#whcih. i couldnt quite work into the text of this. but oh my god.

[boylikeanangel]

anyways meta time!!!! cuz I've spent two fucking weeks at this point HAUNTED trying to work out the significance of ed wearing a purple tshirt in episode 7!!! like why out of all the episodes is it that one, and why is it purple, and why do they make such an effort to show us, and why is it the only time he wears colour under his regular outfit? I've been convinced it means something, but I could never quite work it out in my mind. well if I may be a little insane for a second. I think I may have finally figured it out.

so purple traditionally is the colour of wealth and royalty and good fortune, right. and ed, either consciously or subconsciously, knows this. it's the colour he wears in episode 5 at the party, probably because he was trying extra hard to look wealthy and expensive. he wanted to fit in by wearing the most expensive looking thing he could find. he was overcompensating. episode 5 clearly ties the colour purple to ed's sense of worth, and the idea of material value in general. it's saying: ed wore purple because he feels lower in status than everyone else so he purposely went over the top with his outfit by wearing the colour of royalty.

so, what's the significance of ed wearing this colour again in an episode about stede taking him on a treasure hunt in effort to keep him around because he's afraid that the life he's giving ed right now isn't enough for him? it's......something. first and foremost, it gets me thinking about lucius saying the real treasure was their day spent together. and stede mocks him for that, but when you think about it.....today ed is wearing the colour of wealth. fortune. treasure. it's trying to tell you that to stede the real treasure is getting to spend time with ed and having ed be part of his life, even if he doesn't realise it. ed is the real treasure here.

7 was a whole episode centred around stede trying desperately to keep ed in his life by offering him adventure, and then at the end of the day after that adventure failed to truly materialise, he still works up the courage to basically invite ed to stay forever and be his co-captain, and ed agrees. ed decides that this life is enough for him. he wants to stay with stede. not because their day was particularly exciting or fruitful (no pun intended) but because he loved spending it with stede. the real treasure truly was their time spent together! stede thought the day was a disaster because they didn't find any real treasure, but at the end of the day, ed's continued presence in his life is all he needs. that's the most precious thing in the world to him.

and if I'm to think even further about this: the contrast between episode 5 and 7 is so important too. ed is wearing a purple t-shirt here - not some over the top ostentatious outfit meant to signify wealth and status, but the most simple item of clothing. ed is not even trying here and yet he is still something so precious to stede. the t-shirt being on full display during the scene where they're eating and ed admits he's having fun is telling us that this is the real thing of worth. just two people who love being around each other and spending time together. ed's colour is purple because to stede he is the most precious thing in the world.

ed doesn't have the wealth and status that he so desperately wanted to pretend he had at the party, but that doesn't matter, because stede loves him all the same. stede was born into wealth and could have anything he could ever conceivably want, but the most valuable thing of all to him is his relationship with ed. he doesn't need anything else. neither of them do. they're enough for each other. their entire lives have been one big gruelling treasure hunt for something that means anything, and they've finally found it in each other.