The Treasure Island prequel, Black Sails, may have ended in 2017, but there are plenty of fans who still have questions. Most of the major storylines were wrapped up fairly conclusively - death, jail, or the governing of Nassau seeming to be the most common options - but some were left hanging at the end of the finale. Other questions were answered in the book ‘Treasure Island’, or simply in real-life pirate history (as the show blends the two), but fans with a knowledge of either were left with different questions.
For those fans who are still pondering what happened next, or where some famous characters were in the show (if they were there at all), we’re wrapping up some of the biggest questions the finale didn’t answer… and that fans are still hoping they might find out at some point.
Did Mary Read And Jack Get Together?
Pirate history fans caught a fantastic Easter Egg in the finale, as a young ‘Mr Read’ joined Jack Rackham’s crew… except, of course, this was actually a woman, and a nod to the infamous Mary Read, one of the best-known female pirates of the Golden Age. In history, Mary and Anne Bonny sailed together with Jack Rackham, and when they were eventually caught, both Mary and Anne pleaded pregnancy to escape the gallows. Does this mean that Mary gets together with Jack (and Anne, in their complex relationship)? What else would happen with Ms Read as part of the crew? Did Jack know from the start that she was a woman, or would it take Anne to enlighten him on that point?
Where Was Blind Pew?
Most of the major players from Treasure Island show up over the course of the show, but Blind Pew doesn’t. A pirate who squandered his ill-gotten gains and then became a cutthroat and thief, Blind Pew gives Billy the Black Spot in the book… and he was one of Flint’s original crew. Given that Flint is clearly done with piracy by the end of the show, where was Pew in his crew? No blind pirate was spotted, but perhaps one of the crew members is blinded later in life?
Who Rules Maroon Island If Madi Leaves?
At the end of the final season of Black Sails, Madi remains on Maroon Island with the other freed slaves who choose to stay there (although many choose to take their freedom and return to Nassau, as per the agreement struck by Long John Silver).
Madi is clearly the heir to this settlement, but in the book, it is shown that she no longer lives in the West Indies. So what happened to the settlement? Did it simply collapse, with all the inhabitants returning to Nassau, or did someone else take over?
Who Is Black Dog?
Another character from Treasure Island who is missing in the series is Black Dog. Like Blind Pew, Black Dog was sent to deliver a Black Spot to Billy… and like Blind Pew, he doesn’t make an appearance in the show. Or does he? Not every background pirate on the crew is named, or gets a back story, so it’s absolutely possible that Black Dog was there in the background the whole time. However, it would have been nice to get a nod toward his identity at some point in the series.
Who Moved The Scuttled Ships In The Bay?
During the battle for Nassau, the defenders managed to deal the pirates a serious blow by sinking several ships in the bay, which meant that the pirates’ ships crashed into them, causing all kinds of mayhem and damage. It was a huge plot point in the show, but what happened to the ships after Nassau was won? Did someone go drag the wrecks out of the bay so it could be used fully again? Did they simply break up and wash away? It’s a minor detail, but one that is never covered in the series.
What Happened To Billy?
We know the very end of Billy’s story, of course, thanks to Treasure Island - he ends up a drunk with a treasure map and a hatred of Long John Silver, and dies after a stroke. However, we don’t know how he goes from being marooned on Skeleton Island to having the map and… not being marooned on Skeleton Island!
His ability to get off the island can presumably be explained away by having someone else come by and him talking his way on board, but the rest of his history is a mystery that we would love to see explained.
Was John Telling The Truth About Flint?
This is one of the big questions about the finale, and one that was intentionally left unanswered (or potentially unanswered). The finale shows Long John and Flint locked in a standoff, and then jumps forward to a time where Flint is gone. The pirates have been told that he ‘decided’ to retire, but Long John tells Madi that they took him to the ‘prison’ where rich men’s sons are locked up in a humane way, working the land of a great house.
There, he reconciled with Thomas, and lived out his days… but was John telling the truth? Did he actually bring Flint here, or was this a lie to Madi after he shot his friend on Skeleton Island? The books has Flint dying in Savannah, so perhaps it was all true…
Did Long John And Madi Reconcile?
Like Flint’s fate, this one is intentionally implied, rather than outright stated. At the end of the finale, Lohn John tells Madi what happened to Flint, and then tells her he will wait for her forever… and she tells him to get out. It seems like that can’t be healed, but the last we see of them Madi is walking toward John at the beach. Did they reconcile? Book readers can assume so, because Long John’s wife is mentioned. Little is mentioned about her except that she is a woman of color, though so while we can assume that this is Madi, there’s nothing to stop this being a different woman that John met along the way. We’d like to think not, though.
Does Max Retain Her Power?
Max is a fan-favorite character, and gets a surprisingly happy ending; she doesn’t have to marry, but she still manages to be the power behind the governing of Nassau, simply ruling from the shadows. However, it’s unclear how long this will hold out - her power comes through other people, and when the governer changes, will Max hang on to her power? Although her ending seems happy, it’s definitely still uncertain, too.
Who Drew The Treasure Map?
This may be the biggest question, and one that Treasure Island fans were left wondering how to reconcile at the end of the series. Flint’s treasure, and how it came to be buried, are covered in the show… but no treasure map is drawn. According to the book, Flint would have drawn the map, but when could he have done this, and why, if he was dropped off at the ‘prison’ with Thomas? And how would Billy Bones have got hold of it, if Billy was left on Skeleton Island at the time?
