Black Sails returns for season 2 on Saturday, January 24 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Starz. Before you set sail on season 2, here is a brief recap of key moments from season 1.

1. Captain Flint’s secrets

Captain Flint (Toby Stephens) is a man of many secrets, not the least of which is that he killed his friend and long-time quartermaster Mr. Gates to keep crucial information from his men. Flint’s hunt for the Spanish treasure ship, the Urca de Lima, was partly, as he told his crew, to make them rich; however, what he didn’t tell them was that he planned to skim a healthy amount off the top for himself and Mrs. Barlow (who we will get to in a minute).

Who exactly are Captain Flint and Mrs. Barlow (Louise Barnes)? It’s heavily hinted that they fled England as disgraced lovers, and that they now seek revenge on those whom they feel wronged them. They also are looking to change their lives on the run. Flint would like to establish a legitimate, sovereign nation. As to what Mrs. Barlow wants long-term, that isn’t quite clear.

The other major secret that was revealed in last season’s final episode was that Flint falsely accused a man of stealing information on the whereabouts of the Urca de Lima to keep control of his ship. The only reason he and John Silver (Luke Arnold), the actual thief, are alive is that they ended up shipwrecked coincidentally on the same island that it turns out the Urca de Lima is shipwrecked on, too. Bottom line, although Flint’s surviving crew would like to see him dead, they frankly need all the men they can get if they are going to get off the island with the treasure and their lives.

2. Charles Vane has the high ground

Last season Captain Vane (Zach McGowan) spent a good deal of time being thwarted alternatively by Captain Flint and/or Eleanor Guthrie. Their actions and his lack of foresight cost him his crew and his ship.

After going off to a mysterious island inhabited by former pirates, Vane fights their leader to the death and rallies the inhabitants to his side. He manages to take over the fort that sits atop Nassau. He can fire on the town or ships in the harbor at will. He is quite literally now calling the shots as to what happens on the Nassau.

3. Eleanor Guthrie’s struggles for autonomy

One thing that can be said about Eleanor (Hannah New) is that she isn’t a pushover. If you knock her down, she’s going to get back up, and her first order of business is going to be to mow you down, consequences be damned.

Even though she seems to have a weak spot for Flint, she’s likely playing all the powerful men she encounters to accomplish her own ends. She sees herself as something of a feminist meets avenging angel in this testosterone-fueled world. She’s not afraid to take on Flint, Vane, her father (Sean Cameron Michael), or Captain Benjamin Hornigold (Patrick Lyster) if it means autonomy for herself and her business interests.

4. Rackham’s newest venture

For all his protestations that he has a superior intellect, Jack Rackham (Toby Schmitz), the former quartermaster of Charles Vance’s ship, managed to lose all the wealth of Vane’s crew, lose Max to an angry mob bent on revenge, and utterly fail at running the brothel after its ownership fell into his lap.

If it weren’t for his lover, Anne Bonny (Clara Paget), and Max (Jessica Parker Kennedy) assisting with the brothel, he’d still be without cash. The question is, now that Vane is back in town, how will he view his former quartermaster?

5. The mystery of Billy Bones

It’s heavily implied that Captain Flint tossed Billy Bones (Tom Hopper) overboard during rough weather to cover his tracks in the Urca de Lima affair. For Mr. Gates, it was what pushed him to break with the captain. He could excuse just about anything but cold-blooded murder. The question is, does the remaining leadership of Flint’s crew, Mr. Dufresne and Mr. da Groot, suspect Flint of Billy’s murder?

When Billy went overboard, it was off screen. Did Billy legitimately fall, was he pushed, or did Flint not lift a hand seeing Billy in dire straits?

On page 2: Max’s game, Anne Bonny’s strength, and new rivals

6. Max makes her move

Max clearly is not satisfied working as a whore in the brothel. When she risked it all to get enough money for her and her lover, Eleanor, to get away from the island, her plans backfired in more ways than one. Aside from ending up catching the blame for the demise of the prosperity of Vane’s crew, Max comes to realize that she did not mean as much to Eleanor as she thought.

In the end, Eleanor’s betrayal wounded Max more than the fact that she became the sexual punching bag of Vane’s crew. Now that Max is aligned in a position of power with Rackham at the brothel, what will she do? Is revenge on her mind, and if so, what is the price?

7. Anne Bonny, silent but powerful

For a woman of few words, Anne Bonny is one of the most influential characters in this world. The only man whom she takes any orders from is Captain Vane, and even then it’s from a sense of respect coupled with fear.

Anne has a survival instinct second to none, and a bit of an unspoken code of honor. She’s not above killing anyone, but it’s a clean death to get the job done. Torture is about payback for those who step out of line with Anne’s code.

Will Anne urge Jack to rekindle an alliance with Vane? Will Max feel that she owes her a debt since Anne saved Max from further torture by the men at the beach?

8. Mr. Guthrie, where are you?

When last we saw Mr. Guthrie, he had disbanded his business and fled to the hills at the house of a wealthy plantation owner. So, what exactly is he plotting away to do up there? Who is he aligning with to further his own ends?

He’s currently under investigation by the British government, he’s the black sheep of his family back in Boston, and he is certainly not winning any popularity contests with his own daughter or Mrs. Barlow. So what is his end game, and who are his partners?

9. John Silver plays all sides

If there is one thing that John Silver is good at, it is saving his own skin. The man has more lives than a cat. The problem is that after awhile he has told so many lies and double-crossed so many people that no one is going to want to help him. Now that the Urca de Lima has been found, Flint’s remaining crew has little reason to want to keep him alive.

Can Silver talk his way out again? Can he make a new alliance to save his skin? At what point does everything catch up with him? It remains to be seen.

10. There’s always a new threat

It doesn’t matter if it’s a person or Mother Nature, it’s a world where danger is present every day. The threat is often in changing alliances.

Right now, Mr. Dufresne, Mr. da Groot, and even the hapless Randall are in positions of authority given their knowledge of Flint’s actions. Mr. Scott, on the other hand, has traded in his life as Eleanor’s right-hand-man for the life aboard Captain Hornigold’s ship. What will these new power brokers do?

Black Sails returns Saturday, January 24 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Starz.