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

@TeabySea That is a pity. I can see how it can add up though with multiple people from one household. We can only just afford for me to run away to be a pirate for a weekend.

Rhys has announced on his Substack that he’s doing his first live stand-up tour in eight years in 2025. All new material. He says ‘I am an almost celebrated actor now and stand-up has taken a back seat, so getting back on the saddle is challenging’.

I’ve never heard anyone so talented full of so much so self-doubt. Almost celebrated actor? Perhaps he’s referring to the industry itself. You know, the one that keeps ignoring his talent.

Anyway, what chance of UK dates? You can keep your Oasis. I want tickets to this.

If he comes to the UK with this, I'm buying one of those totally nuts Rhys t-shirts with his face on and wearing it to a show. @MrsJellybee did you claim your free read for the full article, or do you have a paid subscription to his substack? If so, is it worth it? I have the free version so have only read the preview (I'm a paid up Cryptid Knight atm so only want to have one Rhys subscription on the go).

And yes to the 'almost celebrated actor'. I remember his story about how, when he had already been cast in OFMD, he sent in an autition tape afterwards, showing how he would play it - just to make sure!

We can ask him in November!

Maybe we can get them to do a little shout out to you and child?

It would make their day! DC is a massive fan of all of them, but probably more so of Vico & Con.

@TriceratopsRocks yeah, I claimed the free read. Just threw it away. 🤣 I felt there was important info in there.

@CarterBeatsTheDevil it occurred to me this morning that… I could just ask him 😮

Does Rhys have pirate kraken socks on?!?

I think it’s these ones johnscrazysocks.com/products/squid-o-socks-crew-socks-for-men

Oh chapeau, Bill 👏👏👏 How on earth did you find those? In only 8 minutes too!! I want some now 😆

@BillStickersIsInnocent ah, I love them 🐙

Also, these two gooey-eying each other! Would you look at them!

Arrr me hearties! Did you lot know it's International Talk Like a Pirate day today?

Actually I got that badly wrong. Let me start again...

Dickfuck. Let's talk it through as a pirate crew, because it's International Talk Like a Pirate day today. And we can wear fine pirate clothing well while we do ☠️ 🌊⚓🧜🪿 . Or I'll hex yee!!! (btw that duck is the nearest I can find to Karl and Olivia).

😁😁😁

@TriceratopsRocks every day I try to get lines from ofmd into my teaching simply for my own amusement. Today I managed, ‘intertwined’, ‘give it some oomph’ and ‘you’re a…lunatic and I like it’. I might get into trouble for that one despite removing the expletive 🤣

RHYS FOSTERS CATS

That sounds excellent! I wish I could do the same with work: I sometimes try with general conversation but I seem to live in a pirate-free zone and no one ever notices. And this is yet another reason why we need a whole weekend of pirating! ☠️ 🐙🕊⚓

There's a video too!

Kitten Rescue LA | @rhysiedarby star of stage and screen here with a special message! You might know him as Stede Bonnet from Our Flag Means Death, or Murray... | Instagram

Here is a little bit of fun for you all...

all2048.com/taika-waititi

This is a strangely satisfying game, which I've just spent rather longer playing than I expected I would. There are no instructions but it's easy to work out. Enjoy 😁

I knew he had several cats (they appear in several of his videos), but didn't realise they were fostered rather than just his. That's lovely.

Stede looks like a little seasonal pumpkin here. 🎃

DC greets schoolfriends with "Girl, how ARE you?" on a daily basis.

Excellent! I often find myself saying things that happen to be quotes but don't really sound like quotes, if that makes sense? Things that aren't particularly unusual but as I say them I realise they are in the show. Don't ask me to give examples right now though!

On a separate note, if anyone hasn't tried the Taika game yet, don't.

I mean it.

If you value your productivity, just don't. I have found a whole new way of whiling away hours, putting off all sorts of jobs with absolutely nothing to show for it 😂My highest score so far is about 18.5k, and the highest scoring picture I've seen is Taika as Viago (1024 points on the tile). I have found myself spending 30 mins at a time moving pictures of Taika around my phone screen. I'm not telling you how many lots of 30 minutes that is😳 The day is not going to plan 😆

(there isn't a Rhys version, I did check)

I will never say no to a picture of Stede/Rhys. And it's a beautiful one. But seasonal? Really? It's still September!

I’m sorry. I am one of those annoying people who already have certain seasonal decorations up. 🤣

And what the heck is the Taika game???

I posted about it just upthread a little.

@TriceratopsRocks Oh, I didn’t see that post earlier. Which is probably a good thing as I’ve had a super busy day. However, the evening looks as if it’s about to be written off…