#s2. e6

[behindrewind]

Chilton is the first one to take Hannibal seriously as the Ripper once he found out.

Jack: *scoff* you think Hannibal could be the R-

Chilton: Yes. Abso-fucking-lutely.

Jack: Wha?

Chilton: the dude literally said he'd eat my tongue. to me. to my face. non-cannibals do not say that shit. Also, Hannibal? Seriously?

[bbygirl-aemond]

one of my favorite things about hotd is how we get exposed to the differences in the dragons' personalities. one great way to see this is through how each dragon forms a bond with a new rider. when aemond claimed vhagar, she bucked around like a bull and tried to throw him off to make him prove his worth by staying in the saddle. when seasmoke claimed addam, he hunted addam down and basically claimed addam himself. when hugh claimed vermithor, he stood up to him and roared in his face. and when silverwing claimed ulf, she headbutted and sniffed him before deciding to take him for a joyride. each has such a distinct personality and you can see a clear dichotomy between dragons pursuing their riders and riders pursuing their dragons.

[creativelycomplex]

It’s the way you can see the mask slip within a second when he thinks he’s being rejected by Louis. Assad Zaman you and your micro expressions will always be loved by me.

[polaritydisturbed]

I choose to believe that the Doctor mentioning they've been to Pride means that at least at one point Six went to a pride because it would be the only place his jacket would be actually appreciated.

[godofstory]

Seasmoke: I have a very high standards for choosing a rider

Addam: *trips on air and falls down of several hills*

Seasmoke: that one. I want that one

[galaxseacreature]

Innie Irv is now the only one from MDR who hasn't even kissed anyone and still they won't stop slutshaming him 😔

[pintsofguinnesmakeyoustrong]

fx the bear is very good because there's an episode where richie nearly fucking kills someone and faces manslaughter charges and its not even a major plot line or anything meanwhile the episode where they go home for christmas dinner is literally one of the most stressful episodes of television ever made

[greenqueenhightower]

Not Alicent getting a cut on her left arm as the crowds chant Rhaenyra's name.

The rhaenicent parallels ATE

[aro-ace-axolotl]

the crows: *choking on poisonous gas* Wylan, outside: “oh look at you, you’re such a beautiful butterfly wow”

[cakegnome]

I really don’t know what I love you means.

I think it means don’t leave me here alone.

-Neil Gaiman (Sonnet)

[sir-mister-man]

gaslight gatekeep girlboss

[bbygirl-aemond]

harwin you ARE the father

[creativelycomplex]

The pain on Armand’s face as he has to confront his betrayal. Your Honour he did that shit but he’s sooooo sad about it.

[polaritydisturbed]

Look, if you shout “It’s the Rani!” at every shadowy figure, statistically you’re gonna be right eventually. Broken clock, meet evil Time Lady.

[spenglernot]

STORIES TELLING: NED LOWE AND THE DEATH OF POOR REPRESENTATION IN OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH

In history, Ned Lowe was one of the most sadistic and violent pirates in the early 18th century, so he’s an obvious choice for a villain for season 2, episode 6 – Calypso’s Birthday.  What is interesting is what the OFMD writers chose to do with him.

Lowe announces himself to the crew of the Revenge with great fanfare (cannon ball attack) and gets right to the point.

Ed is thoroughly unimpressed.

Cut to Ed and Stede tied up while Ned attempts to set the mood so he can monologue about why he wants to kill Ed.

Ed knows what’s coming. He is going to suffer but he still can’t be arsed to meet Ned with anything but vaguely bored dismissiveness (and Stede is happy to play along).

Up on the deck, Ned prepares the crew for his big, dramatic moment of symphonic torture.

Note that the Revenge crew is tied down, braced by vices and generally unable to protect themselves from imminent torture and possible death, but their spirits are up. They don’t seem terribly fussed.

Then Stede uses his people positive management style to happily orchestrate a worker uprising in Ned’s crew.

Ned’s crew responds instantly; severing their allegiance to Lowe and telling him off.

The crew sails away and talks profit sharing while Ned dully threatens to hunt them down.

Ned is now a prisoner of the Revenge crew and seems entirely disinterested in his own survival.

And Ned sinks to the depths, without struggling at all.

There is a lot going on in this episode: pay and labor equity direct action, gay love engagement bliss, kink humor, Stede being a hero and saving his crew by playing to his strengths, then having to decide whether to kill in cold blood and feel the consequences of that choice. Ed having one more reason to be done with piracy (while being so impressed with and fond of Stede), and then watching his man make a fraught choice and having to deal with the fallout from that. (And, damn, I haven’t even mentioned the passionate sex bit.) Anyway, back to the point.

Now for the the meta part

The Ned Lowe sequences are perfectly in keeping with OFMD’s signature blend of madcap violence, humor, and big emotional gut punches. But something about Ned Lowe just strikes me as off for this show.

Ned is seriously threatening the crews’ lives, so why don’t they take him seriously?

Why does Ned have such a boring, throwaway backstory?

Why is Ned so nonchalant about his own death; like it’s a foregone conclusion?

Why does Ned have a silver violin and silver spurs on his slip-on dress shoes?

Why is Ned sartorially monochromatic?

And then I realized who Ned reminds me of.

This guy,

Earnst Stavro Blofeld in the James Bond film Diamonds are Forever (1971)

And this guy,

Scar in Disney's The Lion King (1994).

And this guy,

Xerxes, 300 (2006).

And it sure seems like Ned Lowe isn’t just an episodic villain. He is an archetype of the one-dimensional, stereotypical queer-coded villain that has been endemic in film and television throughout history. The OFMD writers have a lot to say about what to do with this kind of character:

Don’t respect him.

Feel free to openly mock him.

Don’t let him take your joy, even though he will hurt you.

He won’t disappear on his own. You have to throw something at him (take action) to make him go away.

Once he’s in the water, he’s content to drown. He’s not into what he’s doing any more than you are.

Oh and, just to be clear,

The LGBTQIA+ community has a very long history of turning shit media into better stories. So, hey, big media, prepare to have your crap characters wrecked (improved).

Now, back to our transformative pirate show with rich, complex queer characters and a multi-layered plot that surprises me every week and makes me feel big feelings - most of all, joy.

Final thought: I do wonder if Ned Lowe is monochromatically silver as a tribute to/poke at, Hollywood and the silver screen.

This meta was written before OFMD season 2 has fully aired. No idea what’s going to happen in the finale (and I’ve generally fled social media to avoid spoilers). I’ll be back, looking at everyone’s fascinating posts after episode 8 airs.

[i-exist-solely-for-fandom]

Wilson and Cameron in House, M.D. S2 E6 “Spin”