Black Sails

Black Sails is a great surprise for me. I’ve always been interested in pirate-themed stuff and this series presents it in a really interesting way. It’s not always about frantic action. Quite the opposite, the plot is full of intrigue and politics, and it works very well. Plus, Captain Flint is played by Toby Stephens, which is another reason for me to be satisfied. I’m not so familiar with the rest of the cast, but I have to give credit to them. They are not trying to act, but really acting, so I have nothing to complain about. I’m just a bit baffled by how suspiciously short John Silver is. On the other hand, he does match the book in terms of sneakiness. This is my review of the first two seasons, I will add the rest of my reviews separately. (06.08.2016)

I have mixed feelings about the first season. As long as the creators really focus on the story and don't stray off the pirate theme, it's all good. The problem comes when they start thinking they're making soft porn. I do like women and if they happen to be undressed, I don't cover my eyes, but the creators could really take it down a notch with scenes like that. Nipple close-ups in every third scene tend to get boring. Anyway, I have to commend Toby Stephens' performance, he was great as Flint. (19.10.2017)

The first episode was more than decent, Captain Flint played by Toby Stephens was excellent, I'm just not clear why the series had to become so explicit from the very first episode. Starz and HBO could tone down on the naked scenes, which have no significant meaning for the story. I do like women, but it seems to me that the creators of the series started using them according to a single template, and it's starting to get a bit annoying. A person who comes to the screen in the middle of such a naked scene has to quickly orient themselves to figure out if it's Black Sails or Game of Thrones. (17.10.2017)

After the third episode, I feel like the wrong title was chosen for the series. Instead of "Black Sails," it would suit it better to be called "Black Sheets" because most scenes take place in a brothel or a bed, but there has been very little focus on the sheets so far. However, the negotiations between Flint and Vane amused me a lot. (18.10.2017)

So, hooray, the creators finally added some ships to the pirate series, and it is working out great. Moreover, the plot was interesting even on land, where besides constant images from the life of prostitutes, there was also a focus on the redistribution of power. (19.10.2017)

The sixth episode was not bad at all, but it didn't reach the quality of the previous episode. Maybe it was because the efforts to control the port were more interesting than the events at sea. And above all, I can't get the question out of my head: where in Africa did the press spokesperson for the slaves in the hold of Andromache learn English so well? (19.10.2017)

The final episode of the first season was successful, there was always something happening, influence was redistributed again, I even got to witness a proper naval battle, and I gave it five stars, even though I didn't quite understand its ending. For what reason did the Spanish captain not finish it? What would Annie Wilkes say about it? (19.10.2017)

Season 2 clearly surpassed the first season. The intrigue and manipulation were more elaborate. Although the plot didn't rely on action but was mostly about various negotiations, it was very intriguing. When it did come to action, it was worth the wait. John Silver has risen to the top of the list of my favorite characters alongside James Flint, and I'm pretty sure he'll stay there. The creators also managed to get rid of some of the characters, and in the case of Miranda Barlow, I can’t thank them enough. An excellent season. (22.10.2017)

Even this time, I could rate it with a clear conscience with five stars. A nicely packed action affair, complemented by clever plans (as Baldrick would say) and cunning intrigues. You can immediately see the difference between when the story takes place in a brothel or on a ship. (20.10.2017)

In the third episode, I had to slightly lower the rating because the brothel scenes outweighed the nautical ones and there was just too much of Miranda Barlow. I can't help it, but that lady seems essentially unnecessary to me in the story and adds irrelevant filler to the plot. (20.10.2017)

Although it wasn't a five-star episode, I couldn't give it less than four stars either. The dialogue was too interesting for that, and I also liked how John Silver took charge of Flint's propaganda. (21.10.2017)

In the beginning of the fifth part, I had a feeling that it would escalate into full-scale gunfire, but then Miranda Barlow appeared too often. Moreover, I found out that Flint should sail under the rainbow flag, and that seemed a bit too much to me. (21.10.2017)

A very solid episode, full of spies, intrigues, and surprisingly even people with a vision. The creators once again put action aside in favor of smaller and larger plans, which worked out for them and the viewer will learn a lot. (21.10.2017)

What a blast! The third season matches or even raises the bar set by the two previous seasons. The action looks truly authentic, and the actors continue to portray their roles excellently. Plus, I have to take back the only objection I had to the series. John Silver's height no longer matters, given that it’s explained how he came by his nickname at the end of the season. Great stuff – a clear 5 stars from me. (26.08.2016)

The first episode of the third season left me with mixed feelings. For the most part, I liked it, it entertained me and pleased me with the casting of Tito Pulla. There was some action, intrigue, new plans were hatched, and then the creators ruined it with cheap anti-slavery propaganda. Fortunately, I managed to cool down before giving my evaluation, but I still wonder who ordered it. (22.10.2017)

I was being prepared for the eighth episode throughout the two previous parts, here a part of the plans was fulfilled, so there was also a decent action sequence, and it can be expected that the next episode will rather focus on preparation for the final part. (23.10.2017)

I cannot be dissatisfied, I got exactly what I expected, the creators mainly focused on preparing for the final episode, but they did it in an engaging way. I must also admit that I was surprised by the outcome of the situation with Charles Van, but nonetheless, I praise the result. (23.10.2017)

In the tenth episode, the creators decided to go all out and packed all the action scenes that were missing in the season into the final episode. In such a situation, I had no choice but to rate it with five stars, even though the beach clash seemed somewhat funny to me at times. But what I enjoyed the most was the work of Billy's propaganda group, operating in Nassau. (23.10.2017)

The four-star rating doesn't adequately reflect my disappointment with the final episode. The whole season was excellent up to that point. I especially enjoyed Episode 6 which was near perfection. The show had its ups and downs, but it worked quite well as a whole and I really enjoyed it. I liked the pirate theme, and the story precedes the plot of Treasure Island which I absolutely loved as a kid. The only thing that could possibly spoil it for me is bad execution which the creators successfully managed to avoid until episode XXXVIII. (01.11.2017)

The creators started the fourth season excellently. This time, there was no doubt from the very first moments that I was watching a series with a pirate theme, action was taking place at sea and on land, there was joyful scheming again and spheres of influence were being divided. Only a considerable part of the characters seemed to me as if they were supposed to play in the hockey playoffs, the bearded ones are somehow successful :-) (30.10.2017)