Pirate Master

Pirate Master made its new Tuesday timeslot debut tonight, and with it came an episode much like any other Pirate Master episode, except this one ended with a kiss.  If you've been watching Pirate Master, I'm sure you can guess who exactly locked lips (hint: Louie wasn't one of them).

The episode begins with a look at “The Triad”, the very annoying three-man alliance between Captain Azmyth and his two officers Jay and Ben.  The idea behind the triad is that if Azmyth stacked the deck on the black team's side for every treasure hunt, they'd be near unstoppable.  That's the way it's gone so far, and all three men are pleased with their position.  Azmyth flows in and out of a terrible English accent, sometimes mixing in other random types of speech, each as hopelessly annoying as the next.

The Triad inflict their tyranny on the crew during the day.  Non-triad members are forced to eat gruel while the triad feasts on omelets and bacon.  In order to tire out Joe Don and Louie, the male members on the red team (automatically so, in order to keep the genders equal on both sides), Azmyth has them work extra hard, scrubbing barnacles off the side of the ship while in the ocean. 

Time for the seventh treasure to be found.  They open the chest and receive the first instructions.  This week, the teams are searching for the Bursar's Treasure.  The black crew is Azmyth, Jay, Ben, Laurel and Jupiter.  The red crew (aka good guys) is Joe Don, Louie, Kendra, Nessa and Christa. 

Bursar's treasure:  The challenge was not the blowout I expected it to be.  The red team fought admirably and were even leading at one point.  Most of the time, however, it was neck and neck.  Unfortunately, for me at least, the black crew ended up victorious, but barely.  It came all the way down to the wire.  For those interested, this is how the hunt went: 

First, the crews had to paddle out to a floating marker, where one member had to dive down and retrieve a bottle that had a map in it.  They receive a map to Skull's Point, where they have to find a cannon next to which a hidden rope will also be found.  The rope is attached to a barrel, which they have to pull up a hill.  The barrel contains the next clue.  They have to find an X on the beach in conjunction with directions that tie-in to the cannon's location.  They next have to dig up around the X to find the keys to the treasure.  The keys come with directions to The Bunker, where they have to work out a key code to unlock the treasure. 

The black crew, as I said, wins, but it's close.

The red team is completely demoralized, especially considering just how close they were to winning.  After that, The Triad splits up the $35,000 they won on the challenge.  Laurel and Jupiter each get a cut for being Triad subordinates.  They discuss who to give the black marks to.  Kendra pleads her case to Jay, promising to vote with them if they save her from Pirate Court. 

Joe Don and Nessa have some flirting/bonding/snuggling time.  They are going to miss each other if one gets eliminated. The black marks are given out: Joe Don, Nessa and Louie all get one.

Joe Don has the royal pardon, so he can't bid on it this time.  Louie isn't a serious bidder, so it becomes clear that Nessa will be receiving the pardon, making it a race between Joe Don and Louie.  At Pirate's Court, each make their case for staying.  Louie says that he feels like a father figure and that he loves all the ladies.  Joe Don says he's the warrior and that the ship needs a warrior.  In the end, Louie wins the hearts of the crew and Joe Don is cast adrift.

Before he leaves the ship, however, Joe Don lays a big ol' kiss on Nessa.  Good for them.


-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of CBS)