‘Black Sails’: Cast On Ned Low Threat, Vane Vs. Flint, Max & Anne

“Black Sails” raised the stakes by introducing a new danger to the mix.

Beyond the Spanish and British armies on the high seas, they now have to deal with the unpredictable and frightening Captain Ned Low, who in last week’s episode, proved he lives by no rules.

“He really is a monster in a lot of ways,” Jessica Parker Kennedy (Max) told Access Hollywood, adding that Low, “could be devastating for the island. He’s a big threat.”

We turned to the cast for more on the growing problem with Capt. Low this season, and for more hints about the troubles our ragtag bunch will be dealing with.

The Captain Ned Low Problem

WATCH: ‘Black Sails’ Cast On The Threat Of Ned Low

“The relative peace of home… [the] security of that place… is completely threatened by Ned Low and I think for Eleanor, in particular, her mortality is like, shoved in her face and she has no one to protect her anymore, so the physical prowess of someone that’s gonna come in and could potentially upset everything, upset the order of things, is a huge threat,” Hannah New (Eleanor), who lost her right hand man when Ned beheaded him in last week’s episode, said.

“He wants to be a pirate because he’s a psychopath and he likes killing people and being brutal and violent and I really love the fact that they throw that guy in there so you sort of see actually, these guys aren’t the bad guys, they’re not necessarily wanting to do this, it’s just that they have to,” Toby said, explaining the difference between Captain Flint and his crew vs. Low.

“When the essential heroes of your story are murderers and thieves, when you bring in the bad guy, they’ve gotta be really bad and that’s what Ned Low is,” Luke Arnold (John Silver) added.

How tough it will be for Flint to stay Captain?

WATCH: ‘Black Sails’ Preview: Can Flint & Silver Stay On Top?

Flint managed to regain his captaincy last week, barely edging out Dufresne. But staying in charge won’t be easy. “I think it’s always tough for him,” Toby said. “I think it’s a tough world and I think it’s tough choices that he has to make all the time.”

“What Episode 2 reveals about Flint is that he is the only one that really can do this better than anybody else. He just can, and the crew kind of know that. And in the end, they wanna have the guy who knows what he’s doing,” Toby added. “They don’t want some punk who just doesn’t get it. So he makes himself, to a certain extent, invaluable to the crew, as does Silver, in his own way.”

Will we get a Capt. Vane vs. Capt. Flint faceoff?

WATCH: Zach McGowan: Will Vane & Flint Face Off On ‘Black Sails’?

Last week’s episode had Vane suggesting to Eleanor that he might not let Flint back in the harbor. So does that mean we’ll finally get these two captains squaring off?

“I think the writers definitely want the audience to be thinking that at this point. And I can also say that it was great to finally work with Toby Stephens in Season 2,” Zach McGowan (Vane) said, playing a little coy.

Max & Anne: Is It A Real Romance?

WATCH: ‘Black Sails’: A ‘Complicated’ Situation For Max & Anne

Pirate Anne has been turning to Max’s bed for comfort as she weathers the changing tides in Nassau (and her reduced status). But is it a real romance?

“I think it’s a really vulnerable time for Anne and I don’t think she has any idea what’s going on in her head and why she’s doing what she’s doing and if she can stop herself from doing it, and I think Max struggles with that a little bit as well,” Jessica said of what’s been going on between her character, Max, and Anne Bonny (Clara Paget). “The last thing that Max would want right now would be to just step into another relationship with another woman and especially a woman as dangerous as Anne is. There’s a lot of backstory there that you get to find out later and the fact, also, that her relationship with Rackham and Vane… and these aren’t people that you’d want to mess with, and so it gets incredibly complicated in Season 2 in that respect … and then, there’s always that kind of push and pull between, ‘Is Max doing this because she can’t wait to manipulate this person for her own advantage or is she doing this because she has this sweet heart and she wants to help this woman because this woman has helped her?’ And I think it – it will remain a mystery for a while.”

More locations on the way for the pirates.

“There’s some more Nassau time this season,” Luke said, hinting at what’s ahead for Flint’s crew, who are currently out at sea. “And there’s also a bunch of new places that pop up as well. The scope of the show expands this season so you get to see some old locations and some new ones.”

“Black Sails” continues Saturday nights at 9 PM ET/PT on Starz.

— Jolie Lash