!!! Excellent, excellent. I wasn't betting on there being any Eleanor & Madi content, just because I figured the logistics of getting them together when they're fighting on opposite sides would be pretty complicated, so I'll be happy for whatever I get.
Vane is a really, really interesting character to me; I do think I'm lucky to be watching the show now instead of when it first aired, though, because watching the episode 9 I couldn't help thinking, "Oh boy, I bet Eleanor got a lot of hate for this." The thing is, I do think Vane is more principled than her, in the sense that, at the end at least, he sticks to his guns, but I don't think being more principled makes you morally better, necessarily, and really he isn't any morally better than she is (and yeah, say what you want about Eleanor, but she didn't let an entire crew gang rape a woman, just for starters). I do also think it boils down to Eleanor's ultimate loyalty lying with Nassau, the place, as opposed to the pirates of Nassau; she's consistently doing what she feels is in Nassau's best interests, which at the end is what Vane is doing, too, but they have really different ways of going about it. So maybe it's not so much that he's more principled but that they're principled in different directions? Anyway, they're both pretty imperfect people (though I'll go out on a limb here and say that Vane is much more imperfect than Eleanor), but that's what makes them so interesting--I really don't see the point in making Vane out to be the hero when he isn't, and wouldn't be nearly as compelling if he was.
I also don't buy for a second that Vane killing Richard Guthrie was motivated by anything other than a.) needing to reestablish his authority with the crew and b.) wanting to get back at Eleanor. All that being said, at the end of the day I do ship them, but in the sense of it being a really fucked-up, ultimately unhealthy relationship, not one were Charles was actually the good guy all along.
I also like Max and Eleanor a lot better as exes, too! I think it's the new mutual understanding that got to me, too, and them being on equal footing in terms of power.
I've reread Treasure Island a few times and seen quite a few different movie versions! The plot's pretty much fixed in my head at this point, so (assuming Black Sails sticks with book canon) I'm already fairly spoiled for certain characters' fates.
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Vane is a really, really interesting character to me; I do think I'm lucky to be watching the show now instead of when it first aired, though, because watching the episode 9 I couldn't help thinking, "Oh boy, I bet Eleanor got a lot of hate for this." The thing is, I do think Vane is more principled than her, in the sense that, at the end at least, he sticks to his guns, but I don't think being more principled makes you morally better, necessarily, and really he isn't any morally better than she is (and yeah, say what you want about Eleanor, but she didn't let an entire crew gang rape a woman, just for starters). I do also think it boils down to Eleanor's ultimate loyalty lying with Nassau, the place, as opposed to the pirates of Nassau; she's consistently doing what she feels is in Nassau's best interests, which at the end is what Vane is doing, too, but they have really different ways of going about it. So maybe it's not so much that he's more principled but that they're principled in different directions? Anyway, they're both pretty imperfect people (though I'll go out on a limb here and say that Vane is much more imperfect than Eleanor), but that's what makes them so interesting--I really don't see the point in making Vane out to be the hero when he isn't, and wouldn't be nearly as compelling if he was.
I also don't buy for a second that Vane killing Richard Guthrie was motivated by anything other than a.) needing to reestablish his authority with the crew and b.) wanting to get back at Eleanor. All that being said, at the end of the day I do ship them, but in the sense of it being a really fucked-up, ultimately unhealthy relationship, not one were Charles was actually the good guy all along.
I also like Max and Eleanor a lot better as exes, too! I think it's the new mutual understanding that got to me, too, and them being on equal footing in terms of power.
I've reread Treasure Island a few times and seen quite a few different movie versions! The plot's pretty much fixed in my head at this point, so (assuming Black Sails sticks with book canon) I'm already fairly spoiled for certain characters' fates.