Please don't proceed unless you have watched it (or don't mind spoilers, for that matter)...
Captain Ned Low
I did mention about the character that was gone too soon, didn't I? Well, it was the villainous, psychopathic pirate captain Ned Low. He scares me. But that's what I like about him. He looks so calm & composed yet so bloody & violent. I was so surprised to see him got killed so quickly, and quite so easily. I expected more to be required to take this guy down. When he was introduced early on, I thought we were seeing the main baddie of Season 2...well, 3 episodes in and I was proven wrong. It's just a shame to kill off a brilliant character too quickly, but I commend Tadhg Murphy for portraying one freaky psychopath I will always remember.
The Big Twist in the Middle...
By the end of episode 5, a flashback scene revealed a very surprising & most unconventional twist: that James McGraw/Flint had a gay relationship with one Thomas Hamilton. The twist didn't really change the game that much, but it changes our perspective, and it makes things clear: things where we might struggle to understand from Season 1. It's a twist that I, and most likely many others, could never come to expect from other shows. And I admire how the flashback plot unfolds perfectly & smoothly up until this shocking reveal.
Flint or McGraw?
Before I talk about the season finale, I just wanted to say that this show is brilliant for really having character-driven plots, that makes us wonder who to root for. Sometimes you don't always agree with the character you root for, as is the case with Flint. Meanwhile, the characters you turn to hate can become likeable (will be explained in the next point).
With Flint, I had trouble following his motives for most of Season 2. He's not really that full-fledged pirate, and you certainly don't see him as "the most feared pirate in Nassau" as they claimed. I was terribly disappointed when he decided to go to the government instead. I had a feeling it was going to fail, but I just cannot agree with him.
Imagine my joy when the events of the last two episodes - the death of Miranda & mockery by the people, and most importantly, the betrayal of Peter Ashe - lead to him to not drop his Flint identity, instead chose to embrace it and become the pirate we always want to see him become. To see him deciding to instil fear in the hearts of men once again, and to see him releasing Vane's men simply because he embraces his dark side...is always want I want to see of Captain James Flint. And I can't wait to see how he deals with things next in Season 3...
Silver...Vane...who to trust?
Just quickly, Charles Vane is the opposite of Flint, in terms of my claim above. He was the character I never liked for most of the season, and I looked at him as the main baddie. But seeing him in the last episode, thinking smartly, and deciding to save his fellow pirate...and for a moment fighting alongside him honorably...is a nice sight to behold. And believe me, at that very moment, I liked him. Even until at the ship when Flint told Vane to hold his men and he responded with a nod, I liked him and it felt nice to see him like this. That was the last we see of him, and so Season 2 ends with me liking him. I hope it would go on, but I fear it may change quick enough when we arrive at Season 3.
John Silver is an interesting case because we know that in the books he will become a villain. But in here, it's to see the steps he takes until he becomes the man he will be. Silver is known to be Flint's quartermaster, and the only person he ever feared...so I always had that feeling that Silver may have that ingenuity & trickery in him that causes Flint to fear him. Unbeknownst to Flint, he has already done that to him in Season 2. And from then, I had the feeling that he is going to be that intelligent and less physical villain.
But not yet, as by the end of Season 2, we find him being Flint's quartermaster and losing one leg. So we're one step closer, but I think he still has more tricks to pull in Season 3 before really being the man that Flint fears. And similarly with this character, I find myself hating Silver at one point in the season, but to see him do his tricks and slowly become Long John Silver is very interesting indeed. Hopefully, it won't come too soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment