the women of black sails meme01 favorite character ( miranda barlow )Miranda is a character that g

the women of black sails meme01 favorite character ( miranda barlow ) Miranda is a character that gets quite an unfair reputation in the Black Sails fandom, at least I think so. It just seems like Miranda doesn’t get acknowledged quite as much because doesn’t wield direct types of power and is seen as someone who stands around whining. Miranda’s strength is quiet, and a lot less in your face. But she is just as strong, beautiful, and capable as the other women on the show. Warning for long post beneath the cut; warning if you’re triggered by stalkerish/sexual coercion type scenarios. Miranda’s problem is that she’s the classic archetype of someone who is in love with a drug addict; which for all intents and purposes, Flint is a drug addict. He’s addicted to the sea, to the politics, and worst of all he’s addicted to revenge. Whatever he and Miranda went through was extremely traumatic for both of them, but especially him. It’s written in his face in episode seven when they have their fallout; he looks extremely upset and to use his own words, it’s not going to stop until “I grant them my forgiveness.” Whatever happened, he’s pissed- England took everything from them. And you can see it in Miranda’s face that she’s never heard him talk this passionately or explicitly before; she knows he has demons, but for the first time she’s seeing the extent of how far gone he is, and just how deeply the pain runs for him. Her other problem is that she suffers from an image problem. She cheated on her husband (although I am of firm belief that situation is not as simple as that; this show likes to turn everything on its head very often), and then she slept with the pastor while Flint was away in battle. She is seen as someone who passively whines and wants her privilege back and sleeps around while the man who’s trying to make her life better is risking life and limb. And that’s really not completely fair imo. Because not only are those not Flint’s complete motivations, they are not completely hers either. If they were, she’d have gone to Boston with or without Flint and from the season two trailers we can already see she didn’t. For one thing, I highly highly highly doubt anything about her affair with Flint is as simple as “Thomas’ wife and best friend had an affair.” Flint’s original motivations were shown as “I just want to make Nassau better” and look how fast that got complicated. Thomas is obviously someone who meant a lot to both of them, especially Flint. Miranda kept their special book and the painting of them together, and even says she missed it. When she relates part of her tale to the pastor, she speaks of Thomas very very fondly. Flint got upset because she was reading Thomas’ special book (to a guy who doesn’t deserve it no less and who Flint really can’t stand), and when Miranda was trying to get him to see reason she even pushed the Thomas button in a last ditch effort to get him to stop- “if he were here, he’d agree with me.” Flint and Thomas have been described as extremely close friends several times. (I am in the camp that thinks the Flint/Miranda/Thomas thing was an ot3 or love triangle type situation. But that’s a different post.) As for the pastor, she didn’t sleep with him for the sake of it. She slept with him to protect Flint. The million dollar question is why? Examining her scene with the pastor in episode six, there’s two very different Mirandas in this scene if you watch carefully. It’s easy to write this scene off as her being lonely and wanting someone’s touch or playing games. Actually, this scene is why I get so creeped out by the pastor. This scene is actually really disturbing to me. In the beginning of the scene, Miranda is obviously extremely uncomfortable with him being there. It’s there in her words and tone and actions, and just because she is being polite does not change that (remember too, she’s a woman of high society who was taught that politeness is required no matter the company and propriety is everything). The scene begins with Miranda coming out to confront him, sounding annoyed and stating that “it’s later than I’m comfortable taking company.” That’s hint number one she doesn’t want him there and obviously a very thinly veiled “get lost.” After the pastor tells her that long winded information about Richard Guthrie (which, rubbing salt in her wounds, is about Thomas’ father- Thomas’ father was confirmed by Guthrie himself as the Lord Proprietor when he confronted Miranda in episode four), again in a very obviously annoyed tone “How nice for Mister Guthrie,” she turns to walk back in the house and is obviously dismissive of him- hint number two. It is the pastor who keeps after her and refuses to stop. As he keeps going her facial emotions are still very annoyed and again she tries to get him to stop by telling him “I need no protection,” and dismisses him yet again, “You do not understand any of this, pastor,” and tries again to walk away into her house- hint number three. But no, he still doesn’t stop- he grabs her and still asks her to talk to him when she’s given off every signal she’s not in the least bit comfortable with this conversation. This is when Miranda changes tone- when it’s obvious he’s not going to let it go, she caves, and relays her story. A very barebones version of it, and even though she’s politely entertaining him now, she still continues to dig at him, basically taunting him with how much better of a man Thomas was than he is (“He would have played that game with you from dusk until dawn, and everything you hold sacred he would leave in tatters.”) and telling him in a round about way he should be ashamed of himself (“From a desire to see the yoke of shame lifted from your shoulders.”) She again confronts him about why he’s here and calls attention to how inappropriate it is, and that she knows he’s there to fuck her and not to protect her. So she lets him fuck her. If she was lonely or playing games, why didn’t she just do it at the outset? Why would she be visibly annoyed or trying to get him to go away if she wanted to sleep with him to begin with? And while I am not really excusing her for sleeping with him, there could have been other ways to deal with the problem, fact of the matter was she was protecting Flint (and herself by extension). She knows the pastor is a man of god, who fancies her- she’s not stupid, she knows why he shows up every Wednesday afternoon and it’s not to share gospel that she avidly rejects. She recited that verse over tea as a means to push his buttons, because as long as he’s attracted to her, she has control over him, and therefore control over the situation. Which is also why she slept with him, because he allied himself with Richard Guthrie in getting rid of every pirate on the island, and the pastor himself clearly has a problem with Flint since he hounds her about Flint and her role in his life to the point he’s all but convinced Flint’s holding her prisoner. He also holds no love for criminals in general. That’s dangerous in itself; if he goes on some holy crusade to save her, that means causing problems for Flint. But sleeping with her would be sinful and would screw him up and would get him to leave her alone (which worked like a charm considering his disheveled repentance at the beginning of episode seven). She manipulated and played him like a violin and defended herself to get him away and that’s just fucking awesome. Notice how whenever anyone has asked her about who Flint is to her, she either evades the subject completely or gives them some vague, less than passionate response. Everyone knows she and Flint are connected, but if people were to know of their emotional connection, whatever that may be, she becomes a weakness for Flint and a way to manipulate him, not only putting him in danger, but her as well. Flint is a man with many enemies both piratical and civilised and exploiting her means undermining everything they’re working towards. Which is exactly what Richard Guthrie was trying to do, much in the same way that he played Eleanor and Mister Scott off each other by pandering to Mister Scott’s love for Eleanor to get him to “betray” her. He knows Miranda, and her story, because of his bribery dealings with Thomas Hamilton’s father. He wants Flint out of the picture, because not only is Flint dangerous and capable of success, Flint’s also Eleanor’s ally and the one spurring her on, and Richard’s trying like hell to undermine his daughter because he wants control of the island. Emotional manipulation is Richard Guthrie’s m.o. Miranda loves Flint. A lot. At the very least she cares about him deeply. You do not weather someone like Flint if you are not completely committed to them. She doesn’t NEED him to exist; she’s perfectly self-sufficient. And it’s there in her private moments with Flint; the way she tells him she was hoping she’d have him to herself for awhile, the way she tells him the love and life she wants with him in Boston, the way he brings her books from his prizes (which IS STILL THE CUTEST THING OH MY HEART) and she looks like she’s choking up because he’s going to leave again soon on an extremely dangerous mission, the way she dabs alcohol on his wounds when it’s completely not necessary because he was dumb and almost got himself killed and she’s not happy (okay okay my shippy heart is getting off track here). And because this seems to inevitably come up a lot, Flint’s less than enthusiastic sexual performance is really not indicative of their relationship as a whole considering he was pissed off at her over reading their special book that was Thomas’ (evidenced by the fact he was still mad about it after they were done). She tells Flint, “I miss our life then.” Why would she bother asking him if he feels it too, if he is not part of the equation as well? If she’s referring solely to hers and Thomas’ relationship and life, why would Flint feel that? This implies Flint is part of the “our.” Richard Guthrie pushed her buttons. And he pushed them HARD. It goes back to her being the loved one of a drug addict; she loves Flint, she wants to free him from this life before something really bad happens, and the only way he’s going to leave is by force. Richard Guthrie attempted to play into this by preying on her loneliness, preying on the fact he knows Flint is her lover, digging in what happened to her husband, describing it in detail and forcing her to relive it so that the pain is fresh. Then he comes in with a tempting offer like some sort of twisted saviour, where she could be with Flint, where they wouldn’t have to fight or be outcast and no one would know their awful past, where she wouldn’t have to wonder if he would be coming home alive every time he leaves. Of course she’s going to want to jump at that. So of course she helps Guthrie to betray Flint- not because she’s actively trying to betray him but because she’s trying to save him. Because how many times has he come home, bleeding and bruised and half dead? Who’s to say if he doesn’t stop, the next time he walks out the door she might never see him again? The fact that he’s now involved in something even more huge and dangerous that will garner him even more enemies, it’s only a matter of time before he gets himself killed. Miranda Barlow is so incredibly strong. She feels trapped and lost, but still finds courage to keep going, and doesn’t just bail. Despite how hard it is on them both, she’s still at Flint’s side taking care of his wounds and worrying for him, watching him deteriorate and slowly drown in his own madness. For ten years and counting. She may not swing swords or fire pistols or command political control or have men on their knees begging, but she is keeping Flint from imploding on himself, and there’s a hell of a lot riding on Flint’s shoulders. She has no one else to turn to but herself, and Flint in the rare moments when he’s on terra firma. But when he’s gone, when all she has is worry if he’ll come back or die at sea, when all she has are the ghosts of her past, a past that was very obviously traumatising, she still manages to keep going in the face of all that pain. When all she has is a limited political power that is not acknowledged on Nassau, no battle prowess or influence, she still does what she can, when she can, and puts one foot in front of the other. To not give in and take the harder road when everything is painful- That is strength in itself. There isn’t only one way to be strong. But it’s also a big mistake to think her story is wrapped up in Flint solely. Flint doesn’t run her- she stands up to him and his tantrums, challenges him. Even after they sleep together and he refuses to do anything beyond lay there, she lays down and holds him instead because dammit she misses him. Their pasts are intertwined, and she’s Flint’s anchor, but it’s not as if she’s some wilting flower who waits around for her man to come home. She loves books, is obviously a forward thinker, has a witty tongue and has very specific ideas about making the world a better place. She has compassion, helps and takes care of people when she can, is always polite and courteous, even to people she has every right not to be. She knows how to play people and read them well, and talk her way out of or into situations if she needs to; if Flint dies tomorrow, she wouldn’t wither away, she can handle herself and is her own person. Nassau is in that tumultuous in-between phase where its fate is still up in the air. So in the meantime she does what she can, when she can. And if she has to crack once in awhile and pull out a book and remember happier times to get through the day (when she very specifically said they had said booked buried away so it’s not like it occurs often), a day where she has to worry if Flint’s going to get his ass killed, or wonder when the heck England is going to show up and destroy everything, or worry about the crazy plots of powerful men who are trying to undermine their mission, or creepy pastors coming onto her- I’d say it’s perfectly valid if she has to break down every once in awhile and wish things were happy again. The problem is she sees what they’re trying to achieve is destroying Flint, and she’s asking herself now, “Yes, this is what we wanted, but is it worth the cost?” And now in season two, she’s seen as taking a more active role in helping, putting herself at risk should anyone get the bright idea to come after her, taking an active role in determining not only her own fate, but standing at Flint’s side so that he’s not fighting alone (and with Gates gone, he is well and truly alone out there- there is no one else left who is going to love him enough to want to see him live because they care about him). Doing more to make sure that the Nassau Thomas asked Flint to protect, the one that Flint is hellbent on saving, the better world she spoke of and so wanted, comes about, all while continuing to keep Hurricane Flint from losing himself. Miranda Barlow is not worth less just because she has something different to offer. It’s simply that what she has is for what comes after the war is over- guidance and ideals for a better world, compassion and kindness and love. Nassau just simply isn’t ready yet. It may never be ready. But she’ll keep soldiering on until that day arrives and try to keep the person she loves in tact. -- source link

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