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Reviews
Our Flag Means Death: Red Flags (2023)
heartbreaking, and also very funny
Taika Waititi has shown himself in Our Flag Means Death to be a truly great actor in addition to ohis other talents, and "Red Flags" might be his best performance yet. He portrays a Blackbeard who's hit rock bottom, and in the depths of despair he's lashing out at everyone else around him - both those who deserve it and those who don't. It's all a cry for help, but the one person who understands him enough to hear it isn't there.
Meanwhile, Stede is on Zheng Yi Sao's ship, learning about Zheng's Red Flag Fleet. He reunites with an old friend and learns about what Blackbeard's been up to, and touchingly his love never wavers. And Oluwande begins to build a tentative, touching relationship with Zheng.
Our Flag Means Death: The Innkeeper (2023)
worth waiting for
It's hard to say much about this episode, which functions as a triumphant culmination of everything the show set up back in season one, without spoilers, but I'm going to do my best here. The two unwillingly separated crews finally reunite here, and couples like Jim and Oluwande and Lucius and Black Pete have to work through what's happened to them while they've been apart. (The Lucius and Pete stuff was well done, but Jim and Oluwande's scenes left their current relationship status oddly unclear; I'm left wondering if there was some cut material that would have clarified things.) Ed, separated from the rest of the group, confronts a figure from his past and reveals some of the deep-seated emotional issues that have been driving him all along. Stede shows the core of emotional strength that's been in him all along, establishes that he understands Ed far better than anyone gave him credit for, and it all leads up to a shatteringly romantic reunion for the two of them that against all odds manages to be worthy of the cliffhanger that ended season one. I'm not sure what else to say about this, except that it might be my single favorite episode of a show I love deeply.
Our Flag Means Death: Fun and Games (2023)
a long-awaited reunion
At long last, Rhys Darby and Taika Waititi are finally able to act together in the same scene again, and it's a huge relief for those of us who've been waiting for their reunion since their tragic and upsetting breakup in the cliffhanger that ended season one. I'm thankful that the show wasn't interested in dragging things out any further than that, though - it's eager to get back into the messy work of repairing their relationship by pairing them with a couple of Blackbeard's old friends, who show them a distressing portrait of how a long-term relationship can end up. Meanwhile, back on the ship, the crew is doing the equally messy job of coming back together and recovering from the trauma they've been through - and showing that for all his silliness, Stede's ideals really have had a profound effect on them, forging them into a community strong enough to reach out to someone who's done nothing to deserve it and transform him by that act of grace.
Our Flag Means Death: The Curse of the Seafaring Life (2023)
absolute banger
At long last, Stede and Blackbeard are finally friends again - back on the same ship, no longer at odds, and inching back toward the burgeoning romance they had in season one. It's a delight - and, honestly, a relief - to see Rhys Darby and Taika Waititi's chemistry back in play, and they work back up to a big relationship moment that doubles as a terribly sweet callback to one of their most memorable scenes together from season one.
They spend a big chunk of the episode apart, though. Blackbeard spends most of his time atoning for his actions toward the crew in the first few episodes in a plotline that doubles as a meditation on restorative justice. Stede teams up with Izzy to learn a few things about piracy (in some scenes I was surprised to find a bit boring; I was really excited for the dynamic they'd set up in earlier episodes, but Izzy seems to have chilled out so rapidly now that his redemption arc is complete that he's become a little dull here). He manages to show both that he's come along way as a pirate captain but also that he's the same silly guy we remember from season one, and it's great to see how he's grown while staying true to himself.
Our Flag Means Death: Calypso's Birthday (2023)
really delightful
I try not to put spoilers in these reviews and it's hard to know how to approach this one without giving anything away, but there's a reason the phrase people keep using to describe Our Flag Means Death is "queer joy." There's an adorable cameo by Taika Waititi's daughters; the crew comes together for a celebration that showcases the exact vibe that made people fall in love with this show; the crew is attacked by the sort of villain who does things like tie up the two main characters on a sofa next to each other and force them to talk about their feelings; Stede and Blackbeard's relationship evolves to a new level. It's hard to ask for anything more.
Izzy gets a big moment here that's incredibly sweet and touching. However, as with a lot of his arc this season, it's beautifully acted but as far as the writing goes it feels a little unearned. He moved from where he was two episodes ago to suddenly being comfortable behaving the way he does here awfully quickly, with very little struggle or hesitation, and it doesn't entirely make sense; but as usual, Con O'Neill's outstanding performance really sells it. Still, it would have been nice to have more time for the rest of the crew to do more than stand around looking great in their party costumes.
Our Flag Means Death: Man on Fire (2023)
sweet & very funny
I know it sounds weird to describe anything in Our Flag Means Death as "realistic," but despite all the silliness and historical anachronisms the show has always cared a lot about emotional realism, and this episode really showcases it - the two lead characters' relationship is evolving fast and they both react to it in incredibly relatable if often frustrating ways. Aside from that it's also incredibly funny, with Stede returning to some of his season 1 overconfidence and cluelessness - he gets some of his best lines this season. Izzy's arc continues to be a bit rushed and I'm not sure I buy how completely and abruptly he's suddenly resolved a lot of his issues, but he gets some good lines too. Overall touching, hilarious, and a great lead-in to the finale.
Good Omens (2019)
hilarious, brilliantly acted, oddly romantic
I loved the book Good Omens years before it ever got a tv show, and I honestly thought a tv adaptation wasn't a good idea; I thought it would be hard to adapt most of what makes the book great. I shouldn't have worried: the show's brilliant and hilarious, and any weaknesses are more than compensated by casting David Tennant and Michael Sheen as Crowley and Aziraphale, a demon and angel assigned to thwart each other's plans on Earth, who gradually find that they care far more about Earth, humanity, and one another than about Heaven or Hell. Their slow-burn relationship is the highlight of the first season and takes a central role in the second, and pulls the entire show together. Highly recommended.
Our Flag Means Death: Mermen (2023)
Brilliant finale for the best show of the year.
A deeply satisfying finale to an incredible season of television. I've got some criticisms - we spend far too much time on Izzy when the heart of the show has always been the central romance between Ed and Stede, which deserved more time and focus here at the season's end, and the other members of the crew get basically nothing to do - but given Con O'Neill's performance knocks it out of the park as always, it's hard to complain too much. The episode also focuses around a central villain who was clearly meant to be gradually developed over the course of the season, but since there wasn't time to do that, he falls a bit flat; here's hoping season 3 gets at least a full ten episodes and a budget that lets them do things right. Nevertheless, the episode is funny, heartbreaking, incredibly well-acted, and grants satisfying and well-deserved endings to characters you came to care deeply about.
Our Flag Means Death (2022)
One of the best comedies you can stream.
Our Flag Means Death starts out as a cute, charming workplace comedy where the workplace is an eighteenth century pirate ship - specifically the ship of Stede Bonnet, a deeply weird real-life historical figure who for no apparent reason abandoned a life of luxury to become an outlaw on the high seas and, briefly, a sidekick to Blackbeard. Over the course of the next several episodes what began as a lighthearted sitcom develops surprisingly deep characterization, and by the end of the first season it'll break your heart (in the best possible way). Be sure to watch through episode four before judging whether this show is for you; the first three episodes are funny, but it's only when Taika Waititi's character joins the main cast and changes the whole character dynamic that the show really comes into its own. Our Flag Means Death gets my highest possible recommendation.