TL;DR OFMD 2x01 thru x03
Oct. 9th, 2023 11:48 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
finefoxyladiesHello again, The Void.
I waited* until 8 PM yesterday to watch the first 3 eps of OFMD S2 at the request of Julie, who was fooled/badgered into watching the series by me a year ago. We texted each other throughout so it’s safe to say I’m going to watch the episodes one** more time to catch all the nuances/nonverbal reactions/jokes I may have missed the first time around.
*Because I cannot, nor woah-not stop being a greedy thing, I snarfed up a whole bunch of early reviews, peeked at some IG content, and, at the height of willpower breakdown, watched the first 5+ minutes of ep 1 at 4 AM after feeding the cats. Blame Stan! Stan made me do it! Don’t tell Julie!
**Let’s be fucking real here, Void: it’ll be more than one.
Anyway on with the showS. Shows PLURAL! Three episodes was a great choice for a drop number.
Where to start, where to start:
My biggest takeaway, given that I ruined my appetite with early reviews, then later looked at a few trusted fan- or fan-adjacent sources, is that it surprises me that more folks are not talking about the theme of what forgiveness is and what kind of process it is (or is not). I think it was particularly telling that Stede Bonnet, a notoriously self-involved and privileged person who is also very kind and paternalistic, because people can contain multitudes, *gave advice* to Peak Millennial Lucius that contained the phrase “because I’m older than you” and then vulnerably pointed out his own mistakes and the emotional destruction in his wake in the name of doing better and trying to be better. And Lucius, despite being more self-aware/healthier than Stede, at least before the trauma, was in the wrong here. He’d done wrong, even if he was right to call Stede out for being a shitty boss and a shittier friend.
I see a lot of discussion and The Discourse about the pros and cons of social media, younger generations, and the highly reactive and often unforgiving nature of humans making mistakes, but I rarely see acknowledged the universal truth that even the loftiest and most morally pure of us–yes, even profoundly self-actualized young people– are human beings in a constant state of learning who frequently make mistakes on the people in their lives. Obviously we all start different places foundationally, and we have a broad range of emotional and psychological capability, but… damn, I have to say my observation of the perpetually online (this latest crop of fandom kids, folks living their lives on one soc med platform or another 24/7) is that they lack any sense of nuance, at least in what they show to their communities or out loud online. No room to misspeak, no room to learn, no room to just be an idiot sometimes: all crimes seem punishable by immediate shouting down and some kind of self-aggrandizing position taking.
All that to say: in this heightened world of OFMD of garden-variety shitty communication, abandonment, and bullying, all the way to transgressions ranging from shooting one another, mutilations, attempted and fulfilled murders, I applaud David Jenkins and his writing crew for showing that even the worst of us (IZZY) can start somewhere with self-actualization and that most of us are a tangled mess of best intentions, our own messy internal monologues and motivations, and weak moments where we lash out or duck out or do some other shady, shitty thing in the name of shame or anger or depression. Was it not modern OK Boomer poet laureate and noted dickhead Don Henley who sang:
All the things I thought I knew/I’m learning again/
I’ve been trying to get down/to the heart of the matter/
But my will gets weak/And my thoughts seem to scatter/
But I think it’s about forgiveness/forgiveness/
Even if, even if you don’t love me anymore
2a) Let’s talk about Lucius enduring unspeakable trauma! Who would have guessed being pushed overboard in a fit of pique/return to form by Ed was only the beginning? Who would have guessed that everybody’s favorite message board commenter, slacker, and get-arounder would return to us with haunted memories of Pepper (RIP), degrading work tasks (rat-catching probably makes that barnacle project look pre-tty appealing), and Tijuana-level puppet shows? What a contrast to Lucius’s quiet journey of growing in understanding of Stede in S1--watch Foad’s face and eyes during the Badminton dinner in ep 1, and you’ll know why you never see opportunistically mutinous and super dismissive Lucius return again, despite his occasional impatience with both Stede and Ed. Now we have furious and PTSD-riddled Lucius who is very justified in voicing frustration that Stede DOESN’T ASK HOW HE’S DOING while also going and doing the thing that traumatized people often do: lashing out at the wrong people/people who love them most (Pete... technically, though Pete could sometimes do with more getting yelled at, IMO). Seeing Lucius attack Stede both passive aggressively (not facing him, smoking his trauma cig, acidly pointing out Stede’s failures as a leader without naming him) and massive aggressively (FUCK. YOU.) was startling and gave me an ambiguous swirl of emotions ranging from understanding to impatience. I look forward to wherever their relationship goes; it’s clear the days of boss-underling are officially over.
2b) Did I shriek like Pete when he first appeared? Reader, yes, I did. I so rarely do those things that fandom people hyperbolically claim to do (or actually do) constantly. But I shrieked.
2c) And am I into Lucius’s angry-phase beard and sleeveless tunic and bad kid smoking habit? Yes. Because I love everything about Lucius.
In my big old month-long fandom quiz post, I stated I am an Oluwande with Lucius rising but upon seeing the Breakroom from Hell scene and subsequent adventitious workplace promotion journey with Frenchie... I think maybe I’m a Frenchie in the boardroom. Probably not fully, because Frenchie and I are on opposite ends of the overall ambition spectrum, but I’ve never felt closer to Frenchie as when he put the crown of leadership on his head with the wary look of someone who KNOWS it’s going to suck shit being the right hand to this particular boss. Also, there’s something to be said about Frenchie’s impostor syndrome: as someone who can compartmentalize by putting trauma in a box and then never opening the box again, who can also definitely finish Fang’s cake, Frenchie is uniquely qualified for middle management. It showed in him asking Ed what was next by naming "I guess this is my job now? To ask you what’s next?" and then being deeply sorry he had to hear the ill-informed, bonkers answer his supervisor provides. I should know, Frenchie, as someone who has excelled in this arena. But I acknowledge we all want different things. Anyway Frenchie gets out from under that promotion in a sad yet rewarding way: by having the numbers to participate in a mutiny. Also, Joel Fry continues to be a master of line readings. Almost makes a girl want to watch Cruella or whatever that Emma Stone movie was called that he was in.
3) Seems like I’m not alone in my instant adoration of Ruibo Qian as Susan/Zhang Yi Sao. Her delivery of "Girl, how are you?" was epic, but it was narrowly a standout in a FIELD of hilarious reads. Her whole scene with John Bartholomew enacting the standard way most cisgendered female leaders have to navigate male spaces in the workplace? Out-fucking-standing. It’ll be a trip to see how this new spin on the Stede and Ed tale of infatuation and abandonment will play out. Zhang Yi Sao seems a bit more skilled at the work of piracy--shades of pre-shitty writing Dany on GoT here--and I’d hate to see it endanger everyone’s favorite cuddly crushable fella Oluwande. I mean, he truly didn’t intend moooooost of the abandonment, though, y’know, he followed Jim, so...
4) Buttons’s misery at being stuck on land! The Swede fully embracing his friends selling him into sex work with Spanish Jackie and inventing(?) Swedish massage! Roach finding joy and inspiration in the Red Flag cuisine! Pete just Pete-in it up in every scene! Not to MENTION the Revenge crew’s shit (legit tears during Jim’s retelling of Pinocchio to Fang... I swear, this weird show and its emotional uppercuts when you’re least expecting them...).
5) Some of the reviews that are lamenting or sniping about the lack of crew time... does it decrease in the mid eps? This seems very much like the same splits from S1, if not more blended into the main storyline of Stede and Ed (*cough* more on that later *cough* saaaaaaaave the best for laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaast). Yes. I know. Stop reading reviews, Jessie. I hear you.
6) Izzy. Gotta say one of the main areas I’ve diverged from The Fandom has been this topic. Maybe I’m not Goth enough or contrary enough, or maybe I just Did My Time(™) in the 1990s with broad redemption arcs of toxic male leads on soap operas. Maybe I don’t stan a short king as much as the new generation. Whatever it is: I’ve been firmly, obstinately Fuck Izzy Hands and eye-rolling and muting my way through countless Steddyhands tags for a year-plus now. I mean, I don’t think S1 INTENDED us to fangirl or fan-whatever-gender Izzy. Izzy wasn’t just an antagonist; he was the antithesis of most of the vibe of The Revenge, and he was actively harmful to Ed.
And here’s where Boomer Don Henley had something to teach me despite MY ivory tower position on Izzy: even the most toxic of us, when doing harm to ourselves or having harm done unto us, are capable of having a moment of clarity that begins the journey of self-actualization. The brief, subtle moment of Izzy thanking Stede was earned and real and resonant and still an absolute SHOCK to me, especially in spite of being only 3 episodes in to the new season. Perhaps that harrowing scene of hearing Izzy genuinely, awfully laugh for maybe the first time in the whole series as he shoots down (haha pun...intended...weeps) Ed’s suicide-by-First-Mate move was the foundation. Derisively calling him Eddie hit different, as the kids say, after hearing Izzy stiltedly admit "I have love for you" and then trip his way into embracing the Stede Bonnet school of talking it through to disastrous results. Izzy clearly does love both Ed and Blackbeard... but didn’t know himself or Ed well enough to realize the depths to which Ed/Blackbeard could sink in the throes of self-loathing and, let’s face it, hypomania. Or maybe not understanding that what Ed/Blackbeard was doing to the world at large for the glory of the title and Izzy’s devotion and worship would not be as cool when it was being done unto him and his coworkers.
Fang "That Really Hurt!" PirateMcGee cares enough about Izzy to weep piteously after he’s shot, by the way, once again demonstrating my theory about forgiveness as a theme, not to mention Jim "Yeah, but he’s our dick" Jimenez. I suspect we will see Izzy’s relationship with Stede and with Ed develop in a different way now that the literal manifestation and metaphoric representation of his poisoned marriage with Ed was amputated.
In fandom news: kinda want to see if this version of Izzy and the darker shade of Lucius cross paths again. Because as someone who rewatched S1 a coupla times: Con O’Neill DEFINITELY made a choice to look at Lucius’s mouth during that “have you ever been sketched?” argument. Just saying. I'm glad Lucius is happy with Pete, but if ever polyamory has called to me it's maybe seeing Izzy and Lucius get down and dirty.
ITS OWN CHAPTER: Stede, Ed, separate and together
Just as my fondness of Frenchie grew because I saw myself reflected in his, uh, professional development?... I’ve never felt closer to Stede Bonnet than when he was imagining a romanticized, idealized, cinematic reunion with Ed that fully avoided the bounds of messy human emotions, save that brief moment when, in his duel with Izzy, Izzy stands in as his self-hatred and self-awareness to speak up and say "Hey, bonehead, YOU abandoned Ed; I didn’t have shit to do with THAT decision." I hear you, Stede. (On a separate note, LOL on Con O’Neill Shemping with those crossed eyes in the death scene.) Though I usually identify with Ed’s all-encompassing heartbreak after his first love ghosted him, Stede and I both really love a music video shoot idea of relationships rather than, y’know, actual talking to and/or acting on realities. Also: "I’m trying something new" re: Stede’s self-imagined beard add-on AND Ed’s various endearments ("Babe?" Picked up from Pete and Lucius. "My love?" What Stede called Mary as he began faking his death.) made me LOL.
I will say it is interesting how we had Stede acknowledging Ed’s hotness via his later convo with Oluwande and Zhang Si Yao but his fantasy remained largely sexless. I mean, it wasn’t implied that Stede was doing anything OTHER than calling for Ed in their cramped basement space (talking about jacking it here). And based on Stede’s reaction to Mary having actual non-procreation sexytimes with Doug, one gets the feeling Stede has rarely if ever had experience with non-procreation-focused intercourse (thanks, Ed). I feel like in a show that has included sex in a variety of ways–S1’s hookup betwixt Lucius and Pete, which was not graphic but definitely gave enough cues that we knew exactly what sex act it was; the code of “sketching” to imply Lucius was free with his art and his favors; Calico Jack’s direct reference to buggering and dalliances; Oluwande and Jim’s reunion--we’re still pending some kind of exploration of what, exactly, Stede’s experience levels and general relationship to sex IS. Again, thanks to Calico Jack and, now, Ed’s Purgatory reflections about what’s great in life (intercourse AND orgasms... I gotta imagine the “finish line” tag was a Waititi improv), I think we all have an idea where Ed is at. If I really squint, perhaps Stede’s reaction to Prince Ricky’s cruising at the bar may have indicated some level of experience with men and sex before. Yeah, yeah, sure, Prince Ricky had “hero worship.” I know someone else who had that in S1, so it seems like that’s overt or covert code.
Oh, and what a demonstration of growth from Stede Bonnet, who strolled into Spanish Jackie’s, utterly ignoring Lucuis’s wise “do the outfits seem like an error in judgment?” question in S1. Stede is now wise and wide-eyed enough to offer serious and direct advice, borne from experience, to Prince Ricky that Spanish Jackie’s is a dangerous place and one PR should be avoiding in his n00b phase. Including PR in the puzzle box theft plan was a pretty smart Intermediate Level Pirate move (have rookie be lookout, an easy enough job)... and as an Intermediate Level Pirate, Stede absolutely leveled up and ducked out on PR after futile attempts to talk PR out of his endzone hot-dogging cocktail-mixing ambitions (PS lime rickeys are gross, and I’m not up for discussion on this topic). Based on seeing PR return via the S1 trailer... chickens will come home to roost on that whole mess.
Demonstration of Stede being irrevocably Stede and very very funny: Stede’s charm school training put to perfect work as the host at Spanish Jackie’s (“Fuck you” “Lovely”); Stede grousing that being a towel boy was above his pay grade (false); Stede expecting a free drink from the bar.
Demonstration of lack of growth that is frustrating: writing Ed letters? Babe, were you counting on Lucius to read them to him? You know he’s not literate, right?
My favorite gags: Stede crossing out “dead” and emphatically circling “alive” on the wanted poster. Good visualization exercise, honey. And Rhys Darby’s line reading of “champers.” Glad that made it in.
Pining romantic hero looks very good on Rhys Darby. I never in a million years would’ve guessed that the comedic actor I primarily know for the line “we’re werewolves not swearwolves” could be this compelling lost in love. The return of the Ed and Stede Love Theme as Stede is pulling a dozen-plus knives out of the surfaces of his former cabin seemed like both a long and a short walk from Stede’s tearful admission to the Blackbeard poster that he was worried Ed’s life would be better without him (looking RIGHT IN THE FACE OF EVIDENCE TO THE ABSOLUTE FUCKING CONTRARY) and was believable as heck. And right up there with 1990s soap weddings and 1990s soap They Make Love For The First Time moments, I am entirely onboard for 1990s soap bedside vigils. Darby’s performance wrung a few tears from me.
And I can’t BELIEVE that merman look was a practical effect. That shit is WILD. He literally looked like a fantasy. Both hilarious and heart-wrenching. Peak OFMD right there.
And Ed… some of this is covered above but: woof. I think if I go back and count the times Julie and I texted some version of “boy, he is a MESS” to each other. The purgatory time with Hornigold was such a great way of underscoring the way Ed’s traumatic childhood and time at sea pushes and pulls at his ability to regulate emotions (that and whatever cocktail of PTSD and depression diagnosis you want to slap on him) and be any kind of positive-minded, supportive, and/or healthy boss and friend. If you still remember Felix, Ed, why would you kill Ivan and mutilate Izzy on your bad days and make a turtle fight a crab with your workplace hookup on a nostalgia bender aka a GOOD day? Just as Jeff escalated to going for his pistol on the party boat in S1, it wasn’t long before his customer roleplay/psychological drama with Hornigold became “Well, death it is.” Got to get some anger management counseling, fella (see also: the dozens of knives littering the surfaces of The Revenge).
And I pause here to be superficial and say: how fucking cute was Ed’s frond boutonnière?! So. Cute. And also at several points: the wig is faaaaaaaaaaaabulous. I think Taika is always so lovely and striking but that up-do really does him some favors in the elegance department.
I also think Ed’s goodbye to Izzy when he thought Izzy had committed suicide will bear more fruit. What is the difference for Ed in “I loved you... as best I could” versus “What makes Ed happy is you?” I mean, I generally know what that means, having been at the receiving end of the Izzy messaging... but I wonder if they’ll make the subtext text.
The mirroring of Stede’s “I don’t know, probably?” and Ed’s “I think I’m… supposed to choose... live?” Haunting.
Ed had less overall funny, but I did appreciate Taika’s delivery on the list of things worth living for. I really did laugh when he launched into expounding on intercourse. And his manic moment with Frenchie was funny until it wasn’t, y’know?
Stede and Ed? Where will they go from here? As previously mentioned in my love of 1990s soaps: I believe they’re MFEO and want to see them persevere. And also Make Love for the First Time.
And, in closing: I see what you were doing there, writers, with Spanish Jackie taking that Stede Bonnet savings fund. WGA Strong. Kudes.
Google Docs tells me I’ve written 3,000 words on this topic so it is officially time to stop. But also: I like Stede’s wide belt. I like that Wee John is a soup enthusiast (ME TOO, buddy!). I like that Frenchie has always been a low-key Stede supporter. I like that Buttons figured out the perfect non-queer (?) white man way of saying “Yaaaaas kween.” I LOVED that IZZY SHUSHED BUTTONS. And most of all I’m now obsessed with that song “Run From Me” by Timber Timbre (not The Tings Tings, Jessie, stop typing The Ting Tings).
Editor's note: Ed did NOT kill Ivan... only didn't blink when he WAS murdered. So...
I waited* until 8 PM yesterday to watch the first 3 eps of OFMD S2 at the request of Julie, who was fooled/badgered into watching the series by me a year ago. We texted each other throughout so it’s safe to say I’m going to watch the episodes one** more time to catch all the nuances/nonverbal reactions/jokes I may have missed the first time around.
*Because I cannot, nor woah-not stop being a greedy thing, I snarfed up a whole bunch of early reviews, peeked at some IG content, and, at the height of willpower breakdown, watched the first 5+ minutes of ep 1 at 4 AM after feeding the cats. Blame Stan! Stan made me do it! Don’t tell Julie!
**Let’s be fucking real here, Void: it’ll be more than one.
Anyway on with the showS. Shows PLURAL! Three episodes was a great choice for a drop number.
Where to start, where to start:
My biggest takeaway, given that I ruined my appetite with early reviews, then later looked at a few trusted fan- or fan-adjacent sources, is that it surprises me that more folks are not talking about the theme of what forgiveness is and what kind of process it is (or is not). I think it was particularly telling that Stede Bonnet, a notoriously self-involved and privileged person who is also very kind and paternalistic, because people can contain multitudes, *gave advice* to Peak Millennial Lucius that contained the phrase “because I’m older than you” and then vulnerably pointed out his own mistakes and the emotional destruction in his wake in the name of doing better and trying to be better. And Lucius, despite being more self-aware/healthier than Stede, at least before the trauma, was in the wrong here. He’d done wrong, even if he was right to call Stede out for being a shitty boss and a shittier friend.
I see a lot of discussion and The Discourse about the pros and cons of social media, younger generations, and the highly reactive and often unforgiving nature of humans making mistakes, but I rarely see acknowledged the universal truth that even the loftiest and most morally pure of us–yes, even profoundly self-actualized young people– are human beings in a constant state of learning who frequently make mistakes on the people in their lives. Obviously we all start different places foundationally, and we have a broad range of emotional and psychological capability, but… damn, I have to say my observation of the perpetually online (this latest crop of fandom kids, folks living their lives on one soc med platform or another 24/7) is that they lack any sense of nuance, at least in what they show to their communities or out loud online. No room to misspeak, no room to learn, no room to just be an idiot sometimes: all crimes seem punishable by immediate shouting down and some kind of self-aggrandizing position taking.
All that to say: in this heightened world of OFMD of garden-variety shitty communication, abandonment, and bullying, all the way to transgressions ranging from shooting one another, mutilations, attempted and fulfilled murders, I applaud David Jenkins and his writing crew for showing that even the worst of us (IZZY) can start somewhere with self-actualization and that most of us are a tangled mess of best intentions, our own messy internal monologues and motivations, and weak moments where we lash out or duck out or do some other shady, shitty thing in the name of shame or anger or depression. Was it not modern OK Boomer poet laureate and noted dickhead Don Henley who sang:
All the things I thought I knew/I’m learning again/
I’ve been trying to get down/to the heart of the matter/
But my will gets weak/And my thoughts seem to scatter/
But I think it’s about forgiveness/forgiveness/
Even if, even if you don’t love me anymore
2a) Let’s talk about Lucius enduring unspeakable trauma! Who would have guessed being pushed overboard in a fit of pique/return to form by Ed was only the beginning? Who would have guessed that everybody’s favorite message board commenter, slacker, and get-arounder would return to us with haunted memories of Pepper (RIP), degrading work tasks (rat-catching probably makes that barnacle project look pre-tty appealing), and Tijuana-level puppet shows? What a contrast to Lucius’s quiet journey of growing in understanding of Stede in S1--watch Foad’s face and eyes during the Badminton dinner in ep 1, and you’ll know why you never see opportunistically mutinous and super dismissive Lucius return again, despite his occasional impatience with both Stede and Ed. Now we have furious and PTSD-riddled Lucius who is very justified in voicing frustration that Stede DOESN’T ASK HOW HE’S DOING while also going and doing the thing that traumatized people often do: lashing out at the wrong people/people who love them most (Pete... technically, though Pete could sometimes do with more getting yelled at, IMO). Seeing Lucius attack Stede both passive aggressively (not facing him, smoking his trauma cig, acidly pointing out Stede’s failures as a leader without naming him) and massive aggressively (FUCK. YOU.) was startling and gave me an ambiguous swirl of emotions ranging from understanding to impatience. I look forward to wherever their relationship goes; it’s clear the days of boss-underling are officially over.
2b) Did I shriek like Pete when he first appeared? Reader, yes, I did. I so rarely do those things that fandom people hyperbolically claim to do (or actually do) constantly. But I shrieked.
2c) And am I into Lucius’s angry-phase beard and sleeveless tunic and bad kid smoking habit? Yes. Because I love everything about Lucius.
In my big old month-long fandom quiz post, I stated I am an Oluwande with Lucius rising but upon seeing the Breakroom from Hell scene and subsequent adventitious workplace promotion journey with Frenchie... I think maybe I’m a Frenchie in the boardroom. Probably not fully, because Frenchie and I are on opposite ends of the overall ambition spectrum, but I’ve never felt closer to Frenchie as when he put the crown of leadership on his head with the wary look of someone who KNOWS it’s going to suck shit being the right hand to this particular boss. Also, there’s something to be said about Frenchie’s impostor syndrome: as someone who can compartmentalize by putting trauma in a box and then never opening the box again, who can also definitely finish Fang’s cake, Frenchie is uniquely qualified for middle management. It showed in him asking Ed what was next by naming "I guess this is my job now? To ask you what’s next?" and then being deeply sorry he had to hear the ill-informed, bonkers answer his supervisor provides. I should know, Frenchie, as someone who has excelled in this arena. But I acknowledge we all want different things. Anyway Frenchie gets out from under that promotion in a sad yet rewarding way: by having the numbers to participate in a mutiny. Also, Joel Fry continues to be a master of line readings. Almost makes a girl want to watch Cruella or whatever that Emma Stone movie was called that he was in.
3) Seems like I’m not alone in my instant adoration of Ruibo Qian as Susan/Zhang Yi Sao. Her delivery of "Girl, how are you?" was epic, but it was narrowly a standout in a FIELD of hilarious reads. Her whole scene with John Bartholomew enacting the standard way most cisgendered female leaders have to navigate male spaces in the workplace? Out-fucking-standing. It’ll be a trip to see how this new spin on the Stede and Ed tale of infatuation and abandonment will play out. Zhang Yi Sao seems a bit more skilled at the work of piracy--shades of pre-shitty writing Dany on GoT here--and I’d hate to see it endanger everyone’s favorite cuddly crushable fella Oluwande. I mean, he truly didn’t intend moooooost of the abandonment, though, y’know, he followed Jim, so...
4) Buttons’s misery at being stuck on land! The Swede fully embracing his friends selling him into sex work with Spanish Jackie and inventing(?) Swedish massage! Roach finding joy and inspiration in the Red Flag cuisine! Pete just Pete-in it up in every scene! Not to MENTION the Revenge crew’s shit (legit tears during Jim’s retelling of Pinocchio to Fang... I swear, this weird show and its emotional uppercuts when you’re least expecting them...).
5) Some of the reviews that are lamenting or sniping about the lack of crew time... does it decrease in the mid eps? This seems very much like the same splits from S1, if not more blended into the main storyline of Stede and Ed (*cough* more on that later *cough* saaaaaaaave the best for laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaast). Yes. I know. Stop reading reviews, Jessie. I hear you.
6) Izzy. Gotta say one of the main areas I’ve diverged from The Fandom has been this topic. Maybe I’m not Goth enough or contrary enough, or maybe I just Did My Time(™) in the 1990s with broad redemption arcs of toxic male leads on soap operas. Maybe I don’t stan a short king as much as the new generation. Whatever it is: I’ve been firmly, obstinately Fuck Izzy Hands and eye-rolling and muting my way through countless Steddyhands tags for a year-plus now. I mean, I don’t think S1 INTENDED us to fangirl or fan-whatever-gender Izzy. Izzy wasn’t just an antagonist; he was the antithesis of most of the vibe of The Revenge, and he was actively harmful to Ed.
And here’s where Boomer Don Henley had something to teach me despite MY ivory tower position on Izzy: even the most toxic of us, when doing harm to ourselves or having harm done unto us, are capable of having a moment of clarity that begins the journey of self-actualization. The brief, subtle moment of Izzy thanking Stede was earned and real and resonant and still an absolute SHOCK to me, especially in spite of being only 3 episodes in to the new season. Perhaps that harrowing scene of hearing Izzy genuinely, awfully laugh for maybe the first time in the whole series as he shoots down (haha pun...intended...weeps) Ed’s suicide-by-First-Mate move was the foundation. Derisively calling him Eddie hit different, as the kids say, after hearing Izzy stiltedly admit "I have love for you" and then trip his way into embracing the Stede Bonnet school of talking it through to disastrous results. Izzy clearly does love both Ed and Blackbeard... but didn’t know himself or Ed well enough to realize the depths to which Ed/Blackbeard could sink in the throes of self-loathing and, let’s face it, hypomania. Or maybe not understanding that what Ed/Blackbeard was doing to the world at large for the glory of the title and Izzy’s devotion and worship would not be as cool when it was being done unto him and his coworkers.
Fang "That Really Hurt!" PirateMcGee cares enough about Izzy to weep piteously after he’s shot, by the way, once again demonstrating my theory about forgiveness as a theme, not to mention Jim "Yeah, but he’s our dick" Jimenez. I suspect we will see Izzy’s relationship with Stede and with Ed develop in a different way now that the literal manifestation and metaphoric representation of his poisoned marriage with Ed was amputated.
In fandom news: kinda want to see if this version of Izzy and the darker shade of Lucius cross paths again. Because as someone who rewatched S1 a coupla times: Con O’Neill DEFINITELY made a choice to look at Lucius’s mouth during that “have you ever been sketched?” argument. Just saying. I'm glad Lucius is happy with Pete, but if ever polyamory has called to me it's maybe seeing Izzy and Lucius get down and dirty.
ITS OWN CHAPTER: Stede, Ed, separate and together
Just as my fondness of Frenchie grew because I saw myself reflected in his, uh, professional development?... I’ve never felt closer to Stede Bonnet than when he was imagining a romanticized, idealized, cinematic reunion with Ed that fully avoided the bounds of messy human emotions, save that brief moment when, in his duel with Izzy, Izzy stands in as his self-hatred and self-awareness to speak up and say "Hey, bonehead, YOU abandoned Ed; I didn’t have shit to do with THAT decision." I hear you, Stede. (On a separate note, LOL on Con O’Neill Shemping with those crossed eyes in the death scene.) Though I usually identify with Ed’s all-encompassing heartbreak after his first love ghosted him, Stede and I both really love a music video shoot idea of relationships rather than, y’know, actual talking to and/or acting on realities. Also: "I’m trying something new" re: Stede’s self-imagined beard add-on AND Ed’s various endearments ("Babe?" Picked up from Pete and Lucius. "My love?" What Stede called Mary as he began faking his death.) made me LOL.
I will say it is interesting how we had Stede acknowledging Ed’s hotness via his later convo with Oluwande and Zhang Si Yao but his fantasy remained largely sexless. I mean, it wasn’t implied that Stede was doing anything OTHER than calling for Ed in their cramped basement space (talking about jacking it here). And based on Stede’s reaction to Mary having actual non-procreation sexytimes with Doug, one gets the feeling Stede has rarely if ever had experience with non-procreation-focused intercourse (thanks, Ed). I feel like in a show that has included sex in a variety of ways–S1’s hookup betwixt Lucius and Pete, which was not graphic but definitely gave enough cues that we knew exactly what sex act it was; the code of “sketching” to imply Lucius was free with his art and his favors; Calico Jack’s direct reference to buggering and dalliances; Oluwande and Jim’s reunion--we’re still pending some kind of exploration of what, exactly, Stede’s experience levels and general relationship to sex IS. Again, thanks to Calico Jack and, now, Ed’s Purgatory reflections about what’s great in life (intercourse AND orgasms... I gotta imagine the “finish line” tag was a Waititi improv), I think we all have an idea where Ed is at. If I really squint, perhaps Stede’s reaction to Prince Ricky’s cruising at the bar may have indicated some level of experience with men and sex before. Yeah, yeah, sure, Prince Ricky had “hero worship.” I know someone else who had that in S1, so it seems like that’s overt or covert code.
Oh, and what a demonstration of growth from Stede Bonnet, who strolled into Spanish Jackie’s, utterly ignoring Lucuis’s wise “do the outfits seem like an error in judgment?” question in S1. Stede is now wise and wide-eyed enough to offer serious and direct advice, borne from experience, to Prince Ricky that Spanish Jackie’s is a dangerous place and one PR should be avoiding in his n00b phase. Including PR in the puzzle box theft plan was a pretty smart Intermediate Level Pirate move (have rookie be lookout, an easy enough job)... and as an Intermediate Level Pirate, Stede absolutely leveled up and ducked out on PR after futile attempts to talk PR out of his endzone hot-dogging cocktail-mixing ambitions (PS lime rickeys are gross, and I’m not up for discussion on this topic). Based on seeing PR return via the S1 trailer... chickens will come home to roost on that whole mess.
Demonstration of Stede being irrevocably Stede and very very funny: Stede’s charm school training put to perfect work as the host at Spanish Jackie’s (“Fuck you” “Lovely”); Stede grousing that being a towel boy was above his pay grade (false); Stede expecting a free drink from the bar.
Demonstration of lack of growth that is frustrating: writing Ed letters? Babe, were you counting on Lucius to read them to him? You know he’s not literate, right?
My favorite gags: Stede crossing out “dead” and emphatically circling “alive” on the wanted poster. Good visualization exercise, honey. And Rhys Darby’s line reading of “champers.” Glad that made it in.
Pining romantic hero looks very good on Rhys Darby. I never in a million years would’ve guessed that the comedic actor I primarily know for the line “we’re werewolves not swearwolves” could be this compelling lost in love. The return of the Ed and Stede Love Theme as Stede is pulling a dozen-plus knives out of the surfaces of his former cabin seemed like both a long and a short walk from Stede’s tearful admission to the Blackbeard poster that he was worried Ed’s life would be better without him (looking RIGHT IN THE FACE OF EVIDENCE TO THE ABSOLUTE FUCKING CONTRARY) and was believable as heck. And right up there with 1990s soap weddings and 1990s soap They Make Love For The First Time moments, I am entirely onboard for 1990s soap bedside vigils. Darby’s performance wrung a few tears from me.
And I can’t BELIEVE that merman look was a practical effect. That shit is WILD. He literally looked like a fantasy. Both hilarious and heart-wrenching. Peak OFMD right there.
And Ed… some of this is covered above but: woof. I think if I go back and count the times Julie and I texted some version of “boy, he is a MESS” to each other. The purgatory time with Hornigold was such a great way of underscoring the way Ed’s traumatic childhood and time at sea pushes and pulls at his ability to regulate emotions (that and whatever cocktail of PTSD and depression diagnosis you want to slap on him) and be any kind of positive-minded, supportive, and/or healthy boss and friend. If you still remember Felix, Ed, why would you kill Ivan and mutilate Izzy on your bad days and make a turtle fight a crab with your workplace hookup on a nostalgia bender aka a GOOD day? Just as Jeff escalated to going for his pistol on the party boat in S1, it wasn’t long before his customer roleplay/psychological drama with Hornigold became “Well, death it is.” Got to get some anger management counseling, fella (see also: the dozens of knives littering the surfaces of The Revenge).
And I pause here to be superficial and say: how fucking cute was Ed’s frond boutonnière?! So. Cute. And also at several points: the wig is faaaaaaaaaaaabulous. I think Taika is always so lovely and striking but that up-do really does him some favors in the elegance department.
I also think Ed’s goodbye to Izzy when he thought Izzy had committed suicide will bear more fruit. What is the difference for Ed in “I loved you... as best I could” versus “What makes Ed happy is you?” I mean, I generally know what that means, having been at the receiving end of the Izzy messaging... but I wonder if they’ll make the subtext text.
The mirroring of Stede’s “I don’t know, probably?” and Ed’s “I think I’m… supposed to choose... live?” Haunting.
Ed had less overall funny, but I did appreciate Taika’s delivery on the list of things worth living for. I really did laugh when he launched into expounding on intercourse. And his manic moment with Frenchie was funny until it wasn’t, y’know?
Stede and Ed? Where will they go from here? As previously mentioned in my love of 1990s soaps: I believe they’re MFEO and want to see them persevere. And also Make Love for the First Time.
And, in closing: I see what you were doing there, writers, with Spanish Jackie taking that Stede Bonnet savings fund. WGA Strong. Kudes.
Google Docs tells me I’ve written 3,000 words on this topic so it is officially time to stop. But also: I like Stede’s wide belt. I like that Wee John is a soup enthusiast (ME TOO, buddy!). I like that Frenchie has always been a low-key Stede supporter. I like that Buttons figured out the perfect non-queer (?) white man way of saying “Yaaaaas kween.” I LOVED that IZZY SHUSHED BUTTONS. And most of all I’m now obsessed with that song “Run From Me” by Timber Timbre (not The Tings Tings, Jessie, stop typing The Ting Tings).
Editor's note: Ed did NOT kill Ivan... only didn't blink when he WAS murdered. So...