XXXVIII

Jack makes it to Skeleton Island so all of our captains are back together. Jack gets there just in time as Rogers was moving in for the kill on the beach. A new pirate ship rolling up on Rogers is enough for him to pull back and reorganize the next fight at sea.

Jack was given the task to kill Flint to obtain Nassau and he’s face to face with Flint easier than he could have imagined. Seeing how the pirates were rocked and not knowing where the cash was buried, Jack repositions himself as an ally. He goes along with what Silver and Flint (mostly Flint) want to do after he explains that he went for help in Philadelphia and didn’t get it (he leaves out working with Grandma Guthrie). Flint and Silver know to keep an eye on Jack but he’s really the least of their problems. The mission is still on to rescue Madi from Rogers and then go get the buried treasure. Silver is still incensed about Flint stealing the cash. Flint sticks to his guns. He’s convinced he’s right, everything will work out and their friendship will be whole at the end of it.

Bones is in a deep, dark place. He’s a traitor and knows there is no way back for him. He goes as far as thinking of killing Madi for Silver to find but pulls back from the brink when Madi tells him that her death will do nothing for him. If anything, it will reinforce the bond between Silver and Flint.

Battle on the high seas! The confrontation the season has been building to comes with cannon balls flying, single shot bullets cracking and swords clashing. The final action scene of the series turned out great and as exciting as ever. A phenomenal set piece with some amazing looking shots and the highlight of Bones taking on Flint with no interruptions.

I’m not going to go into the details of how the show ends. There’s a lot to it, it’s very complex and needs to be seen so you can get the intricacies beat by beat. I can’t do it the proper justice here, I don’t even know where to start with Silver and Flint’s conversation on Skelton Island. It all comes together, all threads addressed as they gave an ample amount of time to conclude everyone’s story. The complex friendship of Silver and Flint is the predominant one. Once full partners, then at odds, then forced together when Rogers got the upper hand.

Flint was a problem to a lot of people. A leader from beginning to end, he never took to hearing “no” very often and always maneuvered to get his way. Silver saw this and traced it back to its origin. If anyone wanted to get off the ride when Flint still had use for them, he never let them go. As often as Flint was right, the toll was often tremendous. With the battle for Nassau (and the pirate’s life really) pulled away from Flint’s tunnel vision what could make him stop? To find peace that wasn’t death? When Silver got a lead to that end, he pursued it in the hope it would free them all.

I love Black Sails, I really do. Evey season is terrific and I’m so happy with how they ended it. There is so much to like because everyone who lived past Skeleton Island gets an ending. You get to see what they managed to get out of the ordeal and a good idea of what they do afterward. So well written, I am in absolute admiration on how Silver has been constructed over the years to get to where he is at the end. Luke Arnold is a fantastic actor. Actually, everyone on the show is. I hope they all get massive career boosts from their work here. Very few TV shows get such complete and special runs. It’s a joy when they do. Black Sails stands tall as an example of what can be done with the medium.