Our Flag Means Death - General Discussion

[BetterButter]

 

[BetterButter]

 

[gatopretoNYC]

I just discovered last night that this is based on a real person! Went down a wiki rabbit hole. 😁

The first three episodes are up on HBOMax now.

[Zonk]

This is a fun show, but the second hand embarresment often gets a bit too much for me. Something I've not had in other shows by Taika Waititi.

Speaking of, he's blackbeard! That was a fun surprise. I was wondering why they didn't show the guys face the whole time.

Will be interesting to see how this progresses.

[gatopretoNYC]

I've just watched the first episode. I really enjoyed it. 

It is strange to see Daenerys Targaryen's Meereenese husband cheerily singing on the ship. 😁

[hatchetgirl]

I love what I've seen so far. My hubby isn't interested in a taika show about another bumbling please, but I can't get enough. Love me a gentleman pirate.

[TV Anonymous]

My only exposure to the Pirate Captain Bonnet was through Outlander, and boy, does he look different in this show!

[gatopretoNYC]

Three new episodes are up!

[SHD]

I like this show, but I want to like it more. Sometimes it's exactly what I'm looking for, but not consistently. But I am enjoying it! It definitely took a direction in the second set of three episodes that I wasn't expecting!

[AngieBee1]

Quote

strange to see Daenerys Targaryen's Meereenese husband cheerily singing on the ship

We get Hizdahr zo Loraq and Hodor.

I was hoping to like it more than I do because it stars actors I really enjoy like Con O'Neill, Samson Kayo and Rory Kinnear but it's barely holding my interest.

[BusyOctober]

I binged all 6 episodes between last night and this morning.  I like it…goofy, fun. Rhys Darby is enjoyable, I liked him on Wrecked.  And Leslie Jones and Fred Armasen were pleasant surprises. 

[gatopretoNYC]

Rhys Darby will be on Late Night with Seth Meyers Tuesday night.

[Zonk]

Episode 5: loved how "gay free love" everybody was on the ship.

Some people might think that it would be anachronistic, but pirates were actually pretty egalitarian and even had gay marriage.

[hatchetgirl]

On 3/11/2022 at 2:13 PM, SHD said:

I like this show, but I want to like it more. Sometimes it's exactly what I'm looking for, but not consistently. But I am enjoying it! It definitely took a direction in the second set of three episodes that I wasn't expecting!

This! I can't binge the show because it's not that engrossing. The sets and casts are so good. Steed is great. Taika is adorable (I know, he's not a great guy in real life, but he's so pretty). But something is missing.

[Zonk]

This was a very cute. But I couldn't help but notice that even on this very gay show, the hetero couple got a hot and steamy kiss with following (implied) sex, while the gay couple got a closed mouth kiss. I hope this gets a second season and that Blacky's broken heart can be mended, so we can see a bit more of those two.

I really love how in this show with a row boat you can get pretty much anywhere in the world, it seems. It was already ridiculous in previous episodes but now Stede just sets out from Barbados (I assume) and just so happens to stumble upon his crew? It's probably partially intended as a joke, partially just for convenience, but I'm really quite amused any time it happens. Somehow it tickles my funny bone.

 

I also just read a bit more into the real Stede Bonnet and I'm surprised about how much of this is true. I just assumed that all the stuff with blackbeard was fabricated for the show, but no, they did meet and Bonnet temporarily ceded his ship's command to Blackbeard. Then after some back and forth, Bonnet stayed on Blackbeards ship for a while.

[AnimeMania]

‘Our Flag Means Death’: Taika Waititi and Rhys Darby on Their Pirate Love Story’s Sincere Finale — Q&A

IndieWire interview (watch Season 1, Episodes 9 and 10 first to avoid spoilers).

 

'Our Flag Means Death': Rhys Darby on How the Finale Is Actually Like 'Grease 2'

 

'Our Flag Means Death' Creator David Jenkins Breaks Down the Finale, Stede & Blackbeard's Biggest Moments, and More

Collider

Edited March 25, 2022 by AnimeMania

[Starchild]

They'd been alluding to it for a few episodes, but I was still caught off guard at the kiss. I'm rooting for those two crazy kids.

Gosh, I sure hope someone somewhere somehow rescued poor Lucius, he's one of my favourites.

[Zonk]

1 hour ago, AnimeMania said:

‘Our Flag Means Death’: Taika Waititi and Rhys Darby on Their Pirate Love Story’s Sincere Finale — Q&A

Quote

It does seem like they can go just about anywhere — and fast. Steed got out to that little island pretty quickly.

Jenkins: That’s “Game of Thrones logic” — it’s “Game of Thrones” geography. You have to break that out occasionally.

Hehe. What was infuriating in GoT is really funny here. Who would have thought. Love the little stab.

[AnimeMania]

Vico Ortiz on playing non-binary pirate Jim in Our Flag Means Death: I'm 'proud to be part of it'

Entertainment Weekly Interview

[Catfi9ht]

I only heard about this show a couple of weeks ago and just finished the season. I love the style and silliness. It really reminds me of my favorite Terry Gilliam movie The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.

I started out only liking Frenchie, but all of the characters grew on me and I think they're all pretty fantastic.

They turned the 40 orange glaze and cake into an actual recipe. Here's the thread. It's a functional recipe and also very silly. 

 

 

[Dancingjaneway]

People kept on telling me I needed to watch this. I kept putting it off because I have been so disapointed by shows that get tons of hype(esp. comedies & shows with an LGBTQ aspect),I was wrong. I am completely, head over heels, in love with this show. For me it's like a pirate version of Schitts Creek. It's funny, smart, sweet & I love that the LGBTQ aspect isn't used for drama. It's accepted & the norm. Taika & Rhys have amazing chemistry. It is a comforting show to watch as well. I like all the characters & I really enjoy the writing. If it doesn't get picked up for a 2nd season HBO is gonna have a LOT of angry people to answer to(me included).

[gatopretoNYC]

https://www.themarysue.com/hbo-max-still-hasnt-renewed-our-flag-means-death/

https://www.nerdsandbeyond.com/2022/04/22/interview-vico-ortiz-talks-our-flag-means-death-on-set-vibes-karaoke-more-exclusive/

Edited April 28, 2022 by gatopretoNYC

[Catfi9ht]

 

[paramitch]

OMG, I posted a big wall-of-text post here (complete with quotes! So many quotes!) and it appears to have... evaporated? AGHGHG!

Aw, man. I was eloquent! I swear! (sobs)

ANYWAY. I loved this. I mean, y'all, I have watched the entire thing three times in two weeks. Sure, that is still only 15 hours of entertainment across 3 weeks, so that's not so bad, but also maybe I watched it more than that? (sheepish)

So yeah, I loved it. Loved it. My single favorite new show I saw this year.

What a funny, sweet, smart, goofy, and ultimately incredibly inclusive and moving show! I love the way it's about people searching for a place to belong as they try to be brave enough to discover who they really are. There's no judgment (or barely any mention) of race, gender, or orientation in the diverse characters at all, and it's so rare and effortless. The cast is terrific, but it's Rhys Darby as the sweetly hilarious Stede -- and especially Taika Waititi as Blackbeard who make the show. I've always liked Waititi but he's absolutely superb here in his best and most complex performance to date -- by turns sly, witty, ferocious, scary, vulnerable, and devastatingly poignant.

The show moved me so much, and also (as a bonus) provided me with hours of Taika Waititi with long hair and beard, and dressed fetchingly in black pirate leathers (evidently this is one of my kinks, because HOLY SCHNIKES, my crush is at, like, embarrassing levels). In my first playthrough, I was so distracted by Taika that i missed plenty of plot points because I was just sitting there, shallowly gazing at him. (And in all seriousness, he gives an absolutely superb performance -- effortlessly charming, malevolent, vulnerable, hilarious, scary, and so, so moving.)

So this is easily my favorite show of the past year -- and what makes it so fricking subversive simply for its acceptance of a rich variety of characters, genders, orientations, and situations.

(Also, the show's lack of actual sailing knowledge honestly makes it extra-hilarious.)

The fact that this show -- a huge hit across the Internet, and the highest-screened show for over 6 weeks now according to several metrics -- hasn't been renewed is ridiculous.

A few favorite moments to note:

• The subversion of the heterosexual "rescue-as-tenderness" trope to forge the bond between Ed and Stede (Ed is instantly, visibly fascinated)
• The two men bonding over Stede's secret wardrobe (IT'S NARNIA!)
• Lucius in pretty much every scene ever (but especially: "Actually, I think I'm just so-so, but I've decided to carry myself like I'm cute.")
• Blackbeard's intense and frantic need to attend the French ship's party (Taika's frantic expressions there are wonderful)
• The "You wear fine things well" moment (and how visibly it moves Ed). And the very noticeable step-forward/almost-kiss after. And (even better) the look back by both men after. And -- best of all -- Ed's gentle hand to the "silk rose" at his heart as he walks away.
• Ed resting his head on Stede's hand after he admits he was going to betray him but Stede just wants to be his friend and forget the betrayal
• Olu and Jim's big embrace
• Lucius's tender kiss with Black Pete when he makes him the fake finger
• Blackbeard's foot-nudge to Stede when they are lying on the deck (followed by the lovely: "You came back." "I never left" (sniffle)
• The fact that Mary is shown to be just as trapped (then freed) as Stede (and love that she is a genius painter who paints all styles across history!)
• Mary's sweet reaction to Stede's realization that he is in love with Ed
• Ed and Stede's kiss, and their tender declarations to each other

So many more. I just love the show.

On 3/21/2022 at 12:01 PM, Zonk said:

Episode 5: loved how "gay free love" everybody was on the ship.

Some people might think that it would be anachronistic, but pirates were actually pretty egalitarian and even had gay marriage.

I did too! And yeah -- I love the way the show uses some actual nautical and historical precedent to offer us a genuinely better world despite all the cartoonish violence.

On 3/21/2022 at 9:21 PM, hatchetgirl said:

Taika is adorable (I know, he's not a great guy in real life, but he's so pretty). But something is missing.

Huh? Taika's awesome! He's a fantastic guy, he supports women and LGBTQ issues, and he writes throughtful material that dares to address complex societal issues. he's a triple threat -- a terrific writer, actor, and director -- and he also genuinely doesn't care what people think (see also his poly relationship with Tessa Thompson and Rita Ora, which I think is fabulous). 

I do admit that sometimes his sense of humor can skew edgy, and that he can sometimes speak off the cuff in a "oh honey don't say it like that" way, but I think he's a genuinely good guy, and a bona fide artist.

On 3/24/2022 at 2:29 PM, Zonk said:

This was a very cute. But I couldn't help but notice that even on this very gay show, the hetero couple got a hot and steamy kiss with following (implied) sex, while the gay couple got a closed mouth kiss. I hope this gets a second season and that Blacky's broken heart can be mended, so we can see a bit more of those two.

I get this on the surface, but:

1. Technicalities: It's not a heterosexual kiss. Jim is a nonbinary character played by a NB actor so it's technically pansexual. And then you add in the racial diversity of their coupling plus the non-judgmental size differentials and I adore it.

2. Realism: I love Ed's soft, awkward kiss with Stede. I love the surprise of it (it absolutely knocked me over in the best way) and I also loved it because it is not Hollywoodish and staged. I love that they aren't eating each other alive (not to be prudish, but, for instance, I love "Ted Lasso" but EVERY ONE of Keeley's kisses in that are like she's trying to permanently swallow the actor's tongue and I'm just, like, ugh). 

So for me, I love how awkward, sweet and real the kiss is. I love that it doesn't look like a perfect movie kiss. It looks like a surprise to both of them and that moves me so much (to me, Stede has never had a kiss of real love or passion, which is also why it's so awkward and tender). And both actors played it so gently and sweetly, and Ed just looks so truly moved and vulnerable. I really think that Stede has never had a kiss like that, ever -- for me, it appears like he felt very little physically beyond duty (as far as Mary previously).

And then we get Stede admitting, in his arms, "You make me happy too," and oh my God. I loved it.

They can give me a hotter kiss next season, darn it. But meanwhile, I loved this one.

Quote

I really love how in this show with a row boat you can get pretty much anywhere in the world, it seems. It was already ridiculous in previous episodes but now Stede just sets out from Barbados (I assume) and just so happens to stumble upon his crew? It's probably partially intended as a joke, partially just for convenience, but I'm really quite amused any time it happens. Somehow it tickles my funny bone.

It's a direct homage to "Game of Thrones" by showrunner Jenkins -- which I love because it's so true and cracked me up. The result is that everyone in a rowboat in this show can basically cross oceans and get anywhere they need to go. And I love it so much!

On 4/23/2022 at 5:31 PM, Catfi9ht said:

I only heard about this show a couple of weeks ago and just finished the season. I love the style and silliness. It really reminds me of my favorite Terry Gilliam movie The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.

I started out only liking Frenchie, but all of the characters grew on me and I think they're all pretty fantastic.

They turned the 40 orange glaze and cake into an actual recipe. Here's the thread. It's a functional recipe and also very silly. 

 

Thanks for sharing this! I instantly followed him (and learned a lot about orange cakes), and I love that you mention The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, because they do totally share a sense of chaos, violence and yet an almost fairytale gentleness.

On 4/25/2022 at 9:16 PM, Dancingjaneway said:

People kept on telling me I needed to watch this. I kept putting it off because I have been so disapointed by shows that get tons of hype(esp. comedies & shows with an LGBTQ aspect),I was wrong. I am completely, head over heels, in love with this show. For me it's like a pirate version of Schitts Creek. It's funny, smart, sweet & I love that the LGBTQ aspect isn't used for drama. It's accepted & the norm. Taika & Rhys have amazing chemistry. It is a comforting show to watch as well. I like all the characters & I really enjoy the writing. If it doesn't get picked up for a 2nd season HBO is gonna have a LOT of angry people to answer to(me included).

I love it so much. And most of all, I love that orientation and gender are barely mentioned, and when they are, it's more of a comedy moment involving clarification or the villain. Otherwise everyone is utterly fine with everyone being and loving whoever they wish to. It's incredibly beautiful and anti-toxic, especially in the world as it is right now. Gah.

On 4/27/2022 at 5:07 PM, gatopretoNYC said:

https://www.themarysue.com/hbo-max-still-hasnt-renewed-our-flag-means-death/

https://www.nerdsandbeyond.com/2022/04/22/interview-vico-ortiz-talks-our-flag-means-death-on-set-vibes-karaoke-more-exclusive/

Right? WHY is it not renewed? It's a HUGE hit! Sigh.

Edited May 5, 2022 by paramitch
awkward not awkard :D

[Catfi9ht]

2 hours ago, paramitch said:

Lucius in pretty much every scene ever (but especially: "Actually, I think I'm just so-so, but I've decided to carry myself like I'm cute.")

This line is what turned me into a huge Lucius fan. Everything he did after that was adorable especially delivering the break-up box.

[angora]

So much yes to all of that @paramitch! My brain is currently living in Our Flag Means Death-land. Such an incredible show (that's definitely getting renewed, right? HBO Max is just holding off because they're waiting to make a big announcement in June for Pride Month? Right??)

The first few episodes, I think, take a little time to get into the swing of things. A bit more like early-era The Office--buffoon boss doesn't know what he's doing, embarrassment ensues. But in a weird way, the show is little more like Ted Lasso, albeit with a very different tone and sensibility--boss doesn't know much about his profession, but his crew helps him along as he tries to teach them how to be kinder, gentler people in an environment that's associated with toxic masculinity. And it's true that I'm biased, but I think the show hits its stride nearly the second Blackbeard comes onto the scene.

Because Ed and Stede are just wonderful together. I love how it starts with Ed's fascination, trails off towards a maybe-betrayal but becomes something real instead, and then just blossoms into this gorgeous story between these two pirates. I admittedly didn't come to the show until I'd already seen a bunch of headlines touting its BIPOC and LGBTQ inclusion, but even if I hadn't known that, I don't think I would've viewed Stede and Ed's journey throughout the season as queerbaiting. The show's a comedy, and there's obviously jokes, but the jokes are always about the specific ways they interact and HOW they're falling in love with each other, not the mere fact that they're "acting like a couple." The storyline is given respect and weight. I love all the moments mentioned above, especially Ed coming back for Stede when the British attack (the wink! the FOOT!) and the conversation with Stede and Mary about what love feels like, complete with that excellent montage.

2 hours ago, paramitch said:

The cast is terrific, but it's Rhys Darby as the sweetly hilarious Stede -- and especially Taika Waititi as Blackbeard who make the show. I've always liked Waititi but he's absolutely superb here in his best and most complex performance to date -- by turns sly, witty, ferocious, scary, vulnerable, and devastatingly poignant.

Cosigned. I'm one of the many who came to Waititi through Thor: Ragnorak and his other recent work, and before now, I've thought of him as a writer/director who acts (a little like Lin-Manuel Miranda in that regard, who I definitely love more as a composer/lyricist than as an actor.) I don't quite know WHY I thought that, since Waititi was great in Jojo Rabbit and there are plenty of creator/actors who are equally good at both. But he is just so FANTASTICALLY good here. The way he takes Ed's ruthlessness, insecurity, confidence, shyness, goofiness, and vulnerability and makes them all combine into one consistent character is terrific work. His emotions/reactions can change on a dime, but you can always follow the thread of where they came from.

Plenty of love for the rest of the cast too. Rhys Darby's Stede is as ridiculous as he is lovable, and the rest of the crew is a delight. I can't begin to pick favorites, but I really love Frenchie and Oluwande's Nigerian prince scam, Roach doubling as both the cook and the doctor, Jim's impressive knife work, and long-suffering Lucius trying to help both Stede and Ed navigate their feelings for each other. So much talent, and the representation is effortless and wonderful.

[Catfi9ht]

I thought this was a great thread on pirate flags. It includes Stede's and Blackbeard's. It was originally inspired by another pirate show, Black Sails, which is why it predates OFMD.

CW: language

 

[P2C2E]

On 5/5/2022 at 11:27 AM, paramitch said:

The show moved me so much, and also (as a bonus) provided me with hours of Taika Waititi with long hair and beard, and dressed fetchingly in black pirate leathers (evidently this is one of my kinks, because HOLY SCHNIKES, my crush is at, like, embarrassing levels). In my first playthrough, I was so distracted by Taika that i missed plenty of plot points because I was just sitting there, shallowly gazing at him.

 

Are you me?

[hatchetgirl]

On 5/5/2022 at 11:27 AM, paramitch said:

Huh? Taika's awesome! He's a fantastic guy, he supports women and LGBTQ issues, and he writes throughtful material that dares to address complex societal issues. he's a triple threat -- a terrific writer, actor, and director -- and he also genuinely doesn't care what people think (see also his poly relationship with Tessa Thompson and Rita Ora, which I think is fabulous). 

You know what?  You are right.  I allowed myself to let headlines influence my opinion and I'm embarrassed about it now.  :( Sad clown.

[paramitch]

I'm still completely in love with this show. It's just the antidote I need right now to the incredible stress and toxicity in the world at the moment.

I can't even count my number of rewatches at this point. For me it's the biggest and most wonderful surprise of the year. It's just so funny, sweet, charming, and strange (in the best way), and the core relationship between Stede and Ed is terrific (thanks to Rhys and Taika) and surprisingly moving.

I love the use of music in the show -- Mark Mothersbaugh does some really interesting things with the actual score -- there's a ton of classical music throughout the score -- Vivaldi, Verdi, Bach, Satie, Schumann, Beethoven, Telemann, etc.

And I love the use of pop songs throughout -- especially "The Chain" in "We Gull Way Back" (Episode 8), which is such a gorgeous dramatic moment to me. And it's beautifully integrated/edited so that it actually looks weirdly diegetic -- the English drumbeats in the approaching boat play perfectly in time with the song's drums, the pause in the song as the hooks latch onto the ship's side (it's perfectly synchronized), then Frenchie playing the lute as the song's guitars play -- it all makes the song feel very integrated into the action (ending in Ed's sweet foot-touch to Stede as the camera pulls back and the song soars). I also loved the devastating use of Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" at the end of Episode 9, as Ed is stood up by Stede. (sniffle)

Meanwhile, can I just say also that I love the fact that nobody's doing an accent? I always get irritated at directors who insist on inflicting accents on actors who don't have the preparation or ability to do them. Accent work is really hard, and even for actors who are good at them, so many times to me an unnecessary accent seems to result in a flatter performance because the actor is so focused on the accent they aren't emoting. So I was thrilled the actors in OFMD just all got to keep their own accents (not to mention that the Kiwi accent is so lovely, and to me it adds a sweetness and an exotic dash to it). 

Also, one of my favorite things ever is the fact that show creator David Jenkins noted that Taika and Rhys work so well together because "Taika has cat energy and Rhys has dog energy." Which is adorable and SO TRUE!

Speaking of which -- you can totally see that energy in this, which is one of 12,000 of my favorite scenes in the show. It is honestly perfect. The entire conversation is so sweet and funny and charming, and perfectly encapsulates how Stede brings out Ed's sweet, playful side. "That's me!" followed by Ed's "Awww!" gets me every time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWPGp1Qlv6I&ab_channel=directino

On 5/5/2022 at 1:32 PM, Catfi9ht said:

This line is what turned me into a huge Lucius fan. Everything he did after that was adorable especially delivering the break-up box.

Oh, man, I love Lucius so much! HE BETTER NOT BE DEAD! Sigh. I loved how sweet he was to Stede when Ed went off with Jack, and then I agree -- his delivering the break-up box to Ed was so adorable! As was his kindness to Ed in the blanketfort. That's what makes what Ed does so horrible -- he pushes Lucius overboard because Lucius is the person who saw his softness, who saw his heartbreak (and I think he is the crewmember Ed cares about most, after Stede). So it's so awful! I swear to God, Lucius better have been holding onto a trailing rope or climbed up onto something -- it is conceivable that he could have grabbed hold of something (and even historically plausible, not that I care about plausibility -- I just want Lucius to be okay)!

On 5/5/2022 at 2:08 PM, angora said:

The first few episodes, I think, take a little time to get into the swing of things. A bit more like early-era The Office--buffoon boss doesn't know what he's doing, embarrassment ensues. But in a weird way, the show is little more like Ted Lasso, albeit with a very different tone and sensibility--boss doesn't know much about his profession, but his crew helps him along as he tries to teach them how to be kinder, gentler people in an environment that's associated with toxic masculinity. And it's true that I'm biased, but I think the show hits its stride nearly the second Blackbeard comes onto the scene.

Because Ed and Stede are just wonderful together. I love how it starts with Ed's fascination, trails off towards a maybe-betrayal but becomes something real instead, and then just blossoms into this gorgeous story between these two pirates. I admittedly didn't come to the show until I'd already seen a bunch of headlines touting its BIPOC and LGBTQ inclusion, but even if I hadn't known that, I don't think I would've viewed Stede and Ed's journey throughout the season as queerbaiting. The show's a comedy, and there's obviously jokes, but the jokes are always about the specific ways they interact and HOW they're falling in love with each other, not the mere fact that they're "acting like a couple." The storyline is given respect and weight. I love all the moments mentioned above, especially Ed coming back for Stede when the British attack (the wink! the FOOT!) and the conversation with Stede and Mary about what love feels like, complete with that excellent montage.

I totally agree. I thought the show was cute for the first few episodes, but the moment Blackbeard showed up, it just absolutely kicked into high gear. Part of that is because I think Blackbeard is the final ingredient that makes the show's story and chemistry perfect, but it's also because Blackbeard instantly becomes this effortless and complex co-lead. It's not just Stede's search for life and adventure or courage anymore, it's Ed's search too -- for something to live for and care about, and I love how their stories complement each other. 

I am SO glad I was unspoiled when I watched it, since I truly had no idea it was a love story. So I felt like Lucius as it was unfolding -- I was, like, "This is HAPPENING?!" and then the kiss in episode 9, and I just fell over in happiness! I seriously just did not expect them to actually go there, so I was fricking delighted when they did. And it's so poignant and sweet.

Quote

Cosigned. I'm one of the many who came to Waititi through Thor: Ragnorak and his other recent work, and before now, I've thought of him as a writer/director who acts (a little like Lin-Manuel Miranda in that regard, who I definitely love more as a composer/lyricist than as an actor.) I don't quite know WHY I thought that, since Waititi was great in Jojo Rabbit and there are plenty of creator/actors who are equally good at both. But he is just so FANTASTICALLY good here. The way he takes Ed's ruthlessness, insecurity, confidence, shyness, goofiness, and vulnerability and makes them all combine into one consistent character is terrific work. His emotions/reactions can change on a dime, but you can always follow the thread of where they came from.

I agree. Waititi is so damn good here, and what I love is that the performance is so complex and layered. Like you say, Ed can change on a dime, but it's always believable. I love the character's duality and how Taika embraced that. I especially love this kind of dueling sweetness (almost an innocence) to Ed side by side with that scary simmering potential for violence he has.

I mean, one minute Ed is about to stab Stede in the back in the "Fuckery" episode (albeit, regretfully), then a few minutes later he's huddled in the bathtub sobbing when he confesses to Stede as Stede tells him he is his friend (and I love the way Stede puts his hand over the rim of the tub there, and Ed leans his cheek against it).

That's also why I absolutely LOVE Episode 9 ("Act of Grace") and how Ed shaving off his beard seems to give him an immediate sense of peace and calmness. Stede is horrified at first but Ed is so happy to be rid of the beard, and I love how young and innocent he looks without it (although, yes, I think the beard was hot). I really think shaving the beard gives Ed this incredible freedom and I do not think the kiss would have happened without it. That entire scene is so gentle. (SNIFFLE)

Quote

Plenty of love for the rest of the cast too. Rhys Darby's Stede is as ridiculous as he is lovable, and the rest of the crew is a delight. I can't begin to pick favorites, but I really love Frenchie and Oluwande's Nigerian prince scam, Roach doubling as both the cook and the doctor, Jim's impressive knife work, and long-suffering Lucius trying to help both Stede and Ed navigate their feelings for each other. So much talent, and the representation is effortless and wonderful.

I love everything you mention -- especially Jim's wonderful NB representation (and how everyone simply starts using they/them pronouns for them -- no fuss, no nothing! Even when they meet Jim's Nana, Olu simply informs Nana of Jim's new preferred identity, and Nana instantly begins using "they/them." It's fantastic and really shows how easy it should be for anyone to accommodate an NB identity in their lives. I also think Vico Ortiz is so good as Jim, too.

And don't get me started on sweet Lucius! I love him so much -- as I mentioned upthread, he's so delightful and actor Nathan Foad's reaction shots alone are everything. And I love the real sweetness and care he brings to Lucius -- like, when he's sketching Fang, to me it's like yes, he's trying to get out of cleaning the barnacles, but he's also complimenting Fang because he seems to be one of those people who likes to make others feel good. I also love that he is openly terrified of Ed (rightfully so) even though he also visibly cares about him (his speech to him in "This is Happening" about how much Stede likes him is precious).

I also think Frenchie (Joel Fry) is so underrated. He's so smooth and elegant in several of the early episodes, but he's also quietly hilarious in several scenes too -- my favorite is when Nana confronts them in "This is Happening" and everyone crosses themselves, and Frenchie kind of just does this shruggy, flappy sort-of-crossing-himself-handwave and it's so funny!

On 5/6/2022 at 7:07 AM, Catfi9ht said:

I thought this was a great thread on pirate flags. It includes Stede's and Blackbeard's. It was originally inspired by another pirate show, Black Sails, which is why it predates OFMD.

I loved that thread -- thank you for sharing it! It was so much fun to see those.

On 5/7/2022 at 10:58 PM, P2C2E said:

Are you me?

You're probably way cooler than I am (hee!), but I am so happy I am not alone in my shallow, shallow feelings for beautiful Taika as Blackbeard. Because, woof.

13 hours ago, hatchetgirl said:

You know what?  You are right.  I allowed myself to let headlines influence my opinion and I'm embarrassed about it now.  :( Sad clown.

Aw, no worries! I was just puzzled because I truly haven't heard anything bad (aside from my general impression/suspicion that he maybe wasn't a super-faithful husband, cough). I do think he's a genuine artist who sees the world from a slightly different angle, wants to explore that (and he's a champion of misfits), so I always like seeing that.

Edited May 10, 2022 by paramitch
Added later replies! :)

[Catfi9ht]

I finished my second watch this weekend. This time I tried to pay attention to background characters in scenes and the scenes as a whole since I didn't need to focus on the main story.

The main things I noticed were:

1. The lighting is amazing. They have to repeatedly capture sunrises, sunsets, light through fog and other weather events, and it's absolutely beautiful. I'd like to know more about which scenes were filmed on set and which were filmed on location. Some scenes are fairly obvious about which were which, but I think there are probably some surprises about how they were actually filmed.

2. Rhys Darby's range is excellent. Prior to this role, I've only seen him play goofy like Stede in the beginning of the season. In the pub when he talks about "how he's seen death", his delivery is riveting. When he flips on a dime and holds a knife at the poor guy's neck during Mary's art show, he's absolutely menacing. Contrasting that to his hilarious"Man for sale" delivery is crazy cool.

3. Scenes without the main characters (Stede and Ed for the sake of the point), are equally as riveting as those with them. The scenes where Roach tries to cut off Lucius's finger and the pyramid scheme plot are two that come to mind. This is a great example of how the show's side characters are developed and not one note. They can stand on their own which leads to a richer viewing experience and significantly expands the number of potential plots for future episodes.

7 hours ago, paramitch said:

I also think Frenchie (Joel Fry) is so underrated.

Absolutely agree. When Chauncey confronts Frenchie about the flag and asks, "What is this?" Frenchie's delivery, "That's bad ass is what that is" makes me laugh. His backstory leading to his pyramid scheme at the dinner party is really great especially his delivery of "they're such dicks about the fucking spoons" is is funny. His superstitions about cats and women on ships is super silly. 

I really hope they renew this show.

[angora]

I forgot to say earlier, something else I really love about the Ed/Stede relationship is how damn DYNAMIC it is. I think part of the reason that people continue to gravitate towards non-canon slash pairings, even as LGBTQ representation is slowly increasing, is that too many canon same-sex pairings feature watered-down storytelling. A number of stories still lean into "I've never felt this way about another man/woman before, I don't know if I can do this, what will people think?" as a main source of drama, and plenty of others don't really have drama at all, instead giving us blandly-pleasant background couples that don't have a lot going on. People ship non-canon pairings because they're exciting, meaty, and complex, the kind of romances they'd want to see onscreen. (And, well, fans are going to ship attractive characters with each other. It's what they do.)

Ed/Stede is fantastic because it has all the complexity and drama of a non-canon ship paired with explicit onscreen confirmation involving declarations of love and physical intimacy. Both characters are equally capable of bringing the drama and the hilarity, and they're magnetic together. I just love watching the dance they do over the course of the season as their friendship slowly becomes more. I love the cute/sweet moments between them, like the "co-captains" conversation, every moment of "Blackbeard's Bar and Grill, etc.", and the way they open up to each other on the beach. But I also love a depressed Stede holding a fake spyglass to his eye as he watches Ed with Calico Jack, and I love the utter desperation in Ed's voice when he shouts, "Act of grace!!!" as they're about to execute Stede. I very much do NOT love Ed's dark turn at the end of the season, but it's compelling as hell, and I badly need to know what's going to happen next and how both he and Stede will react when they find each other again.

Side note: I also badly need Lucius to be alive. Any boat on this show can cross any body of water in whatever amount of time the show desires, so he totally could've been picked up by another ship, right? Or hung on somewhere to the Revenge?

20 hours ago, paramitch said:

I am SO glad I was unspoiled when I watched it, since I truly had no idea it was a love story. So I felt like Lucius as it was unfolding -- I was, like, "This is HAPPENING?!" and then the kiss in episode 9, and I just fell over in happiness! I seriously just did not expect them to actually go there, so I was fricking delighted when they did. And it's so poignant and sweet.

I bet it was a hell of a ride to watch it all unfold unspoiled, and I also bet that made your first rewatch spectacular, revisiting all those great moments between them knowing they were actually going to "go there!"

[paramitch]

2 hours ago, Catfi9ht said:

1. The lighting is amazing. They have to repeatedly capture sunrises, sunsets, light through fog and other weather events, and it's absolutely beautiful. I'd like to know more about which scenes were filmed on set and which were filmed on location. Some scenes are fairly obvious about which were which, but I think there are probably some surprises about how they were actually filmed.

I agree! For a "goofy little show," it has so many rich and complex aspects, and the show's production quality is fantastic, and that includes the lighting and direction -- there are some genuinely beautiful and cinematic visuals throughout and they always surprise me (in the best way).

Some of the visuals that got me the most included:

• The beautiful "lighthouse" sequence as the lantern swirls around the mast and Blackbeard leans out then in (it's almost a dance)
• Poor Mary and Stede's grim wedding on that grey rocky coast
• The "You wear fine things well" moment (for me, it's Ed's hand softly touching the bunched silk at his heart that slays me even more than the almost-kiss or the look back)
• The nightmarish aspect to the French nobles as Blackbeard realizes they are mocking him
• Izzy's early conversation with Stede in "Art of Fuckery," where he steps out of the shadows in Stede's cabin
• The entire "Chain" sequence (of course)
• The spaghetti-Western homage sequence as Calico Jack faces off with Karl the Seagull's widow
• Jim's fight with Spanish Jackie -- it's genuinely cool (and kind of hot)
• The quiet shoreside conversation and kiss in "Act of Grace" -- the framing is so peaceful and open. It's entirely outside the usual intimate and interior aspect of the show.
• Two (deliberately?) similar framings -- Ed weeping in the tub at the end of "Fuckery," and Ed weeping at the end of E10 ("Wherever You Go").

So much of the framing around Ed is just especially gorgeous -- he constantly emerges from the darkness (or fades back into it) like a Rembrandt figure. It's just beautiful, and visually underlines how he is a man of both light and darkness.

And let's hear for the hair, makeup & costume people! I know I keep saying this, but aside from how incredibly handsome Taika is in this role (woof) -- but also kudos to the costume and makeup teams! The hair and beard on Ed are fantastic (they look very real to me, and I'm fussy about that stuff). I mean, the hair, the costume, the beard, the leather -- he's an incredibly romantic figure who still looks period-appropriate. I also adore the little purple bows in Ed's beard in the French episode.

Quote

Rhys Darby's range is excellent. Prior to this role, I've only seen him play goofy like Stede in the beginning of the season. In the pub when he talks about "how he's seen death", his delivery is riveting. When he flips on a dime and holds a knife at the poor guy's neck during Mary's art show, he's absolutely menacing. Contrasting that to his hilarious "Man for sale" delivery is crazy cool.

Rhys was terrific everywhere you mention, and this has definitely made me even more of a fan of his. I have adored him ever since "Flight of the Conchords," and have enjoyed everything he's done, but this gave me a fresh appreciation. Stede could so easily have been a joke, but Rhys invests him with real pathos and complexity. And he's willing to push the envelope. The scene where he's absolutely begging for his life in "Act of Grace" is sort of horribly funny, poignant, and uncomfortable, because this is a moment where Stede is just absolutely begging for his life, no attempt at dignity at all, and it's honestly something I think some actors would have pulled punches on a little bit. But Rhys doesn't. And yet because he is being so absolutely vulnerable you see how destroyed Ed and the crew are (most can't bear to look, and the Swede is covering his ears). 

Quote

Scenes without the main characters (Stede and Ed for the sake of the point), are equally as riveting as those with them. The scenes where Roach tries to cut off Lucius's finger and the pyramid scheme plot are two that come to mind. This is a great example of how the show's side characters are developed and not one note. They can stand on their own which leads to a richer viewing experience and significantly expands the number of potential plots for future episodes.

Oh, 100%. I was especially invested in Lucius (I just love him so much), who is basically for me the heart of the show -- the Greek chorus, the observer, the person who handholds both Ed and Stede through their moments of heartbreak. Which is why it hurts me so much that Ed attempts to kill Lucius in the end (HE DOESN'T SUCCEED! TALK TO THE HAND!) -- because I really think he cared about Lucius, and he can't stand that Lucius saw him at his lowest and most vulnerable like that.

I also loved Frenchie, Pete, Roach, the Swede, and Mary (who thankfully wasn't a villain, just someone else as trapped as Stede was). And adored Jim's story, and Vico Ortiz invested them with so much intensity and vulnerability. Even Izzy was complicated (and wonderfully acted) -- I actually feel there's a closeted aspect to Izzy, and that there was a part of him that did kind of seem to have complicated feelings for Lucius? 

Quote

When Chauncey confronts Frenchie about the flag and asks, "What is this?" Frenchie's delivery, "That's bad ass is what that is" makes me laugh. His backstory leading to his pyramid scheme at the dinner party is really great especially his delivery of "they're such dicks about the fucking spoons" is is funny.

It's awesome! AND SO TRUE! It's like, "THEY'RE JUST SPOONS, PEOPLE."

Quote

I really hope they renew this show.

They have to. Aside from its being a huge hit, Jenkins has implied that several other networks have already made offers if HBO Max doesn't renew, so I do feel very hopeful that it can live on.

My one worry is Taika -- I just don't know how that man is going to be able to schedule involvement in season 2 anytime soon with the incredibly huge workload he's juggling. I hope I'm wrong -- it isn't the same show without Ed/Blackbeard. It just isn't.

19 hours ago, angora said:

I forgot to say earlier, something else I really love about the Ed/Stede relationship is how damn DYNAMIC it is. I think part of the reason that people continue to gravitate towards non-canon slash pairings, even as LGBTQ representation is slowly increasing, is that too many canon same-sex pairings feature watered-down storytelling.  A number of stories still lean into "I've never felt this way about another man/woman before, I don't know if I can do this, what will people think?" as a main source of drama, and plenty of others don't really have drama at all, instead giving us blandly-pleasant background couples that don't have a lot going on. People ship non-canon pairings because they're exciting, meaty, and complex, the kind of romances they'd want to see onscreen. (And, well, fans are going to ship attractive characters with each other. It's what they do.)

Ed/Stede is fantastic because it has all the complexity and drama of a non-canon ship paired with explicit onscreen confirmation involving declarations of love and physical intimacy. Both characters are equally capable of bringing the drama and the hilarity, and they're magnetic together. I just love watching the dance they do over the course of the season as their friendship slowly becomes more. I love the cute/sweet moments between them, like the "co-captains" conversation, every moment of "Blackbeard's Bar and Grill, etc.", and the way they open up to each other on the beach. But I also love a depressed Stede holding a fake spyglass to his eye as he watches Ed with Calico Jack, and I love the utter desperation in Ed's voice when he shouts, "Act of grace!!!" as they're about to execute Stede. I very much do NOT love Ed's dark turn at the end of the season, but it's compelling as hell, and I badly need to know what's going to happen next and how both he and Stede will react when they find each other again.

This is beautifully put, and so true! (Boldfacing in your quote is mine for emphasis.)

I was trying to tell a friend of mine the other day the ways in which this show feels so distinctly different as a production. The writing beats are not what typical American TV viewers are led to expect here for exactly the reasons you mention, for instance. I really feel like 99% of other productions would have made the Ed/Stede exploration that specific thing, the "Oh, these feelings are so new, this is so exotic and forbidden, what am I feeling?" thing. (Which to me is queerbaiting, and one of the things that frustrated me about "Killing Eve," although I enjoyed the first 3 seasons as a guilty pleasure anyway. Haven't watched the final one.)

On that note, I also love the way OFMD dismantles toxic masculinity -- but again, it does so in much more complex, sideways (less obvious) approaches, than another show would have.

What I think is tricky and yet so lovely is what you point out here, that the men's feelings for each other deepen, but there is no ambivalence or coming-to-terms with "OMG, feely feelings for another man!" I mean, Ed openly leans in to kiss Stede in E5, hesitates mainly because Stede is hesitant and surprised, but they both look back at one another and it is just so sweet and open. Yes, Ed is conflicted about Stede -- because he is a PIRATE and he's conflicted about whether to be fearsome Blackbeard or sweet Ed, not because he is bothered by his emotions for another man. And that's incredibly cool for me. 

Meanwhile, Stede always reads to me as someone who has simply never felt these things at all -- to me he is very much on the ace spectrum (I'm demi, so I see a lot of that in him) -- what he feels for Ed isn't exotic because he's feeling love for a man, it's because he's feeling romantic love at all, and that is an utterly new thing for him. If that makes sense?

It's all incredibly complex for this little gem of a show that I think so many people (some critics included) have dismissed as a silly little confection while missing SO much of its depth!

Quote

I also badly need Lucius to be alive. Any boat on this show can cross any body of water in whatever amount of time the show desires, so he totally could've been picked up by another ship, right? Or hung on somewhere to the Revenge?

YES, please! Poor darling Lucius has to be okay.

Quote

I bet it was a hell of a ride to watch it all unfold unspoiled, and I also bet that made your first rewatch spectacular, revisiting all those great moments between them knowing they were actually going to "go there!"

It was amazing. Absolutely incredible.

The thing is, I am the shipper of the universe, as I mentioned upthread. Put two unrelated adults in a room within one foot of each other on a great show? And I am almost always going to ship the crap out of them.

But I missed this one, in the best way. I just kept watching and thinking I had to be mistaken. They couldn't be this open about these two men's feelings, could they? YES THEY COULD!

So every rewatch has delighted me with all the additional little moments I didn't notice the first time -- especially those in the performances. How handsome Stede looks when he softly tells Ed he wears fine things well. Ed's caress of the silk at his lapel. The foot touch. Every single  quiet, gentle moment Taika invests in their conversations on the bed and on the shore in E9. Stede's realization to Mary. Etc.

I really think this show is incredibly brave and beautiful and free in its inclusivity and acceptance and for the matter-of-fact and wonderfully various ways it depicts love, gender, romance, and sexuality. It ultimately becomes a haven, a fantasy world that is sort of cartoonishly violent, but at its heart that big old ship is just full of misfits basking in their found family and acceptance.

I'm just head over heels for the show. (Obviously!)

[Catfi9ht]

50 minutes ago, paramitch said:

And let's hear for the hair, makeup & costume people!

Yes! I was going to say that and forgot. The wigs and beards are really great. Leslie Jones's hair and wig was a standout for me.

53 minutes ago, paramitch said:

Which is why it hurts me so much that Ed attempts to kill Lucius in the end (HE DOESN'T SUCCEED! TALK TO THE HAND!) -- because I really think he cared about Lucius, and he can't stand that Lucius saw him at his lowest and most vulnerable like that.

Completely agree. It was the most emotional choice to make out of the crew.

54 minutes ago, paramitch said:

I actually feel there's a closeted aspect to Izzy, and that there was a part of him that did kind of seem to have complicated feelings for Lucius? 

I noticed during my rewatch that after Izzy catches Black Pete and Lucius, he calls Lucius a homophobic slur instead of using his name every time he talks to Lucius after that. He definitely comes across as self-loathing to me.

58 minutes ago, paramitch said:

I also love the way OFMD dismantles toxic masculinity -- but again, it does so in much more complex, sideways (less obvious) approaches, than another show would have.

It starts out smashing gender norms. The discussion about sewing starts out as "women's work" then makes a U-turn into bad ass when Roach shows the scar on his arm. The crew settles into sewing pretty quickly. Wee John mentions making clothing for his mom and everyone in general is pretty proud of their own flag designs.

1 hour ago, paramitch said:

Stede always reads to me as someone who has simply never felt these things at all -- to me he is very much on the ace spectrum (I'm demi, so I see a lot of that in him) -- what he feels for Ed isn't exotic because he's feeling love for a man, it's because he's feeling romantic love at all

Agreed. I saw this on Twitter and in my rewatch I noticed Stede and Mary never kiss even at their wedding and Stede only touches Mary on her shoulder and holds her hand at their wedding. It completely tracks with Stede being ace until Mary explains what love feels like.

1 hour ago, paramitch said:

I really think this show is incredibly brave and beautiful and free in its inclusivity and acceptance and for the matter-of-fact and wonderfully various ways it depicts love, gender, romance, and sexuality. It ultimately becomes a haven, a fantasy world that is sort of cartoonishly violent, but at its heart that big old ship is just full of misfits basking in their found family and acceptance.

Other than "cartoonishly violent", I would say this accurately describes Schitt's Creek as well. It's the only other show I can think of that described love in a true-to-life manner instead of fictional and idealized.

1 hour ago, paramitch said:

The writing beats are not what typical American TV viewers are led to expect here

Not to be that gal, but I think it's because the vast majority of TV is written by cis het white men. Add on top of that, most network execs don't want to take chances. They'd rather invest in known content which is why I think Netflix's sub count is dropping. They're cancelling shows too quickly even ones that have loyal viewers. When someone else is given the helm and a network steps outside its comfort zone, we get amazingly creative and diverse shows.

I've seen Twitter posts stating the only straight relationship in the show is Carl and Olivia, claiming both Mary and Doug are bi. I haven't seen anything to indicate either of them are bi, but there may be hints or signs I've missed. Thoughts?

[P2C2E]

I'm rewatching because it took me a few episodes to get hooked so I know I missed things. Something I missed the first time, although in hindsight it should've been obvious, is during the tea party with the English in episode 1. I thought all the pirates dressed up as English nobleman, but it was only the white crew (minus Wee John, maybe because nothing fit him). The non white crew were all playing servants and the English were hella racist. And you can see the crew visibly uncomfortable, not just in trying to be "mannered" but also because they feel that racism and hate it. Jim finally breaks that tension with a gorgeous knife throw through the teacup and into an asshole's hand.

Also, I don't think we get much backstory on Lucius, but it seems like he was not a pirate previously but was hired by Stede as a biographer/valet. There's his education level and, at least in the first episode, his distaste of violence. I think his clothing was a bit nicer too.

God I love this show.

[paramitch]

It's so great to have some kindred spirits on the show here! I just don't understand why this topic doesn't have a hundred posters. The show is so wonderful, and the closer you look, the richer and more thoughtful it gets. The details are honestly incredible.

For instance, in the "Fuckery" episode -- a poster on Reddit alerted me that the song Swede is singing is a Mozart aria, "Voi Che Sapete," from The Marriage of Figaro. In it, Cherubino is a young man experiencing first love, and he says, most notably:

You who know what love is
Ladies, see if I have it in my heart
I'll tell you what I'm feeling
It's new for me, and I understand nothing

I mean, OH MY GOD. It's such a brilliant little detail! And directly echoes Stede's conversation with Mary in Episode 10 when he literally asks her to tell him what love is and what it feels like (and if he has it in his heart).

Meanwhile, in the moment (during "Fuckery"), Stede hears this song, turns to Ed (his true love), and goes, "This is my cue."

Not only that, but the Swede there is singing a siren song to awaken the "Kraken." Then later, Ed's love and loss of Stede, literally turns him back into the Kraken, his cruel inner alter-ego.

On 5/11/2022 at 5:20 PM, Catfi9ht said:

It starts out smashing gender norms. The discussion about sewing starts out as "women's work" then makes a U-turn into bad ass when Roach shows the scar on his arm. The crew settles into sewing pretty quickly. Wee John mentions making clothing for his mom and everyone in general is pretty proud of their own flag designs.

I liked the show's handling of this, although I did wish they had leaned a little more historically -- sailors were pretty much ALL expected to be able to sew, and routinely did sew (and disassemble and resew) their slops and daily attire (even British Navy sailors were expected to have the skill). Sailors or pressed landsmen who didn't have the skill were assigned buddies or mentors to teach them to do it.

Quote

In my rewatch I noticed Stede and Mary never kiss even at their wedding and Stede only touches Mary on her shoulder and holds her hand at their wedding. It completely tracks with Stede being ace until Mary explains what love feels like.

One thing I love here is look at poor Stede's touch to Mary! He is literally doing everything he can to touch her as little as possible here! Not just a shoulder touch, but the very very tip of his fingers. It's a fantastic detail.

Quote

Other than "cartoonishly violent", I would say this accurately describes Schitt's Creek as well. It's the only other show I can think of that described love in a true-to-life manner instead of fictional and idealized.

Oh, I love Schitt's Creek so much! And David and Stevie's conversation about wine in order to describe his pansexuality is one of the most beautiful and nuanced pieces of dialogue for me ever on TV. It's just perfect. I loved the show.

Quote

Not to be that gal, but I think it's because the vast majority of TV is written by cis het white men. Add on top of that, most network execs don't want to take chances. They'd rather invest in known content which is why I think Netflix's sub count is dropping. They're cancelling shows too quickly even ones that have loyal viewers. When someone else is given the helm and a network steps outside its comfort zone, we get amazingly creative and diverse shows.

I agree with all of the above. Especially how, when we do get genuinely diverse and judgment-free content, it feels like such a huge relief because, for once, it doesn't all feel like it's coming from the same place (or person).

I admit that I am a little anxious about the status of OFMD because of the fact that it's this incredible little inclusive gem unlike any other, so the change in ownership with HBO has me worried, and I'm concerned about Taika's schedule too (I'm worried if they don't commit soon he literally won't have time for years to actually do the work). But fingers crossed.

Quote

I've seen Twitter posts stating the only straight relationship in the show is Carl and Olivia, claiming both Mary and Doug are bi. I haven't seen anything to indicate either of them are bi, but there may be hints or signs I've missed. Thoughts?

Hmm. While I could totally see Mary being flexible on that front (or more flexible than she was initially aware of), especially given her female support group after Stede's "death," to me the show goes out of its way to show that Mary is pretty apparently heterosexual -- unless I missed a moment with one of her group members? But I haven't seen anything that seemed fraught to me (beyond their concern for her and Widow Higgins being an awesome militant feminist).

I didn't see anything with Doug either, really, beyond him being a sweet guy? I did think it was funny -- there was a moment in E10, when Stede was serving Mary breakfast in bed (from Doug), and the three of them were just hanging out together, that I kind of chuckled and got a sweet poly vibe from them. But not in a sexual way. Just that they had all three become a very cute family unit. I loved how instantly Doug appeared to support and understand that Stede wished them well.

But most of the characters on the show I would agree appear to be on the LGBTQ+ spectrum in this wonderful, fluid way. For instance, I definitely thought Jackie had great chemistry with Jim (and was definitely interested in them that way at least in passing).

On 5/11/2022 at 11:43 PM, P2C2E said:

I'm rewatching because it took me a few episodes to get hooked so I know I missed things.

Something I missed the first time, although in hindsight it should've been obvious, is during the tea party with the English in episode 1. I thought all the pirates dressed up as English nobleman, but it was only the white crew (minus Wee John, maybe because nothing fit him). The non white crew were all playing servants and the English were hella racist. And you can see the crew visibly uncomfortable, not just in trying to be "mannered" but also because they feel that racism and hate it. Jim finally breaks that tension with a gorgeous knife throw through the teacup and into an asshole's hand.

I missed a lot of that the first time too! It also very much foreshadows and mirrors the racism of the French nobles in "The Best Revenge is Dressing Well" (E5) and how our gang turns the tables on them. I love how Frenchie, Olu, and the servant Abshir are all so elegant, brilliant, and eloquent in that episode, while the openly racist nobles come across as coarse, buffoonish, and gullible.

I also think it's a wonderful touch that Frenchie, who is more urbane than Olu (who is visibly a little nervous) doesn't take center stage, but uses the moment to make OLU royalty, not him, so that all these racist French nobles are suddenly bowing and scraping to Olu, kissing his hand, etc. It's just a really nice, subtle moment that Frenchie is doing something nice for Olu there while also humiliating the nobles.

And the fact that Olu then gives all their winnings to Abshir and the servants -- all of them also people of color -- so that they can leave the ship and escape the racism (and what I'm assuming is a lot of mistreatment) is a further nice little touch. 

Quote

Also, I don't think we get much backstory on Lucius, but it seems like he was not a pirate previously but was hired by Stede as a biographer/valet. There's his education level and, at least in the first episode, his distaste of violence. I think his clothing was a bit nicer too.

This is a great detail. I agree that Lucius appears to have been a personal, "non-pirate" hire by Stede. Lucius is visibly not interested in doing any of the pirate stuff, is horrified by the grotesqueness and violence (especially in the early episodes), and he openly refers to his job as scribe several times too (and it's easy to miss, though). 

I also love the subtle fact that Lucius appears to be easily the best-loved crew member on the ship -- after just one sketching session he has totally disarmed Fang (who is so adorably thrilled to be sketched!), who just a few episodes later calls him "Our Beloved Lucius" when holding the funeral at sea for Lucius's finger (and the whole crew is there and very invested in the ceremony)!

Lucius also appears to be the youngest crew member, and it's a nice detail that he is frequently referred to as "the boy" by both Ed and even Izzy. In the final scene with Ed, Izzy asks if he should call "the boy" to take notes, and that's when Ed responds that there's no need, that Lucius is dead. (AND OH NO HE'S NOT! {SNIFFLE})

Quote

God I love this show.

Me too! So much. I'm kind of obsessed right now. It's just giving me the energy I need in an especially toxic and troubling time on the world stage (especially for women, the LGBTQ+ community, people of color, etc.). I definitely wouldn't mind sailing off on a nice pirate ship that "killed people with kindness" right now. As long as there was wi-fi. 

Edited May 13, 2022 by paramitch
Forgot something

[paramitch]

I noticed something, and I have since realized that other fans already noticed it, but it really struck me powerfully -- the fact that once Stede and Ed switch clothing in episode 4, even when they switch back, Ed silently continues to wear Stede's black cravat (the black scarf at his neck). And the more I thought about it, to me it is the silent symbol of Ed's true feelings -- his love for Stede.

I mean, Ed wear Stede's cravat in almost every single scene and episode to follow, all the way through Episode 9, after he saves Stede with the "Act of Grace." Stede wears the cravat briefly in the French party episode but then it goes back to Ed.

And for me it's noteworthy that Ed only removes the cravat when he shaves off his beard later in E9, where he not only demonstrates a new sense of calmness and peace we've never seen from him before, but he also -- within moments of this revelation -- is able to quietly declare his love to Stede, and we get their kiss, and Stede's sweet reciprocation.

But of course, Stede leaves, and poor Ed is devastated as E10 starts. Yet he is still "Ed," still open about his love and loss of Stede, so he is still not wearing Stede's cravat. He only puts it back on at the very end, once he has (outwardly) become his cruel "Blackbeard" persona again -- when, once again, his love for Stede must lie beneath the surface, unspoken.

Am I reading too much into this? Probably. But this show's attention to detail is so incredible, I really think it's true (or I enjoy thinking it is).

I did a goofy graphic on this, because I'm not obsessed with the show. Nope. Not at all. I can stop watching anytime.

ALSO: The other awesome part? MARY wears a cravat too -- and her cravat becomes looser and looser until in the end she is no longer wearing one at all! This show, man.

But what do you think?

[Catfi9ht]

10 hours ago, paramitch said:

But what do you think?

This is oblivious of me but I didn't notice until I saw this tweet posted. 

I think I was so focused on the BlackBeard makeup that my eyes didn't move downward. In my defense though, it looks like Ed's beard and hair covered it throughout most of the episodes. :)

But, I agree with you. The show does alot of little touches with the wardrobe and costuming to enhance the story or provide additional context or background info implicitly. All of my favorite shows usually have that trait. When all the cast and crew work together to enrich the story, it warms my tiny, cold heart.

Also, I followed you on Twitter! Feel free to hit me up there. We can swoon together.

[cuppasun]

On 5/5/2022 at 11:27 AM, paramitch said:

OMG, I posted a big wall-of-text post here (complete with quotes! So many quotes!) and it appears to have... evaporated? AGHGHG!

Aw, man. I was eloquent! I swear! (sobs)

ANYWAY. I loved this. I mean, y'all, I have watched the entire thing three times in two weeks. Sure, that is still only 15 hours of entertainment across 3 weeks, so that's not so bad, but also maybe I watched it more than that? (sheepish)

So yeah, I loved it. Loved it. My single favorite new show I saw this year.

What a funny, sweet, smart, goofy, and ultimately incredibly inclusive and moving show! I love the way it's about people searching for a place to belong as they try to be brave enough to discover who they really are. There's no judgment (or barely any mention) of race, gender, or orientation in the diverse characters at all, and it's so rare and effortless. The cast is terrific, but it's Rhys Darby as the sweetly hilarious Stede -- and especially Taika Waititi as Blackbeard who make the show. I've always liked Waititi but he's absolutely superb here in his best and most complex performance to date -- by turns sly, witty, ferocious, scary, vulnerable, and devastatingly poignant.

The show moved me so much, and also (as a bonus) provided me with hours of Taika Waititi with long hair and beard, and dressed fetchingly in black pirate leathers (evidently this is one of my kinks, because HOLY SCHNIKES, my crush is at, like, embarrassing levels). In my first playthrough, I was so distracted by Taika that i missed plenty of plot points because I was just sitting there, shallowly gazing at him. (And in all seriousness, he gives an absolutely superb performance -- effortlessly charming, malevolent, vulnerable, hilarious, scary, and so, so moving.)

So this is easily my favorite show of the past year -- and what makes it so fricking subversive simply for its acceptance of a rich variety of characters, genders, orientations, and situations.

(Also, the show's lack of actual sailing knowledge honestly makes it extra-hilarious.)

The fact that this show -- a huge hit across the Internet, and the highest-screened show for over 6 weeks now according to several metrics -- hasn't been renewed is ridiculous.

A few favorite moments to note:

• The subversion of the heterosexual "rescue-as-tenderness" trope to forge the bond between Ed and Stede (Ed is instantly, visibly fascinated)
• The two men bonding over Stede's secret wardrobe (IT'S NARNIA!)
• Lucius in pretty much every scene ever (but especially: "Actually, I think I'm just so-so, but I've decided to carry myself like I'm cute.")
• Blackbeard's intense and frantic need to attend the French ship's party (Taika's frantic expressions there are wonderful)
• The "You wear fine things well" moment (and how visibly it moves Ed). And the very noticeable step-forward/almost-kiss after. And (even better) the look back by both men after. And -- best of all -- Ed's gentle hand to the "silk rose" at his heart as he walks away.
• Ed resting his head on Stede's hand after he admits he was going to betray him but Stede just wants to be his friend and forget the betrayal
• Olu and Jim's big embrace
• Lucius's tender kiss with Black Pete when he makes him the fake finger
• Blackbeard's foot-nudge to Stede when they are lying on the deck (followed by the lovely: "You came back." "I never left" (sniffle)
• The fact that Mary is shown to be just as trapped (then freed) as Stede (and love that she is a genius painter who paints all styles across history!)
• Mary's sweet reaction to Stede's realization that he is in love with Ed
• Ed and Stede's kiss, and their tender declarations to each other

So many more. I just love the show.

I did too! And yeah -- I love the way the show uses some actual nautical and historical precedent to offer us a genuinely better world despite all the cartoonish violence.

Huh? Taika's awesome! He's a fantastic guy, he supports women and LGBTQ issues, and he writes throughtful material that dares to address complex societal issues. he's a triple threat -- a terrific writer, actor, and director -- and he also genuinely doesn't care what people think (see also his poly relationship with Tessa Thompson and Rita Ora, which I think is fabulous). 

I do admit that sometimes his sense of humor can skew edgy, and that he can sometimes speak off the cuff in a "oh honey don't say it like that" way, but I think he's a genuinely good guy, and a bona fide artist.

I get this on the surface, but:

1. Technicalities: It's not a heterosexual kiss. Jim is a nonbinary character played by a NB actor so it's technically pansexual. And then you add in the racial diversity of their coupling plus the non-judgmental size differentials and I adore it.

2. Realism: I love Ed's soft, awkward kiss with Stede. I love the surprise of it (it absolutely knocked me over in the best way) and I also loved it because it is not Hollywoodish and staged. I love that they aren't eating each other alive (not to be prudish, but, for instance, I love "Ted Lasso" but EVERY ONE of Keeley's kisses in that are like she's trying to permanently swallow the actor's tongue and I'm just, like, ugh). 

So for me, I love how awkward, sweet and real the kiss is. I love that it doesn't look like a perfect movie kiss. It looks like a surprise to both of them and that moves me so much (to me, Stede has never had a kiss of real love or passion, which is also why it's so awkward and tender). And both actors played it so gently and sweetly, and Ed just looks so truly moved and vulnerable. I really think that Stede has never had a kiss like that, ever -- for me, it appears like he felt very little physically beyond duty (as far as Mary previously).

And then we get Stede admitting, in his arms, "You make me happy too," and oh my God. I loved it.

They can give me a hotter kiss next season, darn it. But meanwhile, I loved this one.

It's a direct homage to "Game of Thrones" by showrunner Jenkins -- which I love because it's so true and cracked me up. The result is that everyone in a rowboat in this show can basically cross oceans and get anywhere they need to go. And I love it so much!

Thanks for sharing this! I instantly followed him (and learned a lot about orange cakes), and I love that you mention The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, because they do totally share a sense of chaos, violence and yet an almost fairytale gentleness.

I love it so much. And most of all, I love that orientation and gender are barely mentioned, and when they are, it's more of a comedy moment involving clarification or the villain. Otherwise everyone is utterly fine with everyone being and loving whoever they wish to. It's incredibly beautiful and anti-toxic, especially in the world as it is right now. Gah.

Right? WHY is it not renewed? It's a HUGE hit! Sigh.

Literally everything you said, every word, every thought, every quote, every analysis, for all your posts. If I tried to write my own post, I'd look like a plagiarizer. Are you me? Is this the matrix? 

I'm up to my...6th? I think? rewatch. So there's that. I tell the cat how scary he is with those knives in his feet all the time now. And the foot touch always makes me shriek (the cat runs away now when he can tell it's coming, lol). And "his name is Ed" always makes me cry. Or at least well up. And I'm revisiting my youth in a big way playing Fleetwood Mac's Rumours album over and over. (I keep waiting for someone to make an Izzy Hands compilation video to Oh Daddy off that album. It's kind of perfect. Honestly, I have a head theory that David Jenkins wrote a lot of the scripts with that playing in the background!)

I honestly won't relax until a season 2 confirmation is announced.

Thanks for the fabulous reads, Paramitch. For however long you choose to post them, I'll be here for them.

[paramitch]

On 5/20/2022 at 6:07 AM, Catfi9ht said:

I think I was so focused on the BlackBeard makeup that my eyes didn't move downward. In my defense though, it looks like Ed's beard and hair covered it throughout most of the episodes. :)

But, I agree with you. The show does alot of little touches with the wardrobe and costuming to enhance the story or provide additional context or background info implicitly. All of my favorite shows usually have that trait. When all the cast and crew work together to enrich the story, it warms my tiny, cold heart.

Also, I followed you on Twitter! Feel free to hit me up there. We can swoon together.

Yeah, it was fun to go back and realize that the cravat really was ever-present (although not always easy to see because of Blackbeard's beard). The hair and costuming on this show is just wonderful in so many ways -- I love Stede's perfect golden locks, Ed's pretty beard (it is seriously the prettiest beard ever), Lucius's sideburns, ALL of Ed's hairstyles (seriously, all of them), plus the little costume touches like all of Stede's gorgeous outfits (I am a huge fan of the frock coat, people, and think it needs to come back), the pirate leathers, Stede's floral robe (that Ed wears in episode 10!) or Ed's adorable mustache-bows in the French episode, etc.!

And thank you so much for following me! I'll absolutely follow back.

On 5/20/2022 at 4:39 PM, cuppasun said:

Literally everything you said, every word, every thought, every quote, every analysis, for all your posts. If I tried to write my own post, I'd look like a plagiarizer. Are you me? Is this the matrix? 

I'm up to my...6th? I think? rewatch. So there's that. I tell the cat how scary he is with those knives in his feet all the time now. And the foot touch always makes me shriek (the cat runs away now when he can tell it's coming, lol). And "his name is Ed" always makes me cry. Or at least well up. And I'm revisiting my youth in a big way playing Fleetwood Mac's Rumours album over and over. (I keep waiting for someone to make an Izzy Hands compilation video to Oh Daddy off that album. It's kind of perfect. Honestly, I have a head theory that David Jenkins wrote a lot of the scripts with that playing in the background!)

I honestly won't relax until a season 2 confirmation is announced.

Thanks for the fabulous reads, Paramitch. For however long you choose to post them, I'll be here for them.

First off, thank you for the absolutely lovely compliment here! That made my millennium and was so nice of you. Hey, it's nice that we're all on this pirate ship (cough Matrix) together, darn it!

I was JUST telling a friend that cats are witches and have knives in their feet yesterday. They hadn't seen the show so were a little mystified (but admitted that it was a perfect description).

Meanwhile, I loved the foot touch too (and the "Never left!" with the wink), and the open affection and joy between the two men in that moment. I love how both of their happiness at being reunited turns what is a sad, tense scene into a weirdly lovely happy one, because they are just so happy to be together.

Speaking of the foot touch -- one thing I wanted to mention is the interesting array of responses to this show as a romance.

For instance, I got one of my best friends to watch OFMD this past week and it was so interesting -- she missed a lot of the little details that are so important to clueing us in to what we're seeing -- she missed the soft instant connection when Ed enters in E3 (seriously, Taika's entrance there is one of the hottest things I've ever seen on TV, the way he saunters in then the camera pans up) and says affectionately to Stede, "I've heard all about you," and Stede is so happy even as "Our Prayer" begins and he passes out. She missed the subtext to Ed nursing Stede through his illness, already fascinated by this guy, and the fact that Ed's very first act when Stede awakens is to gently cover Ed's hand with his own. It's a really beautiful shot, too.

She also missed the foot touch in "Act of Grace (!!)," she thought the almost-kiss in E5 was an "almost-hug" (NOPE), and she was blindsided by the kiss, and a little disappointed because she said she liked it as a friendship. She's not remotely homophobic, but I do think she (like a lot of people, probably) doesn't get that this is WHY Ed and Stede's story is so important: That it isn't a friendship, it never was purely that. It was designed from moment one as a romance.

But my friend was just watching all those beats from the standard CIS het POV -- to the extent that she literally missed the main story the show had been telling.

So when she loved the show, but complained to me that "The kiss ruined a perfect friendship," my whole point back to her was, "Ed and Stede as a friendship is a story that has already been told countless times. Ed and Stede as an open ROMANCE -- which it is from the very first moment -- is a story that we haven't seen before in this way in the mainstream."

I mean, the fact that the romantic aspect is never treated with "big reveals" or the men having the usual stereotypical gay panic or "OMG, I am having feelings for ANOTHER MAN!" is why OFMD is so unique and lovely. But it's interesting how many people didn't know what kind of story they were watching until E9. (And even then, it's sort of darkly hilarious how many reviews and websites have still insisted on calling Ed and Stede's relationship a "friendship.")

Sorry for the soapbox!

Edited May 23, 2022 by paramitch
missing word

[BetterButter]

‘Our Flag Means Death’ Renewed for Season 2 at HBO Max

[badhaggis]

12 minutes ago, BetterButter said:

‘Our Flag Means Death’ Renewed for Season 2 at HBO Max

There was much rejoicing in the Haggis household!!

[angora]

Yes!! So happy this wonderful show is coming back!

On 5/11/2022 at 5:56 PM, paramitch said:

Meanwhile, Stede always reads to me as someone who has simply never felt these things at all -- to me he is very much on the ace spectrum (I'm demi, so I see a lot of that in him) -- what he feels for Ed isn't exotic because he's feeling love for a man, it's because he's feeling romantic love at all, and that is an utterly new thing for him. If that makes sense?

That's not something I picked up when I was watching, but in hindsight, I can definitely see that. Sailing on the Revenge already brings Stede to life in a way that staying home with Mary never could, but when he's with Ed, he absolutely lights up. It's just lovely to watch.

Going along with that, another of the (many) things I appreciate about the Ed/Stede relationship is the time it takes to show HOW and WHY they're falling for each other. I'm aromantic and ace, and I get so bored of ships that boil down to, "He/she's hot, commence the salivating!" With many a fictional couple, I get hung up on wondering what they can possible do together or talk about when they're not having sex. With Stede and Ed, there's attraction, but there's also fascination, admiration, and respect. Ed is delighted by Stede's aristocratic quirks when no one else is, and they both show one another their respective worlds, Stede teaching Ed about finery and Ed teaching Stede about piracy. They make each other laugh, they comfort each other at low moments, and they constantly have fun together. Okay, now I'm basically just repeating Mary's speech from the season finale, but it's kind of amazing how noteworthy that depiction is--for ANY couple, both cishet and LGBTQ.

[Dancingjaneway]

3 hours ago, BetterButter said:

‘Our Flag Means Death’ Renewed for Season 2 at HBO Max

What a wonderful way to start Pride month! 

[paramitch]

HUZZAH! We get a season 2! I was so excited at the announcement I was basically just shrieking pterodactyl noises.

On 6/1/2022 at 10:36 AM, BetterButter said:

‘Our Flag Means Death’ Renewed for Season 2 at HBO Max

Biscuits, marmalade, and tea with seven sugars for everyone!

On 6/1/2022 at 10:47 AM, badhaggis said:

There was much rejoicing in the Haggis household!!

Mine too!

On 6/1/2022 at 1:40 PM, angora said:

That's not something I picked up when I was watching, but in hindsight, I can definitely see that. Sailing on the Revenge already brings Stede to life in a way that staying home with Mary never could, but when he's with Ed, he absolutely lights up. It's just lovely to watch.

Going along with that, another of the (many) things I appreciate about the Ed/Stede relationship is the time it takes to show HOW and WHY they're falling for each other. I'm aromantic and ace, and I get so bored of ships that boil down to, "He/she's hot, commence the salivating!" With many a fictional couple, I get hung up on wondering what they can possible do together or talk about when they're not having sex. With Stede and Ed, there's attraction, but there's also fascination, admiration, and respect. Ed is delighted by Stede's aristocratic quirks when no one else is, and they both show one another their respective worlds, Stede teaching Ed about finery and Ed teaching Stede about piracy. They make each other laugh, they comfort each other at low moments, and they constantly have fun together. Okay, now I'm basically just repeating Mary's speech from the season finale, but it's kind of amazing how noteworthy that depiction is--for ANY couple, both cishet and LGBTQ.

Oh, I love what you describe here so much.

I just realized I'm demisexual over the past year or two, so I'm on the ace spectrum, and it was an incredible revelation for me. It finally made sense to me why I never really understood "Sex and the City!" (I mean, OH MY GOD, it just all looked so tiring and uncomfortable and intrusive, all that instant intimacy!)

I especially appreciate your addressing the "fascination, admiration, and respect" on both sides when it comes to Ed and Stede. Both of them are fascinated with each other before they meet, and when Ed rescues Stede at the end of Episode 3 (and Taika's entrance there is seriously so  charismatic-- it's a long, slow walk into frame as the camera pans up, and it manages to be glamorous versus prurient or objectifying). But the kicker is that look on Ed's face when Stede asks, "You've heard of me?" and Ed just smiles, and it's genuinely warm and amused, already flirtatious: "Oh, I've heard all about you." And then Stede falls into this kind of swoon as "Our Prayer" begins -- Ed is, here, already, the answer to Stede's prayers. He just doesn't know it yet.

One of my favorite aspects to their relationship is that it's just as much about how much they like each other as it is about the development of love and attraction. We get so many weird and wonderful, genuinely funny or poignant moments that are about emotional intimacy, this feeling that they understand each other, they just get each other -- from their first playful exploration of Stede's closet (wonderful subtext), to all the hangouts and conversations, tea and brandy discussions, the ways in which they both frequently speak the same thoughts at the same time, it's just lovely. The fact that the emotional moments are so important, like Ed confessing to Stede about the plan to kill him in the tub, telling him he doesn't deserve to go to "doggy heaven" (and then resting his cheek against Stede's hand after the confession, which always kills me), and how that intimacy just continues to grow in this very relaxed, naturalistic way.

Like, I love the fact that Lucius realizes "Oh my God, this is HAPPENING" between Stede and Ed because of the adorable "I'd come to your restaurant" conversation, which as always with the two men, is playful and imaginative -- both men are dreamers and they enjoy that about each other, and the fact that it ends with Stede picking a bit of food out of Ed's beard. Neither of them find this weird but it's Lucius who understands that this intimacy is a reflection of something much bigger (and I think he knows this before either of them, although I think Ed realizes his feelings during the desperate "Act of Grace" scene. Whereas I think Stede is genuinely clueless about his own feelings until (1) the kiss, and (2) the talk with Mary. And even then it's, "Oh wow, I'm in love!" versus, "Oh wow, I'm in love with another man!" if that makes sense. And that's so refreshing. That's the world I want to live in.

One of my favorite things about David Jenkins's story here is that he insisted that there would never be any scenes of any of the characters "coming out" in any stereotypical or "Eureka!" ways. He refused to include any kind of gay panic or all too common "OMG, I'm in love with a man!" moments. And that made this show so amazing for me -- to see Jim's NB identification readily accepted by everyone (after the funny "Are you a mermaid?" conversation where they wrap their minds around it), to see Lucius and Pete together so happily, to see Ed express his feelings so gently and it's just "I love you," not "I love you in spite of myself!" or that BS, etc.

I wish I was saying all of this better, but I just treasure the show for so many reasons.

On 6/1/2022 at 1:42 PM, Dancingjaneway said:

What a wonderful way to start Pride month! 

Right?? I was so thrilled. I also loved seeing all of the cast's reactions across social media (and Taika was, of course, slightly naughty -- he included, er, several eggplants and other emojis and it was really, really funny)! And especially Samba, because he has been such a champion of the show and so interactive with fans (oh, so many 40-Orange Cakes).

Edited June 4, 2022 by paramitch
FORTY ORANGE CAKES! Not FOUR! (facepalm)

[AnimeMania]

'Our Flag Means Death' Season 2: Taika Waititi Reveals Production Start Date [Exclusive]

“We start filming hopefully I think by October, and we’re gonna shoot in New Zealand. We shot the last one in LA. Weird place to try and do something all on the ocean, so we’re gonna go down to New Zealand which is surrounded by it. That’s one of the things I’m most excited about for the next year.”

[paramitch]

22 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

'Our Flag Means Death' Season 2: Taika Waititi Reveals Production Start Date [Exclusive]

“We start filming hopefully I think by October, and we’re gonna shoot in New Zealand. We shot the last one in LA. Weird place to try and do something all on the ocean, so we’re gonna go down to New Zealand which is surrounded by it. That’s one of the things I’m most excited about for the next year.”

So excited! Some other interesting hints and goofy predictions based on social media posts from the cast about next season:

• Taika says he won't wear the full Blackbeard beard again, that it was torture and he hated it. Which I'm devastated at, because good GOD I found that man hot with the beard. Ed sauntered into Episode 3 and my tongue unrolled like a party favor. But Taika hinted that he is growing a beard for real, instead, so that works for me. Also, apparently Taika is marrying someone who isn't me (Rita Ora), but I'll get over it somehow.
• Coincidentally, Rhys Darby IS ALSO growing a beard! Hmmm... I'm guessing it's to show Stede's evolution as a pirate. It's a fun flip on the situation -- Ed loses his beard but Stede gains one!
• I'm convinced sweet Lucius is back. Nathan Foad is being adorably coy on Twitter, so I am definitely telling myself that Lucius is fine (FINE, dammit)!
• Fun bit of trivia -- my playwriting group leader is also an Off-Broadway director, and he worked with Matthew Maher (Black Pete) several years back. When I saw his latest website update and saw Matthew I was absolutely tickled, and informed him of OFMD and how excited the fandom is.
• It's interesting -- Guz Khan made an announcement that he would not be returning as Ivan a few weeks back, implying first that he had a scheduling conflict, but then implying it might not have been voluntary. So there's now a ginormous petition to get him back on the show (which he's retweeting, so I guess he does want to come back).

Edited June 10, 2022 by paramitch

[paramitch]

Some fun media links and discussions on the show, if you're in the mood, below. Tor's analyses are especially lovely and thoughtful:

The Queer Joy of "Our Flag Means Death"
https://www.tor.com/2022/04/06/the-queer-joy-of-our-flag-means-death/

Act of Grace: Masculinity, Monstrosity, and Queer Catharsis in Our Flag Means Death
https://www.tor.com/2022/04/25/act-of-grace-masculinity-monstrosity-and-queer-catharsis-in-our-flag-means-death/

Love and Piracy: On the Importance of Queer Romantic Fantasy (Tor.com)
https://www.tor.com/2022/05/23/queer-romantic-fantasy-and-our-flag-means-death/

All the Needle Drops in Our Flag Means Death
https://www.tor.com/2022/04/28/lets-rank-all-the-needledrops-in-our-flag-means-death/

How 'Our Flag Means Death' Uses Piracy to Denounce Toxic Masculinity
https://collider.com/our-flag-means-death-piracy-toxic-masculinity-explained/

How ‘Our Flag Means Death’ embraces fanfiction tropes
https://xtramagazine.com/culture/our-flag-means-death-fanfiction-221914

5 Historical Inaccuracies in 'Our Flag Means Death' (And Why They Work) -- COLLIDER
https://collider.com/historical-inaccuracies-in-our-flag-means-death-and-why-they-work/?fbclid=IwAR1TpXjzyr-e8CdAzZFkb6GGaTRfLDpn57Is3Hm8wlSL4bYDzJzWqkP3zf8

How Our Flag Means Death Could Redeem Izzy Hands in Season 2 (CBR)
https://www.cbr.com/our-flag-means-death-izzy-hands-redemption/?fbclid=IwAR3y21lhrgjRrKqH9DvOrH9pPXnc8eDdYLfyMpJ17TK4NiYGnjZhTMXa0t8

OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH: Actually, It Means Everything
https://www.filminquiry.com/our-flag-means-death-season-1/

The Our Flag Means Death crew breaks down the finale's tender, swashbuckling romance
https://ew.com/tv/our-flag-means-death-finale-spoilers/

There are a lot of articles out there, but these were the ones that offered some interesting analysis and insight on what makes the show such a milestone. Cheers!

[Catfi9ht]

I guess it's the first anniversary of filming. There have been a bunch of cools things on my timeline. Here are a couple favorites.

[AnimeMania]

Filming begins on Season 2