#why does this give my Blackbeard from Our Flag Means Death vibes

[misspermitted]

*to the tune of “When Will My Life Begin”, Tangled*

And then I’ll sketch

Maybe stretch

Commit a crime

Sew a dress

And then I’ll raid a brook

If I have time to spare

I’ll paint the walls with blood

I’m sure there’s room somewhere!

And then I’ll brush and brush and brush and brush my hair

Killing the same way I’ve always been

And I’ll keep wandering wandering wandering wandering

When will my life begin!

[fairykukla]

Our Flag Means Death ate my evening.

It's everything people are saying. I'm dazzled.

I'm an artist and a storyteller. This affects how I interact with media sometimes. As an artist and a storyteller this series is brilliant. The writers skillfully wove together several character arcs, interesting historical flavor, and carefully placed anachronisms to draw a modern audience in and give them the feel of the period.

Is it perfectly historically accurate? No. Am I bothered by that? No. Because they're deliberately showing us history that doesn't ever get seen in other historical dramas.

Are the costumes historically accurate? Well, yes and no; they're not accurate to the actual time period, but the costume designers are being spectacularly clever about it. Using some specifc types of fashion to depict specific types of characters as visual shorthand for the tale they're telling is a tricky feat to accomplish, but (for example) putting Stede in later-period finery and Edward in (almost) biker leathers works ridiculously well.

Every character has agency and authenticity, even the ridiculous ones. The cast is multiracial, and the show doesn't shy away from that fact. pirates were, by and large, marginalized people. There's even an exchange about it. "We are pirates because we have to be, not because we wanted to."

Stede has a crew of people that even other pirates kind of look down on. They're described by other sailors as "incompetent" and yet, Stede's ship runs smoothly with a minimal crew. (Ok, there's one big mishap. And it's freaking great.)

Does Stede give off big Aziraphale vibes? Yes! But that's not what I like best about him. I have to admit that someone dashing it all to pursue his dream is one of my favorite tropes.

I adore Taika Watiti. I have for a long time. His Blackbeard is ridiculously hot, and not because of the leather. (Ok, the leather is a bit hot.) His Blackbeard is whimsical. Mercurial. Terrifying and poetic by turns. Loves theatrics but gets tired of the same show all the time. Confident and powerful? Yes. Seeing him become vulnerable with his new friend? Delightful.

I have tiny nits to pick, and most of them land on Calico Jack. In point of fact, Stede Bonnet's portrayal in OFMD is slightly closer to the Jack of history, but they needed a Big Name to show up and be a real jackass. So I get what they're doing there, and I forgive them for it. (Because when the narrative is this good, I am apparently even willing to sacrifice my own favorite real pirate captain to make it happen.) I do wish they'd actually made him literally colorful, though. It's my only nit to pick with the costume design.

Otherwise? The music is delightful, the story is a wild ride, the characters are fantastic, the farcical nature of the plot is really fun and handled well, the performances are stellar, and I desperately want two more seasons.

Is it gay? Sure. Is just about gay pirates? No. Is it historically accurate that everyone would be so chill about the gay stuff? No, but I'm happy to have a look at a world like that. This is a fantasy setting, and I'm here for it. And to be fair, not everyone in that world is chill about it, but the pirates certainly are.

Plus, it has some of the best cameos!! Why is no one talking about the fantastic cameos! ?! Is it to avoid spoilers? Ok. I won't spill the beans. But whooo boy, there are some great familiar faces sprinkled throughout.

[whitherwhence]

I see what you’re saying, but eh, I’m not convinced it’s a joke. Hear me out! Honestly, I think Blackbeard’s crew’s costuming is multipurpose.

1) They’re a seafaring biker gang. Consider Ed’s clothes. That’s a motorcycle jacket with toggle closures instead of zippers, those are very credible motorcycle trousers, and yep, motorcycle boots! And the matching knee brace! I lose my mind over his costuming istg

2) They’re Leathermen. There’s, uh, A LOT of really important queer history in Leather culture. The guy pictured in the above post is giving me strong Tom of Finland vibes (which was hugely influenced by biker culture [and films!], and was/is hugely influential on the Leather community [as were said films!], and you can see where this is going~). The guy from the Village People you’re referring to was a Leatherman. It’s like, a whole thing.

3) points 1 and 2 are linked and inform each other in ways I don’t even know how to research and talk about. I should probably do more reading, tbh. But. It’s all of a piece, as far as I can tell.

Leather culture is hot, tough, kinky, extremely queer, and in some ways a bit old school. Our Flag Means Death does not fuck around when it comes to visual storytelling, so I can only assume the layers of reference are completely intentional.

As to why Blackbeard’s crew aren’t featured or focused on more? My guess is it’s mostly because there’s only so much time 🤷, and Izzy, Ivan, and Fang are solid representatives for the rest of them in s1. Do I hope we see more of the Leather Daddy Crew in future seasons? HELL YES I DO. Do I think the Leather itself is a joke in the show? Probably not, imo, BUT there are jokes within it — Fang’s headpiece?! That’s a belt, mate!!!

Then again, (in response to your tags) I have no idea why Calico Jack was dressed like Buffalo Bill (the historical figure!), so WHO KNOWS LOL

So I have a nagging sense that OFMD was trying to hide the fact that Ed's entire crew is made up of Village People style leather daddies and my guess as to the reason for this is that they want to do a proper introduction to them next season, but they still needed to actually show them this season, they just didn't want to spoil the joke. Something along the lines of:

Lucius: Seriously, did no one take one look at Blackbeard's crew and not realize immediately that this man might be gay?

Pete: What are you talking about, babe?

*Camera smash cuts to Edward Teach's Home for Wayward Leather Daddies aka, Blackbeard's crew*

Lucius: Oh, I don't know, it's just a sixth sense I have.