Black Sails: How has the power dynamic changed now that Rackham and Anne have the Spanish gold?

Jack Rackham (Toby Schmitz) and Anne Bonny (Clara Paget) aren’t exactly on top of the world on the second season of Black Sails. They’re both shamefully without a crew and barely clinging to a brothel they don’t have much business running. So how do these two underdog pirates manage to rake in the biggest prize of all: the Urca gold? A lot of it is luck, and then there’s Max (Jessica Parker Kennedy), who becomes almost a guardian angel for the duo. Rackham and Bonny have changed things in Nassau, and “the balance of power is spinning” (TS Rhodes, DenofGeek.us). They’re undermining and challenging the whole operation, and many won’t see it coming until it’s too late. The only thing that remains certain is that they’ll have to fight to maintain their new positions, as Captain Flint (Toby Stephens) and Captain Charles Vane (Zach McGowan) have their eyes on the Spanish prize and will do what is necessary to get their hands on it.

Watching Rackham and Bonny attempt to run a brothel is a pitiful display. Rackham is utterly clueless that prostitutes aren’t divvying their earnings fairly, and is even less aware that certain special requests are priced differently than a prostitute’s usual services. Fortunately, Max points out the inconsistencies and money scams, quickly earning herself the position of madame. Once they’re finally earning a profit, Max continues to help Rackham and Bonny, and in a way they probably never anticipated. “As a madam, [Max knows everyone], and a lot about [them]” (TS Rhodes, DenofGeek.us). And by knowing Flint’s quartermaster John Silver (Luke Arnold), she’s able to set up Rackham and his new crew with the location of the Spanish gold, allowing them to be the first ones to take the prize back to Nassau. Max has proven to be more than a useful ally for these two and “a powerful force. She’s bought out other interests on the island, and she has the smarts to run things very, very well while not making a big deal out of her gender” (TS Rhodes, DenofGeek.us).

As Charlestown is demolished, two unlikely allies rise from its screams and ashes: Flint and Vane. The trials at Charlestown reminded both men that their rivalry is of little importance when their freedom is at stake. Flint and his crew have been on an obsessive quest to obtain the Urca gold for some time, only encountering obstacles and delays at every turn, which Silver has both contributed to and helped with. They’re not going to be pleased once they learn the gold is not only gone, but at the hands of one of their own. And Vane, while not directly in pursuit or interested in the Urca gold, will still want his share and won’t be willing to accept Rackham and Bonny as newly-minted power players of Nassau. This could spell “a profound shift in the politics of Nassau, as Vane and Flint team up for the first time, ready to take on the newly-rich Rackham-Bonny combo” (TS Rhodes, DenofGeek.us). It also spells danger for Rackham, Bonny, Max and Silver.

So, it’s Rackham, Bonny and Max vs. Vane and Flint. This could get ugly and interesting very fast. Vane and Flint are two very determined pirate captains with a lot of muscle behind them; they’ve both cheated death and overcome impossible odds. On the other end, Rackham, Bonny and Max have been countlessly underestimated by those around them, and they’re the ones who managed to capture the biggest prize the island has ever seen. They’ve risen from rock bottom with the potential to acquire even more power and influence. But are they rising too fast and will they end up falling just as quickly? If they manage to maintain their position, Nassau may end up looking and operating a lot differently. But they’re not considering the one thing that Vane and Flint are all too aware of from Charlestown’s events: English law is coming to Nassau, and pirate life may not be able to fight it off, at least not without a little help.

Black Sails: Will the women on Black Sails ever truly get ahead, or are they doomed to just survive?

The female characters that make up the world of the pirate drama Black Sails are unarguably strong, fierce, and relentless. The world they live in and adapt to is littered with murder, rape, betrayal, and deception. They know what they’re dealing with; they’re clever, and more often than not, far more clever than the men who make their lives all the more difficult. Whether they’re dealing with business matters, running a brothel, or scoring some serious loot, they all fall prey to the circumstances that surround them regardless of how strong they may be. The first two seasons of Black Sails have audiences accustomed to seeing these women seize power, have it taken from them, or watch them rise from nothing and ease into the greatness they’ve only dreamed of. So what’s in store for business-savvy Eleanor Guthrie (Hannah New), brothel-running Max (Jessica Parker Kennedy), and ruthless lady pirate Anne Bonny (Clara Paget)?

Eleanor Guthrie is an intriguing character on Black Sails. For the majority of seasons one and two of the series, she runs Nassau’s supplies and business dealings strictly and tightly, commanding a good deal of respect from most of the pirates and their captains. Many attribute her influence and power as a direct line from her father, Nassau Governor Richard Guthrie (Sean Cameron Michael). There is a good deal of truth to that, but most of the time Eleanor is running Nassau devoid of her father’s aid, and even rebelling against his wishes and orders. However, many resent her for her power and her father’s influence, along with her ability to punish those who don’t follow the rules, like her on-off lover, the fierce pirate Captain Charles Vane (Zach McGowan). There’s a fear there, even more potently felt because she is a woman.

By season two’s finale, we see Eleanor delivered by Captain Benjamin Hornigold (Patrick Lyster) and Dufresne (Roland Reed) to English authorities, as they’re unable to deliver who they really want: Captain Flint (Toby Stephens). Dufresne and Hornigold don’t just gain immunity from their piracy for delivering Eleanor; they’re taking down a pivotal, power player and her vision for stability in a land ruled by tumult and uncertainty. Eleanor is headed for the gallows at this point, her fate in the air. It’s possible viewers will see “Vane’s potential rage at Hornigold for turning her in…and it would drive [the] story if Vane went off on a mission to rescue her” (TS Rhodes, DenofGeek.us).

Max knows how to take advantage of any given situation. She goes from being a disgraced prostitute to brothel madame to essentially taking over Eleanor’s duties once she’s handed over to authorities. Not bad for someone quietly lurking in the background, cashing in on vital bits of gossip and intel that float around the brothel in Nassau. And as a prostitute, she’s good at luring just the right people to her bed. When it comes to Eleanor, it’s possible that Max’s heart is in it; but with Rackham (Toby Schmitz) and Anne Bonny, Max knows it’s a power game involving emotional manipulation.

As she ends up bringing both to her bed and laying her charm on heavy, she manages to separate two devoted companions, as Rackham leaves Bonny off his crew but keeps Max in the game. Max has even managed to team up with a more manipulative partner than she: John Silver (Luke Arnold). Now, with John Silver’s intel, resulting in Rackham and Bonny’s successful retrieval of the Spanish gold, Max is sitting pretty. She “will get her share [of the Spanish gold], and now she owns a powerful lot of island business” (TS Rhodes, DenofGeek.us). However, she and her accomplices need to remember that Vane and Flint won’t stand for the mind games, and they’re going to want their share (if not all) of that gold.

Anne Bonny is dangerous. She’s the only female on an all-male pirate crew, and she can hold her own. More than anything, Anne is a fighter, and has killed more men than she can count protecting her companion Rackham. But as devoted and connected as Anne and Rackham seem to be, when promised his own crew through Max’s machinations, he leaves Anne in the dust. Once betrayed, Anne loses something that quietly grounded her. The inner storms brewing within her that she’s always managed to slightly tame burst forth, and she recklessly starts killing and falling apart.

Everyone fears her, except for Max. She at least seems to understand what Anne’s going through, and wants to help her. And Max seems to be Anne’s one true weakness, able to penetrate her soft spot. Or she’s playing Max’s game, and merely enjoying the physical benefits. What needs to be remembered about Anne is she’s unpredictable and a force all her own, but she’s also a valuable asset or a formidable enemy, with the potential to harness some serious power as a result. Without her help, it’s unlikely that her cohorts would have gotten their hands on that Spanish gold.

These women are clearly strong and able to harness considerable power when their scheming works. But even like the men who make up their world, they’re always going to be victims of their circumstances. Whether in Nassau or Charlestown, there’s always going to be a power struggle, and an endless one at that. What’s really going to earn these women influence, power and the freedom they endlessly seek is their own fortitude. They’re all survivors and able to withstand plenty of abuses and lethal threats; they just have to be willing to fight and not accept defeat as an option.