Black Sails Season 2

DVD Wholesale Quick Overview:

***WARNING TO THOSE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE SERIES*** This show has cinematic level production values, but also a great deal of adult content. This is the rum addled, opium hazed, violent and sexualized depiction one might expect of a more realistic (though still fantasy) pirate drama. It is understandable that it just won’t fit everyone’s tastes. Please accept this attempt to explain the show so others can decide for themselves. There is a connection to the novel “Treasure Island” that is confusing people, but this IS NOT a children’s tale. This program is also not all action for those hoping for sea battles in every episode. Those hoping for all action will find a substantial amount of focus on political struggle, drama, relationships and sub-plots. This is precisely the strength for those who seek it, and a weakness for those who don’t wish to spend the time.

INTRO: It is truly amazing that for such a dark topic as pirating, there has hardly been a show that avoids the normal clichés and depicts a gritty life more like it would have been. We have always had these semi-sanitized versions meant for adventure telling and children’s stories. Until now. This intricate tale borrows characters and places from Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island to form its structure and mythology, while starting 20 years earlier to set up the tale. Woven together with that is a few real characters based loosely on their actual history. From the opening credits featuring undulating strains of hurdy-gurdy music, camera panning over the intricate bone carved art piece shaped somewhat like the back of a sailing vessel – It is clear this is going to be a quality show with intricate plots and very dark undertones.

SEASON 2 (no spoilers): The first season laid a meticulous foundation of conflicts, personalities and mysteries. Many characters now must atone and mitigate the fallout of dark deeds committed previously. Season 2 picks up where it left off as Captain Flynt and John Silver seek ways out of the predicament that befell them and their crew. All that groundwork laid in season one can flourish as we are given huge chunks of backstory illustrating how Flynt (once known as LT James McGraw) left the British Navy and ultimately became a pirate. His close relationship with Lord Thomas Hamilton and his wife Miranda is given life. This past, working with the brilliant Thomas Hamilton, will affect Captain Flynt’s actions as he finds himself in a position to fulfill Hamilton’s work and realize a dream they once thought dead. Meanwhile, a ruthless new pirate captain named Ned Low (a historical figure) arrives in Nassau and threatens the natural order. He becomes a direct threat to Eleanor Guthrie. Pretty much everyone’s allegiances will be put to the test. Almost every faction has come into possession of a powerful weapon or bargaining chip. The question is, who is willing to sacrifice the most and still maintain power. Who will sacrifice everything for a dream.

OUTSTANDING CHARACTER & STORY DEVELOPMENT: The character development and complex storylines are part of what really enrich this story. Toby Stephens leads the cast as Captain Flint and displays the capability and charisma needed to inspire the support of a crew. He also projects the vulnerability of someone who knows that support can evaporate at any time. Eleanor Guthrie (Hannah New) is the foul mouthed but oddly cultivated woman who acts as fence (sells the stolen goods to more reputable markets on behalf of the pirates). Behind it all, she is the one that makes it all work and is one of the real powers. Clara Paget plays Anne Bonny (who was a real pirate), a kick butt female pirate with a somewhat assassin quality about her that’s fascinating. The political winds that must be channeled to control each ship, or the island power structure itself, are legion. The complex interrelationships of characters are constantly shifting. This is what really makes the story substantial and full of sub plots. In the end, they create an amazing cast of humanized and deeply fleshed characters that are also some of the nastiest people to have ever sailed… “Under the Black”.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Like some other sensationalized shows on STARZ, this is not a family show. It is not literal history as it is a historical fantasy after all. However, the historical elements they bring in, the monumental detail on ships and sets, character development and plot structure all add great flesh to a skeleton of real pirate history and literary reference. The emphasis on the oddly democratic counter-culture of pirate life, which contrasts the practice of conscription (forced servitude on sailing ships), is a key to understanding the psychology of pirates of that day. They were partly rebelling against this sea culture and ill treatment in real navies (plus the outlawing of privateers that served during wartime). If you are not offended by its darker side, and you appreciate complex story and character development at a literary level, you may discover something special in this show.

-MyD — The Viewpoint

I love where they take the characters this season. This season blows the last one out of the water and I loved the first one! It takes the viewer back to before Captain Flint was Captain Flint, and furthers the story of Long John Silver. And then of course one can’t help but love the bad boy Charles Vane. I love how this show portrays the real historical characters and situations that actually existed and happened, and intertwines them with the fictional characters of Captain Flint and Long John Silver. I promise this 5 star review has nothing to do with my new crush on Zach McGowan.

-Rebekah Wagenbach

I just finished watching the Second Season of Black Sails and I loved it. It isn’t without it’s flaws–the flashbacks got to be a bit much for me in the first episodes, but by the last episode where we learn why Flint’s (past) violence against a single powerful Lord occurred, it was worth it. That flashback was particularly well done, probably because it was short. The writing is witty, often darkly humorous–which I love–and the acting is superb. Many of these actors are theater trained and yet they say so much with micro-expressions that there isn’t a moment when one doesn’t believe them. Toby Stephens as Flint is outstanding, although I’d like to see him laugh a bit. Zach McGowan as Vane is totally believable in his strength and his vulnerability, a rough combination to pull off well, but he does it expertly. Luke Arnold as Silver is funny and smart and filled with the kind of charisma that makes the viewer want to root for him. Tom Hopper, who I don’t recall ever seeing before, has a quiet strength that he brings to the character of Billy Bones that I never remember jumping from the pages of Treasure Island–Hopper’s wonderful and so is the character the writers have created for him. I haven’t seen Hannah New in anything before, but I’ll be looking for her now. She doesn’t steal every scene she’s in, I bet she’s too good an actress for that, but she does make a statement when she’s there. I love her character and her mixed and varied motivations. I especially like the chemistry she has with Zach McGowan’s, Captain Vane and hope to see more of it in Season Three. I wasn’t bothered by the love Flint has for either of the people he chose to love. I understand that graphic love scenes bother some, I simple wasn’t bothered by any of them in this show. I think Starz does this particularly well. The Spartacus Series is another fine example–God’s of the Arena is my favorite of that series. I’m looking forward to Season Three of this series and am finding myself cheering on the Black Flag! If sex and love between same sex couples bothers you, there are scenes depicting that in this series, and although they are well done, perhaps you should choose something else to watch.

-M.L.

DVD Wholesale Main Features :   

Actors: Toby Stephens, Luke Arnold, Zach McGowan, Hannah New, Jessica Parker Kennedy
Directors: Robert Levine, Jonathan E. Steinberg
Format: Multiple Formats, Box set, Color, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only.)
Number of discs: 3
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: ANCHOR BAY
DVD Release Date: November 3, 2015
Run Time: 450 minutes