When the Spanish ships appeared on the horizon, we knew there would be a great loss to the pirates. They were divided, there was in-fighting among their leaders, and their numbers had already been greatly reduced after a disastrous attempt to take back Nassau Town. However, nothing could have prepared me for the great loss of life suffered in this sixth episode of the final season. What follows is a eulogy for one of the most complex and underrated characters on Black Sails. Once the tears have stopped falling, we’ll move on to anger and what happens next.

Eleanor Guthrie-Rogers was a woman hated by many; yet for those few who loved her, they did so in spite of themselves and unconditionally. Having risen to power by toppling her father’s power and influence, Eleanor gained the necessary clout to build a prosperous racketeering enterprise. She used Pirates as the tip of her spear, promising that if everyone played along, they’d all be making money hand over fist.
And even when an army brought an invasion, she didn’t let that stop her ambition. Captured and imprisoned, Eleanor still managed the presence of mind to turn captivity to her favor. She adapted to the new conditions, and used her previous knowledge of criminal enterprise to posit new strategy for the usurpers. Having proven, yet again, that she had no intention of playing second fiddle.
But change is difficult and the path was fraught with treachery. Somewhere along the way when the lines began to blur, others could no longer discern which side she was fighting for despite all indications pointing to the truth: Eleanor was always going to do what was best for Eleanor. Did she betray friends? Absolutely. Did she lie in order to craft exactly what she needed? Yes, and to great effect. She’s been called all manner of ugly names, but Eleanor Guthrie-Rogers was consistently a bad ass.
Forward thinking, she surrounded herself with powerful and influential people as well. Though it seemed a ruse at first, Eleanor truly did fall for the Governor and was ready to swallow her pride (and his) to make the deal with Flint to take the money and run. What was one island if they could live their lives debt free on their own terms elsewhere? How lucky we’ve been to have witnessed such an ambitious rise and fall.
Eleanor’s luck has finally run out, and because her husband didn’t trust her plan, he’s lost her and their unborn child. She died as she lived — with a fighting spirit and burning everything around her to the ground. There was no disgraceful begging for her child’s life, or pleading that she should be spared because she was the Governor’s wife. Eleanor had been told, from birth, that Nassau was violent and untamable, and that it was no place for her or any child to be raised. That kill or be killed spirit that permeates the island was especially strong in her. While her death will not give rise to a revolution, it will spur Max on, as she continues to fight for a Nassau that she would like to call home.
Eleanor Guthrie-Rogers: Season 4 Episode 6 – She nearly made it to the end.

Now, about Madi… I am going to be absolutely insolent and just refuse to believe that she died that way. A knock on the head and left to burn to death in a house fire? No. That would be unforgivably wrong and a total disservice to her character. How could it end like this? She was instrumental in getting Silver et al. to this point in the first place. She and her mother are what drove Mr. Scott to build Maroon Island into the place it is today. Madi’s upbringing and status are what secured small victories along the way for Flint and Silver. Without her, there would not be an island full of pirates from all over the world ready to fight for Nassau.
If she is truly gone, then Billy’s words from “XXXII” sting even more when he warned Silver that she was most susceptible to the consequences of Flint’s actions. In truth, Flint didn’t have anything to do with Eleanor or Madi’s deaths, unless he’s faulted for leaving them in the house while he took a scout team to catch the Spanish soldiers who ran away. But Silver can’t know that, how could he when he was knee-deep in his own battle at the Underhill estate. Yet I believe Billy’s words will fester and will be the tipping point to sour the relationship once and for all between Flint and Silver.
“It’s not your fault,” he said to Flint after the Captain apologized. What’s left unsaid is Silver admitting that her death (if it’s real) is his own fault. Will he then blame himself for not taking Billy’s most recent advice? Or will he go back even further and blame himself for falling in so deep with Flint in the first place. If they’d never gone to the island, then they’d never have met her and she’d still be alive. It’s not a stretch for someone as distraught as he, but were he to do that it would just be placing blame where there is none to had.
If Madi is really dead, this one hurts just as bad as when Miranda Barlow was so suddenly sent from this world. For a woman to have been so influential to a lead male character, it pains me to see them dispatched of so easily. Both Miranda and Madi were full blow characters, with backstories all their own and strategic minds that were just as calculating as their male lovers. They were more than just arm candy, and it’s painful to see them reduced to such frivolous deaths. After Miranda was killed, Flint went on a murderous rampage. What will Silver’s next course of action be?

“How could we all have sacrificed so much and none of us has anything to show for it?”
Max’s tearful words sum up this entire episode. Anne will not speak to her, Eleanor is dead, and Max is surrounded by people who believe her to be mostly to blame for everything that has transpired. Nevertheless, she persisted. Nassau may have lost Eleanor, but Max is still alive and has the potential to drag this island and its inhabitants, kicking and screaming, to victory against Woodes Rogers and his forces. She has lost everything, again, and refuses to be tossed aside and ignored. With all the time she spent with the Governor and Eleanor, who better to know how to bring down this regime?
At this stage, it’s hard to be sympathetic toward Woodes, but if Mrs. Hudson tells him that he lost his baby with his wife, I believe he’s going to ballistic on the Spanish out of sheer rage. He’ll be upset that they killed his wife, but more-so at himself for allowing them to walk in and do so.
Four episodes remain, and this fight for Nassau has every intention of stomping on our hearts the rest of the way.
Black Sails continues with another massive episode in “XXXV;” which airs on Sunday, March 12, at 9/8c on Starz.
Jasmin
Related posts
Classics
Scott McCord and Elizabeth Saunders Talk the From Season 2 finale
[Warning: Spoilers for the season finale.] How’s everyone doing after that finale? While we wait and wonder and hope for a third season announcement, soon, here’s what Scott McCord and Elizabeth Saunders had to say about their parts of the finale, and where they hope they get to go next….
Scott McCord and Elizabeth Saunders Talk From Season 2 + A Season Finale Preview
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] It all comes down this, #FROMily. As Sunday’s episode wraps up Season 2, we begin with the aftermath of the terrifying onset of seemingly simultaneous attacks on Julie, Marielle, and Randall, which accelerate the “We gotta get out of this place” of it all. Sara comes…
Alison Sweeney Talks About What’s Next for Hannah and Mike After Carrot Cake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery
[Warning: Spoilers for Carrot Cake Murder.] Everybody OK after that Hannah Swensen Mystery twist? Thankfully, our favorite crime-solving couple is still on speaking term, even if they’re on a break (hopefully not that kind of break). Most importantly, we already know this isn’t the last film in the series. No…
Counting Down to From Season 2
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] We’re just shy of two weeks away from Season 2 of last spring’s obsession, From, which premieres at 9 pm/8c, Sunday, April 23rd, on MGM+ (formerly EPIX). If you never picked it up last year, now’s your chance, and you can do it for free, catching…
Thank Me Later: Will Trent
[Warning: spoilers ahead.] I’m on record as loving and losing shows over at ABC so I’m usually very reticent to pick something up on the network until it’s been renewed, and I seriously hope I’m not jinxing it, but I took a chance on the deeply odd and very sweet…
Dennis Heaton Talks The Imperfects
Longtime readers at TV Goodness will know that Motive is one of my ride-or-die series, and as such, I am fiercely loyal to its creator, Dennis Heaton. He followed up that fantastic reverse procedural with Netflix’s The Order and is back on our streaming screens with The Imperfects, which dropped…
Kelly McCormack Talks Favorite Moments in A League of Their Own
[Warning: Mild spoilers for season 1.] Now that you’ve had a chance to watch A League of Their Own, here’s the rest of my chat with Kelly McCormack about her favorite moments of the season. Seeing the iconic Peaches uniforms for the first time wasn’t just a goosebump moment for…
John Griffin and Harold Perrineau Talk From Season 1 Finale
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] How are we doing, #FROMily? In case you missed it this morning, the very good news is that that cliffhanger will be followed by a second season, which was gifted this morning ahead of the linear broadcast of the finale. I always legitimately appreciate when we…
Elizabeth Saunders Talks From
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] One of the things that makes EPIX’s From such a fun ride is the abundance of Canadian cast members. Elizabeth Saunders, who plays Donna, is a favorite from her turn on the third season of Mary Kills People [streaming on Global TV in Canada and Roku…
Corteon Moore Talks From “Broken Windows, Open Doors”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight’s episode of From had us all in our feels as we learned through flashbacks about the Sophie’s Choice Boyd had to make to save his son, and back in the present as Boyd said his piece with Ellis before heading into the woods with…
What They Said: Three Revealing Conversations from Survivor’s Remorse “Closure”
WARNING: Spoilers for Survivor’s Remorse “Closure” The latest episode of Starz’s Survivor’s Remorse featured conversations that showed characters really digging deep into their thoughts, emotions and motivations.
Two Takes: The Catch “The Knock-Off”
Who can you trust? If this episode of The Catch was any indication, the answer is just about nobody. Betrayal was running rampant as Felicity (Shivani Ghai) arose from the dead to seduce-con Margot, Gretchen (Maria Thayer, Gotham, The Mindy Project) played gold-hearted Alice 2.0 before swindling Ethan, Tessa jumped…
What They Said: Top 3 Quotable Moments from Preacher “El Valero”
Both Quincannon and Jesse refuse to give up on what they each think is rightfully theirs. While Jesse is struggling to face the consequences of his actions, Quincannon has laid his past demons to rest and is hellbent on moving forward and putting Annville on the map again. Despite a…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Supergirl “Worlds Finest”
Oh, Supergirl. That ending was cold. But I can’t hate on you because the latest episode has quickly become one of my favorites.
What They Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Black Sails “XXIII”
The dialogue in “XXIII” is phenomenal. It’s always a fun ride when Black Sails carries its viewers along without giving them the chance to catch their breath. When an episode moves at this unforgiving pace, there is no chance for a breather nor is there a respite from the information…
What Lucifer Said: Favorite quotes from Supernatural “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
Supernatural episodes are almost always funny but thanks to the dialogue and a certain man speaking said dialogue, I laughed a lot during “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” You know, when I wasn’t busy fearing for Sam’s life or wondering what in the world was going on with Dean and…
What They Said: The Flash, “Legends Of Today” and Arrow, “Legends Of Yesterday”
Two nights of Arrow + The Flash = what more could we ask for?! I don’t know what it is about blending these shows, but I can’t help but feel that every time they come together, they somehow become greater than the sum of their parts. And that’s saying a lot…
What they Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Graceland “Little Bo Bleep”
Shoot outs. Fake outs. And long-awaited revelations. “Little Bo Bleep” was a jam-packed episode that wrapped up some loose ends and totally frayed others. Â It finally gave us one Sarkissian in jail and pulled back the curtain on Briggs’ master plan, but it also set up Jakes for a world…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Poldark “Part 4”
“What have I told you, I don’t require my wife to crochet and sip tea, but I do require her to remember she’s not a beast of burden.†No, I’m not talking about The Rolling Stones! I have to admit though, just for a second, the lyrics popped into my…
3 Moments of Goodness from Brooklyn Nine-Nine “Johnny and Dora”
The most satisfying part of this season’s finale has to the Jake and Amy kiss. Well, they kiss three times but the last one is the best one — and it means something. The Charles and Rosa dynamic was also great. I love how she’s convinced he doesn’t know anything…