#they were most Ed and Stede in ep 5 I feel like most themselves

[blakbonnet]

ep 5 did something to my head like starting from "it's a safe spaceship" to dousing me head to toe in "I'm your captain" and then "cannonball!" and Izzy going 👌 and the "I like that shirt" whispered through lashes and being shot in the heart with "you wear fine things well" to the shoulder shimmy and the thumb fight, I never stood a chance

[piratecaptainscaptainpirates]

I've been thinking about the pacing this season, and I think a lot of the issues with telling instead of showing we've been noticing come down to two big factors.

ALL the episodes this season are sticking very strictly to 30 minutes or less. Most of s1 did that, too, to be fair, but some of the most important episodes - 4, 8, and 10 - are all closer to 35 minutes. It doesn't sound like a lot but that's extra breathing room that we're not getting now, it means some things that were almost important enough to make the cut had to get chopped. We're probably missing a lot of little lines that would've rounded things out because the writers had to bank on us getting it from context.

I wouldn't be surprised if the writers went in expecting a 10 episode second season and Max hit them with cutting down to 8 eps, or they had to make the hard choice to save as much money as possible to increse the odds of getting renewed and decided to cut it to 8 themselves. Either way, I definitely think they'd planned on 10 episodes and because of that some things feel rushed; it's really starting to show in ep 7 and I think that's because they just haven't had the space to set things up they thought they'd get.

I really think that we're missing an episode here, and I'm pretty sure it would've gone between 5 and 6. That would've been the logical place to let Ed and Stede's relationship breathe a bit between their second kiss and having sex in 6, and it would've been the right spot to wrap up some lose plotlines (when did Ed get off probation? How does he feel about it? The crew seem so much more comfortable with him in 6, does that make him feel safer and more loved?) and forshadow what's coming up (literally just one line with Olu feeling bad about what happened with Zheng Yi Sao would've made that so much less jarring).

On the whole, I genuinely think the writing this season has been smart and efficient, but not to the same standard as season 1 (which, to be fair, was a very high standard, but still). And I really think the things that matter (Ed and Stede's arcs) are largely done very well.

But it has still been so obvious that they tried to make this season as cheap and palatable for Max to produce as possible. I really hope it pays off. I think it will - like I said, I think the writers always managed to keep sight of what matters, and that's Ed and Stede's story. And I'm grateful that, despite trying to make this show an easy one for Max to make the decision to renew, they didn't compromise on the queerness.

But it stings. You know any other show that's so successful and has not only such a devoted fanbase but such a deeply invested cast and crew would've been renewed a long damn time ago. I am so, so happy we got s2, and I've loved it, really I have, but I'm still a bit sad thinking about what we could've had.

[mixtapetraxx]

Was talking to my sister and we were saying that the thing about Ed and Stede’s relationship rn is that they’re on journeys in opposite directions.

Ep 5 was them meeting in the middle and eps 6&7 were them passing each other by. It’s tragic because right now they’re both so unstable, and not ready to be everything that the other needs. Stede is right on the money when he says they’re both “whim-prone” because neither of them have any concept of balance. The most obvious example of this being “taking it slow” in ep5 and then getting it on with no hesitation in ep6, but the most interesting part in my opinion are their intrapersonal journeys.

Stede needs to understand that settling down, domesticity, and giving up piracy wouldn’t mean a lack of adventure. Unfortunately his previous relationship has made him overindulge in escapism and he feels that leaving it behind would trap him again. He’s just now enjoying himself! He’s finally getting good at being a captain! He’s famous! He has a boyfriend who he loves and that boyfriend is Blackbeard! Of course he doesn’t want to go back to how he felt in his old life. What he doesn’t seem to realize is that settling down with Ed would not be the same as settling down with Mary. He also needs to realize that domesticity and adventure are not mutually exclusive but they do need to be healthy and balanced. Living your life on the sea with your bf? Cool! That’s awesome. Killing people under the guise/influence of being a good pirate captain? NOT HEALTHY

Ed needs to realize the importance of balance too. He thinks that ditching everything from his past and reinventing himself will make him happy but he doesn’t seem to get that that is also a whim! Stede tried to illustrate how irrationally spontaneous Ed is being but he does it so SO poorly (they’re both so bad at communicating clearly holy shit). Ed thinks that destroying everything about his past will solve his problem of discontentment (both with who he is as a person and also with the pirate lifestyle) but he’s sweeping the problem under the rug. He’s running away from his problems instead of facing them directly.

People have already talked about how Ed was right about the sex in ep 7 being a mistake (baby don’t phrase it like that though. it sounds so fucked up from Stede’s pov) and that’s super super true. Both Ed and Stede crossed a boundary that they weren’t ready for because they are both unstable and very in love. They both clearly enjoyed themselves but the fallout is a consequence of taking a step in their romantic journey before taking steps in their personal journeys.

It’s tragic and it sucks but wow does it feel real. This season has some problems but I really really applaud the team for how realistic and messy Ed and Stede’s personal journeys have been.