Starz has been busy lately carving out a niche with historical dramas for mature audiences-- you might have noticed their original programming is heavy on the sex, violence and period costumes. They won our hearts with Spartacus – a show primarily aimed at straight men, but which nevertheless had lots of positive LGBT content tucked among the blood and gore. (That included Nasir & Agron-- a fan favorite gay couple who defied the odds and got a happy ending in a world where crucifixions and other horrific character deaths were the norm.)

Unfortunately, a lot of the goodwill Starz earned with gay audiences via Spartacus may have been squandered with the infuriating Da Vinci's Demons, a show that committed the cardinal sin of taking one of history's most important gay figures – Leonardo Da Vinci – and making him effectively straight.

So, is Starz' early 18^th Century pirate series Black Sails — now midway through its second season — another Spartacus... or another Demons?

It is neither. The show is gorgeous to look at and action-packed, but over the first season and a half there didn't seem to be a lot there specifically for gay (male) audiences. Sure, the show features many attractive actors, among them Tom Hopper, Toby Stephens, Zach McGowan and Toby Schmitz. (Added bonus, a couple of these guys seem to have no qualms about full frontal nudity.) The series also can boast a central lesbian character-- a beautiful and clever prostitute named Max (Jessica Parker Kennedy) who has had two very passionate relationships with other central female characters. But gay men at least seemed pretty much absent from the canvas. That is, until last night's episode.

*** MAJOR SPOILER ALERT ***

Fans of the show may wish to watch this week's Black Sails episode before going to the next page as a major plot point is revealed...

We'd heard rumors that the show would be introducing a gay male character, but we didn't really expect it to be the series lead. Last night we learned via flashback that the fierce and fearsome Captain James Flint was deeply in love with another man. In fact, it was that love affair and its tragic ending that got Flint exiled from England and motivated him to take the helm of a pirate ship in Nassau.

For a full season and a half Black Sails had given viewers a big misdirection. It sure looked as if Flint had an ongoing affair with the mysterious Miranda Barlow (Louise Barnes)-- but in fact his romantic relationship had been with her sensitive husband Thomas Hamilton (played by Rupert Penry-Jones).

(l to r) Rupert Penry-Jones, Toby Stephens and Louise Barnes

Unfortunately, Flint's relationship with Thomas Hamilton exists only in flashback. His former lover is presumably dead... or locked away in a British asylum (Last night's episode seemed cagey about spelling out Hamilton's precise demise). It's possible that Flint's romantic life won't be explored further. Still, his being gay is now a major plot point and helps to inform the character's actions going all the way back to the start of the series. Apparently last night's big gay reveal was planned from the show's inception.

Black Sails is a loose prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. It features younger versions of characters from the book, like Billy Bones and John Silver. In Stevenson's novel a much older Long John Silver is on the hunt for "Captain Flint's buried treasure." Given that book detail, Black Sails' version of Captain Flint probably will be sticking around for some time to come. (At least long enough to get his hands on some treasure and then go bury it somewhere!)

Flint is played by actor Toby Stephens (Stephens is the son of Dame Maggie Smith). While the driving force behind his character may be clearer now, the motivations of other characters remain murky. I for one would like to know Flint's exact relationship with the ship's boatswain Billy Bones (Tom Hopper). On several occasions the honorable Billy has lied for and protected Flint. A past romantic relationship between the two would certainly help to explain Billy's behavior.

Also let's face it, seeing those two together would be hot as hell.

In any case, as of last night Starz' Black Sails has become a lot more interesting. Not that it wasn't interesting to begin with -- gay elements or not, it's a pretty entertaining show. Unfortunately, it might be difficult for new viewers to just jump into in the middle of the second season. There's a large cast. The plotting is dense and heavily serialized. Pirate-y mumbling sometimes pervades. Arrrrgh!

Still ye mateys, we think there's treasure to be had. If you'd like to sample the series, Starz has made the first episode available for free. The entire first season is available on Amazon and all episodes from both seasons are available to Starz subscribers via Starz on Demand.

If you're already a fan of Black Sails let us know what you thought of last night's episode. And be sure and check back with us on Monday as we'll have an interview with actor Toby Stephens as well as show creators Jonathan E. Steinberg and Robert Levine.

New episodes of Black Sails air Saturdays at 9pm ET/PT on Starz