Black Sails Season 1 Thoughts

Yes, I've finally finished the first season of the STARZ pirate theme epic, "Black Sails". So how does it hold up so far? Well...pretty good overall. It's not as epic nor as fantastical as I imagined, but one must consider the fact this was indeed the first season after all. I still have absolutely no idea what to expect in the coming seasons which is a great thing to be able to say nowadays considering that the show has been out for 3 seasons. Now, let's talk about my positives and negatives for Season 1 which was a pretty decent series introduction overall.

Pros:
-Character Spotlights
If there's one thing that I have to give to this series as far as praises goes is the fact that the writers did a great job at nailing down which characters should be focused on to the audience from the get go. With such a rich island setting filled with colorful characters possibly popping up at any given moment, I was impressed to see how quickly I was glued to specific characters knowing that these individuals were the main pieces of the puzzle. 

Every character had their individual moments to shine throughout the season showing their significance to the bigger picture of things which is always great to see in an ensemble series. It also helps that everyone for the most part did a decent enough job in their roles as well as the fact that each significant character feels rich enough with a mysterious backstory and/or a striking personality that will keep you invested in their individual endeavors.

The standout characters that eventually won me over so far in the series are Charles Vane are Eleanor Guthrie. There's always something dramatic or interesting to look forward to whenever they're on screen and I'm more than curious to see where their stories lead to in the 2nd season. Eleanor is a powerful female character constantly surprising the people around her as well as the audience with her life changing decisions and Vane is essentially being built up as the mysterious and legendary pirate worth keeping an eye on down the line as he ranks up in power.

-Setting
What can I say? Being from the Caribbean myself, it's really refreshing to see an island themed setting as the main backdrop of the series. Not only are the exterior shots of the main island beautiful to see, but the interior shots of the brothel as well as the town itself are all visually appealing in their colorful components. This is one of the rare shows on TV where I can actually sit down and think to myself "You know...I'd actually wanna visit there just to see what it's like for a day".

Cons:
-Personal Nitpik
Throughout the majority of the season, I found myself having to go back and actually read the episode summaries of previous episodes just to make sure that I was correctly processing everything that was taking place in the story. The different political angles taking place around Eleanor, the secretive character conflicts taking place leading up to explosive mutinies and backstabbing, and of course the main story surrounding Flint and his mission were all story elements that sometimes flew over my head causing me to question my understanding of the overall plot.

I won't automatically blame the writing or pacing of the series as being the fault of this issue, but instead my unique situation of dealing with several shows at the same time. Black Sails is definitely a series that should not be piled up with other properties in one's library due to how much attention goes to fleshing out the economics, politics, lifestyles, laws, and character motivations. This is a series that is simply too rich to be left to the side and should be given its rightful attention (as I've poorly demonstrated with the 1st season).

-Narrowing One's Child-like Expectations
Just as the title states, I do have something of a fascination regarding pirate lore that dates back to my childhood where the supernatural and/or fantastical is integrated within the legendary treasure hoarding adventures of said marauders. It's safe to say that I did have a certain set of expectations going into this series from the get go that has been slightly difficult to fully keep back when watching each episode.

Season 2 DVD Cover Art

Having absolutely no knowledge of the show going in except for an awesome DVD cover art depicting a pirate climbing towards a flag alongside a skeleton, I truly wasn't aware of the type of villains or sense of reality that would take place. Now, I am interested to see what Season 2 will bring as far as characters and story goes, but I'd be lying if I said that I never kept my eyes peeled for something regarding the supernatural that will eventually show up down the line.

The main title sequence shows a beautiful sculpture masterpiece detailing the different sinful elements within the pirate universe

Black Sails so far is more of a political drama with a couple of standout characters doing their fair share of backstabbing and tactical maneuvering which is definitely entertaining in its own regard, but there's still a side of me that really wished to have seen characters talking about a legendary haunted ship along the coast or perhaps a giant sea creature being alluded to while the captain charts a safe course for his crew.

Those of you who have already seen Seasons 2-3 are probably yelling at the screen right now with either excitement or disappointment, but don't worry...I'll be catching up very soon. If none of my wishes comes true in the end, I still wouldn't mind settling down for a nice political pirate drama with some impressive battle sequences, dramatic betrayals, and legendary pirates making their debuts throughout the show.

This is why it is always important to manage one's expectations going into something new as best as one can despite the overall themes and subject manner. Overall, I'd definitely recommend it for pirate lovers looking for a pretty decent quality series to get engulfed in. The setting is rich, the characters are interesting enough, and there is a sense of beauty and danger lurking around every corner. This is definitely not a series that should be easily overlooked.

Season Rating: 8/10