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XXXIII.
XXXIII 1
Season 4
Number 33
Date Aired February 26, 2017
Writer Dan Shotz
Director Alik Sakharov
Previous XXXII.
Next XXXIV.
"Worry ain’t a good look for a king. Not in a kingdom like this... where loyalty is in short supply."
―Israel Hands

Silver takes Flint's life in his hands. Billy drives a wedge. Eleanor risks everything. Rogers makes a stunning appeal.

Synopsis[]

The episode begins in Nassau, where the pirates under Billy Bones are prepared to hold the beach against Woodes Rogers’ redcoats. This is the fight he’s been preparing them for, and they are ready for anything. Anything but John Silver telling them that the fight is off. The deal has been done; the pirates are buying Nassau, in exchange for the cache of stolen Urca gold.

Mrs. Hudson rows out to Rogers’ ship to persuade him to sail for Port Royal, and await Eleanor Guthrie’s arrival with the gold. Rogers is less than thrilled to be asked to cut the ties with what represents his entire mission in life… the destruction of the pirate problem. Mrs. Hudson does her damnedest to convince him Eleanor is doing this out of devotion to him, but he refuses to listen and continues his approach. However, Eleanor makes her point by firing warning shots from Fort Nassau. It takes several shots to get him to leave the area… but not to Port Royal !

On Nassau beach, Silver updates Madi on the situation and is shocked when she takes James Flint’s side; holding Nassau without the gold will be difficult, but sacrifices must be made. And speaking of sacrifices, they must repair the damaged alliance with the plantation slaves, by giving them Billy.

In Nassau Fort, Eleanor asks Flint about the fate of Mr. Scott. He confirms that he’s dead, and also about his wife and daughter, and the Maroon Island community. Eleanor feels betrayed that the one man she trusted, had in turn not trusted her at all; just another man who used her for his own ends. Flint ends the conversation by asking if Woodes Rogers is truly any different.

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At sea, Rogers makes the audacious decision to sails to Spanish Cuba, despite the current state of war between England and Spain. Met by Spanish soldiers at the dock, Rogers dumps the head of Blackbeard at the lieutenant’s feet, and asks for a meeting with the governor.

Back in Nassau, Billy boldly offers to kill Eleanor and Flint during the exchange for the gold. Silver appears to agree, but takes himself off alone to decide between betraying Flint or Billy. Maudlin and indecisive, Silver seeks council from Israel Hands. However, instead of offering friendly advice, Hands slaps him; insecurity is not a good trait in a Pirate King.

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Back in Cuba, Rogers meets with Governor Raja. He will do anything to accomplish the destruction of the pirate problem; a problem that threatens Cuban interests also, and is funded with stolen Spanish gold. Rogers makes a deal with the Governor that’s surely an act of treason, inviting the Spanish navy to invade and sack the English territory of Nassau.

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Back in Nassau, Silver notifies the fort that he doesn’t want the exchange happening in full view of the beach and changes the location. This makes Eleanor twitchy, but Flint reassures her. Meanwhile outside the tunnel, with his men hidden in the bushes, Billy thinks he is waiting to ambush Eleanor and Flint. However, Jacob Garrett comes up and tells him that this isn’t so; Jacob has been charged with killing him. Nonetheless, Jacob refuses, telling Silver’s men that they’ve forgotten who they should be following; their oaths were given to Billy, when Long John Silver was just a fiction. With a look, John sends in Israel Hands to take them both out. The fight is quick. Jacob is killed, and Billy beaten to within an inch of his life. However, Silver stops Hands from delivering the killing blow, and orders Billy delivered to the plantation slaves.

Elsewhere, Eleanor and Flint emerge via a different tunnel, where Madi and her people are waiting, and lead them to a secluded beach. However, the only thing waiting from them is Jack Rackham with a small crew; the ship that was seen approaching was Jack’s and not the one sent to retrieve the gold. When Flint informs him of the exchange, Rackham is visibly shocked; having seen Rogers for the kind of man he truly is, he’ll never accept such a deal, and will be coming back.

In the end at Fort Nassau, Max sees something out on the horizon that instils dread and fear… a whole fleet of Spanish ships approaching Nassau.

Memorable Quotes[]

"You know as well as I, Billy cannot exist alongside Captain Flint for long. Sooner or later one or the other must go."
―Madi to Silver
"She has begun to believe again that disorder in Nasaau is inevitable...that civilization is powerless either through lack of will or capacity to do anything about it. Civilization has a number of faces. To think them all powerless to alter Nassau’s future is a terrible mistake."
―Rogers to Mrs. Hudson
"Woodes Rogers. He’s really so different from the rest of us?"
―Flint to Eleanor
"I watched him defeat Edward Teach, in battle...outnumbered and through sheer force of will, saw his bloodlust with my own eyes. That man will never surrender his position here. He will never allow himself to be defeated by you, or I. Not because we bribed him, not because Eleanor Guthrie told him so. He simply will not allow it to happen. I don’t know where that man went or what designs drew him there. But this I know: Woodes Rogers will be returning. And this fight isn’t nearly over. "
―Jack Rackham

Trivia[]

  • The book Flint is reading when Eleanor comes to talk to him in his cell is the Pilgrim's Progress, the book Mrs. Hudson pretended to read while meeting with Grandal in XXV.
  • There seem to be at least 10 ship in the Spanish invasion fleet. We will learn in the next episode that there is 12 ships (8 being warships).
  • The pennant being flown by the Spanish ships appears to be la Rojigualda, the red and yellow striped flag of Spain that is still used today. However, it was only adopted in 1785. In 1715, the pennants would have featured the House of Bourbon's coat of arms. The Bourbon coat of arms is featured on the transoms of Spanish men of war in the show.
  • Clara Paget does not appear in this episode for the second time; she was also missing from XVI. Only Toby Stephens and Luke Arnold have appeared in every episode.

Gallery[]

Appearances[]

Characters[]

First[]

  • Raja
  • Spanish Advisor
  • Senior Spanish Officer
  • Redcoat 1
  • Redcoat 2
  • Redcoat 3
  • Redcoat 4
  • Redcoat 5
  • Redcoat 6

Deaths[]

  • Jacob Garrett

Locations[]

Organizations[]

  • Pirates
  • British Army
  • Spanish Army

Ships[]

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