Why I'm grateful for 'Black Sails'

Okay, so because I was a big fan of- Um... Well, the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, I thought I'd give Black Sails a shot: Thinking it would be a caring and critical look at the Age of Piracy. I wasn't expecting a thoroughly accurate representation, but I thought it would be a more realistic view.

But after one and a half episodes, I found it to be less a reflection of (or even a forgivable 'love letter' to) that time period, and more another over-gored, over-sexed cash cow for mainstream indulgence, dealing in heavy-handed and convoluted relationships and plots as a response to (I assume) the Game of Thrones series. So I decided to look online and see if I was crazy, or if other people thought poorly of the show. And in doing so, I found a Huffington Post review comparing it to a series I'd never even heard of...

And so now I'm all caught up on the first season of 'Vikings' and looking forward to season two in a few weeks. ^_^

The thing is... You've got the same sort of character in both shows. Pirates and Vikings. Plunderers, and looters... Generally, not people you can easily sympathize with. But the difference is that in Vikings, even if your modern sensibilities find something odious or taboo, you can tell the script was written with a lot of reverence for the history. (Appropriate because it's on the History Channel.) So thank you 'Black Sails'. I'd never have discovered 'Vikings' without you.

Oh, and happy birthday, and early birthday(s) to my many Aquarius peeps... And mom.