Our Flag Means Death - Thread 4: Roll up, roll up! Come join us for more pirate obsession!

[TriceratopsRocks]

Ahoy again mateys! Can you believe we are now aboard thread 4? Stick around for chat about this brilliant show, its cast, its music, fan edits, fan fiction and more than 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 and join us 😀

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, three 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 be aware that it's a show that needs time. It’s structured like a theatre production, with a prologue and 3 acts. The 2nd lead arrives (briefly) in episode 3. Episode 4 is the start of Act 1, where the tone changes and the main story begins. You need to give it at least 4 episodes, and from there it just gets better and better. 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. And again. And again! If you like Good Omens, What We Do in the Shadows, Ghosts or even Bridgerton, this might well 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
Thread 3: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/telly_addicts/5101662-our-flag-means-death-thread-3-its-still-utterly-brilliant-we-are-still-obsessed?reply=137315706

I do - and that photo is an excellent example of something I think is striking - that in the BTS scenes I think: 1. Taika often looks not very smiley - even cranky, as you say, compared to those around him (see eg below) - maybe he doesn't like being photographed when he's in character? Or maybe he's just doing his possibly meant to be ironic too cool for school pose/expression that he often does in eg red carpet photos? 2. I feel that in BTS Taika photos I find almost impossible to see Ed in him, in a way that is completely different from Rhys, who I can see as both Ed and Stede at the same time. We've talked before about how Taika is chameleon-like in his different roles, but it seems to me that his expression in BTS photos is usually utterly unlike an Ed expression - is it just me?

It's also possible I've spent too much time thinking about this. But it does strike me every time. Maybe I just haven't seen enough smiley, Ed-like BTS photos.

And another mention of sleepy Taika is the perfect excuse to post this piece of ridiculousness in case anyone hasn’t seen it.

EVEN BETTER when I was finding the link for the video above I found a series of Taika-related meditation videos for children - sleep, positive thoughts, letting your worries go. I love his voice so much I might actually listen, but I don't know if I can take it seriously when he's talking about gurgling tummy noises and making your arms loosey-goosey and soft like spaghetti. They seem to be part of a Chris Hemsworth wellness programme.

Ooh he has lovely diction 😍

@lizziesaurusx I know exactly what you mean about Taika. He does look out of sorts in Ed BTS photos. He seems very uncomfortable in the Merstede BTS video too. Looks… sleepy and serious when speaking. But then I’d be nervous if I was about to act like he had to underwater. Whereas Rhys is, well, Rhys. As always.

Taika’s an enigma.

Wash your mouth out…

I love how he has his arm around Rhys in the Merstede BTS video though, when they're in the water. It's obvious how close they are IRL

See you in there babe! 😍

Yes, Taika says something like ‘I got ya, I got ya’. Makes me melt… 😍

I’m staying in a place surrounded by wolves!

Aw cute bunnies

It must have been pretty scary being fixed into a tail like that. The whole thing looked completely scary to film. It's classic 101 horror, isn't it - water, dark, confined space, can't move...brrr!

It’s terrifying.

Taika having to scream underwater too, fake drowning. And the rock and rope. I know it’s props, and they filmed it sideways, but being pulled underwater on a rope, in clothes, eyes shut.

Nope, nope, nope. And I’m a confident swimmer. I couldn’t do it.

How this scene doesn’t have more recognition in the industry throws up hands

Right. I’ve subscribed to Rhys’ substack. It’s free. I have no idea what it is. His wife, Rosie, also has one where she shares her knitting. I shall report back.

It’s here if you’re interested https://substack.com/@rhysiedarby

Edited to add: some stuff is paid content only. Sneaky.

The only thing I know about substack is that Dominic Cummings has one so this has redeemed it somewhat

This is Phineyj (I don't seem to have my correct login on this device).

Anyway, this rather wonderful, action-packed, novel-length attempt at Season 3 is now finally complete. Enjoy!

A New Season - Suck It, Cancellation Bear - Chapter 1 - Fyre - Our Flag Means Death (TV) [Archive of Our Own]

Thanks @PhineyJ 👋. I've just been looking through the OFMD AO3 tag on Tumblr for new fic recs but have have given up because so many of them seem to be focused around Izzy (or, heaven forbid Stizzy/Edizzy or Steddyhands 😬🤢). I still have plenty of stuff to read but thought that tag would be a good way to find even more. It seems not, or at least, not for me!

I have a lot going on atm and can't wait to get back to our show properly. In the meantime I'm making do with fanfic interludes so your rec is good timing 😁

I'm sure I've seen happy Taika BTS, but I know what you mean, @lizziesaurusx about there being no Ed in the BTS pics. The one you posted is a perfect example. But he's talked so many times about how much he enjoyed working on the show with Rhys I believe him! Maybe he's simply one of those actors who can switch the character on and off.

And yes to the mermaid scene! But we've said before how ridiculous it is that this show isn't getting the awards it deserves. The recent Gypsy Taylor win was a very welcome change.

@TriceratopsRocks You’ve probably read these but just in case you haven’t. I’m about to start them. I’m always behind. Recommended on Tumblr as lovely gentlebeard fluff and smut.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/40081347

Yes thanks, I enjoyed that one. It's already bookmarked 😄

This was a bit of fun. Fandom based AU with lots of links.
archiveofourown.org/works/45757096/chapters/115148125

And this series has some very good bits (although the smut wasn't particularly well done and the 2nd big work in the series was a lot longer than it needed to be). Ed's retired from the mob. Stede is supposed to take over Bonnet Industries. It's heavy going at times as there's a lot of trauma and angst around MH issues/past abuse, plus a lot of discussion of ND. It's two long works and a series of vignettes based around the family. The second fic in the series (a short story) was quite weak but I thought all the others were worth reading if you liked the version of the characters in the main story.
archiveofourown.org/series/2937834

Taika is certainly an enigma. I just find it bizarre that in the BTS photos I can't see any trace of Ed, whereas the others look like both themselves and their characters. His discomfort in the merstede BTS is understandable - what he's about to do looks completely terrifying, and I wonder how many times he had to do the bit being pulled through the water? Maybe, as @TriceratopsRocks says, he's an actor who switches his character on and off - again understandable as a lot of the time Ed is so emotionally complex and intense? And @TriceratopsRocks you're right, there's that lovely clip of him and Rhys laughing together on the balcony (?) while filming the breakup scene. But he seems out of sort in most of the photos - perhaps he just can't resist posing and trying to look moody or cool.

Here's a beautiful not BTS photo, just because.
.

I had a look at some Taika/Ed BTS stuff, and here are a few presents for you, @lizziesaurusx .

Here's a cool, catwalk strut
www.tumblr.com/agaywithcoffee/747050961162338304?source=share

And some fun and games
www.tumblr.com/ourflagmeansbts/746218689189314560/source-season-2-november-11th?source=share

This one was interesting. You catch the end of a smile at David Fane, then he realises the camera is on him and he... stares.
www.tumblr.com/ourflagmeansbts/746631634267357184/source-season-2-february-15th?source=share

And some happy Taika BTS photos 😀

There’s so much waiting around on set I wonder whether he’s just bored and wanting to crack on? Or not knowing how to ‘be’ when there are no demands on you maybe.
Do you remember that piece about Taika going to student ? parties and sitting downstairs alone sketching or playing guitar…

@TriceratopsRocks those pics and clips are divine! Other than the Taika strut and the Zangy/Tangy pic, I haven’t seen any of this. Thank you, thank you. 🙂

D’you know what I think the issue might be? Taika has Resting Bitch Face. And I say this as someone who is constantly accused of having RBF*. Like, if I’m not smiling or animated, my natural face looks somehow sad. I think. It’s why I have to smile like a loon when on video calls. Basically when Taika’s relaxed, he looks grumpy,

*I am not suggesting I have anything else in common with Taika’s face. Mirror, mirror… 🤣

I've seen a couple of videos on Rita Ora's thread that make me think he might actually really not like being filmed or photographed unless he's very much in the mood for it.

Taika, emoting beautifully (and bonus Stede).