Our Flag Means Death: The Innkeeper

October 5, 2023 11:43 PM - Season 2, Episode 3

While the Revenge crew gleefully reunites under Zheng's reign, Stede attempts to discover what happened to Blackbeard, who must face his own difficult truth as he tries out a new profession.

The Red Flag discovers the drifting hull of The Revenge and reunites the crew. Stede's investigation into Ed uncovers an ugly truth, while Ulo and Zheng's relationship blooms.

Bonus: How the reunion scene was filmed

posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit (6 comments total)

I watched all three episodes, and I was completely impressed by the performances, the unhinged underwater scene, everything. But the tonal mismatches make it hard for me to root for the central couple any longer. Ed became genuinely bad, even though he wasn't enjoying it, and you can't love somebody out of being that way. I would almost ship Izzy with Stede before him at this point -- well, not seriously, but at least they are on firm grounds with each other. Also, I'm still ruined about what Lucius had to say, but it showed that Stede takes responsibility now.

Since Zheng is a competent female character who (by pirate standards) is kind and sensible, it's disappointing to see her become an enemy. Still, these are pirates, and on this show double-crossing is more or less an accepted business move. I love her, her lieutenant Auntie, and Spanish Jackie so much.
posted by Countess Elena at 7:59 AM on October 6, 2023 [8 favorites]

The pirate captain John Bartholomew was played by the actor who plays Sargeant Maaka on Wellington Paranormal. Is it too much to hope that Minogue and O'Leary have guest appearances as well?

Last season, OFMD filmed on the soundstage next to Abbot Elementary, and I always wished for that cast to show up for a scene as a rival pirate gang. Would be a bit more difficult this year, since they're in New Zealand.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 7:02 PM on October 6, 2023 [4 favorites]

It's been interesting to see how this show dances around the history - the partnership of Stede Bonnet and Edward Teach was a real thing, altho the romantic aspect of it is definitely conjecture. Zheng Yi Sao was also a well known pirate queen... altho she operated in the South China Sea (we can handwave that), and was born a full fifty years after Blackbeard died (little trickier, there). Still, excellent to see a broader perspective on the piratical eras than what is traditionally centered.

Ed became genuinely bad, even though he wasn't enjoying it, and you can't love somebody out of being that way.

That's the tricky part - Ed was this "bad" before as well, but it was backstory instead of active narrative. After he confesses to Stede that he never actually killed anyone himself (neither did Manson), it still comes to light that he definitely burned an entire ship to the water with the crew inside, sooooo... it's one of the central themes of the show - the mythos of legendary piracy vs the horrific actuality of what pirates *do*. Stede yearns for the myth as a means of escaping the life he was born to, but balks at the grisly trade required to actually make a living that way. Ed starts fully embedded in the real murderous business and actively rails against the mythologizing, but after his breakup with Stede actively seeks to obliterate himself by living up to the infernal myth of his own character.

If anything, this season is making the audience come to terms with the amount of forgiveness they gave Ed in the first season, because now we see the grim reality required to make the legend in the first place.
posted by FatherDagon at 9:11 AM on October 7, 2023 [10 favorites]

it's one of the central themes of the show - the mythos of legendary piracy vs the horrific actuality of what pirates *do*.

Exactly this! Last season I was actually delighted when they started delving into just how many fucked up things Edward has done, because although I love pirate media of all kinds, I don’t love when it becomes purely aesthetics divorced from the reality of what piracy in this era actually was. This show started out just making offhand jokes about atrocities, but then pivoted into “no, we were not actually joking about that” and that was when this show really started firing on all cylinders for me.
posted by showbiz_liz at 9:45 AM on October 7, 2023 [3 favorites]

That's the tricky part - Ed was this "bad" before as well, but it was backstory instead of active narrative.

Yes, yes, to this and everything that follows in FatherDragon's response.

The show's balance between tragedy, grim glances at the reality of piracy, and whimsy is one reason it's a current favorite of mine. Stede appearing to Ed in the form of a Merman to lead him back to the land of the living, because he was drowning in grief, depression, and darkness, was incredible. When Ed's fingers started twitching, I was just screaming in my mind, "STEDE. STEDE. TAKE HIS HAND STEDE."

So are Jim and Oluwande going to get back together? Did they move on and remain friends? Will Oluwande somehow end up with our Pirate Queen?

When Stede finally finds the remaining crew aboard the Revenge it looked like they were dining on an albatross. Was my glimpse correct? If so, welp, a salty Mariner has some words to say about that.
posted by Atreides at 6:51 AM on October 9, 2023 [4 favorites]

Watching late - Atreides, my impression was also that the crew was eating albatross, and that the scene was staged to make it clear that they should not be doing that. (I remember the Rime just enough to know that it's a bad idea.)
posted by mersen at 7:32 PM on May 7 [1 favorite]