ok, like, every flavour of James Flint is A++++, like from James going “my judgement with regards to the two of them isn’t compromised” and then literally breaking a man’s nose two seconds later for making Improper Suggestions about Thomas and Miranda to the whole “I’ve been ready to return him to the sea for a long time” to him leaving a copy of La Galatea for Miranda to- well, you get the drift
BUT
James manipulating Dufresne to get back The Fucking Warship?
*melts into a puddle *
no lie, the thing he does with Dufresne is probably my favorite Captain Flint moment.
It’s such a spectacular masterclass example of the thing Miranda says to him in the carriage: he is really fantastic at getting his way and in a manner that means that most people don’t know he’s gotten it. And he does it all without saying one single lie. Not even like, a halfassed withholding of the truth.
I want alllllll the fic about him doing that kind of thing to other people.
Every single fucking thing about that scene was great, but most especially, James holding his hands behind his back as he looks through the books. UGH.
I feel like we learn more about the way James Flint operates in that one scene than in the almost the entire first season.
The flattery! The drawing comparisons between the two of them! Flat out addressing the issue of Gates! Offering up a personal piece of himself and making himself look less threatening! Humbling himself but not quite enough so that dufresne feels like he’s seeing through a transparent attempt at manipulation but missing the deeper one. He’s straight up running a con on Dufresne and it’s so great.
All the while his brain is just ticking away, calculating possibilities vs his reputation vs what he knows about dufresne and who dufresne is going to turn to vs shipping lanes vs the tempo of taking a ship.
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