So, I know I didn’t do one of these for last episode because I was busy sobbing about broken teacups, but this time I feel like I can at least summarize my reactions, so here they are:

– I could not possibly be prouder of Flint and his character development if I tried. This is the man that walked on screen and instantly had my attention and not a small amount of my respect – the one that plans ahead and understands strategy and doesn’t kill people unless it’s necessary. That bit with Mr. Underhill and his family was so far removed from the monster we opened on in Season 3 and it is so good to see him move past that even with Silver presumed dead. It’s really good to see him in a place where he can stand on his own when for so much of the series he’s been reeling from Thomas’ death and angry and absolutely lost without some form of support.

– On a related note – Billy I swear to god I now understand why Silver was hunting you. You do not – you absolutely do not – prioritize the deaths of six men over the safety of hundreds or even thousands wtf is wrong with you?

– As always I love Max and I’m very worried about her with Berringer in charge now. That can’t be good – in fact, that’s likely to go very bad, very quickly.

– Eleanor and Woodes Rogers. Damn it show, I didn’t want to ship them. I wanted to hate him – just hate him, nice and uncomplicated, because when you come right down to it he’s a privileged prick and I don’t like his politics one bit. It’s the classic white man comes to a place to rule it and can’t understand why the natives won’t bow and scrape and do as he says, but damn it he is so incredibly tender and careful with Eleanor and she quite obviously cares about him so much and I have nothing but sympathy for her most of the time so by extension I guess I care about his annoying British ass just a little.

– OMG the talk between Rackham and Teach. It was so good – just the acknowledgement that Charles meant so much to them both, and Rackham effectively talking Teach into doing a thing that would spare Anne and Eleanor both, not because Teach holds Jack in any kind of esteem but because he loved Charles as a son and because he and Jack both know what Charles would say if he could see them. It was such an incredibly good moment and I won’t lie I’m proud of Jack too for being able to see past his anger to really honor his friend/brother in a way that would have been meaningful to him.

– Also omg the meeting between Silver and Max. That was tense in all the right ways and damn has he ever come into his own with both her and Hands. That is the man that scared the shit out of me when I was a kid – that man right there, right down to the way he moves with that crutch. Brrr!