#and how blackbeard means so much to izzy that it is actively destroying his chance at healing

[aletterinthenameofsanity]

It's amazing sometimes how a character can haunt the narrative while still being completely alive

*cough* Blackbeard *cough*

[laceratedlamiaceae]

Izzy and Trust

I want to talk about Izzy and trust because I was talking about it with my therapist and projecting onto my blorbos helps me process because I think there's a lot to say about it.

As I have regrettably been made aware recently, trust is essential for forming meaningful connections with other people; why would anyone want to be vulnerable with someone they don't trust not to exploit that vulnerability? And, as I have even more regrettably been made aware recently, having close, meaningful relationships with other people is unfortunately very important for one's mental and emotional well-being.

Izzy is surrounded by pirates and pirates are, generally speaking, not trustworthy. It's safe to assume that he's learned, whether through harsh experience or observation, that he can't trust people (with the exception of Ed--more on that later), and he was right. Our Flag Means Death is set in a comedic world, but the show itself states that pirate culture is "a culture of abuse," along with whatever else Stede says in the first episode. In the environment Izzy has lived in, trust and vulnerability are dangerous and can only lead to harm, and he's been right to avoid them so forcefully.

As a brief aside, the reason Ed is able to so easily open up to Stede is because he isn't making himself very vulnerable by doing so--he's the biggest, baddest pirate on the seas and Stede is just some guy who doesn't know what he's doing, so he isn't risking much by trusting Stede not to use his feelings against him, and Stede would be an idiot to try--Ed could easily destroy him, even if we as the audience know he wouldn't. Izzy, on the other hand, doesn't have that same reputation to protect him.

Trust comes from a sense of belonging (at least, that's what my therapist tells me). Izzy very obviously does not belong on the revenge, so he never has a chance to develop trust in the crew. This isn't an immutable fact--Fang, coming from the same crew as Izzy, is welcomed by the crew of the Revenge (Lucius in particular) and is able to open up fairly quickly, but Izzy doesn't get the same reception.

Izzy may have belonged on Blackbeard's crew to some extent, but even aside from the fact that it was a crew that actively pushed the idea that vulnerability was to be avoided ("the love of a pet makes a man weak," for example), as first mate he was alienated from the others by virtue of being their superior. It's easier to trust an equal than to trust your manager, and belonging to a workplace is different than belonging to a friend group.

Izzy does trust Ed; he's able to openly voice his feelings, even if they are usually ignored, and he believes that Ed will follow through on his promise to kill Stede long after it's become clear to the audience that he won't. This trust comes from Izzy feeling like he belongs with Ed; most of what he does throughout the season is to ensure that he can continue to be with him.

As of the end of season one, Ed violated that trust in an extreme way by entering Izzy's room while he was asleep (the most blatantly vulnerable it's possible for someone to be) and, well, you know what happened next. We briefly get to see Izzy trying to pretend like everything is alright, but it's unclear how long he'll be able to keep up that shallow facade. In season two, Izzy will likely be even more isolated and unable to trust than ever.

One other factor I feel is worth mentioning is that being neurodivergent or mentally ill makes it very difficult for a person to feel like they belong anywhere. Obviously it's impossible to diagnose Izzy with anything for certain, considering that he's a fictional character, but there has been a lot of meta already written analyzing his character from this perspective and it isn't difficult to imagine him with something like autism or anxiety.

I, personally, have anxiety and I see a lot of myself in Izzy. I've always felt like an outsider, even around fellow queer people who I would think I should get along with. Even when I do manage to get marginally close to someone, I'm always on the alert for them to leave or turn on me for doing or saying the wrong thing, and I always make sure to never give them too much of myself so I don't get too hurt. I bring all this up to say that I see all of that in Izzy as well, and I can't fault him for it.

All it takes is a few bad experiences for someone to withdraw like that, and it's hard to stop once you've started. If you've learned to feel like trusting people inevitably leads to betrayal, even if you know that logically that isn't true, why would you ever risk it again? But if you don't take that risk, you can't ever unlearn that belief, and so you just stay withdrawn forever.

What Izzy needs is to find a place he belongs--a place with people he can relate to, where he feels safe and included. Then he can begin the gradual process of learning to trust people, and maybe eventually he can open up and make friends. I'd imagine that if this were to happen, given the fact that Izzy is a secondary character and this show has a pretty short runtime, that it'll happen with the crew of the Revenge.

This is where I would explain how I see that happening, but to be honest I don't. I can only imagine it happening with a new group of people (ideally ones who haven't tried to kill him) who are more like him in terms of personality and aesthetics--more "traditional" pirates, by the standards of the show. Who knows, maybe his role will be expanded, maybe it'll happen offscreen, or maybe the writers will manage to pull it off with the crew of the revenge.

Or maybe Izzy will never learn to trust people and he'll just get worse and then die, but I'm going to choose to ignore that possibility.