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Our Flag Means Death: Wherever You Go, There You Are (2022)
Joy and sorrow go hand in hand
Another immaculate episode for character growth, and what a way to end a season! Seeing Stede come into his own, juxtaposed with Ed pretty much losing himself, really was something special and emotionally tumultuous.
In the end, there is hope here, but there is also loss, and sadness, and the kind of cliffhanger that does not feel like a betrayal yet does have you hungering endlessly for what comes next.
I'm beyond grateful that the fans of this show gave it the attention it deserves and got a renewal, because I don't think I would ever recover if things really were just left here. Even so, it is a remarkable finale to a remarkable first season.
Our Flag Means Death: Act of Grace (2022)
They Did It, Your Honor
I cannot think of anything that has felt so joyful, so fulfilling, that has graced my television screen in such a long time. Despite the fact that things do sort of end up going south for our characters by the end of the episode, I am beyond thrilled that they were able to have their Moment. Truly, peak romance.
Beyond the Best Moment Of This Show Yet, there was also some phenomenal acting here, particularly from Con O'neill as Izzy Hands and Taika Waititi as Blackbeard. And the supporting characters are also given moments to shine, most notably as they band together to decide who will be their new captain. It's a lovely episode that will forever be seared in my memory.
Our Flag Means Death: We Gull Way Back (2022)
Alexa, play The Chain
This is a funny episode. Every episode of this show is a funny episode, and this episode is no exception. But what makes this episode exceptional is not the humor, not the Will Arnett cameo (brilliant though he is!), not even the continuation of the internal and external conflicts. No, what makes this episode exceptional is its closing scene, a closing scene to rival all other closing scenes, not only brilliantly conceptualized, but artfully shot and edited and acted. I've managed to convince multiple friends and family members to give this show a try on the strength of this episode's closing scene alone. My life was and will forever be changed by the absolute beauty of this episode's closing scene.
Our Flag Means Death: This Is Happening (2022)
What are they, Christ's oranges?
A late-season episode that goes out of its way to focus a decent portion of its time and energy on a side character can sometimes be a risk, but here it was honestly such a phenomenal choice. Our main characters still get their time in the spotlight, but without carrying so much of the burden of plot/conflict as in prior episodes. Instead, we get to hang out with Oluwande and Jim, as some final important details of Jim's backstory come to light, and they are set on an interesting new path.
Meanwhile, Blackbeard and Bonnet are able to fully sink into their rom-com thing, to give us that lovely sweet period of act two before things (unfortunately, inevitably) come crashing down.
Our Flag Means Death: The Art of F**kery (2022)
They Can't Keep Getting Away With This!!
Every subsequent episode of this show feels like the best one so far, and this is no exception. The hijinks are hilarious, the tender moments are so unbelievably tender, the character growth is off the charts, the plot is ever twistier... There's literally nothing bad I can say about it.
I think another aspect that contributes to the beauty of this episode is the balance of conflict and peace. We as viewers know, in the end, that there is a looming threat to our captains and their crews, and yet we also get to relish in the joy of them finding moments of peaceful understanding with each other, which is so perfect I wish it wasn't so fleeting.
Our Flag Means Death: The Best Revenge Is Dressing Well (2022)
It's a rom-com!!!
Another episode rich with cameos from some of modern comedy's iconic comics, The Best Revenge Is Dressing Well is an absolute riot of an episode punctuated with one of the sweetest romantic moments thus far -- a moment which enriches not only the romance between our leads, but also the unique motivations and personalities of each of these two characters.
Though the starring moment of the episode features our two leads, the supporting cast also continues to offer outstanding performances in their roles, and several have moments where their unique plotlines are furthered in increasingly compelling ways.
Our Flag Means Death: Discomfort in a Married State (2022)
Backstory, but make it nightmare fuel
How do you deal with an episode where you have to move the plot forward, but your main character is literally unconscious from a potentially grave injury? Take a look into his fever-driven nightmares, of course! Bonnet's scenes in the beginning of this episode brilliantly capture not only more incredibly interesting details of his pre-pirate life, but also exactly how he feels about them. Recounting his stabbing, but the person who stabbed him has the voice of his daughter? Literally brilliant.
There's also some interesting dynamics we're introduced to with Izzy, Blackbeard, and the rest of both crews. Juxtaposing the sweet sunrise marmalade moment with a surprise plan to kill Bonnet and steal his identity adds a much-needed conflict through-line for our characters to follow as they embark on their rom-com hijinks.
Our Flag Means Death: A Gentleman Pirate (2022)
I've Never Known Comedy Like This
This episode makes me laugh so hard my stomach hurts. From Leslie Jones' "My noses!" to Rhys Darby's "I may be landed gentry, but I'm thrilled to be granted entry!", every punchline is so perfectly placed I honestly cannot pick my favorite.
We also get what is, up to this point, the best scene of the season, punctuated so excellently by the Beach Boys' Our Prayer that any time I hear that song now, I immediately think of Blackbeard emerging from the smoke. I think this moment is so brilliant because of what it contributes to character -- Bonnet's joyful "you've heard of me?" as he bleeds out on deck, and the sparkling interest in Blackbeard's eyes -- and plot. Suddenly, it's not just a comedy; suddenly, you really hope these two pirates are about to actually fall in love.
Our Flag Means Death: A Damned Man (2022)
Who's steering the ship?
I love, in particular, the way in which episode two introduces conflict. We know that there is internal conflict on Bonnet's part from the end of episode 1, but when this conflict becomes personified as the ghost of Nigel Badminton, we are gifted a one-two punch of humor and character growth that is so unexpectedly brilliant I cannot help but regard it as my favorite choice in this episode.
Of course, we also get the introduction of Izzy Hands, first mate of renowned pirate captain Blackbeard, whose apparent interest in Bonnet and his crew has us wondering where, exactly, this show is taking us...
Our Flag Means Death: Pilot (2022)
Snappy opener maintains show's mystery
If you watched just this episode, you'd actually have no idea that this show is a rom-com, but you would certainly know that it is a comedy. We're launched immediately into Captain Bonnet's silly little pirate world, where his crew hungers for actual piracy but instead spends their time doing arts and crafts at Bonnet's behest. Despite his unusual approach to piracy, Bonnet and his crew do manage to stumble into some Real Acts Of Actual Piracy in an incident which tactfully kicks off an interesting change in Bonnet's character -- he has managed, now, to become not just a gentleman playing at piracy, but assumably a Real Pirate, and where this new status will take him is (hopefully) an intriguing enough question to lead into episode 2.
Good Omens (2019)
This Show Is Ridiculous And I Love It
There's something about the tone of this show -- and of the Good Omens book, which it is an adaptation of -- that is just utterly addictive. The narration, the character dialogue, the quippiness, the unusual frankness. All of it just grabbed me by the shirt and dragged me in and has yet to let me go. And as an adaptation, this show is utterly top-notch. It helps to have Gaiman at the head, as he continues to carry the torch for this show on behalf of both himself and Pratchett, and you can certainly see his influence and his style in practically every breath that is taken on screen. Sheen and Tennant are both masters of their craft as well, and I think this show would be far different without their immaculate renditions of Aziraphale and Crowley on screen.
Our Flag Means Death (2022)
Hilarious and Heartfelt Rom-com
This absolutely hilarious comedy won me over not with its humor -- though there are lines that still I regularly think about and chuckle -- but with its heart. It's shockingly evident from the first second anyone is on screen that the entire cast and crew care deeply for this show and this story they're telling. Though its vibe is quite different from a lot of popular comedies, it sinks into both its humor and the romance at its center with confidence and with excitement. The writing is phenomenal, the acting is phenomenal, the directing is phenomenal. It truly is the silly little pirate comedy that could and I cannot wait for more.