Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
Even though last week's ship-crushing storm made for one hell of an impressive set piece, the drama this week - in Chapter XXI - managed to eclipse it a bit. The on-board tension between Flint and Silver, with Bones caught in the middle, was superb. Almost two weeks after the storm, the crew was on its last legs. And Silver found himself powerless to stop a captain he thought had gone mad. For fear of shredding the last remaining sanity the crew possessed and sending everything into an even worse spiral.
So is Flint mad? I mean, we can see his side, surely. It's a grim one, but also not one unfamiliar to Flint. The hard, cold choices. Cruelty in the name of the greater good. But think about this too. How often have we seen Flint alone this season? And what have those scenes held? More often than not, Flint is "spoken of." Moments that really speak to/lend credence to the man becoming a mysterious mad legend more than anything else. And then when we do get him to ourselves, he's trapped in delusions. Dreams of Miranda, dark figures, and despair. A mindset that's turning just about every dire sight this season into fatalistic symbolism. The abandoned captain chained to his desk. The rotting whale. Inevitable decay and sadness.
Continue reading…
Continue reading...
Even though last week's ship-crushing storm made for one hell of an impressive set piece, the drama this week - in Chapter XXI - managed to eclipse it a bit. The on-board tension between Flint and Silver, with Bones caught in the middle, was superb. Almost two weeks after the storm, the crew was on its last legs. And Silver found himself powerless to stop a captain he thought had gone mad. For fear of shredding the last remaining sanity the crew possessed and sending everything into an even worse spiral.
So is Flint mad? I mean, we can see his side, surely. It's a grim one, but also not one unfamiliar to Flint. The hard, cold choices. Cruelty in the name of the greater good. But think about this too. How often have we seen Flint alone this season? And what have those scenes held? More often than not, Flint is "spoken of." Moments that really speak to/lend credence to the man becoming a mysterious mad legend more than anything else. And then when we do get him to ourselves, he's trapped in delusions. Dreams of Miranda, dark figures, and despair. A mindset that's turning just about every dire sight this season into fatalistic symbolism. The abandoned captain chained to his desk. The rotting whale. Inevitable decay and sadness.
Continue reading…
Continue reading...