I am following up my last post “The Musketeers. All for one and I am all for it”, with a rant on Black Sails, a pirate TV-series from Starz.
You have been warned.
Black Sails is a dramatic adventure TV-series intended as a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel Treasure Island (1881).
Although fictional, the novel is blamed for most of popular and wrong perceptions of pirates. It does indeed contain references to historical pirates such as William Kidd and Blackbeard, but because of the high level of fiction, it is recognized as an adventure novel, not as historical.
Back to BS (a very fitting abbreviation).
My question to you: How could they ruin it?
Where is the swashbuckling? Where is the sass?
Actually, where is the adventure?
BS tries very hard to be historical realistic but it comes out in the other end as sappy drama. I have been more entertained by watching paint dry.
I mean, it took them five episodes to get on the fucking water!
They conflict pretense of realism with adventure making it a pretentious work of shit.
They do know it is fiction, right?
Why do they fuck with fantasy, making it look like reality when reality is fucked up enough?
I do not think I will bother with a season two, and will instead hopefully optimistic wait for Crossbones with John Malkovich.
As they say, smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.
Christine
christines rant 