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jamienamine
Reviews
Our Flag Means Death: Wherever You Go, There You Are (2022)
His name... is Ed
Mary Bonnet deserves all of the kudos for managing to put up with her husband. Stede is such a fun character to watch, but I can only imagine how he would be if anyone had to truly interact with him in real life. Dealing with his whimsy as his wife practically makes Mary a saint, and I don't think anyone can truly blame her for any of her actions in this episode. Stede gets the kick to the pants that he really needs to see that it's time to grow up and recognize that he CAN hurt other people, but he's also capable of making them happy if he can just stop running away. Now he has a whole second season to work on that lesson.
Our Flag Means Death: Act of Grace (2022)
What makes Ed happy... is you
WE LOVE THE QUEER CONFIRMATION.
I delayed watching this episode for a long time. Our Flag Means Death is one of my favorite shows, but I had been told about the ending of this episode before I reached this point in my watch, so I stopped at about the halfway point, unwilling to continue and watch scenes that I knew would make me cry.
But watching this episode is worth it. Yes, there is pain, but there is also joy and personal growth and plenty of room for both leads to grow and recognize that they weren't sharing everything with one another-they were still holding back some of their pain and guilt and trauma, and they can't have a healthy relationship with all of that hanging over them.
Our Flag Means Death: This Is Happening (2022)
Coming Nana!
Jim's Nana is an absolute icon. Seeing a character, particularly a nun, so readily accept their child's gender identity, immediately changing name and pronoun usage to make them comfortable, almost had me tearing up. The interactions between Oluwande and Nana make me laugh every time, and watching romance bloom between Oluwande and Jim while Stede and Ed struggle to find balance in the wake of Izzy leaving is a perfect contrast. Jim has always been one of the primary background characters, but it still feels great that the show took the time to depict their background more fully, rather than completely focusing on the romance of the leads.
Our Flag Means Death: We Gull Way Back (2022)
Whippies
Calico Jack isn't my favorite character. In fact, I despise him and he sets of many of my triggers concerning alcoholism.
Yet despite all of that, I still enjoy this episode. It speaks to how well put together this episode is that I can still enjoy it despite not being able to stand the central character. Seeing Stede pitted against someone who isn't afraid to snark back at him who he also perceives as equal to himself in Ed's eyes is a delight, as he's properly being challenged for the first time. Stede has never been jealous before, and he's such a possessive person that it can only be amusing to see him ready to pitch a jealous fit.
Our Flag Means Death: The Art of F**kery (2022)
Behold... the KRAKEN!
While the show has mostly been about Stede up until this point, it's nice to be able to focus on his counterpart in Ed, along with his foil in Izzy. Ed's backstory is a tragic one, and it only makes it more sad that he's been forced into a life which relies on violence. Whether or not he "enjoys a good maim," that doesn't mean he wants to be a pirate, and this episode does a good job of continuing the narrative of why that role weighs so heavily on him. Seeing Izzy Hands vying so desperately for his captain's respect, attempting to keep him safe by forcing him to stay within the usual rules and expectations of piracy, is sad to witness, since he's clearly going against what would make Ed happy.
Our Flag Means Death: The Best Revenge Is Dressing Well (2022)
Posh knobs kobbing with other posh knobs
Apparently French people are quite rude.
The show only continues to improve as Stede Bonnet continues his journey to become a real pitate. An inability to threaten hostages is contrasted against intrigue upon witnessing bloodthirsty fighting during a raid, and Stede as a character only grows to demonstrate more layers. Ed, on the other hand, gets to display a softer side, demonstrating that he has hopes and dreams outside of simply being the great Blackbeard. It's also nice to see more of Oluwande and Frenchie, who are very different in that Oluwande seems generally practical and Frenchie is entrenched in mysticism, but the two play off of one another well.
Our Flag Means Death: Discomfort in a Married State (2022)
We need to be a lighthouse!
Edward Teach completely turns Stede Bonnet's world upside down. The lighthouse, which has been an albatross around Stede's neck, is turned into something freeing rather than something weighing down on him. Though it's clear that Stede still has much to deal with, the back and forth with Ed brightens his countenance greatly, even while he's in a state of recovery from injury. The chemistry between Darby and Waititi is a sight to behold, and it only becomes more magnetic from this point on in the show. Thoughts about "doggie heaven" and the dichotomy between Blackbeard and Ed as personas add an additional layer of intrigue to the show as well.
Our Flag Means Death: A Gentleman Pirate (2022)
Did you mean to do that?
It's almost hilarious, how much Stede manages to stumble (sometimes literally) into trouble when he isn't looking for it. Despite the fact that he claims not to be one for violence, he's up to being threatened at swordpoint twice by the end of this episode, not to mention the other antics be manages to find himself a part of. It's nice, getting more time with the backstories of the crew, especially Jim, after their reveal in the previous episode. Lucius continues to be a highlight, perpetually embarrassed by Stede and his attempts to make himself seem like a legitimate pirate. "Man for sale," indeed.
Our Flag Means Death: A Damned Man (2022)
A weary traveller wandering through
Though a lot of people consider Our Flag Means Death as a show with a slow start, this episode is actually one of my favorites. Stede is overwhelmed with guilt over leaving his family and spends his time on the island transferring that guilt over to the death of Nigel Badminton. It's amusing to see Stede, who was so horrified by violence in the first episode, clearly not feeling that much guilt over the act of killing itself-everything that he struggles with about Nigel all stems from guilt over other matters, even if he doesn't recognize it at first. Though he is a murderer in only the weakest of senses, his feelings throughout this episode leave a lot of opportunity for him to demonstrate a greater ability to face the horrors of piracy.
The introduction of Izzy Hands is also an exciting plot point, as it demonstrates both Stede's first introduction to the pirate community and his first attempt to truly prove himself with any kind of real attack.
Our Flag Means Death: Pilot (2022)
Welcome to the Crew
There is something about Stede Bonnet that is so compelling from the moment Rhys Darby walks on screen. As a character, he's clearly an incompetent fool, but he's doing his best to make a life for himself on the seven seas, searching out something that will make him happy when very little in his life so far has brought him joy. His exuberance is well complimented by the exhaustion of the rest of his crew, who are clearly much more well acclimated to the harsh life of piracy, though none of them are particularly skilled despite that experience. Introducing them all in this way leaves plenty of room for them to grow together throughout the rest of the series.