#1) it’s not taika’s show. it’s david jenkins’ show.

[summerlinenss]

here’s the thing.

if you’re one of the people celebrating our flag means death’s cancellation for whatever reason right now, i need you to realize that this is just a sign that whatever you love is next.

and i’m not saying that out of spite. having your favourite show cancelled is awful, i wouldn’t wish it on anyone. but if our little-gay-pirate-show-that-could can’t get its third and final season, the future of queer media is extremely grim.

ofmd was the definition of a sleeper hit. hbo max had no faith in it when the first season came out. it gained popularity purely through word-of-mouth. but it became one of max’s biggest shows, and it’s since been marketed as their flagship series.

it was the #1 most in-demand series in the world for 8 weeks (7 of those weeks consecutively). it’s currently in the 99.7th percentile of the comedy genre, meaning it’s in higher demand than 99.7% of all comedy series in the u.s. it has a 94% audience and critics score on rotten tomatoes. it’s the most in-demand hbo original series even above euphoria, succession, and the last of us.

it was nominated for 16 awards for the first season alone, including a GLAAD award and a peabody award. the second season was just nominated for an art directors guild award, which it was previously nominated for and won in the same category for season one.

besides awards, ofmd is critically-acclaimed and praised for its representation (including a cast of majority queer, bipoc, and disabled characters) and themes of anti-colonialism, challenging gender norms/toxic masculinity, and self-discovery/acceptance. it also has a diverse team of directors and writers consisting of several bipoc, women, and queer/trans/non-binary people.

on top of all of this, the plan for the show all along was only ever for three seasons. david jenkins only wanted three seasons for the full romcom structure to tell ed and stede’s story. that’s it. nothing more.

this isn’t an attempt to make you care about the show. but ofmd’s cancellation isn’t just a loss for the fanbase and the cast/crew. it’s a sign that it does not matter how successful or profitable shows highlighting lgbtq+ (or otherwise inclusive) narratives are or how many big names are involved. ofmd would not have been cancelled if it were a straight romcom. they would’ve magically found the budget. but corporate greed doesn’t care about us. they have no respect for queer people or queer media. and in the age of streaming, it’s only a matter of time until we lose all of it.

[amorseart]

Morse code jewellery inspired by Our Flag Means Death.

[ofmdrecaps]

09/02-03/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; David Jenkins; Rhys Darby; Taika Waititi; Samba Schutte; Con O'Neill; Kristian Nairn; Nathan Foad; Leslie Jones; Lindsey Cantrell; Connor Barrett; Dominic Burgess; Sept 2: OFMD Marmalade Day; Trends; Articles; TellTaleTV Final Round; WWDITS 10th Anniversary Blurays; FanSpotlight: FanWeeks: OFMD Sequel Week; Stede Whump Week; Never Left Podcast; Love Notes;

== David Jenkins ==

David's out at the US Open with Kinga!

Source: David Jenkins' Instagram Stories

== Rhys Darby ==

Rhys is EVERYWHERE this week, jeez. He really is causing a stir on every single platform, let me tell you. Below he's having a bit of a drink with some friends, out and about with Rosie!

Source: Facebook

Next up-- there's a new Indy Dramedy that just wrapped called "Song Of The Bigfoot" and Deadline has some new info on it!

Source: Rhys' Instagram Stories

Rhys is also looking to help raise some funds for the Kitten Rescue we all remember well from earlier this year! You can bid on this signed OFMD picture of the cast! To bid, visit here.

Source: Rhys' Twitter

Rhys also shared an older video of him discussing wanting to be Earths Ambassador!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 10,000 Dreams x Fraser Grut (@frasergrut)

Source: Rhys Darby's Instagram

Annnnnd more shots are becoming available from the 100th episode of the Cryptid Factor, Live in London!

Source: The Cryptid Factor Instagram

And finally, Last But CERTAINLY not least, there's a new The Cryptid Factor special episode for the $10 / Tier on Patreon!

Source: The Cryptid Factor Patreon

== Taika Waititi ==

Some more shots of Taika while he was out and about! Also a recipe for the Pispili that he and Andy Hearnden shared on instagram a while back!

Source: Instagram

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Andy Cooks (@andyhearnden)

and lastly a quick little tiktok of the Forever Young Rita & Taika!

Source: Rita Ora's Tiktok

== Samba Schutte ==

Samba's out at Nickelodeon studios doing some voice over work!

Source: Samba's Instagram

== Kristian Nairn / WJW ==

Surprise #WeeJohnWednesday! 9pm BST (4pm EST, 1pm PST) tomorrow-- Sept 4!

Source: Kristian's Twitter

A huge thank you to @adoptourcrew for getting us the Kristian Nairn OFMD blurb from the latest Popverse Article (it is behind a sign up, but here's the article!)

Source: Adopt Our Crew Twitter

== Con O'Neill ==

Con taking a nap with Cooper now that he's back from Mexico <3 (and David Fane was a sweetheart and popped his head in as well).

Source: Con's Instagram

== Nathan Foad ==

Nathan back at the bedroom selfies again!

Source: Nathan's Instagram Stories

== Linds Cantrell ==

Linds Cantrell did an Ask Me Anything on Instagram today while she was waiting for a plane! She answered several questions, including something regarding OFMD BTS which may be completely out, but she'll be going to LA Comic Con in October! I'm planning on making a post with all her answers when I get a moment, but here's a few!

Source: Lindsey Cantrell's Instagram Stories

== Leslie Jones ==

Leslie is out here rocking a workout, and looking bad ass <3

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Leslie Jones (@lesdogggg)

Source: Leslie Jones Instagram

== Dominic Burgess ==

Our dear Jeffrey Fettering, Dominic, blessed us today with some kitties as well as a shot.. of well him getting a shot!

Source: Dominic's Twitter

== September 2, Marmalade Day ==

Several of our crew members continued the September festivities with Marmalade Day on Sept 2!

Source: HSavernake's Twitter

Source: Astroglide Twitter

== Articles ==

Thank you @adoptourcrew for sharing another article talking about OFMD!

Source: Adopt Our Crew's Twitter

== More Trends ==

Heyyy guess who was trending on Sept 2 on TUMBLR! (I believe it was because of the Sept 1 Dickfuck/Lighthouse day, but could be have been more! let me know if you know something else happened! Thank you to the badass @poison-into-positivity for catching it <3

Source: @poison-into-positivity's Tumblr

== Tell Tale TV Voting Reminders ==

Reminder! Stede and Ed are in the final round of Ship of the Year! Please visit TellTale TV! Thank you @ofmd-ann for the reminder dear!

Source: Ofmd-Ann's Tumblr

== What We Do In The Shadows Bluray ==

Okay so WWDITS is not OFMD but it has Rhys and Taika so gonna send a boost out of this! Thank you to the absolutely spectacular @ jimjim531969 over on twitter for always bringing the latest cool news regarding the cast. You truly are a gem <3

Also per Jim:

Links to pre-order the WWDITS 10th anniversary blu-ray:

Australia & NZ (16 October, 2024)

USA & Canada (November 1st, 2024): Amazon or Barnes & Noble

UK (01/11/2024)

Source: @ jimjim531969 on Twitter

== Fan Spotlight ==

= Upcoming Fan Weeks =

* OFMD Sequel Week *

There's a new Fan-Week been announced for Nov 17 - 23, OFMD Sequel Week! Check them out on Twitter and give them a follow to keep up with the latest news!

Source: OFMDSequelWeek Twitter

* Stede Whump Week *

Stede Whump Week will be happening 28 Oct - 3rd Nov, and the bingo cards for that week are now available on Twitter!

Source: Stede Whump Week Twitter

= Never Left Podcast =

There's a new episode of Never Left out, and it's Part 2 of the discussion on Birds! Wanna check it out? Visit their linktr.ee!

Source: Never Left Podcast Instagram

== Love Notes ==

Hey lovelies. Hoping your week is progressing in an upward direction. I hopefully get to finally talk to my dad tomorrow after over a week of everything going on, so I'll be in and out of things again. I know everyone is dealing with their own level of craziness right now, and I want to remind you that you're doing great no matter what you're dealing with. It could be little, it could be huge, it could be life-changing, or could be making you regress further back than you'd like-- whatever it is, you are getting through the best way you can, and you never have to feel bad about that.

I know it can feel like there's never an end to the chaos-- but remember that there are pockets of joy and love there in this life too, and however you need to cope with your daily struggles, don't feel bad in taking solace in that. Enjoy the little things, no matter how small. Rest up lovelies, breathe in, breathe out, drink some water, and keep going. Below is a very appropriate love note (for me personally but for so many others as well), courtesy of the amazing The Latest Kate. Not everything is clear right now, but it'll get there, just stay with us, and don't give up. Sending you so much love, crew <3

Source: The Latest Kate's Tumblr

[londonspirit]

Was there ever any doubt that Our Flag Means Death Season 2 wouldn't end in thrilling fashion after taking all of us on a rollercoaster of emotions? Probably not, but show creator David Jenkins and writer John Mahone, who teamed up on the script for the finale episode, seemed distinctly driven to squeeze as many tears out of us watching as possible. With the dynamic between Stede (Rhys Darby) and Ed (Taika Waititi) seemingly fractured as of the season's penultimate installment, it was unclear how — or if — the two men might eventually reconcile, but a new threat to the Republic of Pirates, alongside Ed's realization that maybe he isn't meant to be a fisherman after all, sends the two back into each other's arms, literally.

While some characters are afforded something resembling a happy ending, with Stede and Ed deciding to try their hand at being innkeepers as they watch the Revenge sail off into the sunset under Frenchie's (Joel Fry) command, not every single crew member emerges from the finale battle unscathed, chief among them Ed's first mate and formerly ruthless right-hand Izzy Hands (Con O'Neill), whose parting words to Ed may be the very thing that the former Blackbeard needs to hear in order to fully come to terms with accepting the man inside him all along.

Ahead of the Season 2 finale premiering on Max, Collider had the opportunity to reconnect with Jenkins to discuss some of the episode's biggest moments. Over the course of the interview, which you can read below, Jenkins explains why Izzy's speech is both a eulogy for the character and a statement about the show itself, how the Season 2 premiere and finale bookend each other with those beach scenes, and why he wanted to use that Nina Simone needle drop in particular. He also discusses why the season concludes with a wedding at sea, what the finale sets up for Season 3, and more.

COLLIDER: I feel like my first question, in a completely non-serious way, is: how dare you, and my immediate follow-up is: what gives you the right?

DAVID JENKINS: I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Also, I am God to these creatures! But it was hard. It was a hard decision.

The episode kicks off with a somewhat more lighthearted moment, which is Ed realizing he's not cut out for the fishing life after all. On the heels of Stede and Ed’s big fight in the episode prior, why did it feel important to have Ed humorously have the revelation of, “This isn't what I really want after all?”

JENKINS: Well, I like the idea that Season 1 is about Stede’s midlife crisis, and Season 2 is about Ed's midlife crisis. I like that he had a little prima donna moment where he thought he could go and be a simple man, and then it's revealed that he really isn't a simple man; he’s a complicated, fussy, moody guy. No, he's not gonna be able to catch fish for a living. For him to be told that, “At your heart, you're a pirate. You have to go back and do it,” he doesn't want that to be true, but it was true.

Speaking of characters that have a revelation about themselves, Izzy's speech about piracy, about belonging to something and finding family, feels like the thesis statement of this show. Was that the intention behind it?

JENKINS: When I wrote that, I wanted to give Izzy a proper eulogy for himself. He gives a eulogy for himself, but it felt true writing it. Yeah, this is how he sees piracy, and also that's not how he would have viewed piracy in the first season. He would have viewed it as, “I'm here to dominate you, so you work for the boss.” By the end of his journey in the second season, he sees that they built him a unicorn leg, he learned to whittle, and he mentored Stede. He's learned that, actually, a pirate crew works differently than what he thought and that they are all in it together, and they do this for each other. So it felt right for Izzy’s arc, and it is kind of an overall statement about the show.

It's interesting that you call it a eulogy, because, by the time we get to the scene where we know Izzy's not going to make it, it feels like he's using his last moments for Ed more than himself. He has those final words to Ed of, “They love you for who you are. Just be Ed.” Is that the kind of the thing that Ed needs to hear in the moment — even as he's losing, arguably, someone he's known even longer than Stede and is just as close to on an emotional level?

JENKINS: Well, I like that Izzy gives that to him, and then Izzy also apologizes to him because he says that he fed his darkness and that they were both Blackbeard together — that Blackbeard wasn't just Ed, that they did it together. In a way, it's very much for Ed, that speech. The “we were Blackbeard” is claiming that he is also Blackbeard, that Blackbeard is not just Ed’s creation, and I like that for him, too, because he's worked so hard for that — and then just to say, “You can give it up.” There can never be a Blackbeard again as far as Izzy’s concerned because he's dying, and they did that together.

I wanted to ask you about the Stede/Ed reunion. We get Ed finding Stede's love letter that was written all the way at the beginning, and then also the beach fight/reunion. It's definitely a callback to the dream, but was that always the way that you wanted to bookend the season? Here's the dream and the fantasy, and then this is the real moment that we get to have?

JENKINS: It was nice. I knew that I wanted to have the Republic of Pirates at the beginning and end up with the Republic of Pirates. I think the reunion of it was a nice surprise, but it felt right. And finding the letter in a bottle — if you have a letter in a bottle, it's thrown out somewhere, it has to pop up somewhere, you have to see one of them at some point. But yeah, there's a circular nature to it, and that's why I thought it would be good to use Nina Simone at the beginning and at the end as a callback. This dream in this way did come true, and they made it come true.

When I talked to you at the beginning of the season, you mentioned the Nina Simone needle drop, but couldn't say anything about the significance of it at the time. I talked to [music supervisor] Maggie [Phillips], as well, about the needle drops throughout Season 2, and she said you always had a very clear vision for what song you wanted there. A lot of people know the original, but why did you pick Nina's cover? It strikes a different tone; there's a hopefulness to it in a lot of ways.

JENKINS: Yeah, it's wistful. There's a lovely part that sounds like church bells, which is great for the wedding part of it, and then it's just moving. I love her interpretation of it. It’s wistful, positive, and it felt like the end of the show to me. There's a size to it that, up against these images, I just was like, "Yeah, this would be really good. I want this to be in the show."

I did want to ask you about the wedding because on the heels of Izzy's death, it's bittersweet, but also, it's a sign this crew has become a family, and they can still find happy moments and reasons to celebrate. We’ve seen Black Pete and Lucius reconnect, but also reconcile and navigate through Lucius's problems and have their own, almost parallel trajectory journey as a couple alongside Stede and Ed in a way. Was that something that you always wanted to close the season on, the two of them getting hitched?

JENKINS: Yeah. We knew we wanted a matelotage in the season, which is the real term they had for marrying crew members. And yeah, they've always been in relief to Stede and Ed, and they're a little bit ahead of Stede and Ed in how much they can talk about things. So to have a bunch of family things in the season, like a funeral and a wedding, and have the parents kind of watch the kids sail away, felt right, and all of those things seem to work well together and build on each other.

Speaking of Ed and Stede watching everybody sail off, that was an outcome that was somewhat surprising, I think because where they are, you think maybe they're going to end up sailing off with everybody else.” But no, instead, it's just this sweet, lovely note of them getting to play house for a little while. What inspired that turn for them?

JENKINS: I think that they've come to the point in the relationship where they say, “Yeah, we're gonna give this a try,” and that's where the story really gets interesting. That will-they-or-won't-they is interesting to a point, but the real meat of it is always like, “Can they make the relationship, and can they do better than Anne and Mary?” That's the question that we all ask ourselves when we end up in a serious relationship is: can we make this work, and can we get through the hard times? Then they're both very damaged, and it's gonna be a challenge for them, and that's where the story gets interesting.

I'm not sure you can really tease much for a Season 3, but we talked before about how you have your vision for where you want to take this, and based on what we see at the end of Season 2, the implication is that we're going to have Stede and Ed off together, but is the plan to also continue with the other characters as well in their own places?

JENKINS: Yeah. Frenchie’s in charge of the Revenge, and I think Frenchie's Revenge would be an interesting place to work and an interesting ship to be raided by. Then I think that the Revenge means a lot to Stede, and it would be very hard for him to give it up, and he hasn't had a great track record of that. So I think the odds of them all finding each other again are quite high.

All episodes of Our Flag Means Death Season 2 are available to stream on Max.

[breathe-2am]

hey idk how to tell u this but the big cliffhanger in s1 isn’t the crew being separated it’s stede going out to find ed when ed has fallen so deep into heartbreak and self-loathing that he’s destroyed stede’s ship and split up their crew. the cliffhanger is about “how will ed and stede fix their relationship after stede broke ed’s heart and ed went off the deep end?”

bc what’s going on with the crew is not the main storyline. the main storyline is the romance between ed and stede, djenks has said this many times. the main plotline is the development of ed and stede’s relationship. the show didn’t “shove most of the characters into 1 minute scenes between much longer gentlebeard arcs” in 2.04, the crew was just part of the B plot that episode, which is to be expected because they are all side characters who are always in B or C plots if they’re not part of the plot with the main characters (ed and stede). the main A plot of 2.04 is ed and stede making up now that they’ve finally been reunited, and the show develops this storyline in a rewrite/adaptation/homage to the play who’s afraid of virginia woolfe.

it’s fine if u don’t like gentlebeard or if your main enjoyment from the show is izzy/the crew, but if that’s the case for you then unfortunately you’re always have a harder time enjoying ofmd bc the writing in the show is always going to prioritize gentlebeard over the other characters. the crew reuniting was always going to be much less important than ed and stede reuniting and making up. that’s what david jenkins meant when he said “the show is the relationship.”

Heyo! I see my meme has breached the side of ofmd tumblr I usually interact with, which is really cool! Thanks for stopping by haha

I think your response is so emblematic of the shift the show went thru from season 1 to season 2- namely, that season 1 was an ensemble show and season 2 was not. Stede was the main character, yes, and he got more backstory and focus than a lot of the crew, but the story of the show in s1 was that it was a bunch of people with conflicting personalities shoved onto a boat together. Stede’s the center, but every other character gets focus as well. This show, by djenks own admission, was not originally intended to be a rom-com romance between stede and ed. He said that he didn’t commit to actually have them be together until filming season 1 episode 6- more than halfway thru the story of the first season, and that it was mainly due to rhys and taika’s acting that made him change it from an unrequited love to a relationship. So while the story is a lot about gentlebeard, saying that every other character is secondary to them and their romance isnt true.

I think a great example to bring up would be season 1 episode 7, the episode that solidifies (via lucius) that yes, this is happening. This is a very relationship heavy episode, but crucially gb isn’t the only focus.

Here's a breakdown: we start w a 1:00 gb scene, then roach comes in asking about the oranges, which leads to a 2:00 scene w the whole crew that sets up the episodes plot (swede has scurvy, we need to get more oranges). Jim protests going to st augustine, which is followed by a 1:00 scene between jim and olu, including a jim flashback. Stede and lucius return with the treasure map, there’s 1:30 more of the whole crew, then we go into the captains cabin for 1:00 of stede, ed, and lucius. 6 minutes into the ep flashes to the crew on land, a 0:50 conversation between jim and olu, then 2:00 of the whole crew, ending then nana invites them all to eat some cake at 8:15. We then go to stede, lucius, and ed in the marketplace until the 9 minute mark (abt 0:45), then back to the church where olu and jim talk to nana for 1:15, including more jim flashbacks. Back to the adventure w stede ed and lucius, which is 2 scenes back to back, totally about 3:00 (the “oh my god this is happening” scene). Then back to the church for jim olu and nana, a 1:00 jim flashback inside a 3:00 scene. Then back to the captains and lucius for 1:30, then to jim and olu, more jim flashback, then the a and b plots converge at the 2:30 mark when jim sees stede digging up their tree. Stede, ed, and lucius exit the scene after 1:30, jim and olu have a conversation for another 1:00. We see the crew leaving, then olu and nana talk, which all takes 2:00. Back on the boat, ed and stede become co-captains in a 0:45 scene, then the final 1:30 of the ep is izzy at jackie’s with 1:30 credits

Gentlebeard: 9:00, whole crew: 5:30, Jim and Olu: 11:35, Izzy: 1:30, credits: 1:30

I would say that s1e7 is the most overtly gb episode before the kiss in s1e9. But as you can see, it’s not just gb. There’s a lot of focus on jim, who gets multiple filmed flashbacks, there’s scenes w jim, olu, and nana, there’s scenes of the whole crew together, stede and ed are really only oncscreen together for abt 9 minutes- not even 1 third of the episode. And this is the ep that says directly to the audience “yes, they have a romance building”. I’m not trying to say w this that every member of the crew needs to b given equal screentime, bc that didn’t happen here obv, but everyone is doing something, and the plot is moving forward propelled by more than just the gb relationship.

Now this is very much changed in season 2.

S2e4 starts with 0:20 of stede waking ed up, then 0:45 of stede and the crew, 0:30 of ed and buttons, izzy’s w the unicorn for 1:00. The crew kick ed off the boat in a 1:15 scene. Now at the 2:25 mark we get to the plots splitting. Ed has a 1:15 scene on land, 0:45 is spent talking to a bunny. Stede and buttons find anne and mary’s antique store after 0:45 of walking. The scene in the antique porch is 2:15. Back to the revenge where there’s a 1:00 scene where wee john, roach, and pete talk about how the kraken crew, lucius, and izzy are different, and the kraken crew thinks they’re plotting to kill them. Already we go back to anne and mary’s where theres various conversations for 3:00. We go back to the revenge for a 0:45 scene where the revenge crew scare the kraken crew and lucius by trying to surprise them. Back to land, where anne and stede and mary and ed talk for 2:00. Back to the revenge for a 1:45 scene w the crews, izzy enters at the 1:00 mark and then crawls away. Well that’s that, we go back to the dinner on land for 1:00, then ed storms out and he and stede have a conversation on the couch for 2:15. Anne and mary reenter, followed by a 3:00 argument that ends with anne burning down the house and they don’t kiss for some reason. We have a 0:20 scene of the crew preparing the unicorn leg, izzy is in his room and received the leg in a 0:40 scene, and well it’s been a whole minute on the revenge, time to go back to ed and stede for 1:00, ed and buttons talk end when buttons turns into a seagull after 1:30. Ed and stede talk for 0:30, and then we end w izzy the new unicorn for 0:45. Credits are again 1:30.

Gentlebeard: 19:50, whole crew: 5:05, Izzy: 3:10, credits: 1:30

To illustrate my point, i made some graphs

You don’t even have to think very hard to see the change in distribution of screentime season 1 vs season 2. And i’d argue that this is absolutely to the show’s detriment, because that ensemble cast is given way less time to shine, grow, or even speak. Notice how for the second chart there isn’t a jim and olu section? Yea that’s cause Jim has 10 lines this whole episode, and Olu has 5. Two characters, whose relationship, backstory, and plot takes up more screentime than gentlebeard’s in season 1, have a combined 15 lines between them, only 4 of which are longer than 1 sentence- 2 for jim, 2 for olu, and those lines are two sentences long. god bless us every one.

I get that there’s a large subset of the ofmd fandom that only cares abt ed and stede. I get that that’s how u find enjoyment in the show, and u know what? All the power to u. I’m not saying stop liking the show, stop liking gentlebeard, stop caring abt these characters. I don’t like gentlebeard, but i used to, and i remember really really loving ed and stede and their relationship in season 1. That changed in season 2 because of ed’s abusive actions and stede pivoting from being an independent character to just basically following whatever ed says (but that’s a story for another day).

But let’s be honest with each other, and with ourselves: season 1 was an ensemble show. Season 2 narrowed its focus to gentlebeard, while also making it (for some people) harder to like. That’s why a lot of people (myself included) didn’t like season 2 as much as season 1.

Also, just to focus back in on the original issue, the meme was not about gentlebeard. It was about Anne and Mary. And there is literally no way you can convince me that they were used as well as they could have been, or that they were implemented into the story in a smart, necessary, or even respectful way.

Because i'm a nice person, i made a brand new updated meme just for u, anon!

:-)

[rhysdarbinizedarby]

How Our Flag Means Death transformed Rhys Darby into a merman

Take a deep dive into Stede and Blackbeard’s big underwater reunion, featuring Kate Bush and buckets of glitter.

Warning: This story contains spoilers for Our Flag Means Death season 2, episode 3, "The Innkeeper."

How do you turn a pirate into a mermaid? All you need is a loyal crew, a killer soundtrack, and lots and lots of glitter.

Our Flag Means Death season 2 reunites swashbuckling lovers Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby) and Blackbeard (Taika Waititi) after their tragic parting in season 1. An injured Blackbeard is hovering near death, stranded in a purgatory-like dream world after his crew attempted mutiny. He plunges off a cliff, sinking deep into the sea, and it seems as if his past regrets will drag him into the darkness. Then, a light appears, and Kate Bush starts to play: It's Stede, carrying a trident and sporting a golden fish tail. Merman Stede coaxes Blackbeard back to life, and together, they swim upwards into the light.

It's a moment that's simultaneously silly and heartfelt, a perfect encapsulation of the show's signature tone. Series creator David Jenkins says he and the writers have wanted a merman Stede scene for years, and it comes at the, ahem, tail end of episode 3, written by Alyssa Lane and Alex Sherman and directed by Andrew DeYoung. The sequence itself isn't long, but it proved to be a monumental undertaking, requiring careful collaboration from the visual effects team, stunts, hair, makeup, costumes, music, and more.

"When you're working on smaller shows like this that need big visual effects, you have to be very resourceful about how you do things," visual effects supervisor David Van Dyke tells EW. "I feel like the underwater sequence was a really great culmination of all the departments really working together and maximizing our resources."

With the episode streaming now on Max, EW caught up with a few key members of the OFMD crew, who break down exactly how they transformed Darby into a merman — fish tail and all.

Gypsy Taylor's sketch of merman Stede for 'Our Flag Means Death' | CREDIT: GYPSY TAYLOR

A sailor's tail

Originally, the plan was to use a green screen to give Darby a CGI tail. But it was costume designer Gypsy Taylor who pushed back, arguing that she and her team could build a practical tail that looked gorgeous and functioned underwater.

"I was like, 'Please make my dreams come true!'" she tells EW with a laugh. "'I want to make Rhys Darby a mermaid!'" It helped that Darby himself was game: The actor served in the New Zealand army, so he's a more than capable swimmer. He volunteered to film as much of the scene as he could, even if that meant learning to swim with a monofin.  

As she started to sketch, Taylor immersed herself in mermaid imagery, finding inspiration in all sorts of aquatic creatures. Ultimately, she decided on a subtle golden look, one that fit Stede's personality but still brought plenty of drama.

"I delved deep into the mermaid world, and I could have gone all rainbow and big and luscious," she explains.

"But instead I thought, look, if Stede turns into a fish, and it's Blackbeard's dream sequence of what he knows of Stede, then he'd probably just turn into a really sweet goldfish. So, that's where I started. He's just this sweet, loving little goldfish."

Merman tail construction for 'Our Flag Means Death' | CREDIT: GYPSY TAYLOR

For the actual construction, Taylor recruited her longtime collaborator and props maker Hayley Egan. Many fake mermaid tails are sculpted out of a single piece of rubbery silicone, but Taylor wanted to keep Stede's tail as lightweight as possible, so Darby could actually move through the water.

So, she fitted the actor with a stretchy Lycra base, and Egan hand-sculpted and attached about 3,000 individual silicone scales. The final steps were to add the enormous, flipper-like monofin at the bottom, before sewing on thin, gauzy strips of chiffon to give the tail more movement in the water.

A close-up of Rhys Darby's tail in 'Our Flag Means Death' | CREDIT: GYPSY TAYLOR

Taylor worked closely with stunt coordinator Jacob Tomuri to make sure the tail not only looked beautiful but functioned underwater, too. (She also knew that they'd have to film quickly, since the chlorine in the tank could corrode the tail over time.) She carefully monitored the tail's weight — but it still wound up heavier than she anticipated.

"We added a whole lot of weight accidentally by putting five kilograms of glitter in," Taylor admits. "I had to warn the stunt team. I was like, 'I didn't think glitter would be that heavy! But we needed a lot of it. And it's so pretty!'"

The tail required 5 kilograms of glitter | CREDIT: GYPSY TAYLOR

Egan constructed four tails in all: a stunt tail, a tail for Rhys to practice with, and two hero tails for use on camera. Egan assembled them at her workshop in Australia, but she had to stuff them into a suitcase to bring them to the OFMD set in New Zealand. All was well, until she got to New Zealand customs, and the agent asked her: "Are you bringing fish into the country?"

"She was in fits," Taylor recalls, laughing. "She was like, 'Well, actually… I'm bringing four fish into the country.'"

Once the tail was fitted to Darby's body, the makeup and prosthetics team came in to seamlessly blend it to his bare skin, adding even more scales and glitter. But although Darby moved gracefully underwater, navigating dry land proved to be a bigger challenge. Once the actor was encased in his tail, he couldn't move around set, so the crew borrowed a wheelchair from a local New Zealand hospital to transport him to the tank. (See the video below.)

"We'd all go up this ramp together, with him in his little wheelchair, and we'd just sort of dump him in," Taylor explains. "Everyone was trying very hard not to laugh."

Diving deep

Season 1 shot in Los Angeles, but for season 2, Our Flag Means Death relocated to New Zealand. Many scenes were filmed in a studio or on the life-size recreation of the pirate ship Revenge, but Van Dyke, the visual effects supervisor, wanted to take advantage of New Zealand's natural beaches and ocean views — particularly for the scene where Blackbeard plunges off the cliff.

So, the crew scouted a gorgeous spot near Bethells Beach, capturing drone photography and 3-D photogrammetry. "LA's got a ton of great natural resources," Van Dyke explains, "but you might have a guy sitting there on the beach in your shot, drinking a beer out of a cooler that yours truly has to remove."

The actual ocean scenes were shot in an enormous indoor tank. Underwater filming isn't exactly easy, but fortunately, several members of the crew had experience on a certain blockbuster James Cameron production. "Thank God Avatar shot out there because we had a lot of seasoned underwater veterans," Van Dyke says with a laugh. "So, they knew what they were doing."

The tank itself wasn't deep enough to look like a real ocean, so Waititi had to float horizontally underwater, and the image was later flipped to make it seem like he was sinking downward. Then, Van Dyke and his team came in to clean up the shot, adding depth and adjusting the trajectory of bubbles. He also worked closely with Taylor and hair and makeup designer Nancy Hennah, who had to ensure that Waititi's enormous Blackbeard wig didn't float away.  

"Look, CG hair is hard enough, and underwater is even harder," Van Dyke says, explaining that Hennah's meticulous wig work saved his team hours of effort. "There were some things that visual effects had to help out with, but we didn't have to stick a CG wig on him. So, thank you, Nancy, for doing that!"

The perfect soundtrack

Music has always been a major part of OFMD's DNA, and season 1 brought memorably anachronistic needle drops like Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain" and Leonard Cohen's "Avalanche." For the Stede/Blackbeard reunion, Jenkins picked an ethereal '80s classic: "This Woman's Work" by Kate Bush.

The song was always Jenkins' first choice for the scene, and it was written in the script, but music supervisor Maggie Phillips admits that she initially argued against it. Not only was the song originally written for John Hughes' She's Having a Baby, but it's been used in multiple TV shows and films, including Extras, Love and Basketball, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Even Phillips herself had already placed it in another TV show, using it for a terrifying execution scene in The Handmaid's Tale season 2.

Plus, Stranger Things had just propelled Bush's "Running Up That Hill" to become the song of the summer in 2022. "I mean, I was so excited that the kids discovered Kate Bush," Phillips says with a laugh. "Ultimately, my feeling is that whenever Kate Bush gets exposed to new audiences, that's great. But I was fully like, 'Don't use this song. There's too much baggage.'"

Rhys Darby on the set of 'Our Flag Means Death' | CREDIT: GYPSY TAYLOR

Jenkins pushed back, noting that the song suggestion came from Waititi himself, who's wanted to use it in a project for about a decade. Still, Phillips remained hesitant. "I was like, 'Okay, I still think this is a bad idea,'" she says. "And then I saw a cut of [the scene], and I ate my words."  

Bush's dreamy vocals give the whole sequence an ethereal feel, and Phillips says she loves how the lyrics — "I know you have a little life in you yet/I know you have a lot of strength left" — take on new meaning as Stede coaxes Blackbeard back to life. "I saw it in a totally new context, and I love it," she says. "They actually recontextualize the song and make it work in a new way. I got chills watching it."

Plus, Phillips adds, the scene got one particularly important stamp of approval: "We heard through Kate Bush's management that she was very pleased with the use and very excited, which made me really happy as a huge fan."

Our Flag Means Death airs Thursdays on Max.

Source: EW

[olderthannetfic]

So it seems Our Flag Means Death has not been renewed, and you know what, thank fuck it hasn’t. Not because I didn’t love the show, but because the fandom has been a toxic mess, including towards the creators. They don’t deserve another season.

I know that every fandom has toxicity, but the sheer concentration of it in this one has been mind-blowing. I wasn’t even very active in it and I still had to wade through mountains of bullshit discourse about who’s the “abuser” and braindead takes about representation. No, it doesn’t count as Bury Your Gays when they kill ONE (1) queer character out of a cast of like a dozen. You spoiled fucking assholes. You don’t deserve David Jenkins or Taika or Con O’Neill. I wish I could send you all back in time to when people were walking out of Brokeback Mountain screenings.

--

The harder canon is trying, the more trying the fandom is.

[jaskierx]

I've also recently seen a lot of haters claim that "the creator of the show" is a zionist? As far as I know, David Jenkins has said nothing about Israel or Palestine or anything going on there at all. I get the feeling they're either lying to make their weak case stronger or they genuinely think Taika is the creator, which is really just telling on themselves with how little they check their sources.

yeah i posted about this the other day here

they just full on make shit up. first it was 'taika is a zionist' then it was 'the production team are zionists and taika bankrolled s2' then it was 'half the cast are zionists' then it was 'the show is made entirely by zionists' then it was 'the show itself is zionist'

and i'm not surprised they think taika is the creator of the show when they can't even be arsed to fact check the guz khan conspiracy which is so dumb that you can debunk it yourself if you think about it for longer than 1 second

[uselessheretic]

Izzy Hands and His No Good Very Tragic Love Story

Season two came out recently (if you haven't noticed!) and within the first 3 episodes we've gotten to see a side of Izzy showing a great amount of depth and sympathy towards him. This is especially around his declaration of having love for Edward, confirming a long held fandom opinion by some that the lil guy is just cranky because he has a crush.

For most of the last year and a half, it seems that the main fandom interpretation of Izzy Hands and whatever the fuck is wrong with him was that Izzy was homophobic. For a while, it was actually controversial to suggest that Izzy was in love with Edward at all!

For some, Izzy's confession debunks their previously held understanding of Izzy as a homophobe. For others, they might just go with the "he's gay and homophobic, duh" reasoning. I'd really encourage anyone who's seeing a new side of Izzy to go back and rewatch season 1, but try it through a lens of assuming that Izzy's in love, not bigoted, and see which narrative is stronger.

But no matter your interpretation, I think we can confidently say that the creators' goal with writing Izzy has never been to make him homophobic. There's examples from the show I can use to draw out an analysis of why homophobic Izzy doesn't hold up under scrutiny, but right now I just wanna give y'all some background onto what has already been confirmed by word of god.

David Jenkins had already confirmed at the end of season 1 that Ed and Izzy are a romance. A dark and toxic one, but a romance nonetheless. He has also reiterated the same in recent interviews as well.

The writing of the show has a focus on not relying on queer trauma to create conflict. Ed and Stede getting together isn't ever blocked by homophobic forces, jim's story isn't defined by transphobia, and nobody's past is scarred by homophobic (or racist) bigotry. The writers have said that this focus on queer trauma was something they wanted to avoid.

Taika has said a few times that nobody is ever against a queer couple because they're gay, they're just upset that jealous. The context makes it pretty clear that the only characters he could be referring to is Ed, Stede, and Izzy. He also emphasized that being gay is just the pirate way.

Con o'Neill has also specifically said at a panel in June that Izzy isn't homophobic, he's just heartbroken.

There's also been con goers who've spoken with Con about queer narratives where Con had added on that yeah, gay people can be homophobic, but Izzy isn't. He just hates Stede's guts.

If the creator's and actors' intentions are undeniably that the character isn't homophobic, then maybe it's time for us to revisit the source material, and try to see what they were actually trying to say.

[commando-rogers]

last post I’m gonna make re: ofmd s2 teaser for now- tl;dr David Jenkins is not letting ANYONE think this show isn’t a serious romance anymore

a phenomenon that really struck me about season 1 was that a lot of people didn’t take it seriously. so many of us, myself included, went into this show thinking “oh! taika series, we know what we do in the shadows, this is gonna be a hilarious, lighthearted, silly funny show.” of course, most people (especially queer audiences) caught on to how serious it actually was as the romance plot grew, and then by episode 8-10 knew that oh, this is a romance, this is a drama. (don’t get me wrong, it’s a comedy, but you know what I’m saying.)

but a lot of people didn’t realize it (read: straight audiences). I rewatched the show with a straight man who was watching for the first time, and he was SHOCKED at the kiss. I said “you couldn’t tell they were falling in love? you couldn’t see all the signs? the other characters comments? the tropes?” and he literally said to me “yeah, I thought they were joking though. I thought they were buddies who were close and people were making fun of them.”

like. wow. straight men.

(to his credit, he caught on quickly and was very emotionally invested by the end. straight redemption.)

so when I rewatched the show again, I made a deliberate choice to flip the switch in my head between serious and funny. the thing is, if you choose to, you can ABSOLUTELY read it as all funny, tongue in cheek, comedic shenanigans. that lens is absolutely there and valid, and if you’re not looking for the serious undercurrents, you don’t see them.

and the season 1 trailer enforces this! there’s drama but it’s still silly! it’s all “ha ha funny man tries to be a pirate and adventures ensue.”

but with this first season 2 teaser, there’s none of that. it is serious, it is dramatic, it is intense. of course there’s some comedy thrown in, but it’s the heartbreak and the longing and the dramatic music and the danger. we see characters screaming, firing guns, actively in peril. the tone is dark. there’s no silliness here. David Jenkins took away our ability to be ignorant to what this story is at its core.

all us fans were stunned by the end of season 1, we thought it was funny why are our hearts ripped out!! (and I just made another post about this, but we were shocked that it wasn’t just queerbaiting, so this trailer literally makes clear from the beginning it’s a love story between Stede and Ed.) and so many other viewers of the show didn’t get it, they were surprised and didn’t understand how this funny show was trying to be serious.

season 2 isn’t gonna let us do that. David Jenkins is clearly showing us that this is a love story, but it’s dramatic and sad and intense. the laughs will happen because that’s what’s at the heart of this show, but make no mistake, this is a queer love story with all of the highs and lows that come with it. and I’m thrilled.

[zemantler]

Hey Mac! I just saw the new video you made about episode 4 and 5 of Our Flag Means Death and wanted to share with you a perspective I thought might be interesting to you.

(p.s sorry its so long and wordy! I tried to condense my thoughts as much as possible😅)

I read an article recently by Screen Rant (https://screenrant.com/our-flag-means-death-season-3-release-date-cast-story-everything-we-know/) which says that our boy David Jenkins himself mentioned that if the show gets renewed for a third season then season 3 would be the final. He apparently also said that he has the entirety of the show beginning to end already mapped out, and this information kind of changed everything for me in terms of how I view the show and the way it is being created.

Shows that go for 5 to 10 seasons (roughly) are shows MADE for streaming, that being said their formula is usually to follow a storyline that can be started and ended every season and it's the characters that keep us coming back. OFMD isn't like that, I think the key is to think of it more like a long movie. and what we know about movies, or just classic storytelling in general (literally one of the first things you learn in elementary or middle school) is that a story has a beginning, a middle and an end. If you think about the seasons of the show like this-season 1 beginning, season 2 middle, and season 3 end-it kinda makes all the pacing issues and the ‘Ed problem’ make sense (or just seem more intentional-again David says he has this all planned out) and you can follow the trajectory of the show actually pretty clearly from there. Take for instance season 1, you said it yourself it's like season 1 (baring the last two episodes) is like setting up the story (love story) with rose coloured glasses on. That being said the show also lines up with a rough outline of what your classic hero's journey looks like-call to adventure (the opening of Stede and the crew in ep01s01 and the flashbacks of Stede and Mary's unhappy marriage), meeting with the mentor (Ed-who is also the love interest-and the whole 'teach me how to pirate i'll teach you how to etiquette' deal). You can think of the last two episodes of season 1 as like the crossing of the threshold (aka glasses come off) cause not only does Stede realize he wants to be a pirate indefinitely and leave Barbados for good, but also because season 2 opens with the next part of the hero's journey which is meeting new enemies and allies (Zheng Yi Sao, Archie, Richard Banes,etc.(Does Izzy count as a new ally?)). 

Again, it's all very classic in format, but usually just not how tv shows made for streaming choose to operate-cause most of the time network execs are literally just trying to make the most money by keeping a concept going probably longer than they should-but I digress. Also again, if you factor in the part where season 3 would be the last season it's not unusual at all.That being said I think the reason they decided to have the crews trauma and ESPECIALLY Eds issues only start being addressed in the 5th episode is because they are hoping to have this be one of the plot points that drifts its way into season three and subsequently have resolution occur at that time as well, instead of forcing hollow resolution in the final three episodes of s02 and then have nothing to work with in season 3-this is another point that Screen Rant made in their article.

Using the three acts/hero's journey formula, we can start making really rough guesses as to how season three might pan out and given the circumstances of season 2, it kind of feels more right to me. Not to mention our dude Taika is the guy who wrote the initial screenplay of Moana which focused more on family than the screenplay which actually got made into the Disney film, so I can't imagine him and David of all people just glossing over all of the emotional reconciling parts of the core relationships. Anyways I thought this was interesting to think about and might also help in easing the nerves over the last 3 episodes of this season, again there is always the possibility this might not be true, or work out this way, but I thought it clicked too perfectly in my own head just to not talk about it. Like seriously the hunch is hunching right now!

Anyways Mac, loved the video and hope you have a great night! 😊

Hi!! First of all, thank you, I'm really glad you enjoyed it. Hope you'll have a good day too. Wow thats a lot of text, sorry if I misunderstood something.

While I understand what you mean, series dont really work like that. There are lots of "series like long movies" -plot based, not too stretched out, character dynamic focused, few series long, etc. For example, Good Omens, Sherlock, Hannibal (i think, never seen it) and more...

Movies start plotline in the beginning and have to resolve them in the end. BUT that doesnt mean there cant be a cliffhanger at the end, to help a sequel continue the story. And thats how (good) movie franchises are born- multiple movies are made to elaborate on the first original story, because there simply wasnt enough time to tell it in its entirety in one movie.

Series like ofmd go hannibal etc.. Were made to be series, because they couldnt possibly fit the entire story in a movie format. But when you make the decision to make a series, you also have to comply to the series format. So if its not a limited series, it will probably have multiple seasons, overall theme and will start a plot in first season that will to some extent, continue until the last one, while at the same time having multiple sub plots that will end with each season. They have to end at the end of the season, otherwise the overall season experience wont be satisfying. You watched all that and for what? Just to wait another year to actually see anything happen?

Now i can finally explain what I meant by all this :D OFMD in its entirety cant be like a movie, for its a series. They are formatted differently. If we wanted to compare it to a film, then the only way to do so is to make each season a new movie in a franchise. Each season has to have a satisfying experience on its own while ending in a way that leaves stuff that the next season can work with.

You cant make a bad season and then try to excuse it with "Its only a filler between act one and three" because while that would be excusable in movie, it's not really in series. because then youre just left with a second season that feels unfinished and rushed.

But even story wise, it just doesnt make sense to start redemption arc of the protagonist in act 2, get him together with the love interest and then actually redeem him in act 3. Its weird idk

I'm not saying that this season is bad when it hasnt dropped in its entirety yet tho. Dont quote me on that. I love ofmd and i really am enjoying this season. It just has more flaws than the first one.

Sorry that i rambled a bit and also sorry if it doesnt make sense. Im in school rn its hard to write something sensible while trying to pay attention to geometry or whatever we're doing

[fallenrocket]

Pirate's Life, Short but Nice

I’m definitely sad, and I’m definitely angry—I already canceled my Max subscription—but right now, instead of focusing on what Max took, I want to think about what this show gave.

First of all, I’m so grateful to Our Flag Means Death for giving us a season 2 finale that could function as a series finale in the event that they weren’t allowed to make their planned third season. I’m glad that most of the characters were left in a good place for us to imagine their continuing adventures. If the show had been canceled after season 1, that would’ve been wrenching. I’ll always wish we could get the proper ending that David Jenkins and co. imagined, but I’m so grateful for what we got.

I’m thankful to the entire production. From the brilliant writers to the tremendous cast to the talented crew, every single one of them left it all on the mat. The costumes, the direction, the effects. The banter, the speeches, the unspoken interactions. The amazing DIY lighthouse, Stede’s beautiful mermaid tale, Lucius’s bizarre book of Ed-fixated sketches. The needle drops, the delightful improv, the fantastic episode endings that had me champing at the bit for the following Thursday.

These actors never missed. Rhys Darby and Taika Waititi were positively born to play Stede and Ed. Both of them poured their hearts into these characters from the second they appeared onscreen, and their chemistry together was playful, effortless, and soulful. The whole crew was simply amazing: Nathan Foad, Samson Kayo, Vico Ortiz, Samba Schutte, Joel Fry, Kristian Nairn, Matthew Maher, Ewen Bremner, Nat Faxon, Con O’Neil, David Fane, Guz Khan, and Madeleine Sami. Not one of them wasted a single line delivery or reaction shot. I’m glad we got a chance to meet fantastic new characters like Zheng Yi Sao and Auntie—Ruibo Qian and Anapela Polataivao both fit this show like a glove—and I loved our terrific cast of recurring characters and guest stars, from Leslie Jones to Claudia O’Doherty to Will Arnett.

Everyone put their absolute all into this beautiful, hilarious, sad, weird, hopeful little show. I’ve never seen queer representation treated with so much depth and nuance—nobody is doing it like Our Flag Means Death. Season 2 came along right as I was reckoning with my neurodivergence, and this wonderful found family of damaged oddballs helped me find much greater understanding of myself. Thank you so much to everyone who lent their imaginations to put this loving, lovely story onscreen.

[iamnotmisosoup]

In honor of the glorious OFMD season 2 teaser drop, I thought I would share some of my fan theories for the upcoming season here because I have nobody else to talk with about them :)

These are sort of ranked by what I think is most likely true, but I will clarify which ones I think are more unlikely then the others.

NUMBER 1: Spanish Jackie and the Swede are gonna hook up.

I from what the teaser looked like, I think this is the one that will 100% happen. In the teaser, the only clip we get with Spanish Jackie is with her and someone else in the background. I think it’s the Swede since it looks like the character is wearing some kind of headband, and the shorts that they are wearing kind of look like the ones that Swede wears for most of the season

NUMBER 2: Izzy is gonna get a partner

Now who this is going to be I have no absolute clue. It could be a new character introduced in the upcoming season, it could be a member of the Revenge, it could be anybody! But the Vainty Fair first look preview made it sound a lot like Izzy is actually going to get some romantic attention, and I can’t help but (kind of) root for him :)

NUMBER 3: Oh no!! The British!!! Oh no!! The Chinese pirates!!!

From what we have so far (the Vainty Fair preview and the teaser) it sounds like the Revenge crew is going to have a run-in with the British army again, and perhaps a battle with a new crew of Chinese pirates. What I am wondering though is if the British army might join forces with the new set of pirates, sort of like what Izzy did during the final episodes of season one, and go up against the Revenge and/or/maybe Blackbeard’s crew at the same time.

NUMBER 4: Big sea storm. Perhaps a sudden rainstorm and a canopy causes 2 people to stare into each others eyes lovingly and realize they were made for eachother….

If you know, you know. But for the sea storm bit the hair and makeup stylist for the show revealed that the most challenging part of season 2 was when “they were caught in the storm on the back of the boat” so….

NUMBER 5: Anne Bonny is going to be rlly important, not just a one episode side character

This is really just me hoping that Anne Bonny will have a bigger part, because she is just such a cool person within history! I hope she gets a chance to be the bisexual and polyamorous (I think I heard somewhere that during her lifetime she was in a polyamorous relationship, but I’m not sure where so don’t 100% quote me on that) pirate that she was!

NUMBER 6: The “major romantic moment between two characters” isn’t going to be Ed and Stede

Neil Gaiman already fooled me once, ain’t gonna let David Jenkins do the same.

NUMBER 7: The Revenge crew see a familiar face in the vanity fair first look image

(Note: for some reason tumblr isn’t letting me put the actual image here, so if you want to see it look at the Vanity Fair article and scroll down until you see the 5th image with most of the crew)

Now, from what the image looks like, I’m taking a wild guess and assuming that the crew snuck onto a ship (perhaps the new crew’s ship) and found a familiar face being held captive. Based upon Pete’s reaction (and my own personal delusional ass) I’m going to guess that they have found Lucius! But with Stede’s reaction, it doesn’t seem like Lucius is in the best shape that they have seen him…

NUMBER 8: The two new New Zealand cast members are apart of Blackbeard’s crew?

To be honest this is just me going out on a limb and guessing, because the two new cast members, Madeleine Sami and Anapela Polataivao, are both from New Zealand, and maybe Taika Waititi wanted to have New Zealand actors be apart of his crew so, maybe? To be honest this one is just a shot in the dark and me guessing idk

NUMBER 9: Lucius is alive, and his being held hostage by the Chinese pirates

Now this one is either my most likely theory, or my most delusional fandom brain theory. This one connects back to my #7 theory, that the Revenge crew might see Lucius again, BUT I think that after he got pushed off of the Revenge, he crossed paths with a Chinese Pirate ship who have heard of the “dreaded” gentleman pirate, or just want to keep him prisoner, and are keeping him captured on the boat.

~+ YIPPEE YOU MADE IT TO THE END :D +~

But seriously if you willingly read this far tysm, this is one of my first ever big tumblr posts and I just wanted to get some of my thoughts out and somewhere! Sooo yeah. If this does ok I might post more, but tbh I’m tired and want to go to bed, so goodbye for now :)

[ofmdrecaps]

10/29-30/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; David jenkins; Rhys Darby; Taika Waititi; Samba Schutte; Con O'Neill; Nathan Foad; David Fane/Rachel House; MCM Comic Con Coverage w/AdoptOurCrew; In Person Events: Calypso's Birthday in Pittsburgh; Fan Spotlight: Gay Pirate News Hour; NeverLeftPodcast; AMuseOfFyre: Badmintons!; Love Notes;

Hey lovelies, my dad is once again trying to come home from the hospital tomorrow, and I am learning how to help with wound care, and tube feeds, so I have been completely and utterly wiped after coming home from that while also working full time (and no sleep because my kiddo had too much candy)-- so to be honest I have been taking some time to rest and doodle because I need it for my mental health! I'm slowly catching up, things are gonna be a bit bare bones while I get back into the groove of things. Hope you're all staying healthy and safe out there!

= David Jenkins =

Just a lovely picture of David and Kinga from earlier this year that Kinga shared a couple days ago.

Source: Kinga's Instagram

Also-- David's been sharing the adorable twerking gif by @smolbus over on twitter!

Source: David Jenkins Instagram

= Rhys Darby =

Rhys is keeping up with his Daily Doodles on his Substack! The last one there is.. uhm, well very specific (I love these goofy doodles btw I hope he never stops, reminds me of the Buttons McGinty illustrations). Check out the Darby Daily Doodles on his Substack!

Source: Rhys Free Substack

There are still tickets available for Rhys's Indianapolis show on Nov 7 at Helium Comedy Club! You can still get tickets here. The St Louis - Nov 8 - Helium Comedy Club is sold out!

If you're going to the IN show-- one of Rhys Buddies is really catering to the Rhys Darby fans and trying to giveaway his red solo cups that have been touched or looked at by Rhys! I'm so glad they know just how feral everyone is for Rhys Lightning.

And a quick clip of one of Rhys's Routines from the 25th anniversary!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Helium Comedy Club Indy (@heliumcomedyind)

Source: Helium Comedy Instagram

= Gizmo & Bumbles Darby =

As you know, I can't resist cat content, especially of Gizmo and Bumbles, so here you are-- Thanks Rosie for keeping us fed!

Source: Rosie's Instagram stories.

= Taika Waititi =

Taika was out at the world series, and the Dodgers won!

Source: Taika's Instagram

= Samba Schutte (and Con) =

Reminder! Samba's Death by Cheese class is one week away! Sat Nov 9th, at 10am PST online with Be Momentus!

Also check out this very goofy video of Samba and con Re: The dish you'll be making!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Samba Schutte (@sambaschutte)

Source: Samba's Instagram

= Nathan Foad =

When Nathan's not interviewing Kristian at cons, he's out with friends!

Source: Michelle Collins Instagram

= David Fane / Rachel House =

Moana2 just broke the 2024 record for most day 1 ticketing presales for an animated feature! Congrats Rachel, David, and Taika! So excited for you!

Source: Fandango's Instagram

= Con O'Neill =

After the recent showing of 'The Men' starring Con at the Alnwick Playhouse in the UK, Con did a Q & A with Rebecca of The Northern Film Blog! Check out the article below!

== MCM Comic Con Coverage ==

Our friends over at @adoptourcrew and their correspondents were kind enough film and transcribe some of the questions Nathan asked kristian at his panel at MCM Comic Con a couple weekends back! I'm sharing a screencap + the link to their tumblr posts with the videos (tumblr only lets me share one at a time on any given post) so please head over there and check them out! Question 1: "Nathan asks Kristian about his personal style and how the way he presents himself has changed over the years."

Question 2: Regarding Kristian's first time working with Revlon

Conversation About Kristan's Life Part 1

Conversation about Kristian's life PART 2:

== In Person Events: PA ==

It's that time again! Harold's Haunt in Pittsburgh PA will be hosting another Calypso's birthday, this time on Nov 9 at 6 pm!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ringa Sunn (@ringasunn)

Source: Harold's Haunt Instagram

== Fan Spotlight ==

= Gay Pirate News Hour =

It's time for another Gay Pirate News hour! Catch it on Our Flag Means Fanfiction's Youtube at 1PM PT/ 4PM ET!

Source: Our Flag Means Fanfiction Instagram

= Never Left Podcast =

New episode of Never Left! This time talking about Flags! (Part 1!) Check it out on your favorite listening platform on their linktr.ee!

Source: Never Left Podcast Instagram

= A Muse Of Fyre =

Our crewmate @amuseoffyre is back -- this time with the Badminton's! The Nigel flicking off the camera one is legit the funniest thing I've seen all week. Love it!

Source: Amuseoffyre's Instagram

== Love Notes ==

Hey lovelies, just a quick one tonight. I feel like TheLatestKate is basically just following me around because she always has new and appropriate love notes each week. Please please please go easy on yourself right now, you're doing so much, I know we all are. Please be kind to yourself, drink some water, and take a few extra moments of rest. You deserve it (whether you did a million things today, or just survived). Take care lovelies. See you soon.

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Source: The LatestKate Instagram

[londonspirit]

The Big Picture

The second season of Our Flag Means Death takes a unique approach to the trope of separating romantic couples, exploring the emotional ramifications instead of resolving it quickly.

Season 2 delves into the heartbreaking consequences of the split between Stede and Ed, showcasing Stede's pure affection and Ed's descent into self-destruction and violence.

While their reunion is a melodramatic and intimate affair, the emotional reconciliation between Stede and Ed will likely unfold over time due to the aftermath they have both experienced. The show's strength lies in its intentional pacing and character development.

Tropes are tropes for a reason: when done with clever forethought, they're a comforting delight. As with anything recycled a hundred times over, however, there are the Bad Tropes; the "please, beloved media, don't fall into that lazy writing trap." One of these Bad Tropes surrounds break-ups. When a series separates its main romantic couple, the split tends to lack lasting consequences or finds itself resolved altogether too quickly. Exploring the emotional ramifications for each character, let alone those on the periphery, takes a backseat in favor of restoring things to the status quo. It shouldn't be a surprise to fans of Our Flag Means Death that Season 2's first three episodes didn't take the expected route. Nevertheless, the relief that the first season's intelligent writing didn't vanish overnight burns as bright as the fictional pain that cuts like a knife.

David Jenkins' period pirate rom-com could've easily, immediately reunited the unlikely star-crossed lovers Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby) and Edward Teach/Blackbeard (Taika Waititi) or smoothed over their climatic separation. Season 2 does neither, avoiding that temptation. It forces its own storytelling to earn their reunion in a way as slow burn as the romance's development. For a series already acknowledged for its insightful writing, that's the smartest move David Jenkins could've made.

‘Our Flag Means Death’ Season 2 Earns Its Darkness

Season 1 of Our Flag Means Death was aggressively revolutionary in its quiet normalization. It shattered Western television's long-established history of queerbaiting (teasing an LGBTQIA+ relationship for attention but never confirming it) just by existing. Our Flag Means Death's romance between Stede Bonnet and Ed Teach wasn't just unambiguous, it was a tender takedown of toxic masculinity, an intimate exploration of male vulnerability, and a story of two opposites stumbling into their perfect compliment. By seeing beyond the other's unconventional exterior and expressing tenderness, Stede and Ed become one another's safe space: their lighthouse in the dark, if you will.

Then the Season 1 finale ate fans' dreams for (temporary) breakfast. Shattering a happy couple usually means drama for drama's sake; said decisions aren't concerned with character growth or arc resolution. Not only are those the express purposes behind Stede and Ed's split, Our Flag Means Death Season 2 forces us to witness all the bloody misery, psychologically vivisecting both characters. The differences in each man's perspectives have never been more heartbreaking than charming; now it's the reverse. The pure simplicity of Stede's affection is just that: pure. He writes Ed love letters. He dreams about being a traditional pirate who exacts violent revenge before running into Ed's arms along a sunset beach. He's a man reveling in his first love, and he's gloriously smitten while also painfully yearning in his loneliness and regret. Even surrounded by members of his crew, without Ed nearby, Stede's skin doesn't quite fit his exuberant body. It's the same revolutionary gentleness Our Flag Means Death displayed in the crafting of their romance.

Then there's Ed. Even with the series' reliable banter and rom-com undertones still in play, it's difficult to watch his parade of slaughter without flinching. He labels himself the devil and is, at certain times, worthy of the moniker. Ed hasn't merely re-embraced his Blackbeard persona through his homicidal actions, he's spiraled into suicidal self-destruction. There's no goal except torment, no outlet save violence. He sprays innocent blood at weddings. He maims his crew via torture and courts their retaliation. And it heals nothing; he lies despondent on the floor clinging to a wedding token that reminds him of Stede. Ed's brutal unpredictability is both disturbing and heartbreaking, especially since he's relieved when the crew of the Revenge mutinies and nearly kills him. Our Flag Means Death never holds back on where the heartbreak of shattered vulnerability might tip a traumatized murderer, both holding Ed accountable and empathizing. This triplicate of episodes marks the best acting of Taika Waititi's career for balancing all the scripts' demands, especially with their unhurried detail. Everything could have been resolved in the first episode, but that would've betrayed all that Season 1 carefully developed.

‘Our Flag Means Death’s Love Story Has Always Been Vulnerable

Underneath the quirky pirate shenanigans, Our Flag Means Death deconstructs childhood trauma: the ricochet effects on individuals' lives and how courageous and healing it is to give and receive emotional vulnerability. Ed views himself as a monster, and this inherent belief in his unlovable irredeemablity, seemingly confirmed by Stede's abandonment, manifests outward into trying to burn down the world. He and Steed were both lost souls, but Ed's outcast state took the too-relatable form of self-hatred. When he decides to live in Episode 3 after actively imagining all the ways he could die, it's a sentiment in line with Season 1's themes as everything else. The moment's earned, and means something, precisely because Our Flag Means Death took its time getting there.

Meanwhile, Stede the daydreamer is left to reckon with Ed's actions. He tries to reason them away; he's never seen Ed reduced to his darkest base impulses-slash-coping mechanisms, so Stede's beloved is just "blowing off steam," surely. It's Lucius (Nathan Foad), the man who survived Ed's murder attempt, who forces Steed to look directly at "the man he loves" in all his shades: beheadings, arson, senseless parades of violence. (When freaking Izzy Hands wants to protect the crew from further "suffering," you had better start paying attention.) Only acknowledging Ed's better side is the same romanticization Stede applied to the entire idea of gentleman piracy. Much like the audience, Stede now has no choice but to either accept Ed or truly reject him and acknowledge his own unintentional culpability. Then, Stede's the only person who refuses to write Ed off as a lost cause. He's seen the terrified, tender man behind the kraken. And this reckoning wouldn't have happened, or would've occurred under less satisfying and revelatory circumstances, if Stede hadn't dashed back home.

Stede and Ed’s Reunion in ‘Our Flag Means Death’ Season 2 Won’t Be Easy, but It Will Be Worth It

Our Flag Means Death keeping Stede and Ed apart for three episodes of reflection also makes their inevitable reunion more effective. One of the things the series does best stays intact: Jenkins both embraces his rom-com inspirations — Stede leaping into the ocean, professing his love over a dying Ed, and a symbolic rescue involving a merman tail set to a Kate Bush needle drop — and twists them onto their heads. There's no instant catharsis, as Stede finds the Revenge a tomb of hate. But he still saves his crew, and he still saves Ed. This Stede Bonnet is assured and decisive, a far cry from the man we met in the pilot. He knows what he wants, which isn't wasting his wealth on the high seas but being with the man he adores more than any treasure. It's only fitting that their reunion is a melodramatic, silly, and achingly intimate affair on both sides. Neither character would know themselves as well or reached an emotional breaking point to rebuild from without having spent time apart.

Having said that, although Stede and Ed are physically reunited, Season 2 has sat in the horrible aftermath for too long for the emotional reconciliation to be instantaneous. This is Season 1's reverse slow-burn echo. Even if the pair "talk it through as a crew," the raw encounter will likely unfold over time. There's too much behind them to rush into the future. Everything in Our Flag Means Death is building toward an intentional conclusion. Its best strengths, namely building character through pacing, are already soaring as high as a raised ship flag.

New episodes of Our Flag Means Death Season 2 premiere Thursdays on Max.

[asgardian--angels]

Taika and OFMD

thinking about Taika's new interview where he's said the season 2 ending seems like a natural conclusion to the show.

We know that David wrote the season finale the way he did in case it didn't get renewed for s3. And we know that David does have a season 3 storyline in mind, as he's envisioned Ed and Stede's love story as having three acts. And I know that the fans believe there's more story to tell, too, because they haven't resolved their communication issues, their trauma, or lingering plotlines.

The interview mentions that one of the limits on the show's capacity to keep running is Taika's schedule. To me, that may be the biggest holdup of anything when you get down to it. We're so lucky to have had him for two seasons of this show, given just how many projects he has going concurrently. But it gets more and more difficult to block off months of his time - and when looking for a season 3, David is going to need to produce an exceptionally compelling reason to bring him back in again. If Taika believes the show could end where it is, as much as he's adored being on it, he may prioritize other projects.

To me it felt as much of a risk to end s2 on a 'happy ending' note than to end on a cliffhanger, because it leaves the door open for cancellation on the basis of 'good enough.' I get why he did it, and I do think it was the right choice, but still. It makes the season 3 setup harder, because as Taika even said, he wouldn't want a situation where Ed and Stede have to leave their idyllic life behind. Which would have to happen to some extent - pulled back into the fray at least temporarily when the crew needs their help or the larger conflict of the pirates vs the English comes to a head, otherwise there'd be no drama or excitement. And if the storyline was simply Ed and Stede running an inn and having domestic mornings and working out their feelings, that's just not enough for Taika to clear his schedule and sacrifice other potential projects.

I trust David Jenkins to have something in mind that can convince tptb a third season would bring them great ratings and streaming subscriptions. I honestly don't think that's the part of this process that would hold (is holding?) the execs' decision up. Rather, it's whether the premise for season 3 is deemed compelling and necessary enough for our big name actors to sign on and commit their time to. For all we know, it's taking more time than anything to just figure out if Taika has any time in the next two years to devote to this (have you seen the sheer number and scale of his upcoming films?). They're not going to greenlight a third season if Taika can't commit. And Taika's so busy right now with Next Goal Wins that maybe they haven't even been able to sit down with him to have a lengthy contract discussion.

I'd like to think that Taika and David have discussed the three-act story premise for OFMD thoroughly, since it's something David's been saying since season 1 and if Taika didn't think he could do three seasons then I'd think the show would have been a nonstarter unless it was a 'cross that bridge when we come to it' situation, so the potential difference in opinion here is interesting. But it leads to some possibilities such as a season 3 where Ed and Stede aren't main characters - the focus turns more to the crew, with only half or even a third of the episodes featuring the main duo. Or an even shorter season 3 such as a 3 or 5 episode miniseries to reduce the time commitment for Taika. If the timeline for the show's production has to get pushed out an extra year to fit with his schedule, HBO Max might just decide it's not worthwhile to pursue. So there's a lot of things that can happen, and as much as we want an expanded season 3 with more episodes and a bigger budget, that may very well not be compatible with the reality of Taika's long-term availability.

We have to consider these possibilities. As I've said before, season 3 is in no way guaranteed, even from streaming analytics and critical success - but this is another dimension to this conversation that I haven't heard anyone talking about, and quite possibly the most important one because it's very concrete. No Taika, no OFMD. The fact that he said the show could perhaps go on without him and Rhys shows me this is where his thoughts are as well.

I don't want to make anyone despair here - I want season 3 more than anything. I do believe the show, and the story, deserves the full arc and natural conclusion that David has planned. We absolutely need to keep campaigning for renewal, harder than ever as we move into the one-month-post-finale window. But we should also realize that a big part of the renewal decision is out of our hands, and comes down to the ability of the show's star to actually stay involved. I think Taika will try his best to shuffle things around, but as I said David needs to be able to pitch him a season 3 that convinces him Ed and Stede's story isn't finished yet.

So fingers crossed. We may not hear anything for a while, as negotiations have to involve Taika and he's a busy busy man right now. I am optimistic, but I just wanted to remind folks of this aspect of the process.