The Adventures of Long John Silver: Ship O' the Dead

Jim spies the ship of the dead from his little boat as he's out sailing.

Plot synopsis: Jim Hawkins sees a ship full of dead mean, The Rachel, and no one believes him, so he endeavors to prove he's telling the truth.

Thoughts:

This episode has a lovely opening sequence which features an exchange between Purity and Long John where he reminisces about what it was like to be a boy and dream of living out the adventures of famous explorers. It not only provided a window into Long John's psyche and past, but also reminded me of what it was like when I was a kid growing up and used to "play" by role playing. With video games and television, I don't even know to what extent kids still engage in this sort of behavior, but I enjoyed the conversation between the two main characters and the warm feeling it brought back about childhood.

The driving force behind this story, a ghost ship, is a favorite in sailor lore and one that I like in nearly every execution I've experienced it in, from Monkey Island game to movies to T.V. shows. Even when you know the concept and expect that the ship is either empty or someone is tricking others, it's still fun to see how it plays out.

This is the first episode that I have re-watched that is offered largely from Jim's perspective. He is the central character and he gets some voice-over narration. It's interesting that the show only uses this sort of voice-over for Jim. My guess is that is because, as a child, he isn't allowed to expand as much on his thoughts as the adult characters because he doesn't have many same-age compatriots with which to exchange dialog.

Jim eyes his pocket knife and considers escaping before he's tossed into the sea and left to drown.

Favorite moments:

Both Long John and Purity scold Jim for returning late from a sojourn on his own small boat in a scene which shows their parental role in his life more clearly than most episodes.

The avaricious pirates reveling in their gold is a lovely bit of acting ham.

I like how Jim steals a gun from a sleeping pirate, but it's clear that the only reason he manages it is that the pirate is drunk as he nearly knocks over his bottle of booze.

Though it strains credibility, I like how Jim pretends to be an adult pirate and stuffs a gun in the back of the pirate at the helm to get him to return to Porto Bello and run the ship aground.

Favorite quotes:

Purity to Long John: "Men be no better than children. Where'd they be without women to anchor them to earth?"

Stray notions:

The idea that a boy can't become a man if his maternal figure holds him too near and dear is offered in this episode.

Kit Taylor, who plays Jim Hawkins, is a convincing child in distress when no one believes his story.

Jim gets grabbed an awful lot about by hostile pirates and locked in rooms.

Mold to Gold Rating:

I liked this episode a lot. There were moments of heart and sympathy as well as an interesting premise. I liked the pacing, and the story being centered on Jim Hawkins. The only thing which I didn't like was the doubt Long John and Purity had of Jim's word. I think at least one of them should have had faith in his word.