The introduction of my beloved Miranda. She feels even sadder this time around. Even while Flint is smiling and actually looking happy for once, Miranda clearly isn't.
The Fathoms Deep ladies commented on how ambiguous their relationship is portrayed here (it doesn't necessarily come off as romantic) and I suppose that's true. But there's a very obvious lived-in intimacy. Flint is unusually open in her presence and she obviously knows the details of his goals that no one else knows fully.
When Miranda goes outside to find Gates wheeling Richard Guthrie to her, I noticed something for the first time: workers in the background, presumably slaves. I'd always thought she just had her garden and took care of it herself cause I didn't remember ever seeing anyone else around so this changes things. It looked like it had to be her own property, not a neighbour's. Is it common knowledge that Miranda had slaves work her property or am I misunderstanding something? That seems to work against the idea of her as this solitary mysterious figure no one knows the truth about. She mentions Pastor Lambrick setting up spies to watch her, which doesn't seem like it would be necessary if there were already people working on her property everyday.
Alright so I clearly wasn't paying close attention before cause now her yard is full of goats and there are more slaves wandering around. I clearly missed a lot on my first watch.
"I told her I would protect her. Did she not believe me?" Girl what??? The thing about Eleanor is that she lies to herself in a way that is so familiar to me that it sometimes makes my skin crawl. That's good writing but also so hard to watch. I know so many Eleanors, and have parts of her in me too and who wants to see the worst parts of themselves onscreen?
Eleanor immediately falling for Vane's transparent bullshit is so relatable for everyone who has had to watch their otherwise smart friends go back to some dogshit boyfriend over and over knowing exactly how it will end everytime. Of course, most of those guys are just faux feminists or pretentious or whatever - they're not usually complicit in abducting, abusing and raping women.
I really appreciate that Billy was forced to guard Silver overnight and still hates him as much as he did the day before. Not only that, he's very quick to suggest they torture him. Billy's immunity to both Flint and Silver's charm will always be one of my favourite qualities of his. But also, Silver can't stop smirking when he gets his way and Billy & his objections are chased out of the room by Gates - best terrible bros of this whole show.
Silver and Randall.. second best terrible bros?
I love the old-timer vibes of Gates and Hornigold's conversation. Are they the only 2 adults in Nassau?
I respect Joji's high standards for his weapons. Or his love of annoying Logan, who I'd forgotten how much I dislike. Can't wait for Anne to murder him!
I love how much the work of Nassau world building is done in the background during S1. Following the kid stealing fruit and running into Billy, Eleanor smelling and reusing ale at the tavern while she and Mr. Scott talk (what the fuck), so many animals just wandering around and the chaos of everyday life in town.
I like to think Miranda commits Tuesday nights to memorizing the sexiest Bible verses just to make Pastor Lambrick uncomfortably horny.
It's hard to comment on the Max of it all. I really don't want to engage with any of it tbh. But I'll say I hadn't previously caught Anne's haunted expression as she watches what's unfolding:
I'd been torn on whether Anne stepping forward after Eleanor's ultimatum to the Ranger crew was in defence of Vane or to leave him and now I think it had to be about leaving him. Partly out of anger at him and partly out of guilt for being the one who brought Max to him in the first place. Can you imagine a version of the show with Anne Bonny part of Flint's crew this early on? Would Jack follow her or would his obsession with Vane's approval and respect keep him with him?
There is something deeply uncomfortable about following a scene of a woman's violent subjugation with Flint appearing in a doorway brimming with anger and what appears to be Miranda shrinking herself and silently going to him to appease him. Obviously it was intentional and was important to reinforce the questions about who Mrs. Barlow truly is and the nature of her relationship with Flint but damn. They really were committed to exploiting sexism and the male gaze in S1 (at least the first half) to sell the show. I'm not sure how much of that was network interference cause it fades away with S2 once they were established but it's certainly ripe for critique in terms of how many (network) shows all followed those same patterns.
Favourite looks: Eleanor again - the skirt, the belt, the bracelets! I'm especially pleased I caught Mr. Scott looking disappointed as ever:
Unpopular take but I hate these deranged glasses and I'm so glad Toby Schmitz lost them immediately after filming this episode lmao
i had this dream last night where miranda and flint were my parents and during the spanish raid they were both gunned down and it was like a whole ass dramatic thing cause i was in the house hiding under the window and flint was like crawling towards the house and he DIED
Thinking about Black Sails episode 4.06 how Eleanor asks Madi, “One can be happy that way, can’t they? A life of isolation and uncertainty as long as it is lived with someone you love and who loves you back. It is possible, isn’t it?”
The fact that she says this in Miranda’s house; where Miranda was isolated, living with uncertainty, had someone she loved and who loved her back and it was STILL not enough for her to be happy (understandably so). I feel unwell. UNWELL. Every time you rewatch this show it reveals new ways to break your heart.
