Guthrie up, tortured him, and left him to rot open to the elements in the center of the fort.
That’s one way you can get your point across… #BlackSails pic.twitter.com/Jx5RW7Ej96
— Black Sails (@BlkSails_Starz) March 15, 2015
Many thought Vane would have had his hands full with a mob of his angry men. Eleanor Guthrie (Hannah New) stole their prize catch of Abigail Ashe (Maganne Young) right out from under their noses after the men warned Vane that Eleanor wasn’t to be trusted. As Rackham (Toby Schmitz) was at the doors of the fortress with the buzzards flying overhead, how many people thought that it was Vane’s carcass that Rackham’s men were going to find? At the very least, many might have thought there would be the remnants of a battle with bodies strewn everywhere. In the end, it was just one body.
Eleanor's decisions may have gotten people killed in the past, but do they define her? #BlackSails
https://t.co/VzDF8ObRPX
— Black Sails (@BlkSails_Starz) March 13, 2015
Will Eleanor be ready for what comes next? The loss of her father, with whom she had a love/hate relationship at best, is not nearly as terrifying as the thought of Vane returning and setting his vengeance on her next. We all know what happened to Max last season. Vane is a whole lot angrier now. Eleanor might want to carry a pistol for a quick death, because if Vane catches her it won’t be pretty.
In speaking about the episode, Sean Cameron Michael took to Twitter to praise the work and actors in the episode:
The #BlackSails cast are so strong in this episode. Actors giving everything of themselves. We could feel the tension and intensity on-set.
— sean cameron michael (@seancmichael) March 15, 2015
All-in-all, it makes for an exciting show, as the life expectancy for a pirate, and those that deal with them, isn’t exactly high. It’s a high stakes game of eat or be eaten. There is little room for mercy.