XXXI

This might end up being in the top 5 episodes of the series. There is some intense moments, to say the least. There’s a lot to unpack here.

I’ll start with Max. In the last episode, she made her own moves in the dead of night to end the battle for Nassau with Long John Silver. It didn’t work out and she was ratted out. That put Max firmly on Berringer’s bad side and he had enough of her, putting her up for treason. Berringer is throwing his full weight around as the only authority in town, and Eleanor is the only one who could help her. With a trip to the gallows in her future, Max has very few avenues of rescue available. Her two main helpers try their best but fail. The good news for Max is that getting into trouble kept Eleanor on the island, dashing Rogers plan for Eleanor to get help. That’s bad news for Rogers.

With Billy Bones gone rogue with a large swath of the pirates, Silver and Flint work in their smaller group to take back Nassau. The Long John Silver boogeyman has been working well in town and Flint is still confident that they can take their home back with enough slave resistance. John coming back from the dead brings renewed faith in Madi. This group has a bit of an advantage- Rogers took off with quite a few men so Nassau isn’t as well guarded as it could be.

On the ocean, Blackbeard, Anne, and Jack catch up to Rogers. It does not go well. They lose the battle and get taken prisoner. Charging forward to get even for Vane’s death has delivered them to death’s door. A major win for Rogers, he makes an example out of the notorious Blackbeard. I did not know what keelhauling meant until now. Seeing Teach strung up like that, I thought they were just going to dunk him head first into the ocean repeatedly, an advanced water boarding if you will. He disappears into the water, some strange noises from the boat are heard and he comes back up head first and with cuts all over him. He is messed up. Teach lived through it and Rogers orders another round and they show it all. His body is literally scraped along the bottom of the boat. Absolutely horrific.

In a moment that rivals the badassery of Captain Vane spitting in the face of the crown by walking off to his hanging to kick off the resistance, Blackbeard manages to thumb his nose at  Rogers authority. and clips his power move by surviving three rounds of keelhauling, forcing Rogers to shoot him. Absolutely nuts.

This whole segment was brilliantly put together, it might be my favorite scene in the series. We don’t see what happens to Teach the first time. All the pirates are shaken, their Captain taking a brutal punishment from their sworn enemy. The shock when they see him alive and Rogers’ complete annoyance that this bastard is still fighting him. The second time around and we are shown exactly what Teach is going through. He comes back up and it’s gross. Rogers feels vindicated and gears up to send Jack up for his turn. But Teach sputters to life and everyone is shocked. His men are in disbelief, their leader, their tough bastard of a leader is still with them. Rogers orders Teach around again and we only hear the horror. We wait on the boat with everyone to see what comes back up. Teach is dumped onto the deck again and he looks like ground beef. His people look at him, their spirit taken with their captain. And he comes back again! The pirates swell with pride with this unheard of level of defiance. Blackbeard will never be forgotten. With no way out he still managed to defy his enemy. While Rogers does get to kill him, his triumphant moment is ruined and he’s so flustered that he does nothing to Jack.

Back at Nassau, Berringer starts the public hangings after ignoring some spy info Eleanor passed him from Max. She wanted him to silence the resistance away from the people. With three hung and the next set coming up, Berringer is riding the power wave, ready for Silver to show up right there so he can show everyone he means business. Eleanor knows what’s about to pop off and she’s petrified–she takes off to hide with Max and a few others.

Enter Long John Silver into Nassau. Him in front with his one leg and the others behind him (even Flint!). It’s a huge moment for Silver, a legend come to take back the power. All out war breaks out right there in the center of town and just when it looks like Berringer has the advantage, Bones shows up with his crew and they overwhelm the crown. In another nod to Silver’s ascent to leadership, it is he who gives Hands the go ahead to kill Berringer.

The pirates have planted their flag back on their home turf while Rogers had his own win at sea. But Rogers has a real problem on his hands. He’s lost home base and thus, any kind of leverage. There’s really no negotiating chips he holds aside from Jack and Anne. He’s out numbered with no place to land. Eleanor is also trapped on Nassau, she never made it to her uncle for help. Rogers is on his own along with that boat anchor of debt still tied around his neck.

I don’t think they’ll be able to match the action and insanity of this episode next week but I can’t wait to see what happens next.