In one of the recent posts, a user commented, “A couple of months is not very long to be declaring someone your truest love!” I wanted to respond because I don't think the depth of a relationship can be measured purely by how long two people have been together. But I got a little carried away with my comment. This happens every time Black Sails comes up. This might even be a little long for a post, but I wanted to share my thoughts anyway. :)

According to relational bonding research, it takes roughly 80 to 100 hours of quality shared time to form a close friendship, and 200+ hours to forge a deep, trusting bond. Thomas tells James, “These past few months I have come to trust you.” So they'd spent at least a few months working closely together before their relationship turned romantic. But true love requires far more than physical intimacy, doesn't it? A love built on genuine friendship and partnership can be incredibly strong.

Working toward a shared goal can bring people closer and help them understand each other far more deeply than casual dating ever could. Those months allowed them to see beyond the polite pretenses and romantic games of early relationships. Their connection was rooted in mutual respect, intellectual exchange that challenged and taught them both, and a deep understanding of each other's true selves, beliefs, and ambitions—all of which would eventually converge into a shared vision of a better world.

And we shouldn't overlook their separation. I don't know exactly how much time passed between their first kiss and James's departure for Nassau, or how much time they spent together after his return before Alfred destroyed their lives. But the time apart gave them an opportunity to reflect on their feelings, reconsider the risks, and decide whether their shared dream was still worth pursuing. A fleeting crush or impulsive infatuation fades when you are separated by an ocean for months, but James returned more determined than ever.

There are two more points I'd like to make, so please bear with me.

First, I think we should also be careful about judging an early-18th-century relationship by today's dating norms. Back then, people could spend years pursuing someone they'd fallen for after a brief encounter. Modern dating apps, meanwhile, can create an illusion of endless choice, sometimes making it easier to abandon a connection when it hits an obstacle. Of course, that doesn't apply to everyone, but the context matters.

Second, Thomas wasn't simply someone James loved. James had spent nearly thirty years in a society that treated his background and sexuality as sources of shame. He'd learned to fear and respect the aristocracy, seeing it as a world beyond his reach.

“Someone of your station... son of a carpenter's mate given a chance to socialize with a lord. Hold that position for long enough and you might convince everyone you're something more than you actually are. A gentleman, most civilized.”

‌But Thomas was someone so utterly different from the world James knew that turning away from him must have felt almost impossible.

Thomas challenged James's entire belief system, turned his world upside down, and drew out a deeply suppressed part of James that he'd long feared to acknowledge, helping it blossom into something beautiful.

He welcomed James into a home and a life he'd never known, treated him as an equal, and offered him a relationship free of rigid social formalities or humiliation. With Thomas, James could finally be his whole self, accepted and loved without judgment. For a brief time, he was happy. He felt loved, and he felt safe. Perhaps they felt safer and happier than they truly were, and that made them careless about the dangers surrounding them.

Above all, Thomas shared with James a vision of a better world they could build together, where love, acceptance, and safety wouldn't have to be fleeting. A world where James mattered, where he could make a difference, and where he could finally be himself.

James was brilliant, but Thomas gave that brilliance a meaningful, personal cause. Despite how idealistic their dream seemed, its promise made the danger feel worth facing. James was captivated by the world Thomas made him believe was possible. And ten years later, he still couldn't let that world go.

Unfortunately, much of their romance happened off-screen, but a story's depth can be measured by the wreckage it leaves behind: the ten-year war Flint waged in Thomas's memory, the ‘truest love’ inscription, Miranda's confession about their relationship, and their reunion a decade later.

Hennessey: “A sacred opportunity to right our wrongs.”

“My God, do you know anyone in the world who talks that way?”

James: “I do now, sir.”