#Thank you David Jenkins

[spenglernot]

STORIES TELLING: NED LOWE AND THE DEATH OF POOR REPRESENTATION IN OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH

In history, Ned Lowe was one of the most sadistic and violent pirates in the early 18th century, so he’s an obvious choice for a villain for season 2, episode 6 – Calypso’s Birthday.  What is interesting is what the OFMD writers chose to do with him.

Lowe announces himself to the crew of the Revenge with great fanfare (cannon ball attack) and gets right to the point.

Ed is thoroughly unimpressed.

Cut to Ed and Stede tied up while Ned attempts to set the mood so he can monologue about why he wants to kill Ed.

Ed knows what’s coming. He is going to suffer but he still can’t be arsed to meet Ned with anything but vaguely bored dismissiveness (and Stede is happy to play along).

Up on the deck, Ned prepares the crew for his big, dramatic moment of symphonic torture.

Note that the Revenge crew is tied down, braced by vices and generally unable to protect themselves from imminent torture and possible death, but their spirits are up. They don’t seem terribly fussed.

Then Stede uses his people positive management style to happily orchestrate a worker uprising in Ned’s crew.

Ned’s crew responds instantly; severing their allegiance to Lowe and telling him off.

The crew sails away and talks profit sharing while Ned dully threatens to hunt them down.

Ned is now a prisoner of the Revenge crew and seems entirely disinterested in his own survival.

And Ned sinks to the depths, without struggling at all.

There is a lot going on in this episode: pay and labor equity direct action, gay love engagement bliss, kink humor, Stede being a hero and saving his crew by playing to his strengths, then having to decide whether to kill in cold blood and feel the consequences of that choice. Ed having one more reason to be done with piracy (while being so impressed with and fond of Stede), and then watching his man make a fraught choice and having to deal with the fallout from that. (And, damn, I haven’t even mentioned the passionate sex bit.) Anyway, back to the point.

Now for the the meta part

The Ned Lowe sequences are perfectly in keeping with OFMD’s signature blend of madcap violence, humor, and big emotional gut punches. But something about Ned Lowe just strikes me as off for this show.

Ned is seriously threatening the crews’ lives, so why don’t they take him seriously?

Why does Ned have such a boring, throwaway backstory?

Why is Ned so nonchalant about his own death; like it’s a foregone conclusion?

Why does Ned have a silver violin and silver spurs on his slip-on dress shoes?

Why is Ned sartorially monochromatic?

And then I realized who Ned reminds me of.

This guy,

Earnst Stavro Blofeld in the James Bond film Diamonds are Forever (1971)

And this guy,

Scar in Disney's The Lion King (1994).

And this guy,

Xerxes, 300 (2006).

And it sure seems like Ned Lowe isn’t just an episodic villain. He is an archetype of the one-dimensional, stereotypical queer-coded villain that has been endemic in film and television throughout history. The OFMD writers have a lot to say about what to do with this kind of character:

Don’t respect him.

Feel free to openly mock him.

Don’t let him take your joy, even though he will hurt you.

He won’t disappear on his own. You have to throw something at him (take action) to make him go away.

Once he’s in the water, he’s content to drown. He’s not into what he’s doing any more than you are.

Oh and, just to be clear,

The LGBTQIA+ community has a very long history of turning shit media into better stories. So, hey, big media, prepare to have your crap characters wrecked (improved).

Now, back to our transformative pirate show with rich, complex queer characters and a multi-layered plot that surprises me every week and makes me feel big feelings - most of all, joy.

Final thought: I do wonder if Ned Lowe is monochromatically silver as a tribute to/poke at, Hollywood and the silver screen.

This meta was written before OFMD season 2 has fully aired. No idea what’s going to happen in the finale (and I’ve generally fled social media to avoid spoilers). I’ll be back, looking at everyone’s fascinating posts after episode 8 airs.

[figrollandacuppa]

I was going to post this in the next few days but… hope this helps soothe💛

This story means a lot to me, their queerness and their journeys to liking themselves a little more. To acceptance of self, vulnerability and tenderness. I’m so glad I exist in times where stories like this are shown. I hope we’ll see a future where we get to see their rightful ends!

My OG caption was “He’s had a long day at work and Ed was getting a tattoo cover up (I refuse to do the snake skull it is ugly🫶🏻)

[nottestelllata]

I’m gonna deep breath through this disappointment and figure out how to turn poison into ✨ positivity ✨

there wasn’t anything ofmd did wrong. it’s a symptom of a bigger problem

there wasn’t anything the cast, crew or fans could have done differently

we have a show that treated its characters and audience with care, respect, understanding and love. it will never leave us

here’s to ed and stede running simultaneously the worst managed and most loving inn the world has ever known. and to the crew of the revenge who stop by to see their dads every year and relay to them the gutsy mishaps they found themselves in and “have you seen how many noses Spanish Jackie has???”. and to the quiet wind that rattles through the walls at night, that more than one guest swears sounded just like a hoarsely drawn out “twwwaaatttt” 🍻🫡

[sonnetforbonnet]

On February 27th, 2023, in the early morning hours, I finished watching Our Flag Means Death for the first time. Since then, I've rewatched it countless times, I started reading fanfiction for the first time, I started writing it, I scoured the internet for any scraps of S2 content before it finally arrived, I squealed at the S2 teaser trailer, I rejoiced in the premiere of S2 with everyone else, I went to a friend's place at 11:50 PM so we could watch new episodes as soon as they aired, I downloaded memes and photos and fanart pieces, I saw bad takes and shitty takes and good takes and fantastic takes about the show, I waited anxiously for either renewal or cancellation, and when we finally got an answer I worked with everyone to reverse the decision.

In the course of a year, maybe 60-75% of my free time has been spent reading fanfic. In the course of a year, I've downloaded over one thousand OFMD memes. In the course of a year, I've rewatched Ed and Stede's first kiss on YouTube hundreds of times.

All of this in the past year. I'm so happy I finally sat down to watch this show, so I could fall in love with Ed and the crew and Spanish Jackie and Mary Bonnet and Stede Fucking Bonnet. So I could love/hate Izzy Hands and the Badmintons. So I could straight up hate Calico Jack (because seriously, fuck that guy).

Simply put, this show has brought me joy. David Jenkins and the entire cast and crew behind him have made something so special, so precious. And I cannot thank them enough for it.

[confusedraven1]

to me, this moment is a visual summary of ed’s journey in season 1 (before it went to shit)

stede really doesn’t do much, he’s just there, but he lifts the cover from ed’s eyes & suddenly ed realizes/remembers “fuck yea i wanna live! get me out of these ropes! don’t let me drown!”

[magnusthepuppet]

i could spit out some rant about this fandom having the media literacy of a single-celled organism.

however, i think that we have enough negativity in this community regarding this season as it is. so instead, i’d like to say a few words regarding why this season was perfect to me.

queer people are told they’re nothing their entire lives. we are killed, harassed, and treated like pests. ofmd tells us that even if you’ve fucked up. even if you’ve been a bad person. even if you’re “broken”. you still deserve to be loved. ofmd fucking proves them wrong.

maybe everyone didn’t get the happy little ending y’all hoped for. maybe there was heartbreak. but goddamn you if everyone in this show wasn’t loved.

[msblueberrybi]

I will never not love the fact that the show uses the SILLIEST situations, jokes and visuals to have the HEALTHIEST couple therapy, conflict resolution and communication in general. It's astounding really.

[trashmammal-7]

When I tell you I needed a parallel in a queer piece of media that wasn't just heartbreaking I mean I really needed a parallel in a queer piece of media that wasn't just heartbreaking.

[joandraws]

Okay, y'all season 2 is ON ANOTHER PLANE OF EXISTENCE. Going in, I really didn't know what to expect, but holy shit was it elevated to a level that I was just not expecting. I think when David wrote season 1 he was hoping that it would reach its target audience and you know what, David? It fucking did. You reached every single queerdo out there with this gem of a show and you saw that you did and how much we loved it and you gave us even more. More queerness. More older queers falling in love. More of what being queer actually is - how you finally find your people/family and fight for them till the end. All of those themes were very much present with such funny lines and so much heart. God. I took all of it, every tiny detail, every beautiful dialogue you wrote, every gorgeous scene you filmed and I put it in the most tender place of my heart and locked it, for safe keeping of course. Yeah, I'm getting corny as hell, just let me for a second.

Thank you, David Jenkins and everyone else who worked on season 2 of Our Flag Means Death. Season 1 meant the world, but this season was just something that I'll treasure for a long time. Please, I hope we get another season. ❤️

[niti-who]

NO PLEASE NO.... 😭😭 At least we had a nice happy ending in Season 2 and I was able to get to know you dear fans. And thanks to the series, Rhys and Cryptid Factor too. And I was able to experience Taika as an actor. (one of the few times I've seen him) I just say THANK YOU DAVID!! Our captain 🫡🏳️‍🌈🏴‍☠️ Don't Forget.. We talk it Through.. as A Crew..

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A post shared by David Jenkins (@dvidjenkins)

[19-020221]

its five forty eight a.m and i am bawling

[spenglernot]

STORIES TELLING: ED TEACH’S JOURNEY FROM ARMOR TO AUTHENTICITY

One of the joys of watching season 2 of Our Flag Means Death is discovering the visual parallels with season 1 that add so much meaning and richness to the story. With affecting, extraordinary economy of visual storytelling, we can see the progression of Ed’s journey from choosing armor in season 1, episode 10 – Wherever You Go, There You Are, to choosing authenticity in season 2, episode 7 – Man on Fire.

[I have to point out the gorgeous cinematography here. Panning down on the left, panning up on the right. The clear resolve of S2 E7 Ed turning to ascend to the deck. I also love the timing of both shots. S2 E7 Ed is turning toward the red silk that S1 E10 Ed will release.]

S1 E10 Ed considers the red silk. The symbol of his tenderness, softness, and vulnerability.

S2 E7 Ed hoists his leathers and his firearm - his literal and symbolic armor and protection - to the edge of the deck.

S1 E10 Ed releases his tenderness, softness, and vulnerability to the sea.

S2 E7 Ed releases his armor and protection to the sea.

S1 E10 Ed throws the person who understands what he’s going through and is in a position to help him work through it in a healthy way, into the sea.

S2 E7 Ed makes breakfast-in-bed for the person with whom he shares emotional and physical intimacy. An act of care and service that strengthens his bond with Stede.

Show, don't tell doesn't seem adequate to describe these two sequences. They are masterful and say so, so much.

The double-edged sword of self-awareness

You’ve really got to give it to Ed. He’s making huge progress. Making a better choice for himself. Moving forward.

Change can be terrifying. For Ed to release that which protected him for decades is, well… it’s courageous and demonstrates hard-won self-awareness and integrity.

Of course, choosing to be authentic to yourself doesn’t translate into automatic relationship building. Understanding and communicating with other people, particularly the person you are in love with, is a related but different skill set. It is also true that, once you know that you can’t perform a persona to please other people, no matter how much you love them, you risk losing them.

Ed in the second frame, above, kills me. He knows that piracy might be the wedge that drives Stede and him apart. He is trying to share how he feels. But Stede is so enamored with finally being a successful pirate (and glowing from the best (and only) love-sex of his life) that he can't hear Ed.

I love that OFMD takes no shortcuts in matters of the heart. If these lads are going to be together for reals, they are going to have to work for it, and there is still much work to be done.

I'm looking forward to likely being simultaneously emotionally fulfilled and mentally devastated by the season 2 finale in about 30 hours.

This meta was written before OFMD season 2 has fully aired. No idea what’s going to happen in the finale (and I’ve generally fled social media to avoid spoilers). I’ll be back, looking at everyone’s fascinating posts after episode 8 airs.

[sashaforthewin]

David Jenkins really saw that all great gay shows have a wall slam and he said yes but in this one they kiss

#The nod of consent is so important to me 😭

[msblueberrybi]

My favorite 'trick' this show does masterfully, honestly, which can go wrong very easily - go from heartrending drama straight (haha) to silly in the space of a second.

Here I am sitting ugly crying as Ed is sinking to the depth of the sea with the accompaniment of This Woman's Work, and the montage, and then... there's Stede as a 'mer-person', which I love, but cannot for the life of me take seriously), so I'm cackling.

Among other things, it makes drama cut so much deeper when it's there. And it has been discussed many times (including by Taika) how comedy is the best vehicle for this, for touching your soul, because humor lowers your defenses, and then bam!

[spenglernot]

THEY EDIT FINE THINGS WELL: KRAKEN CONSTRUCTION (S1 E10) AND DECONSTRUCTION (S2 E7) COMPARISON

I continue to be gobsmacked by the OFMD editors' attention to detail when editing new content so that it calls back to older content, dramatically increasing the emotional impact of both.

The scenes of Ed constructing the Kraken (season 1, episode 10 - Wherever You Go, There You Are) and deconstructing the Kraken (season 2, episode 7 - Man on Fire) synchronize beautifully.

Note that I did not adjust the speed of either video clip. They are playing exactly as originally edited. I did remove the audio track from the S2 E7 clip (Schubert 4 Impromptus, Op. 90, D. 899: No 4 in A-Flat Major: Allegretto) to eliminate sonic chaos. Doing so made me realize how well the S1 E10 sound effects match the S2 E7 clip.

Much respect to the editors for tapping into what feels almost like muscle memory for the season 1 scenes. That recurring feeling is what prompts me to compare S2 scenes with S1 scenes: A body-centered sense of familiarity that is just on the edge of conscious awareness, and makes my brain explode when I actually see the similarities.

This meta was written before OFMD season 2 has fully aired. No idea what’s going to happen in the finale (and I’ve generally fled social media to avoid spoilers). I’ll be back, looking at everyone’s fascinating posts after episode 8 airs.

[hang-on-lil-tomato]

this is beautiful!

and Rhys and Taika trust and love each other so much, it shows.

this show could have been made with a couple of CW aged 20-30 something hotties, but they went with two wonderful middle age performers.

I couldn’t be happier!

now bring Izzy back.

I love you.