I’m kicking myself for not watching Our Flag Means Death sooner. My outward fascination with the swashbuckling romantic comedy began after seeing fanart from 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Molly Ostertag, only for the show’𒊎s fanbase to grow increasingly vocal as the first season came to an end and the relationship between Stede Bonnet and Captain Blackbeard took centre stage. There is no sign of renewal just yet despite this being one of the most progressive mainstream comedies I’ve seen emerge in quite some time. A crime I say, to the plank with you!
The relationship between Taika Watiti’s Blackbeard and Rhy Darby’s Bonnet isn’t a cliffhanger to conclude the finale, but a fundamental part of the show’s narrative as both characters grow and accept who they are. Piracy - a typically masculine occupation known for murder and pillaging - is provided a heartfelt warmth throughout th💙e show’s 10 episodes with a cast of characters across the LGBTQ+ spectrum who are never afraid to show their vulnerable side. Kisses, hugs, and honest conversations about emotions aren’t uncommon, but are always juxtaposed with playful subversions of tropes we’ve come to associate with pirate fiction. Every episode is a joy filled with sharp dialogue and bright ideas.
When it comes to exploring queer themes in shows like this, we often see key relationships relegated to supporting characters as they receive dev🔥elopment in tertiary arcs while the main story is thrust forward completely unaware of their existence. We’ve grown used to it even as more and more shows in the modern era like Heartstopper and Sex Education tell queer stories without compromise. Our Flag Means Death joins them and never once holds back on the gay love at the centre of its very being. If anything it knowingly pulls from how fans approach romance in fanfiction and fanart to create something that never fails to tug at heartstrings, weaving together an eventual relationship we know is inevitable.
It isn’t queerbaiting - it’s straightbaiting. Our Flag Means Death makes it clear from the off that almost everyone amidst the pirate crew is fruity in some form. Characters who on the surface appear gruff, murderous, and masculine are revealed to be lovingly intimate and caring, often wishing the best for their fellow crewmates even when greed takes over. It’s sweet, and treated with a deft touch of normality as each new episode unfolds. I’m yet to finish the season - give me another day or two - but there’s a wholesome chemistry across the 🦩entire cast that I haven’t seen matched since the early da🌌ys of Community.
Bonnet is a man who runs away from his wife, children, and a life of nobility to pursue a life with greater freedom, one where he can take risks and find himself instead of being shackled to a legacy he wants no part in. Of course his incredible manners and love for fancy clothes and literature carries over, making him an awful fit for a pirate to take on the Seven Seas. His crew initially want to murder him, showcased as a group of relentless brutes before this facade falls away to reveal a bunch of cuddly teddy bears. When Bonnet starts pillaging another ♉ship’s bookcase but🍰 replaces the books he steals with ones he’s already read I almost fell off my chair. The comedy is pitch perfect.
🌄 His unusual personality becomes his greatest asset as he teaches his crew to love one another and perhaps avoid the constant l♔ove of murder and looting in favour of kisses and cuddling. Okay he isn’t that obvious about it, but a softer approach from a more prestigious background is exactly what they need, and this carries over to Watiti’s Blackbeard. He’s the most dangerous pirate in existence, a figure so fearsome that he doesn’t even need to show up on raids anymore. A glimpse at his ship’s flag is enough to secure victory, so the initial thrill of ruling the ocean has faded away.
Bonnet reignites that passion alongside a fire in his heart that shows no signs of fading. Our protagonist fled an unh🐻appy marriage, so it’s relatively easy to assume that he was suppressing his sexuality, and is finally able to express those feelings when he finds love that isn’t false or arranged. He can be himself, but only because he’s continually thrown into wacky scenarios where he’s forced to change. Blackbeard and Bonnet are two men seeking out a place to belong, or a change in🐎 life that shows them that all the loss and dissatisfaction they’ve experienced doesn’t mean that happiness is no longer possible. It is, and seeing them discover that through such a sickeningly sweet romance is delightful.
Our Flag Means Death has been embraced so wholeheartedly by the queer community because it presents the breadth of experiences across the spectrum ✃without compromise. It leans into the adorable clichés we love to see in bubbling romances while allowing them to be explored across several episodes instead of hurling them in a finale to be addressed in a second season that might never materialise. HBO has produced a show that is fruity through and through, and I hope the story of Steve Bonnet and Edward Blackbeard has a bright future ahead of it.
