#he DID THIS FOR IZZY

[nicogayngelo]

GEORGEEEEEEE YESSSSSSSSSS HE DESEREVED TJIS

[indigoire]

Okay but on a serious note Con O'Neill ate in these first few episodes and left no fucking crumbs. Last season we ended on deranged Izzy; now we have an Izzy realizing how toxic things can really get and WISHING he could go back to the days when he was the only proper pirate among muppets. And he's TRYING so damn hard and it would be so easy to play that in a cheesy or insincere manner, but we have Con O'Neill swinging for the fences, crying, begging for death, disheveled, trying to undo everything he did to get us all in this mess and failing and looking both miserable and delighted in his misery because he's getting what he thinks he deserves.

And YET we also get the subtle tear in the eye when Stede finds out what they really did to Ed. Like. You can feel how utterly heartbroken the man is just from a glimmer in the corner of his eye.

Love Izzy, hate Izzy, it really doesn't matter, not when he's played so magnificently by Con, and I salute him for everything he's doing in this campy gay pirate show.

[raggedy-spaceman]

Spare a thought for Con O'Neill who, for months, went to comic cons and had to listen to people telling him how important Izzy is to them, how they see themselves in him and how, if something bad happened to Izzy, they would be absolutely devastated. Man deserves an award.

[embraceweird]

wait?? The 2026 winter olympic mascots are FUCKING STOATS!!!!

[junewild]

one of my favorite moments from this episode.

make some noise, season 2, “the wicked switch of the west.”

[fuckyeahizzyhands]

I miss them ❤

[circusmilkk]

coloured doodle

[bookshelfdreams]

That is certainly - a statement.

What about Jim, who both metaphorically and literally discovers a path for themself beyond what they were raised to be? What about Pete, who learns to overcome his toxic masculinity, his posturing and self-importance? What about Ed, whose entire story is about deconstructing the performance that is expected of him?

What about, oh, idk, our main fucking character Stede Bonnet, whose arc starts with him literally breaking out from the hetero marriage he was forced into despite never fitting in? Who tries (and initially fails) to build a community where he can be himself? Whose entire story is about discovering his own queerness! He starts out not even able to put a finger on WHY his marriage made him feel so suffocated, and then journeys through s1 until he reaches the emotional climax - "His name is Ed"!

Contrast that with Izzy, who has to be dragged into a supportive community kicking and screaming. Who rejects care and compassion, even at his worst, who has to be forced to accept help. He receives the leg and calls the crew a homophobic slur for it, ffs. Only after that, only when people refuse to let him push them away, is he able to poke his nose into something approaching positive human connections. And that's a powerful narrative, sure, in it's own way; but it's hardly the Ultimate Queer Experience, and it's definitely not the "only queer arc".

And Izzy never lets go of the old ways. He never abandons the Blackbeard-era pirate lifestyle for something more positive, not fully. And that's okay, because ultimately, his arc isn't even about himself.

It's about Ed.

Ed keeps repeating toxic relationship patterns, and Izzy is a part of that. He's linked (on purpose, and I wish it had been done more explicitly) to Ed's father; because Izzy represents the poison that was instilled in Ed from a young age, and that has become so entrenched in his system that he can't imagine a life without it. He keeps Izzy around despite being hurt by him because Izzy is predictable, and in that, is safe, even though he hurts Ed; at least it's a hurt Ed is familiar with and can rely on.

When Izzy slowly changes it's to show that Ed is growing beyond the little voice in his head telling him to reject softness, that he can never be loved, that We're just not these kinds of people. If Izzy can evolve from someone spitting boyfriend at Ed like it's a slur to someone congratulating him on getting laid by that same person, Ed can overcome his inner demons telling him the same thing.

That's the point of Izzy's arc. And this is why he has to die, because Ed can never be truly free as long as Izzy is around. So Izzy goes, quietly, peacefully, and releases Ed of the poison; apologizes to him, tells him I was so wrong, and I am so sorry, because that's what Ed needs to hear to move forward.

And that's such a kind, positive way to end the story of Izzy Hands.

[gydima]

[lagunz]

so many questions

1. why is he in a poncho

2. izzy there's a fire behind you stop posing for a picture and run bro

3. what's in his hand

4. why does he look genuinely traumatised... who is behind the camera? are they pointing a pistol at him?

5. why...

[hexcrystals]

it’s not an issue that izzy didn’t get a sea burial!

historically pirates did get buried on land when they died on land or when they died near land. most historians think this indicates a preference for land burial. it was certainly much closer to what we think of as dignified death rites than a burial at sea, which is literally just chucking the guy overboard

burial at sea wasn’t just a ritualistic thing - it was practical. dead bodies don’t smell good and they attract bugs and let’s be honest they’re not great to look at. so you do not want one clogging up your ship for weeks before you find a port to bury them in, especially when that port might be owned by folks who are not very welcoming of the dead bodies of pirates or people of other nationalities or people who don’t follow their religion. burial at sea was necessary for the health and welfare of the living people on the ship

this doesn’t apply to izzy - not only is there suitable land nearby, it’s land with personal meaning, because it’s next to what is now ed and stede’s house

burying him on land was probably a nice touch rather than a disservice. his grave will be tended. he rests beside the home of people who knew him. he rests in a place which is known and immovable. there’s a physical location people can go to if they want to mourn him there

and ultimately it doesn’t matter because this is the show that has shown time and time again that it could not care less about historical accuracy

[witchlingcirce]

I really like how the TMI graphic novel changed this scene, to this:

It’s like ten times funnier than the original!!! Izzy you always THE Lightwood.

[wannabemasterofwindintraining]

Love how no one notices that evil mateo is visibly paler n has black hair

[raggedy-spaceman]

Ned: I'm gonna torture you!!

Izzy:

[notebooks-and-laptops]

People really be in the OFMD tag saying that Izzy is shifting the blame when he says "we did this to him" because absolutely 0% of eds behaviour was about Stede and all of it was Izzy's fault while Ed... *Checks notes*... Shoots anyone on his crew who mentions Stede by name, refuses to go to land (where he last saw Stede), says "fuck you Stede bonnet" and crashes weddings because he's heartbroken. Right.

[laniidae-passerine]

don’t understand izzy haters don’t understand ed haters they are intertwined they are broken into pieces they love each other but even the best they can do isn’t enough they are barbed wire they are a gold chain they are wrong for each other they were born to be side by side there is not one without the other and it’s terrible now but there’s a deep-seated need to fix it, they’re going to try fix it