OurFlag Means Deathdelivers yet another perfect dosage of pirate shenanigans, and though in its third week in the combined efforts of Stede Bonnet and Blackbeard turn out what is perhaps their weakest showing, it’s still enough to keep things going ahead of an exciting, albeit maybe historically inaccurate finale.
In that sense, the producing team, writers and directors behindHBO Max’spirate comedy deserve plenty of praise becauseOur Flag Means Deathhas been split up in four clearly cut segments. Thefirst three episodes introduced Bonnet’s bumbling pirate gang, last week’s trifectashowed Stede and Blackbeard’s relationship blossomand this time around the show harvests that friendship as the two protagonists and other crew members are forced to choose their true allegiances.
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Episode seven, “This Is Happening”, is pretty much more of the same - Stede has a terrible idea born out of his aristocratic mind and buys a treasure map from a stranger, thus putting part of the crew on a treasure hunt, despite Blackbeard’s own assertion that pirates don’t really go digging up for treasure like he believes. Meanwhile, the rest of the pirates are off to find some oranges, as the crew’s desserts preferences have left them without a single citrusy delicacy which triggers the worst symptoms of the Swede’s scurvy condition (aka vitamin C deficiency).
The latter does wonders to set up a lot of the jokes and pirate humor viewers might have gotten used to these past couple of weeks, however, it also puts Jim (Bonifacia) back on home soil, something that triggers a few blasts from the past. It so happens that Jim was raised an orphan by a rather resourceful nun, and put on a path to avenge her family’s death at the hands of the “Siete Gallos” gang, hence why she got in trouble with Spanish Jackie.
However, that troubled past also reveals Jim’s surrogate mother addresses them using gender-neutral pronouns, an odd addition given the show’s historical setting, and somehow one that feels quite on-brand due to the way the series blends modern humor with tropes from the early 1700s. This of course isn’t the most interesting part, but rather the way Jim’s return to their childhood home helps develop their relationship with Oluwande, as they areOur Flag Means Death’sromantic outlet.
Elsewhere on the island, Blackbeard, Stede and Lucius are off to find treasure, only thatin a veryWizard of Ozkind of way, the only reward the first two find is the grand prize of their friendship being solidified. It’s arguable that even after Izzy Hands’ sendoff from the Revenge, this episode is the pivotal moment when the two men become real friends, when they are both now willing to compromise for the sake of the other.
Besides that, this is possibly the series’ weakest and least funny episode, nevertheless,Our Flag Means Deathmore than makes up for it in “We Gull Way Back” thanks to the clever usage of one Calico Jack. Suffice to say, there are no records of Calico Jack ever having any rapport with Blackbeard,not even inAssassin’s Creed: Black Flag, but depicting the two men as close friends is a masterstroke that draws a clear line for Ed before and after meeting Stede.
True character in film or television is born out of the decisions the protagonist make when put under stress, which is why making Stede realize he fears losing Blackbeard’s friendship; and, conversely, having Ed admit what the Gentleman Pirate has brought to his relatively empty and dull life of ransacking and pillaging for no reason works so well. Prior to this episode, Blackbeard could have easily betrayed Stede, now there’s no going back.
Sure, this all involves a couple of tragic animal casualties, but Calico Jack’s brand of more traditional pirate activities and his erratic macho behavior are a fantastic way to remind audiences that not all pirates are gentlemen. The rest of the crew behaves just as usual, and although that means they’ve clearly retreated to the background as Stede and Blackbeard’s story becomes more important, they still remain pretty fun to be around with, as Buttons particularly takes the orange cake here.
Unfortunately, all the fun and games must be put to rest because the British are coming, as this was these two episodes' other developing plotline soOur Flag Means Deathnow has a tough choice to make: either to stay historically accurate or deviate from the past. Both Bonnet and Blackbeard were eventually killed, nevertheless, even if it’s not at this point in the story when that happens, this is noAssassin’s Creedperfect runand blood must ultimately be spilled.
Bonnet was hanged roughly one year later after the show’s events, while Blackbeard (not theOne Pieceversion) died in combat around shortly before that. A royal pardon, how the true story plays out, somehow seems off as the way to have these two fictional interpretations wave their goodbyes to one another, mainly because it wouldn’t be as fun.
Retirement was a new word added toBlackbeard’s pirate lexiconquite recently and considering Ed already took the plunge by waving the white flag alongside his co-captain, maybe that’s a proper path to take. Maybe what both men have left is sacrificing something for their new friend, it may not be realistic, but neither is getting boarded by the English to the sound of Fleetwood Mac, is it?
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