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III.
Ep 3
Season One
Number Three
Date Aired February 8th 2014
Writer Jonathan E. Steinberg
and Robert Levine.
Director Neil Marshall
Previous II.
Next IV.
"No matter how many lies we tell ourselves or how many stories we convince ourselves we're a part of...we're all just thieves awaiting a noose."
Benjamin Hornigold

Flint searches for a consort to sail with him against the Urca; Silver uncovers which crew members remain disloyal to Flint; Eleanor uncovers that Vane has captured and tortured Max; and new questions are raised about Flint's female companion, the mysterious Miranda Barlow.

Synopsis[]

The episode opens with Captain Flint awaking in the home of Miranda Barlow. As Miranda tends to the

Miranda and Flint

Miranda cleans Flints wounds.

wounds he incurred during the duel with Singleton, he tells her that he has found the schedule. Not long after, Gates appears outside Miranda's house with a wagon containing the wounded Richard Guthrie. Flint tells Miranda that he needs a favor from her.

At Eleanor's tavern, Eleanor and Billy Bones stand watch over John Silver as he transcribes to paper what he had memorized from the schedule before he burned it. Mr. Scott interrupts and tells Eleanor that Max has left and has likely sailed away. Eleanor is incredulous that Max wouldn't accept her offer.

In the streets of Nassau, Rackham is confronted by several crew members of the Ranger. They say that he promised them a score and now there is not only not a score, but they are also out 5,000 pesos of their collective booty. Rackham responds by telling them that he is just as disappointed as they are and if they are so sure that his value to them is exhausted that they should elect another quartermaster.

Silver rewriting stolen page

Back at Eleanor's tavern, Silver hands over the transcription of the schedule. Flint remarks that the transcription is incomplete because the Urca has to stop in Florida to take on water but there is no mention of this on the schedule. Silver explains that in the interest of self-preservation, he intentionally left off some of the latter details of the Urca's course. When they threaten to bring Joji in to torture the remaining bits out of him, Silver states that he has an exceptionally low tolerance for pain and he would tell them anything to make it stop, so that wouldn't work. Silver proposes a mutually beneficial arrangement to Flint. He offers to remain with the crew and to forego payment for the schedule in exchange for a share of the prize.

Flint appears to reluctantly accept Silver's proposition and asks Eleanor if she agrees to it, which she does. Flint states that this type of operation is going to require a consort i.e. another ship. Flint goes on to list to Eleanor a number of items that they will need for the expedition, including a dozen new 12 pounder cannons. He tells Eleanor that when they attack the Urca they are going to need heavier artillery pieces if they are going to do anything more than make a scratch against her hull. Eleanor tells Flint that she will get them for him. Later, Mr. Scott asks Eleanor where she thinks she is going to find the guns for Flint. She tells him that a merchant captain named Bryson is due back in port in a few days and that she will take the guns from him. Mr. Scott goes on further to explain that they probably shouldn't expect any more supply ships to show up in port now that word has surely got around that Richard Guthrie is being accused of black marketing. Eleanor retorts that that just means that her father will have to help her in Flint's expedition.

Outside on the streets, Bones expresses his reluctance to Gates about Flint accepting Silver as a member of the crew, stating that there are still men on board that don't support Flint's captaincy and that Silver might slip up and tell them the truth that Singleton did not steal the schedule. Bones suggests that they canvass the crew and find out which crew members are still against Flint so that they may be put on different watches than Silver.

Silverbones

Silver and Bones observe Morley and others.

Bones takes Silver to where Randall is sitting peeling potatoes. Bones tells Randall that he won a bet with Silver and now Silver has to help Randall peel potatoes for the rest of the day. Silver then tries to befriend Randall by making small talk. What he is really trying to do is cozy up to Randall so that Randall will tell him which crew members are still against Flint. Randall then apparently tells Silver that Morley and Turk remain against Flint. Silver then relays this information to Bones in the hopes that he can appear more trustworthy to the quartermaster.

At Miranda's house, Richard Guthrie awakes to see his daughter Eleanor there sitting on his bed. Eleanor tells Richard that he needs his help. If they are to remain in business they are going to need someone with ships and power. When he says nothing and looks away from her, Eleanor explains to him that he only has two choices: help her or flee to Boston where his father and brothers still live.

Atop a fortress overlooking the harbor in Nassau, Gates visits with an old friend, Captain Benjamin Hornigold. While

Hornigoldfort

Hornigold's fortress.

Gates attempts some pleasantries; Hornigold cuts him off and says that he already knows why Gates is there: to ask that he and his ship act as Flint's consort in the expedition. Gates informs Hornigold that Flint doesn't want Hornigold but rather just wants his ship and his crew and that the captain of this ship will be himself. Hornigold agrees to the proposition.

Later that day, as Gates sits looking at navigational charts, he is approached by an overly friendly Rackham. Gates is immediately skeptical and calls Rackham out for his obvious desperation, stating that he knows about Rackham and the lost pearls. Rackham then begins to plant a seed of doubt into Gates about Gates' looming captaincy. He questions whether Gates is too old for such a job; what if he oversleeps or hurts his bum knee. This seed of doubt apparently grows because Gates immediately goes to find Flint and proposes that they use Charles Vane and the Ranger crew as their consort.

Inside a brothel, Rackham confronts Vane about acting as Flint's consort. When Vane expresses reluctance, Rackham explains to him that since Eleanor is backing the expedition, were Vane to participate and help it succeed, then that might get him back in Eleanor's good graces.

Themeeting

The meeting at Eleanor's.

Later, inside Eleanor's tavern, the meeting is set up between Vane and Flint. As soon as the meeting begins, Flint interjects that he wants to talk about Mosiah. He demands that before they even begin to discuss anything, he wants to hear Vane apologize for Mosiah's murder. Gates immediately jumps in and takes Flint outside where he explains that Flint must behave himself or nothing will get accomplished. They eventually agree to terms with Vane joking about how surprising it is that he is the only one behaving himself.

Following the meeting, Vane and Rackham are walking down the street when Vane directs Rackham to a small hut. Inside is a naked and battered Max. The crew of the Ranger had apparently been raping her throughout the day. Vane approaches her and begins to talk to her. He asks why, even though Eleanor was offering her protection, she left the

Maxabused

Max, chained to the wall.

tavern. Max answers by asking Vane how he felt when Eleanor threw him aside. Vane leaves the hut and tells Rackham to take her out during the night and put her on a boat and to do it as quietly as possible. When Rackham asks what will happen if she comes back, Vane replies that she won't.

Back at Miranda's house, she is greeted outside by Pastor Lambrick who is making his weekly visits. Lambrick shares with Miranda his upcoming Easter sermon. As she looks over it, Richard Guthrie sneaks around inside the house. He comes across a painting of Miranda and another man that is labelled "Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Hamilton." Outside, Lambrick lets Miranda know that she has neighbors that are beginning to gossip about the questionable visits she receives at her house from certain men. Miranda seems not to care about this gossip. Lambrick also mentions that there are certain people in his church who are claiming that a Royal Navy ship, the Scarborough has docked nearby and that the King might wish to reestablish colonial rule over Nassau. He then flat out asks her "is he keeping you here?", likely referring to her relationship with Flint. Miranda does not answer but gets up and wishes Lambrick a good day.

Eleanordefends

Eleanor defends Max.

Back in Nassau, Eleanor enters Vane's tent and the two make love. At the same time, Rackham is attempting to escort Max to a boat when he is intercepted by Hamund and other Ranger crew members. He states that even though it was Vane who brought her here, they will decide when they are through with her. As Eleanor is dressing inside Vane's tent, she hears a woman screaming outside. It is the sound of Max's screams as she is being raped by Hamund in the middle of the street. Eleanor grabs a tent beam and attacks Hamund, who quickly moves away from Max.

Eleanor quickly realizes that Vane was behind Max's brutal treatment. She makes a public declaration to the Ranger's crew that she will not sell any food, supply any whores, or buy any goods from any of them unless they join Captain Flint's crew and grant him use of their ship. Most of the Ranger crew members walk over and stand next to Flint. Even Anne Bonny begins to make a move toward Flint, but Vane stops her by threatening to kill her if she moves any further. Eleanor then attempts to console Max and apologizes for what Vane did to her. Max corrects her, stating that it was not his fault this happened, but Eleanor's. Max then tells Vane that because she has cost him his prize, she will remain his until that debt is paid off.

Bonesmorley

Bones and Morley talk.

Aboard the Walrus, Billy Bones approaches Morley who is standing on watch. Bones begins to question Morley about his loyalty to the Captain. Morley states that he has a right to be dissatisfied and that he believes that, even as bad a person as he was, Singleton was no thief. Bones states that he saw the stolen schedule with his own eyes. Morley concedes that he may be wrong about Singleton, but he is not wrong about Flint. Bones tells Morley that he trusts Flint, but Morley says that the only reason Bones trusts Flint is because he doesn't know about "Mrs. Barlow".

The episode ends with Miranda reading a section from Marcus Aurelius' "Meditations" to Richard. They are interrupted by the arrival of Flint who takes Miranda into the next room and shuts the door.

Trivia[]

  • Flint gives Miranda a book by Thomas Middleton, an English playwright noted for his work in the revenge tragedy genre.
    • The book that Miranda gives to Richard Guthrie and later reads from is Meditations, a series of personal writings by Roman Emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius. The book contains his ideas on Stoic philosophy and self improvement.
    • Much of Flint and Miranda's life is shrouded in mystery, although while snooping through her bedroom, Richard found a painting featuring a man and a finely dressed Miranda labeled "Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Hamilton."
    • Miranda's introduction also fleshes out the details of the situation on New Providence Island. Nassau Town appears to be controlled entirely by the pirates, although many merchants still live there and provide their services for the pirates and civilians alike. Meanwhile, the interior appears to be dominated by a community of Puritans who strongly disapprove of the pirates. The first British settlers in the Bahamas were actually Puritans from Bermuda who resettled on the island of Eleuthera.
    • The Bible verse that Miranda quotes while discussing Pastor Lambrick's Easter Sermon is Song of Solomon, 7:2-4.
    • Miranda mentions that Easter is coming up, and that Lambrick visits her on Wednesdays. Easter Sunday in 1715 was on April 21, making the date of this episode April 17.
  • During the meeting between Eleanor and the leadership of the Walrus and the Ranger, Vane can be seen rolling a coin between his fingers. Actor Zach McGowan revealed in an interview with Inverse that he taught himself the trick on the plane to South Africa, and improvised it in the scene.
  • Mr. Scott mentions that he can reach out to their contacts in a place called Port Harbour. It's possible he is referring to Harbour Island, considering there is no location by that name in real life.
  • Benjamin Hornigold is introduced as a somewhat older, very powerful pirate captain in charge of Fort Nassau, which was previously seen in a background shot in the first episode.
    • In real life, Hornigold began his pirate career in 1713, and he was considered one of the founders of the Pirate Republic and one of the most powerful pirate captains. He was captain to Edward Teach and taught him everything he knew about pirating, and Teach eventually became his second-in-command. The historical Hornigold was really known not to attack British ships, apparently to maintain the legal defense that he was a privateer operating against England's enemies in the War of the Spanish Succession.
    • In the show, Gates and Hornigold discuss the latter's Jacobite sympathies, Hornigold seemingly having been part of a failed rebellion of theirs. The Jacobites supported the Catholic members of the royal House of Stuart who had been deposed and forbidden from ascending the throne. However, it was only in 1715, the year that the show is taking place, that their main rebellion failed. The closest equivalent would be the 1708 failed invasion, which was supposed to include French assistance. This event seemingly takes the place of the 1715 rebellion.
    • Hornigold reveals that Gates has been at sea for 50 years.
    • Hornigold's ship is called the Royal Lion, likely a nod to his Jacobite sympathies. In real life, he never captained a ship by this name. His commands included the Marianne, and the Ranger.
    • Fort Nassau was a real fortress that as in the show, guarded the western end of the harbor that was completed in 1697. In real life, after repeated Spanish and French attacks it had fallen into disrepair, although Hornigold led efforts to restore and rearm the fort. The fort was demolished in 1897, and is now the site of the Colonial Hilton Hotel.
  • Historically, Vane really was deposed as captain by the majority of his crew, who took the Ranger and left him only a handful of loyal men. However, it was Jack Rackham who led this move, after Vane was accused of cowardice for attempting to attack a French warship before promptly retreating when realizing what their quarry was.

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