Anna Falk | The Observer Editor’s note: This article contains spoilers for season two of “Our Flag Means Death.”
In today’s media, it’s rare to see a group of pirates concoct elaborate theatrical performances to scare away raiders, sing “La Vie en Rose” while celebrating Calypso’s birthday in drag makeup or conduct a pyramid scheme to scam money out of pretentious nobles — but with “Our Flag Means Death,” you can see this all and more.
Last Thursday, the last episode of “Our Flag Means Death” season two was released on Max. The season consisted of only eight 30-minute episodes — two fewer than the first season — and was released throughout the month of October. To say the least, this season was jam-packed with emotional reunions, blossoming romances and a number of frustrating miscommunications between a number of characters. While the audience saw many loose ends from season one resolved, it doesn’t mean everything worked out well.
At the beginning of season two, we see Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby) and his crew trying their best to stay alive after being abandoned by (or having abandoned) Edward Teach (Taika Waititi). While at the Republic of Pirates, they meet Zheng Yi Sao (Ruibo Qian) — known as the Pirate Queen — and her all-female crew. They eventually reunite with Ed and the remaining crew members, leading to lots of drama between the previously separated groups.
The first few episodes left me feeling very hopeful for the rest of the releases. Everyone was back together, Lucius wasn’t actually dead and Ed and Stede’s reunion instilled a sense of hope for their future interactions. However, each week’s release left me more and more confused.
Several aspects of this season deserve tremendous applause. Each actor’s performance — especially the newbies — was incredible, the comedic bits were just as frequent and funny and the creative team did an amazing job for the amount of details embedded throughout every aspect of the show. The makeup, costumes, set design and props were all top-notch.
Writers for the show not only crafted insanely hilarious and theatrical moments throughout the season, they were also able to delve into the complexity of the show’s romantic relationships that mirrors those of real people. Many romantic comedies and dramas fail to portray romance in a way which viewers can fully relate to, but “Our Flag Means Death” understands its characters are flawed. They have gone through a lot of trauma, and they will surely bring their issues into their relationships whether they know it or not.
Despite the accurate characterization of romance, Ed and Stede’s relationship — like everything else in this season — is rushed. The pacing of the show is off. Especially in the last episode, it feels like important scenes for development were cut out in favor of emphasizing specific plot points. In terms of Ed and Stede, Ed takes almost no time forgiving Stede for leaving him. They begin to patch up their relationship almost immediately after reuniting, with only small, momentary bumps in the road before everything is mended. Part of this could be due to their mutual tendency to act on whims and rush into things — despite Ed’s attempts to take their relationship slow — but ultimately, the length of the season hinders the show’s ability to tell a comprehensive and fleshed out story, resulting in a lot of audience dissatisfaction.
Relationships as a whole in this season suffer as a result of the show’s pace. Characters who were so vital to the structure of the previous season receive almost no screen time. What happened to Stede and Oluwande’s friendship? Why were Frenchie and Roach barely in this season? Who decided the best storyline for Buttons was to undergo a magical ritual to become a bird?
Max’s decisions ultimately determined how the show fared. Season two ended with enough finality for fans to be satisfied in case the show was not renewed for a third (and likely final) season. It was a toss-up whether or not the show would even get a second season, so the showrunners’ caution with the storyline is understandable. Max hasn’t often acknowledged the show despite its popularity, and it’s hard for audiences not to feel that the platform’s limitations on episode length and number of episodes don’t have some kind of hidden motive.
Overall, the show did what it could, and it still presents a touching, comedic and engaging storyline. Audiences right now can only hope for Max to gain some sense and renew it for its final season.
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