I think they’re similar but I also think that there are lines that even Flint hasn’t crossed that Rogers has. Flint kills people, yes. He pillages and burns and does horrible, awful things in vengeance, but he doesn’t torture them. He doesn’t go for scare tactics to prevent violence to his loved ones – he reacts when someone hurts one of them, but it’s quick, it’s clean, and there’s no element of enjoying it. He hates what he does, he hates himself for doing it, even while he can’t think of another way to handle things that will assuage the bit of him that wants to rip and tear and burn the world to cinders. Rogers, on the other hand – I keep thinking of him saying that out of 72 men, only one survived to tell the tale of what had happened and that the torture and killing of the others was stretched out over weeks. There’s something infinitely more horrifying about that – a message there that I don’t think Flint ever bothered trying to send. With Flint it’s, “you’ve deliberately set out to hurt the people I care about and now you will pay.” With Rogers it’s, “my brother is dead (and it could have been anyone on that crew), and now I will make certain that none of your kind ever come near me or my family ever, ever again out of fear.” IDK, on the one hand, Rogers’ approach is probably more productive in the long run but Flint’s is less horrifying and less brutal. I also think Rogers is missing that element of hating himself for what he does – he does it, he knows it’s awful, and his biggest worry is that if it gets out society will shun him, not that he’s corrupted himself forever, whereas Flint worries about that near constantly,
even after all this when he was in trouble and needed somewhere safe to go flint’s first instinct was to go home and i wish i could just stop breathing
i keep thinking about all the books, all the fine china, all of miranda’s dresses burning and i want to set myself on fire. he just… stood there. watching as his last connection to her went up in smoke. you know i genuinely dont understand how that man can still go on after all the shit they put him through. I’M exhausted. i dont have any more tears or the strength in me to make it to the finish line and he’s still going. they take and they take and they TAKE from him, not even bending anymore, they’re breaking what’s already broken. he lost eleanor, madi and miranda’s house all at once and again wasn’t even given a chance to save any of it, no, they even made it seem like it was his fault. and not only that, all he’s done this season is comfort other people even though he’s suffered the same losses and no one’s offered the same in return. he isn’t even allowed to grieve because he has to play the part and lead those people, even though he was more than ready to give up the war. it’s unbelievable. he tried to make peace once, and he set the world on fire. he tried again, AND AGAIN HE SET THE WORLD ON FIRE. it’s… im … [laughs hysterically]
Ugh, don’t get me started on folks dissing Black Sails over “queerbaiting” or “bury your gays”, etc. This is the LEAST queerbaiting and “bury your gays troupe” show you will ever see. And Eleanor’s death had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with her being bi-sexual. Obviously, no character should be killed because they’re queer. But a character should also not be exempt from death because they’re queer. Not if the death makes sense and works storyline wise, which I feel like was the case here. Eleanor’s death was entirely about her and Rogers’ actions. He may have led the Spanish there but she set so much of this into action herself, going back to last season when she killed Vane.
Speaking of, I saw a lot of people calling for her head back then. I think if Jack had shot her and said “Revenge for Chaz”, you’d be getting a different reaction from some fans. Eleanor has always been a polarizing character. That she died this way, in such a violent manner by a stranger with no actual grudge against her, gave a much bigger impact to viewers than if she’d been killed by someone the fans knew for reasons viewers understood (even if they didn’t approve of).
Eleanor has done alot over the course of the show. Lied, killed, stole, double-crossed, betrayed, etc. She did the same things that every other character – male and female – have done. And she died, as many of those characters have before her (Vane, Teach, Gates, Miranda, Scott, Hornigold, Dufrense, etc.). Like those deaths, it had nothing to do with gender or sexuality, just the price of the world they chose to be a part of.
I trust these writers to not kill for shock value. Steinberg said that every character death must create more storyline than it ends and I feel like we will see that. We already are. Max is now aiming to take down Rogers and united with Jack in this cause. Eleanor’s family in Boston will become involved. And Rogers/Spain storyline will expand because of this. And I have a theory/speculation of how this will entangle Billy going forward. The fallout from her death will be huge, as it should be.
Keeping an eye on us? Making sure you don’t slit my throat out of spite, perhaps. I suppose I chose the right hostage if they’re that concerned about keeping you alive. I suppose so. You know, there was a time not so long ago when you shared their concern. When you saw what I saw. The benefits of being free of British rule. To make the New World something more than just an extension of the old. Is it so unthinkable that that might be again? You were a pirate once. Stranger things have happened.
Meg's Mumbles 