Black Sails

Funny, before I actually started the blog, I had like... 50 possible subjects to cover. But when it came to actually write about it I didn't know where to start. At the end I decided to go with Starz' Black Sails for one reason only: it was the last new TV show I got to see. Last night. Approximately 12 hours ago.

So... Black Sails. I've heard of it a few months ago but didn't read about it at all. I saw it was made by Starz and having watched Spartacus and Da Vinci's Demons, I trusted them enough to skip all the texts that appeared on internet in the last 15 days or so.

Warning: minor spoilers ahead.

I don't want to spend too much time on introducing the show so here's a short version: the story seems to cover the infamous Captain Flint and his crew, some 20 years before the events of Treasure Island (that info comes from IMDB). So yes, these are not some completely new characters - they were created by Robert Louis Stevenson 150 years ago! The first episode, "ingeniously" named I. (Chapter 1) begins with a pirate attack so we get to see a lot of action right from the start. I have to say - the production is on a rather high level, as expected, and I really enjoyed the opening battle scene. It brought back some pleasant memories from playing Sid Meier's Pirates!, one of my personal favorites of all time. We get to see the story's main characters, their ships, a hideout, the secret plan etc etc etc...

Anyway, to skip to the point: I wasn't overly impressed, but it's too early to say if the show is actually good or not. I remember watching Spartacus and the fact that I needed to see 5 or 6 episodes to actually get to like the show, but once I did it swept me off my feet! Could the same happen with this one? It does have a lot of potential... it's a tv show about pirates, how could that go wrong? Besides, it's about to get a true competition from NBC's Crossbones who happens to have John Malkovich aboard its ship! So they better do good or they are destined to get buried.

Oh, a useful fact: Starz actually released this episode for free on Youtube!. Sure, it's US only, but I am sure you will manage... even if you are not from USA.