The treasure hunts begin
BLACK Sails has been one of the most-talked about TV shows; more so as it was made in a specially-built Hollywood-esque set in Cape Town. That it was made under the auspices of the inimitable action filmmaker, Michael Bay ( Bad Boy, Transformers, Pearl Harbour, The Island), was one of its many selling points. And there are many.
The moment of truth has arrived, now that it is about to hit the South African small screen. Does it live up to the hype?
That’s not an easy question to answer. That’s why, after watching the first episode, I have decided to reserve judgement until I’m a few episodes into the series before offering a verdict.
One of reasons for doing so is that pirate dramas don’t frequent our TV guide.
More often, we are exposed to pirates when they are used as a supporting story arc on TV shows – mostly of the fantasy ilk – à la Once Upon A Time (Colin O’Donoghue as Captain Killian “Hook” Jones) and Game of Thrones. Vikings embodies the pirate spirit, in its own way.
The most popular references when it comes to the subject matter would be Jerry Bruckheimer’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise with Johnny Depp as the inimitable Captain Jack Sparrow. Let’s not forget the plethora of Treasure Island movies that have been made over the years.
The point I’m getting at is that viewers have become conditioned by such fictionalised introductions to the world of pirates. And that’s why it will have a bearing on how Black Sails will be perceived – the dialogue doesn’t conform to the traditional understanding of what it should be.
What it does have, however, is that sense of swashbuckling adventure. And the appeal is heightened by the beautiful mix of local and international actors.
The drama opens with this declaration: “1715 West Indies. The Pirates of New Providence Island threaten maritime trade in the region. The laws of every civilised nation declare them… hostis humani generis. Enemies of all mankind. In response, the Pirates adhere to a doctrine of their own… war against the world.”
This statement sets the tone of what follows when Captain Flint (Toby Stephens) and his men expropriate a ship that contains highly valuable information in the Captain’s Log. However, the relevant page is stolen by the cook and ends up in the hands of an opportunistic John Silver.
While Flint tries to piece together the information contained on that page, Singleton (played by our own Anthony Bishop) spreads discord on the ship in an attempt to stage a mutiny and overthrow Flint.