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Reviews
Our Flag Means Death: Impossible Birds (2023)
Heartbreaking (in a good way)
S2 of Our Flag Means Death picks up right where S1 left off: with a misunderstanding that leaves the main romantic couple separated. The indomitable Stede Bonnet will stop at nothing to find Ed "Blackbeard" Teach, but Ed thinks he's been jilted -- and that's where things start to get dark.
Even Blackbeard's right-hand man and S1 antagonist Izzy Hands is powerless to stop Ed's spiral into self-destruction, which also threatens to take the crew along with it.
There's comedy here, as always, but the early S2 episodes move solidly into drama as well. Taika Waititi (Ed) and Con O'Neill (Izzy) have incredible screen chemistry, and crew members like Joel Fry's Frenchie, Vico Ortiz's Jim and Madeleine Sami's Archie set up a high-stakes narrative that will have you on the edge of your seat!
Our Flag Means Death: A Gentleman Pirate (2022)
The cream of the Caribbean
Stede Bonnet's debutante intro at the Republic of Pirates is a scene that will live in my mind rent-free forever. And it's all the saltier for the incredible microexpressions that Nathan Foad's Lucius adds all along the way.
The guest cameos in this episode are top-notch: Leslie Jones as Spanish Jackie and Fred Armisen as Geraldo bring a brilliant, biting comedy.
But by far the most notable moment of the episode is Taika Waititi's first full appearance as Blackbeard. The ship changes course in an instant, suddenly veering toward the wild waters of high romance. Hold fast, sailors. This journey is about to get very, very interesting.
Our Flag Means Death: A Damned Man (2022)
Wait... who's steering the ship?
This is both a workplace comedy and a found family story, and we get a solid basis for both in this episode. Stede's relationship to his crew (or lack thereof) becomes a little clearer, as we get to know the crew a little better, too. Episode 2 is a side quest, but it shows us what this crew of imbeciles is capable of, and just how far they have to go.
Stede meets Izzy Hands for the first time in this episode, and the scene does not disappoint. Con O'Neill plays the character very close to the vest, but he is positively bursting with potential -- though for what exactly, it's unclear.
Wonderful cameo by Gary Farmer in this one, too.
Our Flag Means Death: Pilot (2022)
What we are about to do will be perilous!
This is a very strong pilot, beautifully shot by director Taika Waititi, that gives us a decent dollop of backstory and pulls the audience in with the clever humor of a not-quite-historically-accurate Age of Sail parody.
The pilot, like the show overall, is heartfelt but never schmoopy. It's got great narrative drive, and it is truly FUNNY.
Rhys Darby gives perhaps his most compelling performance to date as aristocrat-turned-pirate Stede Bonnet: he's a fancyboy loser who might just make good on his escapist dreams before it's all through.
The supporting cast of Revenge crewmembers make this one worth watching. And they're just getting started!
Our Flag Means Death (2022)
A thing of genius
Come for the funny gay pirates, stay for the found-family journey and star-crossed romance that will change your life forever.
Are you looking for comedy, tragedy, LGBTQ+ and neurodiversity representation, stunning cinematography, the world's sexiest accents, a killer soundtrack, and one of the greatest emotional rollercoaster rides of all time? Creator and showrunner David Jenkins BRINGS IT.
Taika Waititi as Ed "Blackbeard" Teach gives the acting performance of his career, and Rhys Darby's Stede Bonnet at long last catapults him to the leading-man status he so rightly deserves. And don't get me started on Con O'Neill's sublime Izzy Hands, one of the most complex and confounding antagonists in modern media.
Vico Ortiz, Nathan Foad, and the rest of the stellar supporting cast have created a rich backdrop of characters that make The Revenge feel like a dysfunctional home away from home. And don't miss amazing guest appearances by the likes of Leslie Jones and Rory Kinnear.
This is the show that killed gaybaiting. And it's about goddamned time.