Black Sails is an interesting animal.  On paper, it is something of a prequel to the book “Treasure Island”, but it takes full advantage of being a mature-audiences series on Starz.  Considering that “Treasure Island” is supposedly a children’s book, that is a strange direction for the series to take.  One might be tempted to toss the whole connection to “Treasure Island” out the window, but despite the oddity of the combination, the plot is heavily based on the backstory of the Robert Louis Stevenson novel.

Not only is there a young John Silver (with both legs intact), but the main character is Captain Flint, the fabled pirate whose treasure is at the heart of the novel’s quest.  Soon enough, there are character introductions that likewise fit into the novel’s tapestry, such as Billy Bones.  But at the same time, these characters are taken out of the semi-sanitized world of a children’s novel into a more realistic depiction of the “Golden Age of Piracy”.

That means that Captain Flint is not only fighting to keep his crew focused on a risky gambit to hunt down a treasure ship (ostensibly, the source of the Flint’s eventual treasure), but also competing with infamous figures of the time: Charles Vane, Anne Bonny, and so on.  It’s neat to see the intersection of historical and fictional, and the combination allows for a bit of liberty with both.  For example, some people who ought to be alive according to both history and novel are apparently dead before the season ends!

Black Sails was also infamously picked up for a 10-episode second season before the 8-episode first season even hit the air, largely based on the enthusiastic reaction of attendees to San Diego Comic-Con.  I would hope that Starz had little reason to regret this decision, especially given that the series was consistently strong throughout.

In terms of style, the series looks like a combination of Michael Bay, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, and Game of Thrones.  The presentation is colorful and slick, but doesn’t skimp on the character depth.  The ability to show skin means a rather prominent brothel and lots of nudity and sexuality.  And that means some of that “sexposition” that Game of Thrones has become famous for, so be forewarned.  Rather than try to toss major action sequences into every episode, there are two main ship combat moments in the series, and the episodes leading up to both provide the necessary context for that combat.

This emphasis on the characters is also a compelling way to demonstrate how most of the “pirate republic” was dominated by politics and economics, not firepower.  Simply getting the money needed to obtain the supplies, guns, and crew needed to engage in that combat was an major undertaking, and largely dependent on the reputation of the captain involved.

Black Sails also took pains to show how Nassau and the settlements under its thrall avoided many of the societal sins of the “civilized” world.  Women and people of color had far more opportunity in Nassau than the rest of the western world, and this is notable within the story itself.  It doesn’t try to pretend that life was perfect in Nassau if you weren’t a white male, but it’s a far sight better than what the British or Spanish would allow.

The main issue with this relatively short first season is the lack of a solid resolution.  While the mutiny against Flint in the season finale (in the midst of a truly impressive naval combat sequence) was certainly a highlight, and the treasure of the Urca could very well be the treasure that Flint ultimately hides, there’s not much in the way of a cliffhanger.  As was said by Bronzethumb on The Critical Myth Show, if it hadn’t been touted as a season finale, one could have easily assumed that another episode was coming the following week!

That doesn’t change the fact that the series has been consistently above average, and in the long run, where episode streaming and “mainlining” might eliminate any concerns about a soft season finale when the next episode is a click away, what is seen as the traditional structure for a season may not be quite so meaningful.  One can only hope that the second season can maintain the same standard of quality.