i just realized that walker scobell and leah sava jeffries will be calling each other seaweed brain and wise girl on screen. i am going to hyperventilate from excitement the second i hear it for the first time i just know it
I think one of the reasons Russel’s character in the early phases so good is bc he was a perfect straight man archetype, who would always seem so grounded in reality compared to the others, as if his backstory wasn’t the most fucking insane out of all the members. you’d have him sit there and sigh at Murdoc’s tales and point out how weird things were and then casually bring up the fact he’s possessed by the ghosts of dead musicians and was exorcised as a child
i think this is also why Russel and Murdoc’s interactions are so funny bc they are complete polar opposites of each other both in personality and story. like you have Literally Just Some Guy from stoke saying the most outrageous things imaginable at every given opportunity, then being put in his place n told to stop being ridiculous by a man who part times as a ouija board
So I just wrote that whole meta I’m very proud of only to realize something much less defensible.
Charles is Black Sails Spike.
He’s a supposedly monsterous dude who gets whipped by a blonde girl. She makes him forget all his plans to overpower her. They fuck. It’s super hot. He’s inside her head. The show forgets he was supposed to be the villain. He martyrs himself.
I was thinking today about Stede and Izzy’s hate at first sight dynamic (which, as a Steddy Hands/Gentlehands shipper is hilariousto play with) and how Stede’s initial disgust of Izzy is so all-consuming that it even overrides his pirate obsession.
Like, we’ve already talked about how underneath Izzy’s chihuahua fury there’s this seed of interest in Stede — Why are you so eager to get his shirt off, Izzy? You’re a little obsessed with Stede Fucking Bonnet, Izzy — and how the reverse shouldbe true as well. After all, Stede’s crew is made up of a bunch of misfits and Izzy, hailing from Black Sails land, is the first proper pirate he’s come across. Dressed all in leather, badass tattoos, awesome sword skills, effortlessly managing the hostages Stede lost… this is his pirate adoration made real, Stede’s lifelong interest brought to life, and though he clearly enjoys the thrill of winning the encounter, Izzy himself gets that “Ugh, you again” reaction.
Amazingly, it even extends to other, tangential pirate opportunities and adventures. Can you imagine if anyone else had told Stede that a legit, totally authentic pirate captain wanted to talk to him? He’d be over the moon! Holy shit, yes, let’s go right now, this is a dream come true for me! But because Izzyis the one delivering the message Stede is immediately in a ‘Hell no’ state of mind. Go suck eggs in hell, mysterious pirate captain who has committed the sin of being connected to Izzy Hands. The Gentleman Pirate doesn’t want anything to do with you. Oh, you’re actually the love of my life and we’ll bond the instant we meet? Doesn’t matter. You have to track me down because I won’t be caught dead giving Iggy’s co-worker a second glance.
Stede really went:
“I will do anything, ANYTHING AT ALL, to have an authentic pirate experience.”
Izzy: [exists]
“…never mind I’m drawing a hard line here.”
and I love him for it.
I do feel like there’s a potentially ~deep~ analysis in all this about how Stede doesn’t actuallywant the authentic pirate experience. He wants the modified, healthier experience he’s been trying to carve out on his ship, so for all his romanticism at home with the kids — “Die, dog!” — when faced with the first person who actually embodies that life, Izzy, Stede took a hard left and kept himself firmly in Muppet land… but alsoit’s just so funny to think about this instinctual, visceral, illogical dislike that’s so strong it overrides the obsession that had Stede secretly building a ship and leaving his family in the dead of night. Izzy’s bad vibes are just that powerful.
Which, again, as a shipper of quality trash I am LIVING for all the potential avenues here. Yes to Izzy having a, “I’m in love with him?” revelation, I do so love to see it, but I raise you Stede looking at Izzy, realizing he has come to care for him, and immediately wanting to scrub his brain with lavender-scented bleach.
