Black Sails viewer's log:

Season I, Episode I

A STRONG start. Very strong.

Right off the bat I'd like to point out the atmosphere. The white over blue colour scheme that rules the episode gets you right in the mood. A lonely ship in a vast sea can easily have the effect of portraying the ship as small and insignificant...

...but the series cleverly gets around this by having the powerful ships take up almost the entire screen, with ships like the Scarborough absolutely dwarfing any unfortunate piece of wood that happens to stumble near it.

This might be film 101 obvious stuff, but I just felt...

...like pointing that out.

Another interesting surprise is that of perspective. Going in and based on the first scene, I fully expected John Silver to be our PoV character, the audience's self-insert, the innocent newcomer with cunning senses but no ill intent.

Boy was I wrong.

It turns out Gates is actually the one to take up this role, and he fits it better than John ever could. He's the simplest character, at least so far. His loyalty to Flint, which is made apparent right away, makes him instantly likeable.

This likeability could've been marred...

...by Flint's slow and natural unraveling from an easy-going, democratic, pleasant force of good to a morally questionable, dangerously ambitious, almost power hungry beast. However, Gates's reactions to Flint at his most desperate mirrors that of the viewer, which savours his...

...likeability.

Regarding Flint: the first episode takes full advantage of the fact that the viewer doesn't know Flint yet to allow itself to showcase his full range of emotions. From boasting confidence when he's sure he's secured his position and a path to the Urca de Lima...

...to animalistic desperation as he falsely accuses his competition of theft and beats him to death with his bare hands.

I'll try to refrain from too many predictions in this thread, because those tend to age poorly, but I think I know where Flint's arc is going.

Flint warns Billy of an upcoming war with the whole world, which sees pirates as monsters and nothing else. Flint spits in the face of this stigma, but towards the end of the episode he regresses to exactly that: a monster, who will do anything it can to keep what he has...

...a democratic pretender, who will ditch those ideals of equality in right and opportunity as soon as the threat of a usurper becomes real.

Flint is willing to become a monster in order to disprove that exact misconception regarding pirates, a mindset which is sure to run...

...him into some problems in the future.

Flint appears weak at first, while Singleton is at a leading position. Where Flint appears kind and forgiving, too much so for his own good, Singleton is introduced as savage, detestable and dangerous.

Flint's unraveling serves the...

...rising conflicts with Vain's quick group and political foresight, and the Guthries' wealth and influence. Had Flint stayed his weak, pleasant self, these conflicts would seem uninteresting. Flint will lose, because he isn't ready to do what it takes to stay in power.

This cannot be further from the Flint we see at the end of the episode, which leaves the position of the Walrus's captain a leaf in the wind.

I think I've sung this episode's praises enough, barely even mentioning Billy's power play at the end, or John's subplot.

A terrific ep.