Our Flag Means Death: Thread 2. Still utterly brilliant and we are still obsessed!

[TriceratopsRocks]

Ahoy there mateys! Hop aboard our ‘safe space ship’ thread 2, where we can continue to wax lyrical about our favourite show.

If you haven’t yet seen Our Flag Means Death, what are you waiting for? Do go watch it (on BBC iPlayer) and then come back here and join us.

You may have heard that this is a comedy about pirates and think that's not for you. But it’s actually about self-discovery, healing and found-family with a love story at its heart. It does begin as a sort of pirate workplace comedy, but in episode 4 the tone changes and that’s where the main story really starts. The joint leads are both damaged by abusive backgrounds and think they want what the other has. The show is about their healing and their respective journeys. It’s tender, romantic, funny, emotionally intelligent and utterly refreshing. It subverts genre expectations. There is comedy, absurdity and a good amount of heartbreak and despair - sometimes in the same scene! The acting is outstanding (Taika Waititi and Rhys Darby especially). But the writing, music, costumes, sets, the sheer attention to detail – for a show with only 18 half-hour episodes it is still keeping us talking, a full thread and many re-watches later. Can you tell how much I love it?

If you think this might appeal, do watch it, then come back and talk to us. It would be lovely if more were to join our crew. But be aware it's a show that needs time. The 2nd lead doesn’t arrive until the end of episode 3 and that’s when the main story starts. You need to give it at least 4 episodes. It then took me several more to fully appreciate what I was watching but then I was hooked - and had to immediately watch it all over again. If you like Good Omens, What We Do in the Shadows, Ghosts or even Bridgerton, this might be the show for you.

(I’ve kept this spoiler free, but if you scroll down you will no doubt find many, so beware!)

Thread 1: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/telly_addicts/5008593-our-flag-means-death-its-utterly-brilliant-and-i-am-obsessed?reply=135294204

I love your waffling about metadrama, @MrsJellybee . We'll get back to that eventually I'm sure. Maybe after a few more images.😁

In the meantime I'd like to offer this. I did try to put this one as my phone wallpaper, but Stede was cut in half by my calendar and Ed had the Google logo on his face. It didn't give quite the effect I was hoping for.

Oh @TriceratopsRocks Detectorists is a joy. I’m jealous of you not having seen it yet and having that delight to come!

I went for quite a long period where I didn't watch much TV at all, so I have big gaps. It's going to take me a very long time to catch up on all these shows. Particularly with the amount of Our Flag that I'm still watching 😂

Ah take your time and savour it all!

I can still remember watching the first episode. And then sitting staring at the iPad in confusion- it was not what I was expecting at all! I wasn’t doing anything else however, and the iPad was counting down to the next episode….. and here we are about 20 rewatches later! Love those characters more than some members of my own family! 🤣😜

And what's amazing is that even after 20+ re-watches (and the rest 🤣) and a whole thread, we are all still discovering new things about the show. Stede's rings, anyone? I mean, how often does that happen?

Yeah ok 'career' - as I don't think he actually managed to catch a fish.

I don't know the detectorists, but I'm being given a future watch list by the wonderful people on this thread, so I may need to add that too.

Detectorists is gorgeous - low key comedy and an utterly charming depiction of friendship. Beautiful theme song. Bit short on leathers compared to OFMD though and bromance not romance.

I'm going to see Toby Jones in real life on Saturday!!

Also I should confess I gave up half way before the end of Sherlock - ironically after the one with Toby Jones - after loving the first couple of series.

I really enjoyed the pilot. Then wasn’t so taken with two or three (I think they’re superb now as part of the whole). I’ve spoken about The Chain sequence as some sort of road to Damascus experience before. But the thing that made me first sit up and think this show was something different was Taika in 1.4. It’s the way he jumps down from the upper deck, swinging off the rigging like a small boy on a climbing frame. Then says ‘Hello, everyone. I’m Blackbeard’ and shakes hands. Just so many expectations subverted in that moment. It was magic. I couldn’t breathe.

‘FOR LOVE!’ ❤️

‘Wow!’

DJ showing some Massive Aggression on TwitterX towards Zaslav yesterday re: season 3 cancellation 😭

I absolutely love that. Go DJ!!!

I hope I'm not supposed to be doing anything today, because now I'm just going to be sitting staring at that picture all morning...

I just want to take him away, give him a big hug and tell him everything will be alright.

Actually, I want to give him a good shake, tell him to open his eyes to what's happening with him and Ed, see if he can put 2+2 together, get him to TALK to Ed NOW and possibly avoid all that heartbreak...
but it wouldn't have worked at that time, with Jack around. Ed was in self-sabotage mode and probably wouldn't have listened.

But more importantly, without the heartbreak we wouldn't have got to see hair up manic Ed, so...

...as you were.

Actually, I want to give him a good shake, tell him to open his eyes to what's happening with him and Ed, see if he can put 2+2 together, get him to TALK to Ed NOW and possibly avoid all that heartbreak...

Whilst sound advice, possibly not as narratively satisfying as what we actually got. 🤣

This all makes me think of where the writers would take a possible series 3. I mean I’d love to see Ed and Stede choosing paint colours for the Inn and deciding who’s going to do back of house that evening 😉but I can’t see that making for much dramatic tension.

I know DJ said series 3 would be a maturing relationship, I’m just wondering how that would pan out, story arc wise.

Another excuse to think about these two the morning after…

Re: the tops off thing. I’m guessing the visual imagery here is to continue to evoke Merstede. The way the bedding is wrapped tightly around Rhys’ legs as well. Also the previous night, Ed is sitting on the bed almost looking like a damsel waiting to be rescued and then some, whilst Stede strides on in top off already. Ed is looking up at Stede with love in his eyes just like in the Mermaid sequence, and Stede is the one with agency, confidence and reassurance, drawing that curtain closed like a man on a mission.

I noticed how much Taika plays Ed as quite closed off in this scene still. His hands clasped in front of him. I think he is nervous telling Stede about the mermaid vision. I love that Stede doesn’t mock him.

Ooh, I just made the connection that Jack once saved Ed’s life meaning Ed felt bound to him in some way. Now Ed says to Stede, ‘You saved my life’. He is now bound to Stede. Not that he needed any convincing.

I have wondered this myself. Jenkins said they wouldn’t break up again. Unless there is some sort of separation to evoke tension, such as Stede getting kidnapped or something, I do wonder what the story would have been. They could be together a lot in season one as they weren’t yet a couple, and that sexual tension was there. Season two was the make up after the break up. I would hate them to go down the Annie and Mary route. I so want a season three, and I do trust Jenkins knows what he is doing, but there is also an element of be careful what you wish for.

I assumed that S3 would be Frenchie/Zheng going off after Prince Ricky, but then needing help from our lovebirds who would have to get involved in the action, whilst also having to talk through their unresolved issues. They beat the baddy, talk things through, and then we get their wedding at the end of the series surrounded by all the crew. Perfect 😁. You can stick a bit of jeopardy in there if you like, as long as they all live happily ever after.

HIRE @TriceratopsRocks AS SHOW RUNNER NOW!

Although I would like some bickering over who has to do the washing up at the inn too + some Gordon Ramsay style histrionics in the kitchen, too, please.

And here is the pic I wanted to post yesterday but couldn't work out how to on my phone. I love this one, with them in the background.

P.S. also my Blackbeard's Bar and Grill t-shirt is on its way to me.

I shall alternate it with my old favourite that reads: 'Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.'

I really only want a season 3 because that was the original vision. Do maturing relationships make good stories? Do I care what Darcy and Elizabeth are doing ten years down the line? Had they definitely been promised a season 3, I wonder if Jenkins would’ve ended season two differently. I wonder if Ed would still be fishing with Pop-pop. I’m glad we got the ending we did, but I’m not sure where it would go from here that is emotionally satisfying. I mean, I’ll watch anything… I’ll watch them just do up the shack (with their tops off)… but would that get funding? (Yes!)

My t shirt arrived too!

Is that a Princess Bride quote?