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X.
Episode10battle
Season Two
Number Ten
Date Aired January 31st, 2015
Writer Michael Chernuchin
Director Clark Johnson
Previous IX.
Next XI.
"In less than two days, I intend to be a captain again."
Captain Flint[src]

Flint and Silver attempt to win back the favour of the crew; Low grows increasingly more violent in his attempt to intimidate Eleanor; Rackham decides on a course of action that may return him to his former glory.

Synopsis[]

Billybeach

Billy in agony on the beach.

The episode begins with a man tied to a beach. Captain Hume stands over the man and tells him that he is being tortured with a technique that he learned from the Spanish wherein you expose a man to the heat while wearing a leather vest and after six days the leather vest becomes so tight that it breaks the ribs and punctures the internal organs. Hume states that he knew when he pulled the man out of the sea that he was going to be of great value to him. The man is then revealed to be Billy Bones.

Meanwhile on the captured Spanish Man O' War, Flint has a flashback to his time in London ten years earlier where he and Thomas Hamilton are discussing how to regain control of Nassau. Expressing doubts at the prospect, Flint states that the only way to achieve success is to set up a colony there, with lawyers, carpenters, clergy, and an honest governor. Despite Flint's doubts, Hamilton still expresses optimism that with Flint's help, he can regain control of Nassau.

Later, Flint and Silver sit on the deck of the ship and contemplate how they are going to ingratiate themselves with the crew so they are not kicked off the crew once they return to Nassau. Flint states to Silver his intentions are to be Captain once again before they reach Nassau in two days.

In Nassau, Meeks confronts Captain Low about Low's encounter with Eleanor Guthrie the night before. Meeks states that the future value they will earn if they are in Eleanor's good favour far outweighs the short-change they bore following the first encounter with Eleanor, and that Low is being unnecessarily reckless by trying to intimidate her.

Elsewhere in Nassau, Max finds Anne Bonny drinking alone. Bonny seems to express regret about what happened the night before during her sexual encounter with Max. Max tell her that she will respect Bonny's wishes and that the previous night can be the last time. While Max is gently touching Bonny, Rackham sees their interaction from a distance.

Back on the Spanish ship, Silver is brainstorming a way to get himself back in the good favor of the crew while Randall cooks a meal. Muldoon approaches and berates Randall for how long the food is taking to be prepared, and demands that Randall not spit in his food. When Muldoon walks away, Randall does indeed spit on Muldoon's plate.

In the captain's quarters, Flint approaches Dufresne who is sitting at the captain's table. Flint tells Dufresne a story about when Flint first found him. Flint says that Mr. Gates was opposed to the idea of bringing someone lettered like Dufresne on board. Gates claimed that he found lettered men to be more difficult to control and harder to persuade. Flint expresses to Dufresne his regret about killing Gates. Flint states that since Gates grew fond of Dufresne that if he were to help Dufresne that it might be some small penance for what he did to Gates. Flint then offers Dufresne some advice. He advises that someone will eventually suggest to Dufresne that they tack east because that would be the fastest way home but going that route runs a greater risk of encountering a merchant ship. Dufresne asks why that would be such a bad thing. Flint then explains that the men are not ready for a real fight with the numbers they have lost and that it might lead to disaster were they to engage another ship in their condition.

In a flashback to London, Flint sits with Admiral Hennessey and discusses Flint's appointment as Thomas Hamilton's aide. Flint notices a group of fellow officers staring at him and laughing. One of them, Pickram, approaches Flint and begins to insult Flint's appointment to Hamilton. He mockingly tells Flint of all the great benefits that may come with working for someone of Hamilton's stature, perhaps even including the benefit of sleeping with Hamilton's wife. With that, Flint assaults Pickram and engages several other men, severely beating one of them before Hennessey intervenes.

Back in Nassau, Meeks sits in Eleanor's office and tells her that she has to do something to help him remove Low from his captaincy as he does not think Low has the crew's best interest at heart. Their meeting is interrupted by O'Malley who tells her that the meeting of the consortium is ready. Eleanor tells Meeks to wait for her in the bar so they can finish the conversation later.

On the streets of Nassau, Max is shopping when she is confronted by Rackham who demands to know what is going on between her and Bonny. Max implies that Bonny has been secretly in love with her for a while and that that is why Bonny saved Max from the tent. Rackham expresses serious doubt about that and believes that Max is simply trying to drive a wedge between he and Bonny.

Goingson

Silver attempts the "goings-on".

On the deck of the Spanish ship, Dufresne suggests to De Groot that they tack east, which is exactly what Flint warned him against doing. De Groot follows his suggestion and the ship turns east. Below decks, Silver begins to speak to the crew while they are eating about the goings on with the ship. He states that a sailor which shall not be named fell asleep on his watch. As he is saying this, a sailor approaches Silver and punches him in the gut. Silver informs Flint that he is attempting to ingratiate himself with the crew by being an outlet for drama that will turn them against each other as opposed to against him.

Back in Nassau, Eleanor is attending a meeting of the Consortium. Captain Lawrence explains to Eleanor the difficulty he had in trading during his last mission. He states that the difficulty comes from the fact that Eleanor's family name is no longer respect and is tarnished. Lawrence admits that he had to threaten the custom's man personally to get him to accept their goods and that he had to use Vane's name to complete the threat.

Downstairs at Eleanor's bar, Meeks is approached by Low and Mr. Holmes. Low inquires as to the reason Meeks was seen meeting with Eleanor. Meeks responds that he has a duty to provide for the well being and safety of the crew, even if that means deposing a captain. Low and Holmes then grab Meeks, put him on a table, and decapitate him in front of the whole bar. Eleanor immediately demands that Low and his crew leave and seek like elsewhere. O'Malley then puts his sword to Low's neck and implores him to leave. Low then begins to sword fight with O'Malley, eventually gutting O'Malley and then stabbing him through the neck, killing him.

OMalleyDeath

O'Malley is killed by Low.

Back on the Spanish ship, Silver tries again to give the "goings-on". Once again, he is punched by a member of the crew. Unwavering, Silver continues the "goings-on", stating that a member of the crew had sex with the dairy goat. When a man attempts to punch Silver yet again, Joshua intervenes and attacks the man for having had sex with the ship's goat. Thus, Silver has finally accomplished his goal.

Upon the top deck, sails are spotted in the distance. It is an English merchantman. Dufresne gives the order to attack. They approach the ship, run up their true pirate colours, and the English ship gives up without a fight. Once aboard the English ship, Dufresne and the rest of the skeleton crew are watching over the merchant crew. When the merchant captain realizes Durfresne is not Flint, the captured crew revolts and a fight ensues on board. Dufresne and the other members of the pirate crew are forced back onto their ship. Flint then begins to give commands to the crew and they follow his orders, thus seemingly completing Flint's goal of becoming captain yet again. The pirates destroy the merchant ship, leaving no survivors.

Later that night, Eleanor meets with Vane. She implores him to assist her and tells him that there is a very valuable cargo on Low's ship, but she does not know what exactly.

In Rackham's bedroom, a restless Bonny leaves and goes to Max. While she and Max are passionately kissing, Rackham shows up. Rackham tells them both that he has a solution. He states that he intends to get a ship and a crew and use the leads that Max receives to enrich the three of them with equal profit of the spoils.

Back on the Spanish ship, Flint has won back the captaincy in a close vote against Dufresene. Dufresne admits to Flint that he figured out that Flint had purposely put the idea into his head of tacking east into the shipping lines so that the inevitable failure would be placed upon Dufresne, thus ensuring that Flint would regain the captaincy.

Memorable Quotes[]

"I don't want to be a pirate, I'm not interested in the life. I'm not interested in the fighting, not interested in the ships, I don't care much for the sea while we're on the subject. But being a pirate on this crew just a little while longer offers me an opportunity I don't think I'll find anywhere else on this earth: one big prize. And with it, freedom, from water, from Randall, from hunger, from wages,..from you."
―Silver to Flint[src]
"He took me in when I didn't have shit. Made a place for me. Taught me things. Without him, I wouldn't have fucking made it. When someone gives you a life, it ain't truly your own. You owe some part of it back."
―Anne Bonny to Max about Rackham[src]
"He isn't mad, he's just bright, determined, and wealthy all at the same time."
―Flint to Hennessey about Thomas Hamilton[src]
"I'm sorry we've had such a rough go of it, you and I, but I'm afraid I'm simply enjoying myself way too much to consider leave this place."
―Ned Low to Eleanor[src]

Trivia[]

  • This episode takes place on June 13th, 1715.
  • Billy Bones is revealed to be alive and captured by the Royal Navy. Hume's line "on the seventh day you'll rest" is a reference to the Biblical creation story, where God creates the world in six days and rests on the seventh, forming the basis for the Sabbath.
  • Thomas Hamilton also quotes a number of verses from the book of Genesis regarding the creation story. The verses he quotes in the order he quotes them are Genesis 1:3, 1:10-12, 2:7, 1:31, 2:18.
  • Jack imitates Max's French accent in this episode.
  • This episode contains the second battle in which Dufresne's indecisiveness has costly decisions. In VIII. he is frozen in fear until the Spanish fire at them, and in this episode he is unable to do anything but stand and watch as his men are attacked.

Gallery[]

Appearances[]

Characters[]

First[]

  • Hennessey
  • Wayne

Deaths[]

  • Meeks
  • O'Malley
  • Merchant Captain

Locations[]

Organizations[]

Ships[]

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