When I first started "Black Sails" I was relatively indifferent. I assumed that it would be a poor mans "Game Of Thrones". What I got was a layered and deep series full of compelling characters and a great story.
The show acts as a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island" combining characters from that with a few real life pirate characters like Edward Teach, Jack Rackham and Charles Vane. The plot revolves around the port town of Nassau and the scheming and sometimes pitched battles that determine who controls the largely lawless Pirate paradise. Central to all the scheming is the charismatic and calculating Captain Flint (Toby Stevens) a former Navy officer with a pronounced hatred for his homeland.
Despite the fact that it's seemingly never really caught on in the UK, for some reason, "Black Sails" is a show with enormous production values. The town of Nassau is recreated, as well as several plantations, and of course the ships. "Black Sails" is very much an adult show, with swearing, violence and nudity all as prevalent in this as it is in "Thrones" for example, but also like "Thrones" it's a show about "Pirates" per se, as much as it's about, scheming, plotting and forming/breaking alliances. That is not to say that the action associated with a Pirate adventure is missing, there are pitched ship battles, towns invaded, treasure buried and buckles are swashed.
Performances are excellent from all the cast, so much so I'm not going to single anyone out as being especially good, as it would be unfair on the others. My favourite character though is Jack Rackham, played by Australian actor Toby Schmitz. Also impressive are the effects, set dressing and art direction. (It's comfortably the best thing that Michael Bay has had anything to do with).
One more vote to reconnect the cast in a few years for a tonally same version of "Treasure Island". "Black Sails" is up there with "The West Wing" and "The Wire" amongst the best shows of my lifetime.
The show acts as a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island" combining characters from that with a few real life pirate characters like Edward Teach, Jack Rackham and Charles Vane. The plot revolves around the port town of Nassau and the scheming and sometimes pitched battles that determine who controls the largely lawless Pirate paradise. Central to all the scheming is the charismatic and calculating Captain Flint (Toby Stevens) a former Navy officer with a pronounced hatred for his homeland.
Despite the fact that it's seemingly never really caught on in the UK, for some reason, "Black Sails" is a show with enormous production values. The town of Nassau is recreated, as well as several plantations, and of course the ships. "Black Sails" is very much an adult show, with swearing, violence and nudity all as prevalent in this as it is in "Thrones" for example, but also like "Thrones" it's a show about "Pirates" per se, as much as it's about, scheming, plotting and forming/breaking alliances. That is not to say that the action associated with a Pirate adventure is missing, there are pitched ship battles, towns invaded, treasure buried and buckles are swashed.
Performances are excellent from all the cast, so much so I'm not going to single anyone out as being especially good, as it would be unfair on the others. My favourite character though is Jack Rackham, played by Australian actor Toby Schmitz. Also impressive are the effects, set dressing and art direction. (It's comfortably the best thing that Michael Bay has had anything to do with).
One more vote to reconnect the cast in a few years for a tonally same version of "Treasure Island". "Black Sails" is up there with "The West Wing" and "The Wire" amongst the best shows of my lifetime.