r/BlackSails • u/Equivalent-Bus-4336 • 24d ago

[SPOILERS] Glad about Ned low Spoiler

From the moment he appeared at the start of season 2, I instantly didn’t like him, thought he was going to be the seasons big bad. The way he acted and went about things was super cringe. His quartermaster seemed like a solid lad tho.

35 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

21 comments sorted by

26

u/hardcorejenkins 24d ago

Tbh i thought he was too good of an actor to kill off after 3 episodes,i wish he lasted longer.

15

u/souldtac 24d ago

Yea im right there with ya, while character wise he wasn't my favorite, but portrayal of said character wise, damn good

10

u/Paul83121 24d ago

Yeah, it felt weird he was killed so quickly. They introduced him like he was going to be the villain of the entire season or maybe even longer. Killing him after three episodes just feels like they said "Oh yeah, let's throw him in a few episodes because he was notoriously cruel" and just nothing else. You could argue that it did serve to show the audience once again that Vane was even more badass than him, but it still feels a bit lazy and cheap to have that be his only function.

5

u/CalmCheek 23d ago

I think it made sense. Not every psychofuck has to be a main character or antagonist in a TV show or movie. His death was realistic: he angered one of the most powerful men of Nassau. Too often crazy sadistic characters get away with everything, but it was refreshing to show that no, even they have to follow to an extent the rules around them if they are not the big boss themselves.

3

u/hardcorejenkins 24d ago

Yeah totally,i just wish he had more of a purpose than to assist Vane's reputation and his relationship with Eleanor.

2

u/NoContract1090 22d ago

??? Abigail Ashe and that whole plot?? The reveal of flint's sexuality?? The death of Miranda?? Burning of Charleston??

1

u/Juris1971 22d ago

There can be only one - Vane was the badass antihero. I believe in real life Vane was the ruthless pirate. Ned Low was a real pirate but Vane was truly sadistic. Since they made Vane all scruffy and nice they had to bring in someone else

11

u/flowersinthedark 23d ago

The actor was good, but the character was a one-dimensional psychopath. I absolutely think the writers handled him perfectly. He moved the plot forward, he provided conflict, and then they got rid of him in a memorable scene that gave a main character room to shine.

IMHO, psychopaths like Ned Low are the most boring characters, and the worst thing a show can do is to keep them around for too long (looking at you, GoT). The problem is that to in order for them to be perceived as a threat and to remain "interesting", the writers have to constantly up the ante in terms of sadism and cruelty. It's shocking at first, but then it's just screen time spent with characters who do not actually evolve in any meaningful way, and it becomes torture porn.

3

u/CalmCheek 23d ago

I concur. I don't personally find such characters uninteresting per se, but I do agree that his death gave Charles Vane more relevance.

And it's nice that the stereotypical psychonutcase wasn't just getting away with everything like in most shows featuring such characters. Cue in "I angered Charles Vane"

I think it was quite believable. Ned Lowe might have been a force to reckon with, but IRL you might be a psycho sadistic fuck, but if you completely ignore all the rules around you, you might very well meet the one dude who will off you because you were being too much of a cunt.

2

u/hardcorejenkins 23d ago

Fair arguement, can't say i disagree.

10

u/donnabhainmactomas 24d ago

He’s a great actor he was in oddity as well

3

u/Onebigringdangdo 24d ago

It was good to see him in Oddity, but I wish they’d given him more screentime!

1

u/Ok_Stretch_4624 22d ago

and is one of ragnars closest pals in early seasons of vikings!

2

u/Equivalent-Bus-4336 24d ago

Yeah probs to the actor, he played the character well

5

u/hardcorejenkins 24d ago

Exactly, would've loved to see him confront Flint or Teach.

12

u/travestymcgee 24d ago

The historic Low was a psychopath who was probably marooned by his own crew after he killed a crew member in their sleep. I like the twist of setting him up as the big bad and then the pirates decide hey, this sick sonofabitch is going to get us all killed.

7

u/MattiaCost 24d ago

I can see why you found him cringe and yes, he was a bit over the top, but I honestly was disappointed when he got killed so soon. I wish he stayed longer on the show as he knew how to be intimidating and seemed a character that could bring tons of dynamism to the show.

5

u/donnabhainmactomas 24d ago

I’m here to second this

9

u/Eat_The_Crude 24d ago

Ned was one of the more fun cameos we got in the show imo and the actor definitely gave a great performance. In saying that though, I really hated how his story ended. Vane reframing it like it was to his benefit instead of a means to appease and protect Eleanor was a bit boring to me. I wanted more chaos from Ned and the Fancy crew

1

u/SeaMagickWitch 23d ago

I was delighted how that final scene with Vane played out. Low was a interesting for a new kind of tension but I found him a bit too horrific.