Our Flag Means Death: Thread 3. It's still utterly brilliant. We are still obsessed.

[TriceratopsRocks]

Ahoy again mateys! Set sail aboard thread 3 where we still wax lyrical about our favourite show, its cast, its music, fan edits, fan fiction and more 😁(there may also be just a little obsessing over our fabulous leads - pictures extremely welcome)!

If you haven’t yet seen Our Flag Means Death, what are you waiting for? Go watch it (on BBC iPlayer), then come back here and join us. But be warned, some of you may find yourself as hooked as we are 🎣.

You may have heard that this is a comedy about pirates and think it's not for you. But it’s actually a show about self-discovery, healing and found-family with a love story at its heart. The joint leads are both damaged by abusive backgrounds and 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, two full threads and many re-watches later.

If you think this might appeal, do watch it and come back and talk to us. It would be lovely if more were to join our crew. But it's a show that needs time. The 2nd lead arrives in episode 3, so you need to give it at least 4 episodes as that’s when the tone changes and the main story starts. It still took me several more episodes to fully appreciate what I was watching, but by 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
Thread 2 : https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/telly_addicts/5076581-our-flag-means-death-thread-2-still-utterly-brilliant-and-we-are-still-obsessed?reply=136060611

Okay, let’s reduce to 24 hours considering how short it is 🤣.

A very worthwhile reason for the delay too, bless ‘em.

I was on my last 30-minute call when your post popped up and I was this close to hanging up and reading there and then. 🤣

Let’s give people the evening as some people might have proper jobs 👀and not get around to reading until tonight. We want to be fair to people as we know how much this story means to everyone.

Tomorrow morning onwards then for any -very brief I should imagine - insights?

Can't wait! 😁

There's definitely a lot of his voice and a lot of his laugh on the Cryptid Factor, but it's quite rambly sometimes and the in-jokes are ongoing, so I think it might not work so well just listening to one or two episodes. Something for the future!

The bears look good, but it doesn't seem obvious whether it's available in the UK - maybe not yet? But it's reminded me that I still have Big in Japan to watch 😀

It’s Peacock TV. US streaming only 😭

I still have Big in Japan to watch too. I never did get around to it.

I’d wanted to watch for ages but finally persuaded my husband to join me based on a previous thread. Part way through episode 5 (paused for drinks!) and we are both hooked!

I'd recommend Love Birds for some quality Rhys content. We watched it at the weekend and while it wouldn't win any prizes for originality or huge laughs, it's endearing, funny, quirky (not full on Taika quirky though) and feel good, and Rhys is every bit as charming and likeable as you'd expect. His acting has definitely moved up several gears since 2011 though. Sally Hawkins co-stars and is lovely, and Fang/Kevin/David Fane is one of the not very well developed characters in Rhys' group of friends. Lots of beautiful shots of Auckland scenery.

Paging@TriceratopsRocks in case she inexplicably hasn't seen it. Though be warned there are a lot of very cute scenes of Rhys chatting with a duck. Plus he dances! And has a bath with the duck! In fact for Rhys superfans it probably needs a health warning.

Welcome to the crew! And congratulations on your excellent taste in getting hooked on such a special show. As you can see from the fact we're on our third thread, there's plenty to obsess about. I'm quite envious that your husband is hooked too - I think most of us here are lone pirate fans among families and friends who are slightly baffled by the level of our obsession.

@lizziesaurusx Thank you, I have seen it. Maybe six weeks ago. @TriceratopsRocks made me watch it 🤣. My DH asked “What the hell are you watching?’ I don’t think there’s anything odd about Rhys Darby walking around with a duck in a handbag. I particularly enjoyed the rain scene and spacesuit scene.

Welcome. You’re hooked and only on episode five! If you haven’t read too many spoilers on here, and even if you have, you are about to go on such a journey. I am truly envious you are experiencing this for the first time. Do come back and let us know your thoughts as you progress. 🙂

Constellationism:

It was short. We want more. We will get more! Still plenty to discuss, I think. I’ll mention two things, then shut up:

Poor Lynda 🤣
The grRRrr paragraph 🥰

What else?

Nothing wrong with a Kent accent. Some of my best friends etc.

Loved the not wanting Lynda's blue rimmed eyes on him though. And "yourselves". And the ridiculous description of the waiting area.

This would be even funnier told from Lynda's POV!

Mountainous regions 😍

Two rooms! Why on earth would Stede have even asked for two rooms in the first place? I don't believe it! Surely given their interrupted conversation he would have asked Ed what he wanted?

But I'll totally forgive it, because it led to that utterly wonderful description of Ed's sulk and their lovely yet ridiculous bit of improv.

Oh, and I have indeed enjoyed Love Birds, @lizziesaurusx . The first time I went to bed with a huge happy grin on my face. Rhys was just so sweet and adorable.

Oh yes @Phineyj to Lynda's point of view 🤣

It was a lovely scene but now I’m thinking they’ll be too distracted by the fine fabrics and roll top bath in their luxury suite to progress anything.

Stede might be. Ed won’t have it.

I must’ve read the ggRRrr paragraph 25 times. I love that Ed sums up his complex and multi-strand feelings for Stede with a visceral sexual noise.

I loved Ed's fussiness, his derailment after thinking on the "come hither" nudge and "carrying no luggage apart from an unusually heavy quantity of charisma."

Author does an amazing job giving Ed charm along with low self-esteem and an ego the size of the planet.

‘Or just show some leg, maybe, bit sexy?’

It reminded me of Work Experience which I still think is a really accomplished little piece of comic writing.

I accept that technically they're now out of the bar but that wasn't exactly what I had in mind...

Ed made peonies. I want to know what Stede has made his concertina paper triangles into. Sounds like a mountain to me, but can he really make flower shapes on it?

images.app.goo.gl/hhQ6GNTg6tVaz2NJ8 maybe this? Love to know the choices on it!

That could be awesome 🤣 But I thought he started with 2 triangles, concertinered them and then pulled bits out of the edges. That's a pointy mountain with holes in, to me. I need to know! 😁

They’re gonna spend all night talking aren’t they. Come on boys, find other ways to express your love. 😍