One of the creators has come out and said that the writing staff saw Treasure Island as a fictional story written in the world of (and after the events of) Black Sails. So Flint was right when he told Silver that they’ll become monsters in the stories they tell their children.
it's very intresting how you said that Flint's sexuality is a side note, when in a way him being gay is his whole motivation through this entire series- i think it only shows how good the writers are at making 3d characters who aren't stereotypes and feel like real people
Lol I'm hella late on this show but I agree. His sexuality is far from a side note imo. Had it not been for his sexuality, he wouldn't have been discharged from the navy, Thomas wouldn't have been sent to the reform estate, and well pretty much all his motivations stemmed from the aforementioned events. I get what Chris was trying to say in a way, but yeah I definitely wouldn't call it a "side note"
the fact silver is saying 'this is not what i wanted,' while pointing the gun at flint, in an exact mirror of flint saying it over gates body in season 1. by the end of the story flint was slowly healing, but silver had become the same villain flint started out as
The creators said that the image of Maddie and John that we saw and the distance between them represent the distance that will remain in their relationship. She will never trust him again...And the story about Flint...it's up to you to believe it or not...
The creators of the show actually came out after the finale and said they intended the end to be ambiguous: "A story is true, a story is untrue." The startled birds in the woods, as if someone fired a shoot. The dreamlike lighting in the scenes with Flint meeting Thomas. They wanted the audience to be able to choose the ending they like best. Personally, giving Silvers history, I choose to believe he shoot him and just spun one of his tales. After-all, Silver is the villain of Treasure Island.
I always preferred to see this version of the story as the true one that only a handful of people were privy to, and the "untrue" story would be the "official" version from Treasure Island (that Flint succumbed to alcoholism on Savannah many years before the story).
I mean, Silver's story was literally "no, he's not dead. He just went to live on a nice farm upstate. With his dead boyfriend. That I managed to somehow track down out of nowhere in the cold open of this episode. And they get to run around 18th century Georgia kissing and holding hands and it's just so nice you would have loved to see it." Yep, that sounds plausible. And Silver's overarching primary character trait throughout all 4 seasons (and in Treasure Island) is that he's a big fat phony who's always playing a role. And, you know, the whole ending monologue summing up the theme of the show is about how it doesn't matter if stories are true or not. He 100% iced Flint and made up a good story to placate everyone.
Yeah, that certainly makes a lof of sense. The fact that they set it up like this plantation in Savannah actually existed some episodes prior makes that a bit weird though. But of course that could've just been where Silver got the idea to make up this specific lie.
I actually met Toby Stephens (Flint) at London Comic Con and asked him if he thought he lived. His answer was no. He said it was a story made up by Sliver
Yea that was always my assumption. Seeing how Flint the episode before this tells Silver that he has already lost Madi by giving up on the war. That even if he gets her back and everything goes his way he would never be able to come up with a story that would convince Madi to stay. There is also a bunch of other things that make me lean in that direction. The first being the timeline of events. As not even sure if Silver literally sent someone to the US the second he heard of the place from Max. Not sure that it would have given them enough time to sail all the way to the US and then make it back to Silver with the Info of Thomas being alive. 2nd not sure why he would hold onto that info for so long. I would imagine the second he knew the truth about Thomas being alive he would have told Flint either due to their friendship or because it would have helped him convince Flint sooner that they should end this war. Then you have the fact that right after we see Flint and Silver together for the last time the men hear something and then walkaway. Sure maybe it was a signal for them to board the ship or it could be because they heard the gunshot that killed Flint. And then the last thing is the fact that Silver doesn't instantly tell Madi about what happened. Instead he waits until she starts tearing into him questioning how he could kill Flint. And it's only then that he tells her making it seem like he came up with it on the spot or had the story ready to go when he needed it.
@@efancording6363 Absolutely. There is no definitive answer. But there are some things in the show that suggest that Flint dies. I hope he lives, but if Silver killed him, that would also be a good ending.
Flint: You will (care)... Someday you will. Someday... Even if you can persuade her to keep you, she'll no longer be enough, and that comfort will grow stale. And casting about in the dark for proof that mattered and finding none, you'll know, that you gave it away in this moment. On this island. Left it in the ground along with that chest. ***Spoilers for Treasure Island Below*** This quote becomes incredibly more profound when you read the book. Knowing that in about 20 years time everything Flint says is true. So true that Silver makes an entire expedition back to Skull Island to feel like a pirate once again. Looking for proof that he mattered. What does he find in that treasure chest? Nothing. It's all gone. Not only the jewels, but the proof that he ever mattered. That he was ever important. He threw it all away.
This whole series I was waiting for your reaction to seeing Flint and Thomas Hamilton being reunited... And you didn't disappoint at all! Awesome reaction, you guys! :)
I really want to believe they did get reunited in the end but what Jack says after about the stories we want to believe makes me wonder if John was telling the truth when he said that.
it's kinda tragicly funny to me how in game of thrones finale they tried to do their big speech about the importance of story but everyone fucking hated it, and black sails shows exactly why by showing how to do it properly
*_I'd honestly watch you guys re-react to Black Sails SEASON 1 all over again_* just to see your renewed perspectives now that you've seen all 4 seasons as hindsight is a beautiful thing :). Upgraded my tier membership today after watching your S04E09 reaction just I could see this and it was well worth every cent for me, was not disappointed at all. It's probably the most emotional reaction I've seen you guys do since the Finale of Avatar The Last Airbender which is still my fave all time reaction of your channel but this comes second - Much Love from Australia, Normies Fam!
Again, was almost touch and go during Season 1, there were times where I thought you guys weren't gonna get to Season 2 but great that you stayed the course and the payoff was amazing to watch, Thanks again for continuing to make the reactions work during cov1d19, it worked so well.
40:06 Agree with all your points about the pace of Season 1 and also GoT dominating the TV landscape but another point to consider for in particular people I've spoken to, many people's idea of Pirates was overwhelmingly overshadowed as well by _"The Pirates of The Caribbean"_ films so although they liked the films, they weren't in the mood for something like that, the people that have watched it since I recommended it to them but thanked me for introducing them to now one of their all time fave TV shows.
Game of Thrones could never. Thanks for all the reactions, glad to see you stuck with it and loved it. It really is a special show, almost like a secret treasure of our own.
And here we are... a masterclass in how to end a story. Btw, notice the look Max and the Madam give Jack there at the end... they fully know he's talking to a woman in disguise and they're laughing their asses off at his blindness. :)
Been great seeing you guys start to love the show after a rocky start. I personally loved it almost instantly but we're not all the same are we :) I'm glad it grew on you though. I've read theories about Silver making up what happened to Flint, and that it was him doing what he does best, persuade people to do what he wants by telling them what they want to hear; and that in the end he had to kill him. We hear Silver repeat again what he did to Flint "a day, a month, a year, until you understand". It's so rehearsed it's hard to believe.
I honestly liked this show from the beginning, and by the end it was my favorite of this past decade. It had great dialogue, great characters, and the world was excellently built. After being over-saturated by Pirates of the Caribbean, I was glad this much more realistic approach to pirate stories came along. It was great to see how pirates attempted to have their form of democracy, they were still concerned with commerce and making a living, it wasn't just adventuring. And the way they weaved realistic elements into the writing. In this show it wasn't simply people moving from A to B where shit happened. In each episode, the journey mattered, whether it was a physical or spiritual journey.
I never saw the need to compare this show with the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise. In fact, I don't recall the POTC franchise being "over-saturated" during the series' run between 2014 and 2017.
JOURNEY'S END. Thank you Normies for sharing the ride with us. This show gets better when you rewatch it, people pick up little hints and details that were missed the first time. Have a nice day!
Just wanted to genuinely thank you for reacting to this show. It's so unknown to most people and any attention is a great thing. I love how engrossed with the show everyone was by the end My personal favorite show ever. Everything from the sets, costumes, action, music, and of course the amazing writing and dialogue from the actors is incredible Can't say enough so I'll just stop and say thanks. What a journey
Goddamnit I love this show so much. Btw Luke Arnold (John Silver) said he watches reactions to the show a while back & is very responsive to fains. He even answered a few questions for Blind Wave (though I'm sure you're already aware of this by now). Would be dope if you could get him to do something similar. Oh and he has a fantasy/noire book out called 'The Last Smile in Sunder City', you could have it on your book club if you're interested.
Brilliant video and absolutely thrilled more people are seeing this show and the fact that these reactions are highlighting the greatness of it to others! If you want to see some of the original costumes from the series we purchased them at auction and we have a few breakdown videos on here atm of John Silvers final episode costume and Flints final episode costume. The attention to detail in the script was definately transfered to the costume department as these pieces are stunning. Thanks again guys for highlighting the series to even more people
I think at the end of the day, Black Sails is the greatest fanfic of all time. Like, how amazing is it to make something that's 1/3 prequel series, 1/3 real history, and 1/3 original content, and tie it all together damn near seamlessly? . Honestly, this show is like porn for writers and people who love the art of storytelling. It's a great story in its own right, of course. But beyond that, this show is all about the power of words. Abigail Ashe's diary was a key influence in Charlestown. Billy's upbringing as the son of pamphleteers gave him the foundation to create the legend of Long John Silver. Woodes Rogers is so proud of how he crafted his reputation through his book, and we see that pride become his undoing as Jack gets to literally write his fate into the history books. And the entire character of Captain Flint is practically a legend come to life, and knowledge of his history is how Silver unmakes him. Flint's big speech about being "defined by their histories, distorted to fit into their narrative, until all that is left of us are the monsters in the stories they tell their children..." is damn near prescient, as Flint's own legacy is as a monster in children's stories himself. . Quick thought on the Flint/Billy comparison. I think the difference is actually best explained by a quote from Jack Sparrow. "I'm dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly stupid." Right? . It makes me happy that you all appreciated this happy, almost squeaky clean, ending. I'm firmly of the belief that not every ending NEEDS shocking twists and major deaths. Sometimes they're appropriate, but more often they're used to compensate for a weaker narrative, that way people felt like they watched something satisfying even if the writing didn't quite earn it. But when the journey is this damn good, we don't NEED the dramatic death scene to make it feel worthwhile. The best example I can think of is Avatar: The Last Airbender; it has the most predictable, squeaky clean, consequence-free ending ever, and yet everyone loves it because the journey EARNED that ending. Black Sails follows in those same footsteps, while so many other shows fall short. . And as a final thought, this show is a GIFT to all us LGBTQ+ people who are tired of the "bury your gays" trope. Flint and Anne both are ridiculously, almost comically unkillable. They both should have died like a dozen times but they're straight up invincible, and then Thomas being un-buried by the narrative is just the cherry on top.
That scene between flint and silver was perfect on both ends. One of my top 3 shows of all time. Thank you guys for reacting to it and providing content
This show...perfection. Thank you for reacting to it, but even more so, thank you to the incredible cast and crew for giving it their all, and even the historical figures for giving the inspiration. 🙂
Chaos VS Order - like the opening of the show. Darkness VS Light. Pirates VS Empire. Flint represented Chaos, always wearing black. He was once part of of Order (James), who wanted to bring order to Chaos=Nassau But the British Empire was also corrupted and with darkness, and excluded James and turned him into Flint. Flint was ultimate Chaos, burning the whole world - the only thing that could change him was love. It was Long John Silver who becamse slowly also Chaotic by Flint, but was turned into Light with Maddy.
Funny thing is, that Woodes wins in the end. He comes back and takes over as governor. The book "a general history of the pirates", teases this as he wrote it. You viewed Woodes looking at the record keeper as a symbol for his eternal defeat, but in the end, it is the opposite. It symbolizes his opportunity to return
Im sure it’s already been written by someone the pirate at the end is Mary Reed, dressed up as a guy (As Anne Bonnie actually did back then). Jack Rackham better known as Calico Jack was one of the only pirates known to have women on his crew, the women: Anne Bonnie and Mary Reed. It’s cool how this actually happened (dramatized for tv of course).
I truly hate that the show is over. Everything from the writing, acting, and even the musical score was top notch. Also loved how they touched on the Maroon culture as well.
Love his show but the final season was rushed (where have we heard that before). This was supposed to be 5 seasons but due to low viewing figures it was cancelled after season 3 but were given 10 more episodes to complete the story. They therefore had to do 20 eps. in just 10. 5 seasons would have been perfect. Still....this show....in my top 3 of all time.
This has been such a great ride. Thanks for adding even more entertainment value to one of the greatest shows of all time, even including Pat - AKA, The Eddie Bravo Of The Normies.
This was such a phenomenal series, I'm so glad you guys stuck with it until the end. I started watching Black Sails years ago, but I never watched episode 10 because I was so worried Flint would die. As I saw you guys getting closer to the finale, I finally went back and finished the show, and what an ending it was! If only Game of Thrones had been given the same level to care and respect.
Biggest takeaway after the Normies finally wrap up this amazing journey. Nahid....done fucked....UP!!! Dude literally slept his way off one of the best series they've ever reacted to. Then promised he was coming back and never did. His loss and it's a BIG one
Re: Are there any other pirate shows like that: No, but yes. In my opinion no other show will ever come close to the masterpiece this is, but there is another show with a similar premise that - for me, at least - scratched a similar itch. It's called Crossbones, and it puts Richard Coyle as a Navy intelligence man opposite John Malkovich as a retired Edward Teach ruling over a pirate republic on the hidden island of Santa Compaña. Very nice dialogue, superb performances by both leads. Sadly, just one season of eight episodes. Still, worth a watch!
I vote for STARZ Spartacus for a reaction series. The story is absolutely incredible. I feel that it’s very underrated and forgotten almost. You will get attached to characters and you will develop seething hatreds for others (almost GOT level) I really think you guys would like it
After the episode was released the showrunners actually came out and said they intentionally left the ending up for interpretation.There are clues supporting both outcomes. Personally I believe Silver killed Flint. Mainly because Silvers motivation is weakness and he is the villain of Treasure Island. People say Flint just wants to see the world burn and that is surely part of him, but he also was always a true progressive for the time, envisioning a more enlightened society. His war might have created that, lead to America a little earlier. The show really does feel like a prequel to the french and american revolution as well as treasure island.
Also just something kinda cool to point out, In the conversation between Flint ands Silver on the island, When Silver points his gun at Flint he says "This is not what I wanted" which is the same thing Flint said to Gates in Season 1 as he killed him. Also flint tells Silver that he will come to regret this choice which we know ends up happening because treasure island focuses on silver trying o reclaim the treasure.
A superb ending to a superb show. My only issue with the ending was I personally wish they had tied it to Treasure Island just a little bit more. Like I found it odd that it was Billy Bones on the island at the end and not Ben Gunn, I think showing an older Billy at the Admiral Benbow Inn might have been a nice touch and nod to the book. That being said, damn I loved this show.
I was surprised that none of the normies thought that Silver killed Flint and was just telling a powerful story. I definitely don't think Flint survived.
25:30 The sequel is Treasure Island, hahaha, although my reaction was the same when it finished! Great reaction guys, I'm so glad y'all enjoyed it as much as I did. I agree totally with Marketa; this show is unlike anything else on television. Every plot point in the show had a purpose, and every character was catered to - so much so that I even felt sort of bad for Woodes in the end, and considering he's the big bad, that's saying something. I adore how this show never felt the need to do flashbang action for the sake of it as well, with every battle sequence being an integral part of the story, and every instance of gore having the appropriate amount of horror within the world - Teach's death, Eleanor's death, etc, all played into the grander scheme, and motivated those closest to them into the conclusion. The lack of death for shock value also proves just how skilled the writers are. I couldn't name many shows where characters aren't killed off near to the finale, 'just because'. It would have been very easy to kill Flint, Madi, Anne, and Max, but they let them have relatively happy (even realistic) endings. The fact that they were POC or LGBTQ representation is also incredibly important in our present media, which so often utilises minorities for tragedy alone, and it sucks. All in all, a fantastic show that made me read Treasure Island for the first time since I was like, 8. It also gave me a greater appreciation for the marginalised people in history - heroes whose stories are stamped out by colonial forces so later generations have to search to find them. I would recommend Leverage to watch next, which is also nearly flawless and incredibly funny to boot, or Spartacus, if you are looking to fill Black Sails' slot! It has a similarly slow start, but my god is it worth it!
Mark Read is the alias as Mary Read, another famous female pirate. It is speculated she and Anne Bonny had a lesbian relationship, with Jack on the third wheel again. When the British finally captured them, Jack and the rest of the crew were too drunk to fight back, leaving Anne and Mary to do it. They avoided the hangman's noose by claiming to be pregnant, where Anne famously told Jack, "If you had fought like a man, you wouldn't be about to die like a dog." Such is love. But the most famous female pirate is Ching Shih, who commanded an entire pirate confederation and caused the Chinese government to tremble before her. Also, the pirate flag popularly used in films is the Jolly Roger of Jack Rackham himself.
I can't tell if anyone else told you in the comments, but "Mark" Read looks odd because it's a woman. Her real name was Mary Read and she became a member of the well-known pirate trio with Jack Rackham and Anne Bonny. When the three of them were finally captured, Jack was executed, but Anne and Mary were both pregnant so they got their execution orders temporarily suspended. They both had their babies in prison and Mary soon died of a fever, but nobody knows what happened to Anne after. I'm not sure she was executed because I would have thought there'd have been a record of it. Looking it up, I've found that some in the day believed she wasn't executed either. "She was continued in Prison, to the Time of her lying in, and afterwards reprieved from Time to Time; but what is become of her since, we cannot tell; only this we know, that she was not executed." -- Captain Charles Johnson, "A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates", 1724
Since Treasure Island was an important book in my childhood, at first I didn't really like the fact they moved away from Treasure Island in the way they chose to end the show. (SPOILER BELOW) I was waiting for the grand tragedy - Captain Flint, dying drunk, a broken man yelling over and over "Darby McGraw! Fetch aft the rum, Darby" - Gunn marooned on the Island, Billy alone and on the run with the black spot of Long John Silver on his trail. That being said, however, having chosen to go another path with their ending, I can only praise Black Sails for the way they pulled it off. They executed the end they chose as well as they possibly could, and as such I still really enjoyed it. And over time I have come to enjoy it more and more.They stuck their landing perfectly, even if it wasn't quite the landing I wanted. Contrast that to Game of Thrones...
I was always of the mindset that Silver created that story about him finding Thomas and sending Flint to be with him. Sure there will never be a right answer unless the writers come out and say it was one or the other. I just see to many things leaning in the favor of it being a story. The first reason being not sure if the timeline would make any sense. Not sure how much time had passed from when Silver learned of the place from Madi to now. But not sure that even if he sent someone there the second he heard that from Max. That they would have had enough time to go all the way to the US and then sail all the way back and tell Silver that they found Thomas. Second thing is Flint literally tells Silver that even if everything goes the way he wants it to he will still lose Madi in the end because he can never create a story that is good enough to convince her not to leave him. 3rd right after we see Flint and Silver together for the last time in the woods it cuts to the men hearing something and walking away. Which sure it could just be a signal they heard to go back to the ship but it could also be that what they heard was the gunshot that killed Flint and knew that their was no point in sticking around. Then one of the biggest reasons is when Silver decides to tell Madi. He doesn't tell her right away that is what happened. Instead it isn't until she started asking how he could do that to him. And then you get this look on his face like he just put all the pieces together on how to form a story that could help him convince Madi. Also not sure why Silver would hold onto the truth and not telling Flint until the very very end. If he was that sick of the war then why not tell Flint sooner. Why not tell him before they left for Treasure Island or why not tell him during the first standoff they had in the last episode or before they go into the situation where Flint stole the treasure. Yea maybe Flint would have never believed him and they would have ended up in the same situation. But would at least figure it would have been worth the chance if Silver truly did find out about Thomas being alive.
John Silver made the same choice that Eleanor made to save the life of a loved one. I find it interesting how divisive everyone's opinions are depending on which couple we are talking about. Eleanor made a deal to end the war for the Urca gold. Even if they kept it themselves to pay for Woodes Rodgers' debts, it would have certainly cost him his governorship and likely any prospects of a future career in London as a result of losing Nassau to the pirates. An outcome Woodes Rodgers was unwilling to accept but one that was largely supported as a reasonable one. In contrast, Silver made a deal to end the war for the emancipation of the maroons. It results in Madi giving up her chance to rule Nassau and potentially freeing more slaves in other colonies. Giving up the chance to avenge the ones who have suffered at the hands of colonial rule. She also likely has to step down as the leader of her people, since she was chosen to lead the war effort, while her mother was the one who ruled during peace time. Both choices are born out of the desire to end the fighting and avoid the possibility of an untimely death. It just happens to also dictate the sort of life their partners would likely be leading - quiet lives in obscurity - as a result of giving up the power and influence victory would offer.
The main reason I believe in the story of Flint being alive at the end is if he were dead, Rackham would simply tell Mrs. Guthrie that. I know Jack likes to talk, but Flint's death was Mrs. Guthrie's main condition for cooperation. There is no reason to risk her cooperation if he could just confirm Flint's death for her.
Great reactions! Thank you Normies. And damn, I bought that Treasure Island audio book 4 years ago, the exact one Micky is talking about. I still haven't listened to it. I think it's about time.
The reason Mark Read looks like a woman is because she actually was one. Her name was Mary Read, and she spent a large portion of her life disguised as a man in order to make a name for herself in a 'man's world'. She would eventually become a shared lover of Calico Jack Rackham and Anne Bonny.
Mark Read, (Mary Read was her real name), She and Anne Bonny are two of the most famed female pirates of all time, and among the few women known to have been convicted of piracy during the early 18th century, at the height of the "Golden Age of Piracy".
the writers of this show really outdid themselves with this series as alot of the characters had good dialog and character development. I will miss watching them, espically toby playing flint> as for the ending yeah it is basically up to the viewers to decide if john was telling the truth or not. if he was lying it be kind of poetic since it would come full circle to who we know john was at the beginning as a liar/con man who would say anything to gain or get out of a situation.
Season 4 of Black Sails is the best season of television in my opinion. I love this show on so many levels and I hope they one day do some sort of a aalternate history sequel with the same cast. That would be awesome.
@@LeahB31 thanks. i'll likely watch most of season 2-4 for anybody doing black sails. i pass on season 1 but will still his the like button for them in those episodes. .
Mickey's "There is a book" fucking sent me. like this leads into Treasure Island so perfectly. and the journey of marketa hating Flint for almost all 4 seasons... to crying when he is reuniting with Hamilton. like we done told you!! now rewatch and you will understand it all a little better. but also, read Treasure Island.
I watched this back in 2015. I was taking a Maritime Piracy course in college and my professor said “this show is the more accurate representation of piracy at the time”
I think the work they were doing in the facility where Flint ends up in was so they could be self-reliant and not have a paper trail of purchasing food/supplies. Not necessarily slavery.
Mark Reed at the end is Mary Reed! She was also a female pirate who disguised herself as a man (Like Anne Bonny did), later on she also becames Anne's lover I believe
Whether y'all agree with Silver or not, I believe he made the smart call in dealing with Flint. Any war that ever been fought throughout history would result in many(sometime unnecessary) deaths. Madi will eventually come around and see Silver did what was neccessary.
Ben Gun and Billy Bones changed roles basically. Billy got stranded, and most likely would play Ben's roles in Treasure Island. If you think this way Billy gets his redemption story in the end. Sad for Ben tough...
Thanks for finally watching this series from start to finish. Can you react to the rest of Band of Brothers and then AMC'S Hell on Wheels? Also the other ww2 hbo series The Pacific. And the Starz series Spartacus?
In regards to Ben and the book: I mean, there's still probably a decade or three between the end of the show and Treasure Island. There are still stories to be resolved off-screen in between them. Besides, Billy needs to be an old man for Treasure Island. Lots can happen in between.
Silver didn't have any real privilege other than making the decision to remove Flint from the war. He had NO control over how Jack and his crew, along with the Maroon leadership would react. They had made the decision to end the war before Flint could take it further. Madi was her mother's representative in the field. She did not have any sole control over the Maroons. Some of you need to get your facts straight.
As selfish John’s choice was. He, sadly wasn’t wrong. There’s a reason why there never was a Marooned War in the history books. They lost a LOT of people before getting to this point. And understandably, would’ve lost a lot more with the war actually funded. He was sick of watching his friends and comrades die on mass.
The topic of Silver making the choice, all I'd say about that is.. everyone propped him up as the Pirate King so he gets to make that call. Like the captain on the ship, his call is final, might not like or agree with it, but it's his call, have to trust that judgement.
I watched this show in it entirety when it came out on Stars. I also own the box set and have watched it many times. There's a couple of things. One, I love the show. It's a highly entertaining and a well written piece of fiction, but it is fiction. The dialog in this series is outstanding. It's also pretty unbelievable for this time frame and from pirates. But, I'm willing to suspend reality for the sake of entertainment. I did really enjoy your reactions, you guys are some funny #$%^#@!. I loved some of your one liners. Bravo. I didn't appreciate the 'boomer' comment, ya know, when you were talking about Blackbeard, Edward Teach. The two most visceral reactions I saw from you guys were, when Miranda was shot in the head...and the end of the series. I liked that you were freaking out at the end, because it brings home how truly great this series is. Even though it's not historical, it at least rouses an interest in the history of piracy, which I feel is a good thing. In the end, when you guys were dissin' Silver for making a decision for Maddie, about ending the war. I completely disagree. He didn't make a decision for her and her people, he made a decision for himself. If Maddie wanted to continue the war, she was free to do so. John simply wasn't going to be a part of it. He'd had enough. I loved this series, even though the history is off, the costumes are off, the ships are wrong...it's super entertaining. And I enjoyed binge watching your reactions. BZ (that's a Navy term, you'll just have to look it up)
Except there's a statue of Rogers standing today in Nassau, while Rackham was hanged for piracy relatively shortly after the show's timeline, regarding the "shitstain" comment. "Mark Reed" is Mary Read in disguise, a famous female pirate who ends up in close relation with Anne Bonny and Jack Rackham.
I dont know if this is true, but it seems that the writers said, that in that last scene of silver and madi is the closest they will get to each other ever again. But its very ambiguous. its like jack said: "The stories we want to believe, those are the ones that survive".
Only homophobes believe Silver killed Flint and cooked up that story. I make the rules. P.S. Black Sails' ending did what Game of Thrones THINKS it did.
since they only showed Madi and Silver standing near each other at the end i just choose to believe the version they never got back together and sleep better
We don't know for sure that Flint reunited with Thomas. It's possible Sliver really did kill Flint and made up the reunion story for Madi. The reunion scene could have been made up since it had a dream like vibe to it.
I think that island was just a marroon island that was heavily populated back then they had ALOT of islands like that, that had escaped slaves , people from the colonies and others
When I was a kid I only read the first part of the book and then I only saw the first part of the muppet's movie. So I have no idea how it ends to this day. So this book club is a good reason to learn
Ironically there is some black erasure going on with the comments after the show. If it was JUST John Silver deciding the future for the maroons and all of black society in the west indies it would be one thing. But it wasn't, it was put to a vote and all the maroon leaders and pirate captains over a "few minor objections" voted not to kick off the war. Hell, if the war had started, you could easily argue it was Flint happily using the maroons and others to wage his war, etc. So, ultimately, it wasn't a race discussion anyway since the coalition was one of both Maroons and Pirates and John was a pirate and therefore his opinion on what should happen to his people is plenty valid on its own merits. And the maroon leaders had their say, like Julius, and voted their own way. Anywho, great show.
My favorite part of these reactions was Marketa's arc of absolutely despising Flint at the beginning to crying over him at the end
Yeah, that was honestly amazing
Love is a beautiful thing
I don't like that part and I don't like Flint.
@@AH-yu2pi Good news. Nobody likes you.
@@stynershiner1854 True.
One of the creators has come out and said that the writing staff saw Treasure Island as a fictional story written in the world of (and after the events of) Black Sails. So Flint was right when he told Silver that they’ll become monsters in the stories they tell their children.
Yeah but was long john fictional or what
Aussie yes, Silver and Flint are fictional characters.
Marketa, Rana and Suraj crying got me crying 😭😭
it's very intresting how you said that Flint's sexuality is a side note, when in a way him being gay is his whole motivation through this entire series- i think it only shows how good the writers are at making 3d characters who aren't stereotypes and feel like real people
Lol I'm hella late on this show but I agree. His sexuality is far from a side note imo. Had it not been for his sexuality, he wouldn't have been discharged from the navy, Thomas wouldn't have been sent to the reform estate, and well pretty much all his motivations stemmed from the aforementioned events. I get what Chris was trying to say in a way, but yeah I definitely wouldn't call it a "side note"
the fact silver is saying 'this is not what i wanted,' while pointing the gun at flint, in an exact mirror of flint saying it over gates body in season 1. by the end of the story flint was slowly healing, but silver had become the same villain flint started out as
The creators said that the image of Maddie and John that we saw and the distance between them represent the distance that will remain in their relationship. She will never trust him again...And the story about Flint...it's up to you to believe it or not...
The creators of the show actually came out after the finale and said they intended the end to be ambiguous: "A story is true, a story is untrue." The startled birds in the woods, as if someone fired a shoot. The dreamlike lighting in the scenes with Flint meeting Thomas. They wanted the audience to be able to choose the ending they like best. Personally, giving Silvers history, I choose to believe he shoot him and just spun one of his tales. After-all, Silver is the villain of Treasure Island.
And it's also mentioned in Treasure Island that Flint dies in Georgia, an old man
I always preferred to see this version of the story as the true one that only a handful of people were privy to, and the "untrue" story would be the "official" version from Treasure Island (that Flint succumbed to alcoholism on Savannah many years before the story).
I mean, Silver's story was literally "no, he's not dead. He just went to live on a nice farm upstate. With his dead boyfriend. That I managed to somehow track down out of nowhere in the cold open of this episode. And they get to run around 18th century Georgia kissing and holding hands and it's just so nice you would have loved to see it." Yep, that sounds plausible. And Silver's overarching primary character trait throughout all 4 seasons (and in Treasure Island) is that he's a big fat phony who's always playing a role. And, you know, the whole ending monologue summing up the theme of the show is about how it doesn't matter if stories are true or not. He 100% iced Flint and made up a good story to placate everyone.
Yeah, that certainly makes a lof of sense. The fact that they set it up like this plantation in Savannah actually existed some episodes prior makes that a bit weird though. But of course that could've just been where Silver got the idea to make up this specific lie.
David McDonald it was shown on screen homie
Everybody gangster until Suraj starts to cry.
I actually met Toby Stephens (Flint) at London Comic Con and asked him if he thought he lived. His answer was no. He said it was a story made up by Sliver
Yea that was always my assumption. Seeing how Flint the episode before this tells Silver that he has already lost Madi by giving up on the war. That even if he gets her back and everything goes his way he would never be able to come up with a story that would convince Madi to stay. There is also a bunch of other things that make me lean in that direction. The first being the timeline of events. As not even sure if Silver literally sent someone to the US the second he heard of the place from Max. Not sure that it would have given them enough time to sail all the way to the US and then make it back to Silver with the Info of Thomas being alive. 2nd not sure why he would hold onto that info for so long. I would imagine the second he knew the truth about Thomas being alive he would have told Flint either due to their friendship or because it would have helped him convince Flint sooner that they should end this war. Then you have the fact that right after we see Flint and Silver together for the last time the men hear something and then walkaway. Sure maybe it was a signal for them to board the ship or it could be because they heard the gunshot that killed Flint. And then the last thing is the fact that Silver doesn't instantly tell Madi about what happened. Instead he waits until she starts tearing into him questioning how he could kill Flint. And it's only then that he tells her making it seem like he came up with it on the spot or had the story ready to go when he needed it.
The writers confirmed he did. It states in Treasure Island that he dies in Georgia, most likely from drink and his last words are "Mrs McGraw" :)
In the words of Jessica Parker Kennedy: Flint is in Puppy Heaven.
That's his opinion. It's open to interpretation.
@@efancording6363 Absolutely. There is no definitive answer. But there are some things in the show that suggest that Flint dies.
I hope he lives, but if Silver killed him, that would also be a good ending.
Flint: You will (care)... Someday you will. Someday... Even if you can persuade her to keep you, she'll no longer be enough, and that comfort will grow stale. And casting about in the dark for proof that mattered and finding none, you'll know, that you gave it away in this moment. On this island. Left it in the ground along with that chest.
***Spoilers for Treasure Island Below***
This quote becomes incredibly more profound when you read the book. Knowing that in about 20 years time everything Flint says is true. So true that Silver makes an entire expedition back to Skull Island to feel like a pirate once again. Looking for proof that he mattered. What does he find in that treasure chest? Nothing. It's all gone. Not only the jewels, but the proof that he ever mattered. That he was ever important. He threw it all away.
This isn't completely true. Have any of you even remembered the ending of "Treasure Island"?
This whole series I was waiting for your reaction to seeing Flint and Thomas Hamilton being reunited... And you didn't disappoint at all! Awesome reaction, you guys! :)
I really want to believe they did get reunited in the end but what Jack says after about the stories we want to believe makes me wonder if John was telling the truth when he said that.
@@pneumaticTurtle That's what makes the ending truly great!
it's kinda tragicly funny to me how in game of thrones finale they tried to do their big speech about the importance of story but everyone fucking hated it, and black sails shows exactly why by showing how to do it properly
*_I'd honestly watch you guys re-react to Black Sails SEASON 1 all over again_* just to see your renewed perspectives now that you've seen all 4 seasons as hindsight is a beautiful thing :).
Upgraded my tier membership today after watching your S04E09 reaction just I could see this and it was well worth every cent for me, was not disappointed at all.
It's probably the most emotional reaction I've seen you guys do since the Finale of Avatar The Last Airbender which is still my fave all time reaction of your channel but this comes second - Much Love from Australia, Normies Fam!
Again, was almost touch and go during Season 1, there were times where I thought you guys weren't gonna get to Season 2 but great that you stayed the course and the payoff was amazing to watch, Thanks again for continuing to make the reactions work during cov1d19, it worked so well.
40:06 Agree with all your points about the pace of Season 1 and also GoT dominating the TV landscape but another point to consider for in particular people I've spoken to, many people's idea of Pirates was overwhelmingly overshadowed as well by _"The Pirates of The Caribbean"_ films so although they liked the films, they weren't in the mood for something like that, the people that have watched it since I recommended it to them but thanked me for introducing them to now one of their all time fave TV shows.
So glad you guys gave the show a shot. One of my top 3 favorite series.
Game of Thrones could never.
Thanks for all the reactions, glad to see you stuck with it and loved it. It really is a special show, almost like a secret treasure of our own.
ik im in the minority, but i was satisfied with how GOT ended, but yeah, black sails is the better show overall imo
@watashi uh what?????
@watashi I think you need to wake up, black sails is better than GOT.
@@kevinbaconwasntinfootloose1742
In words of Bloodraven:
"Far better".
I agree. It's like those of us who watched Black Sails belong to a secret fraternity.
The ending honestly went perfectly in my opinion
It didn't seem that way to me.
@watashi That's my opinion, you rude prick.
@watashi hey no need for names. Everyone's entitled to an opinion
@@BhBc8f8 Thank you.
They need to do a remake of “Treasure Island” either as a series or a movie.
The creators have talked about a ten year reunion doing the story of Treasure Island :) nothing confirmed though
Jackson New literally nothing is stopping them, I’d love that.
Take your time... bring the same writers and have a complete story (not influence from crybaby fanboys like me 😂😂😂)
And here we are... a masterclass in how to end a story.
Btw, notice the look Max and the Madam give Jack there at the end... they fully know he's talking to a woman in disguise and they're laughing their asses off at his blindness. :)
Took the words right out of my mouth.
I believe he knew and that's why he took her in, Anne Bonny used to disguised herself as a man to be able to sail with Jack
Been great seeing you guys start to love the show after a rocky start. I personally loved it almost instantly but we're not all the same are we :) I'm glad it grew on you though. I've read theories about Silver making up what happened to Flint, and that it was him doing what he does best, persuade people to do what he wants by telling them what they want to hear; and that in the end he had to kill him. We hear Silver repeat again what he did to Flint "a day, a month, a year, until you understand". It's so rehearsed it's hard to believe.
The "here be dragons speech" is so 🔥
I honestly liked this show from the beginning, and by the end it was my favorite of this past decade. It had great dialogue, great characters, and the world was excellently built. After being over-saturated by Pirates of the Caribbean, I was glad this much more realistic approach to pirate stories came along. It was great to see how pirates attempted to have their form of democracy, they were still concerned with commerce and making a living, it wasn't just adventuring. And the way they weaved realistic elements into the writing. In this show it wasn't simply people moving from A to B where shit happened. In each episode, the journey mattered, whether it was a physical or spiritual journey.
I never saw the need to compare this show with the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise. In fact, I don't recall the POTC franchise being "over-saturated" during the series' run between 2014 and 2017.
SomeJoeShmoe channel just started reacting to Black Sails. He is awesome.
Shocked to see Marketa and Pat agree on something...
Well it IS 2020!
JOURNEY'S END. Thank you Normies for sharing the ride with us. This show gets better when you rewatch it, people pick up little hints and details that were missed the first time. Have a nice day!
Just wanted to genuinely thank you for reacting to this show. It's so unknown to most people and any attention is a great thing. I love how engrossed with the show everyone was by the end
My personal favorite show ever. Everything from the sets, costumes, action, music, and of course the amazing writing and dialogue from the actors is incredible
Can't say enough so I'll just stop and say thanks. What a journey
SomeJoeShmoe channel just started reacting to Black Sails. He is awesome.
Goddamnit I love this show so much. Btw Luke Arnold (John Silver) said he watches reactions to the show a while back & is very responsive to fains. He even answered a few questions for Blind Wave (though I'm sure you're already aware of this by now). Would be dope if you could get him to do something similar. Oh and he has a fantasy/noire book out called 'The Last Smile in Sunder City', you could have it on your book club if you're interested.
Brilliant video and absolutely thrilled more people are seeing this show and the fact that these reactions are highlighting the greatness of it to others! If you want to see some of the original costumes from the series we purchased them at auction and we have a few breakdown videos on here atm of John Silvers final episode costume and Flints final episode costume. The attention to detail in the script was definately transfered to the costume department as these pieces are stunning. Thanks again guys for highlighting the series to even more people
I think at the end of the day, Black Sails is the greatest fanfic of all time. Like, how amazing is it to make something that's 1/3 prequel series, 1/3 real history, and 1/3 original content, and tie it all together damn near seamlessly?
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Honestly, this show is like porn for writers and people who love the art of storytelling. It's a great story in its own right, of course. But beyond that, this show is all about the power of words. Abigail Ashe's diary was a key influence in Charlestown. Billy's upbringing as the son of pamphleteers gave him the foundation to create the legend of Long John Silver. Woodes Rogers is so proud of how he crafted his reputation through his book, and we see that pride become his undoing as Jack gets to literally write his fate into the history books. And the entire character of Captain Flint is practically a legend come to life, and knowledge of his history is how Silver unmakes him. Flint's big speech about being "defined by their histories, distorted to fit into their narrative, until all that is left of us are the monsters in the stories they tell their children..." is damn near prescient, as Flint's own legacy is as a monster in children's stories himself.
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Quick thought on the Flint/Billy comparison. I think the difference is actually best explained by a quote from Jack Sparrow. "I'm dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly stupid." Right?
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It makes me happy that you all appreciated this happy, almost squeaky clean, ending. I'm firmly of the belief that not every ending NEEDS shocking twists and major deaths. Sometimes they're appropriate, but more often they're used to compensate for a weaker narrative, that way people felt like they watched something satisfying even if the writing didn't quite earn it. But when the journey is this damn good, we don't NEED the dramatic death scene to make it feel worthwhile. The best example I can think of is Avatar: The Last Airbender; it has the most predictable, squeaky clean, consequence-free ending ever, and yet everyone loves it because the journey EARNED that ending. Black Sails follows in those same footsteps, while so many other shows fall short.
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And as a final thought, this show is a GIFT to all us LGBTQ+ people who are tired of the "bury your gays" trope. Flint and Anne both are ridiculously, almost comically unkillable. They both should have died like a dozen times but they're straight up invincible, and then Thomas being un-buried by the narrative is just the cherry on top.
That scene between flint and silver was perfect on both ends. One of my top 3 shows of all time. Thank you guys for reacting to it and providing content
In my head cannon Flint leads an uprising of some kind and gets him and Hamilton to a better life somewhere other than where we last saw them.
Thanks for doing this series. So underrated. Wish more knew
This show...perfection. Thank you for reacting to it, but even more so, thank you to the incredible cast and crew for giving it their all, and even the historical figures for giving the inspiration. 🙂
This is one of my favorite shows of all time. Can't wait for the creators to come back with their Cleopatra show on Amazon. Whenever that will be.
Chaos VS Order - like the opening of the show. Darkness VS Light. Pirates VS Empire.
Flint represented Chaos, always wearing black. He was once part of of Order (James), who wanted to bring order to Chaos=Nassau
But the British Empire was also corrupted and with darkness, and excluded James and turned him into Flint.
Flint was ultimate Chaos, burning the whole world - the only thing that could change him was love. It was Long John Silver who becamse slowly also Chaotic by Flint, but was turned into Light with Maddy.
YES MARK READ IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO WHAT COMES NEXT
@@lizziemarie8191 Yes, Mary, ofcourse, it was a mistake
@@lizziemarie8191 ikr those were the good old days when you feared sailing the seven seas
Funny thing is, that Woodes wins in the end. He comes back and takes over as governor. The book "a general history of the pirates", teases this as he wrote it. You viewed Woodes looking at the record keeper as a symbol for his eternal defeat, but in the end, it is the opposite. It symbolizes his opportunity to return
And he also kills Jack... Sad...
I'm not ready for it to be over again ;-; surprised no one picked up on the fact that Flint may actually have been killed
Im sure it’s already been written by someone the pirate at the end is Mary Reed, dressed up as a guy (As Anne Bonnie actually did back then). Jack Rackham better known as Calico Jack was one of the only pirates known to have women on his crew, the women: Anne Bonnie and Mary Reed. It’s cool how this actually happened (dramatized for tv of course).
I truly hate that the show is over. Everything from the writing, acting, and even the musical score was top notch. Also loved how they touched on the Maroon culture as well.
SomeJoeShmoe channel just started reacting to Black Sails. He is awesome.
After watching the series and reading the book you learn that Silver is a good story teller... I really like to believed that he killed Flint.
"He went to live on a nice farm upstate." Sure he did, John. Sure he did.
Basically the perfect ending. I'm still holding my breath for the sequel - treasure island.
Love his show but the final season was rushed (where have we heard that before).
This was supposed to be 5 seasons but due to low viewing figures it was cancelled after season 3 but were given 10 more episodes to complete the story. They therefore had to do 20 eps. in just 10.
5 seasons would have been perfect.
Still....this show....in my top 3 of all time.
This has been such a great ride. Thanks for adding even more entertainment value to one of the greatest shows of all time, even including Pat - AKA, The Eddie Bravo Of The Normies.
look into it bro
Edgy Bruh
This was such a phenomenal series, I'm so glad you guys stuck with it until the end. I started watching Black Sails years ago, but I never watched episode 10 because I was so worried Flint would die. As I saw you guys getting closer to the finale, I finally went back and finished the show, and what an ending it was! If only Game of Thrones had been given the same level to care and respect.
Biggest takeaway after the Normies finally wrap up this amazing journey. Nahid....done fucked....UP!!! Dude literally slept his way off one of the best series they've ever reacted to. Then promised he was coming back and never did. His loss and it's a BIG one
Re: Are there any other pirate shows like that:
No, but yes. In my opinion no other show will ever come close to the masterpiece this is, but there is another show with a similar premise that - for me, at least - scratched a similar itch.
It's called Crossbones, and it puts Richard Coyle as a Navy intelligence man opposite John Malkovich as a retired Edward Teach ruling over a pirate republic on the hidden island of Santa Compaña. Very nice dialogue, superb performances by both leads. Sadly, just one season of eight episodes. Still, worth a watch!
It's been an amazing ride guys thank you so much for reacting to the BEST live action series in television history🥳🥳🥳
I vote for STARZ Spartacus for a reaction series. The story is absolutely incredible. I feel that it’s very underrated and forgotten almost. You will get attached to characters and you will develop seething hatreds for others (almost GOT level) I really think you guys would like it
Spartacus is awesome!
After the episode was released the showrunners actually came out and said they intentionally left the ending up for interpretation.There are clues supporting both outcomes. Personally I believe Silver killed Flint. Mainly because Silvers motivation is weakness and he is the villain of Treasure Island. People say Flint just wants to see the world burn and that is surely part of him, but he also was always a true progressive for the time, envisioning a more enlightened society. His war might have created that, lead to America a little earlier. The show really does feel like a prequel to the french and american revolution as well as treasure island.
Also just something kinda cool to point out, In the conversation between Flint ands Silver on the island, When Silver points his gun at Flint he says "This is not what I wanted" which is the same thing Flint said to Gates in Season 1 as he killed him. Also flint tells Silver that he will come to regret this choice which we know ends up happening because treasure island focuses on silver trying o reclaim the treasure.
A superb ending to a superb show. My only issue with the ending was I personally wish they had tied it to Treasure Island just a little bit more. Like I found it odd that it was Billy Bones on the island at the end and not Ben Gunn, I think showing an older Billy at the Admiral Benbow Inn might have been a nice touch and nod to the book. That being said, damn I loved this show.
I was surprised that none of the normies thought that Silver killed Flint and was just telling a powerful story. I definitely don't think Flint survived.
I was 50/50 when i watched the finale 2 years ago but now I'm leaning towards he ded 🤪
@@BhBc8f8 According to "Treasure Island", Flint died of alcoholism in Georgia.
25:30 The sequel is Treasure Island, hahaha, although my reaction was the same when it finished!
Great reaction guys, I'm so glad y'all enjoyed it as much as I did. I agree totally with Marketa; this show is unlike anything else on television. Every plot point in the show had a purpose, and every character was catered to - so much so that I even felt sort of bad for Woodes in the end, and considering he's the big bad, that's saying something.
I adore how this show never felt the need to do flashbang action for the sake of it as well, with every battle sequence being an integral part of the story, and every instance of gore having the appropriate amount of horror within the world - Teach's death, Eleanor's death, etc, all played into the grander scheme, and motivated those closest to them into the conclusion. The lack of death for shock value also proves just how skilled the writers are. I couldn't name many shows where characters aren't killed off near to the finale, 'just because'. It would have been very easy to kill Flint, Madi, Anne, and Max, but they let them have relatively happy (even realistic) endings. The fact that they were POC or LGBTQ representation is also incredibly important in our present media, which so often utilises minorities for tragedy alone, and it sucks.
All in all, a fantastic show that made me read Treasure Island for the first time since I was like, 8. It also gave me a greater appreciation for the marginalised people in history - heroes whose stories are stamped out by colonial forces so later generations have to search to find them.
I would recommend Leverage to watch next, which is also nearly flawless and incredibly funny to boot, or Spartacus, if you are looking to fill Black Sails' slot! It has a similarly slow start, but my god is it worth it!
Very well put.
Mark Read is the alias as Mary Read, another famous female pirate. It is speculated she and Anne Bonny had a lesbian relationship, with Jack on the third wheel again. When the British finally captured them, Jack and the rest of the crew were too drunk to fight back, leaving Anne and Mary to do it. They avoided the hangman's noose by claiming to be pregnant, where Anne famously told Jack, "If you had fought like a man, you wouldn't be about to die like a dog." Such is love. But the most famous female pirate is Ching Shih, who commanded an entire pirate confederation and caused the Chinese government to tremble before her.
Also, the pirate flag popularly used in films is the Jolly Roger of Jack Rackham himself.
The pirate "plantation/prison" is equivalent to those Federal prisons where its ;ess OZ and more of a country club.
I can't tell if anyone else told you in the comments, but "Mark" Read looks odd because it's a woman. Her real name was Mary Read and she became a member of the well-known pirate trio with Jack Rackham and Anne Bonny. When the three of them were finally captured, Jack was executed, but Anne and Mary were both pregnant so they got their execution orders temporarily suspended. They both had their babies in prison and Mary soon died of a fever, but nobody knows what happened to Anne after. I'm not sure she was executed because I would have thought there'd have been a record of it. Looking it up, I've found that some in the day believed she wasn't executed either. "She was continued in Prison, to the Time of her lying in, and afterwards reprieved from Time to Time; but what is become of her since, we cannot tell; only this we know, that she was not executed." -- Captain Charles Johnson, "A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates", 1724
31:40 where can I listen to this audiobook?
I just always keep imagining how much better these reactions would be if Pat wasn't part of this group. Just imagine.
Nah Pat's ok. He ain't that bad. Wellz from RTTV annoys me way more.
SomeJoeShmoe channel just started reacting to Black Sails. He is awesome.
Since Treasure Island was an important book in my childhood, at first I didn't really like the fact they moved away from Treasure Island in the way they chose to end the show. (SPOILER BELOW)
I was waiting for the grand tragedy - Captain Flint, dying drunk, a broken man yelling over and over "Darby McGraw! Fetch aft the rum, Darby" - Gunn marooned on the Island, Billy alone and on the run with the black spot of Long John Silver on his trail.
That being said, however, having chosen to go another path with their ending, I can only praise Black Sails for the way they pulled it off. They executed the end they chose as well as they possibly could, and as such I still really enjoyed it. And over time I have come to enjoy it more and more.They stuck their landing perfectly, even if it wasn't quite the landing I wanted. Contrast that to Game of Thrones...
I was always of the mindset that Silver created that story about him finding Thomas and sending Flint to be with him. Sure there will never be a right answer unless the writers come out and say it was one or the other. I just see to many things leaning in the favor of it being a story. The first reason being not sure if the timeline would make any sense. Not sure how much time had passed from when Silver learned of the place from Madi to now. But not sure that even if he sent someone there the second he heard that from Max. That they would have had enough time to go all the way to the US and then sail all the way back and tell Silver that they found Thomas. Second thing is Flint literally tells Silver that even if everything goes the way he wants it to he will still lose Madi in the end because he can never create a story that is good enough to convince her not to leave him. 3rd right after we see Flint and Silver together for the last time in the woods it cuts to the men hearing something and walking away. Which sure it could just be a signal they heard to go back to the ship but it could also be that what they heard was the gunshot that killed Flint and knew that their was no point in sticking around. Then one of the biggest reasons is when Silver decides to tell Madi. He doesn't tell her right away that is what happened. Instead it isn't until she started asking how he could do that to him. And then you get this look on his face like he just put all the pieces together on how to form a story that could help him convince Madi. Also not sure why Silver would hold onto the truth and not telling Flint until the very very end. If he was that sick of the war then why not tell Flint sooner. Why not tell him before they left for Treasure Island or why not tell him during the first standoff they had in the last episode or before they go into the situation where Flint stole the treasure. Yea maybe Flint would have never believed him and they would have ended up in the same situation. But would at least figure it would have been worth the chance if Silver truly did find out about Thomas being alive.
good editing for it being during lock down
John Silver made the same choice that Eleanor made to save the life of a loved one. I find it interesting how divisive everyone's opinions are depending on which couple we are talking about.
Eleanor made a deal to end the war for the Urca gold. Even if they kept it themselves to pay for Woodes Rodgers' debts, it would have certainly cost him his governorship and likely any prospects of a future career in London as a result of losing Nassau to the pirates. An outcome Woodes Rodgers was unwilling to accept but one that was largely supported as a reasonable one.
In contrast, Silver made a deal to end the war for the emancipation of the maroons. It results in Madi giving up her chance to rule Nassau and potentially freeing more slaves in other colonies. Giving up the chance to avenge the ones who have suffered at the hands of colonial rule. She also likely has to step down as the leader of her people, since she was chosen to lead the war effort, while her mother was the one who ruled during peace time.
Both choices are born out of the desire to end the fighting and avoid the possibility of an untimely death. It just happens to also dictate the sort of life their partners would likely be leading - quiet lives in obscurity - as a result of giving up the power and influence victory would offer.
The main reason I believe in the story of Flint being alive at the end is if he were dead, Rackham would simply tell Mrs. Guthrie that. I know Jack likes to talk, but Flint's death was Mrs. Guthrie's main condition for cooperation. There is no reason to risk her cooperation if he could just confirm Flint's death for her.
Rome tv series next?
Great reactions! Thank you Normies. And damn, I bought that Treasure Island audio book 4 years ago, the exact one Micky is talking about. I still haven't listened to it. I think it's about time.
SomeJoeShmoe channel just started reacting to Black Sails. He is awesome.
The reason Mark Read looks like a woman is because she actually was one. Her name was Mary Read, and she spent a large portion of her life disguised as a man in order to make a name for herself in a 'man's world'. She would eventually become a shared lover of Calico Jack Rackham and Anne Bonny.
Watch The last kingdom please 💜
Mark Read, (Mary Read was her real name), She and Anne Bonny are two of the most famed female pirates of all time, and among the few women known to have been convicted of piracy during the early 18th century, at the height of the "Golden Age of Piracy".
I don't think Silver realized that with that treaty he insured century more of slavery in the west indies.
In Silver's defense, he knows he can't beat the British, the deal he made at least ensured that his wife would be free.
Kicks the crap out of GOTs ending
I appreciate you Marketa.
the writers of this show really outdid themselves with this series as alot of the characters had good dialog and character development. I will miss watching them, espically toby playing flint>
as for the ending yeah it is basically up to the viewers to decide if john was telling the truth or not. if he was lying it be kind of poetic since it would come full circle to who we know john was at the beginning as a liar/con man who would say anything to gain or get out of a situation.
Season 4 of Black Sails is the best season of television in my opinion. I love this show on so many levels and I hope they one day do some sort of a aalternate history sequel with the same cast. That would be awesome.
best show ever. thanks for reacting to it
SomeJoeShmoe channel just started reacting to Black Sails. He is awesome.
@@LeahB31 thanks. i'll likely watch most of season 2-4 for anybody doing black sails. i pass on season 1 but will still his the like button for them in those episodes. .
Mickey's "There is a book" fucking sent me. like this leads into Treasure Island so perfectly.
and the journey of marketa hating Flint for almost all 4 seasons... to crying when he is reuniting with Hamilton. like we done told you!! now rewatch and you will understand it all a little better. but also, read Treasure Island.
I watched this back in 2015. I was taking a Maritime Piracy course in college and my professor said “this show is the more accurate representation of piracy at the time”
I think the work they were doing in the facility where Flint ends up in was so they could be self-reliant and not have a paper trail of purchasing food/supplies. Not necessarily slavery.
Mark Reed at the end is Mary Reed! She was also a female pirate who disguised herself as a man (Like Anne Bonny did), later on she also becames Anne's lover I believe
Whether y'all agree with Silver or not, I believe he made the smart call in dealing with Flint. Any war that ever been fought throughout history would result in many(sometime unnecessary) deaths. Madi will eventually come around and see Silver did what was neccessary.
Ben Gun and Billy Bones changed roles basically. Billy got stranded, and most likely would play Ben's roles in Treasure Island. If you think this way Billy gets his redemption story in the end.
Sad for Ben tough...
Thanks for finally watching this series from start to finish. Can you react to the rest of Band of Brothers and then AMC'S Hell on Wheels? Also the other ww2 hbo series The Pacific. And the Starz series Spartacus?
In regards to Ben and the book: I mean, there's still probably a decade or three between the end of the show and Treasure Island. There are still stories to be resolved off-screen in between them. Besides, Billy needs to be an old man for Treasure Island. Lots can happen in between.
Love this show so much! Hopefully someday they work on a Treasure island sequel series.
So Spartacus or Rome next???
Silver didn't have any real privilege other than making the decision to remove Flint from the war. He had NO control over how Jack and his crew, along with the Maroon leadership would react. They had made the decision to end the war before Flint could take it further. Madi was her mother's representative in the field. She did not have any sole control over the Maroons. Some of you need to get your facts straight.
Book Spoiler
Ben was in the island because he come back with another crew but couldn't found the chest so the crew left him here.
As selfish John’s choice was. He, sadly wasn’t wrong. There’s a reason why there never was a Marooned War in the history books. They lost a LOT of people before getting to this point. And understandably, would’ve lost a lot more with the war actually funded. He was sick of watching his friends and comrades die on mass.
The topic of Silver making the choice, all I'd say about that is.. everyone propped him up as the Pirate King so he gets to make that call. Like the captain on the ship, his call is final, might not like or agree with it, but it's his call, have to trust that judgement.
I watched this show in it entirety when it came out on Stars. I also own the box set and have watched it many times.
There's a couple of things. One, I love the show. It's a highly entertaining and a well written piece of fiction, but it is fiction. The dialog in this series is outstanding. It's also pretty unbelievable for this time frame and from pirates. But, I'm willing to suspend reality for the sake of entertainment.
I did really enjoy your reactions, you guys are some funny #$%^#@!. I loved some of your one liners. Bravo.
I didn't appreciate the 'boomer' comment, ya know, when you were talking about Blackbeard, Edward Teach.
The two most visceral reactions I saw from you guys were, when Miranda was shot in the head...and the end of the series. I liked that you were freaking out at the end, because it brings home how truly great this series is. Even though it's not historical, it at least rouses an interest in the history of piracy, which I feel is a good thing.
In the end, when you guys were dissin' Silver for making a decision for Maddie, about ending the war. I completely disagree. He didn't make a decision for her and her people, he made a decision for himself. If Maddie wanted to continue the war, she was free to do so. John simply wasn't going to be a part of it. He'd had enough.
I loved this series, even though the history is off, the costumes are off, the ships are wrong...it's super entertaining. And I enjoyed binge watching your reactions.
BZ (that's a Navy term, you'll just have to look it up)
Mark Reed was a woman who dressed as a guy and joined jack and anne as pirates
Except there's a statue of Rogers standing today in Nassau, while Rackham was hanged for piracy relatively shortly after the show's timeline, regarding the "shitstain" comment.
"Mark Reed" is Mary Read in disguise, a famous female pirate who ends up in close relation with Anne Bonny and Jack Rackham.
I dont know if this is true, but it seems that the writers said, that in that last scene of silver and madi is the closest they will get to each other ever again. But its very ambiguous. its like jack said: "The stories we want to believe, those are the ones that survive".
"Are there any other TV SHOWS? I wanna learn some history!" oh...my...god...we're all doomed.
I have never been more involved on a fiction couple the way thomas and flint caught my attention, and they only had like three scenes 😂
I choose to believe Flint lived. Due to where Treasure Island says Flint died and the visual and story cues from silver. No shot sound.
Only homophobes believe Silver killed Flint and cooked up that story. I make the rules. P.S. Black Sails' ending did what Game of Thrones THINKS it did.
since they only showed Madi and Silver standing near each other at the end i just choose to believe the version they never got back together and sleep better
We don't know for sure that Flint reunited with Thomas. It's possible Sliver really did kill Flint and made up the reunion story for Madi. The reunion scene could have been made up since it had a dream like vibe to it.
I think that island was just a marroon island that was heavily populated back then they had ALOT of islands like that, that had escaped slaves , people from the colonies and others
When I was a kid I only read the first part of the book and then I only saw the first part of the muppet's movie. So I have no idea how it ends to this day. So this book club is a good reason to learn
Ironically there is some black erasure going on with the comments after the show. If it was JUST John Silver deciding the future for the maroons and all of black society in the west indies it would be one thing. But it wasn't, it was put to a vote and all the maroon leaders and pirate captains over a "few minor objections" voted not to kick off the war. Hell, if the war had started, you could easily argue it was Flint happily using the maroons and others to wage his war, etc.
So, ultimately, it wasn't a race discussion anyway since the coalition was one of both Maroons and Pirates and John was a pirate and therefore his opinion on what should happen to his people is plenty valid on its own merits. And the maroon leaders had their say, like Julius, and voted their own way.
Anywho, great show.