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finefoxyladiesSo not much happened in these two eps, eh?
But first
My favorite funny moments/bits:
Stede building a mancave loot room for Ed because he has been “tripping over it” and “some of it is… quite ugly.”
Josie Whittlesey’s performance as Hellkat Maggie–good thing the actor is married to the creator of the series because if we get a season 3, maybe we’ll see her again! Just throwing away “It’s nice to be appreciated” like nothing. So funny.
Nat Faxon as The Swede Borating “Mah wiiiiiiife.” So dumb. So perfect.
The joyful, stupid way Rhys and Taika chose to enact dine and dash.
Conman Frenchie RETURNS! Joel Fry wears slyboots in a way that brings joy to my heart. I saw somewhere on The Tumblr that he should be cast as Puck in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and I can’t argue with perfection.
Everything about Foad + Maher and the Lucius and Pete plan to save their friends…
eventually scene.
7. EDITED TO ADD: Con O'Neill's lalalalalaLA perfect.
Bronson:
First of all: I’ve been waiting on this Bronson Pinchot appearance since I was spoiled for it way back in winter of this year. Inevitably, Gen Xers of any star or stripe remember him as Balki on Perfect Strangers, but any Stephen King nerd of the same age group remembers his deranged performance in the tv adaptation of The Langoliers, which never ever should have happened, for so many reasons, but it did, and our lives are all richer for it, because my God. Anyway, it was a smaller part than I expected. While I get why Prince Ricky was a grand choice for a Big Bad since he’s basically “What if Badminton was created out of rejected fanboy resentment?” I would’ve preferred Ned Low. Honestly I feel like at minimum his appearance and the arc he represents for Stede would’ve worked better over two episodes, but we can’t have what we want because Max is a stingy-ass bitch. I hate you, Zaslav! Euphoria!
Stede:
Next to Breakup #2, the thing that was one of those well-written bummers was Stede’s progression from charming weird contractor who project manages Low’s crew to mutiny to killing Ned Low by making him walk the plank (based on history for those of you who can’t stop focusing on this!) + concussion with instrument + devastating insult (“Here’s your fiddle” to a violin virtuoso… brutal, Stede!). Seeing that well-known picking flowers/bad dad footage play and knowing that Stede was just a gnarl of feelings at the moment. He expressed some of those feelings angrily, but the ones no one can see, the ones he’s never shared with anyone, at least not intentionally, those formative shitty experiences seem to be the ones that triggered everything breaking bad. It seems very deliberate, the way we’ve continued down this road of Stede being very buttoned-up about his own shit. Like, instead of taking Ed’s cue of “I killed my dad” as a place to talk about HIS shitty dad AND Chauncey aiming a gun at his head and saying a bunch of wild-ass shit about Why Stede Is Bad, even his arranged marriage and how that contributed to him becoming more and more withdrawn and uncommunicative (btw, we have had TWO instances of Stede referring to his ex-wife and still having these ambiguous or bad feelings about it… not like, “Maybe I SHOULD stay married to universal delight Claudia O’Doherty” feelings but… he equates it with failure on his part or other messy feelings we didn’t learn because Anne Bonny chose to interrupt his line of thinking with her tongue…)
And just as “whim” came up again, so did the idea of Stede being a “pet.” The first time around it was Izzy, and Stede didn’t hear that… but both he and Ed (there was a deliberate reaction shot to Ed) heard it this time. Another repeated impactful word was “coward”: Stede said it during his fevered recovery from being gut-stabbed in S1, and he volleyed it at a departing Ed in S2. And if we’ve learned anything about Stede, it’s about the worst thing he thinks anyone can be because it’s an echo of his father and all the other shit-heel toxic men surrounding him.
… anyway instead of talking about that, Stede went a different direction. A direction I personally enjoyed a great deal because it was kinda sexy–the deliberate nod from Ed, the purple tint, the glimpse of Ed’s face, his gaze on Stede as shirtless Stede closed the gauzy curtain… boy that whole deal really really scratched every one of my 1990s soap opera itches. The only improvement would have been if some affordable late 1980s love duet had been playing. And again: it was very in character for Stede, who promotes talking it through for everyone but himself. No shade. It’s hard.
One minor quibble: after seeing David Rose’s sex hair in Schitt’s Creek, I think the hair department could’ve done a better job of giving Stede sex hair. I would’ve liked to see some more volume and muss.
Ed:
I’m seeing a lot of first reaction stuff in the limited places I’ve looked talking about Stede’s pattern of taking off/abandoning people… but I don’t see anyone (at least not in the 5 minutes I’ve been looking) comparing Ed Teach ditching out with Calico Jack–uh, by the way, the biggest idiot on David Jenkins’s tapestry woven with idiots–as a parallel to Ed “I’m a fisherman now! Fisherman and pirates don’t understand each other!” Teach.
I realize this may be hilariously obvious to some people, especially traversing Social Media and Fandom, but: there are those among us who are very, very connected to their labels. I am a Virgo, and Virgos drive a car like this. I’m a tea person. I LOVE TEA. PLEASE ASK ME ABOUT MY TEA RITUAL. And I’m not saying it’s a way to feel anchored in the swirling uncertainty of life, but I’m not not saying that. Like, if you define yourself, the road ahead seems so much clearer, doesn’t it? It’s an anchor, if you will. It keeps you steady. And you certainly can’t be messy or complicated. You’re a Virgo. Or you’re NOT Blackbeard.
[The less said about allllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll the Blackbeard-is-ADHD-coded stuff the better; I mean, people, you’ve seen one interview with Taika, this is not a huge leap. He’s not doing it for the Tiks or the Toks. He’s legitimately, not-self-diagnosed ADHD. Ipso facto, by the transitive properties of, blah blah I’m old]
Anyway I think there’s something to Ed wearing Buttons’s old get-up after Buttons imparted the wisdom that in order to truly love something, sometimes you have to change. But sometimes, Ed, you can change but also remain who you are and also be a big tangled mess of a person. Because your person is also a big tangled mess of a person.
And this is one of a few times you’ll hear me say it: Izzy was right. Ed should’ve given Stede an hour or so to cool off. Maybe the eventual outcome would’ve been the same with a little more forethought (hahaha foreplay) put into it. But then we wouldn’t have had Taika in that blue robe and barrel-chested Rhys going full shirtless so… I don’t know. It’s a wash, I guess. My heart’s a little broken and also I am grody.
Oh! And that breakfast tray was so hilarious. That was like the Peanuts Thanksgiving buffet meets a Denny’s Grand Slam meets every great creative comedic inclination of the OFMD writers. Bite out of toast? Check. Marmalade piled in the center of the tray, not in a bowl? Sure. Three salt pork crisp-ems because Ed apparently didn’t have the bravery to ask for four? Or was Roach too hung over to help? Yep. Not to mention the twine. I look forward to twine overtaking Mason jars as the must accessory for your IG-ready wedding. Ed knows Stede loves little bits and pieces of things! The gift giver’s dilemma: processing a thing you know about a loved one through your own goofy-ass lens.
Stede and Ed:
STOP FIGHTING. STOP BREAKING UP. You almost dance before Ned Low shows up, you have sex for the first time, you have that idyllic brunch at a fish shack where Stede adorably tells you about his dumb letters in bottles, and Ed “loves that,” inching closer to saying the words back and then work. Work sucks. Work ruins everything.
Run your fucking B&B. Be a place where your crew can still pirate if they want, but likely several of them will embrace the hospitality industry. Y’all will do it better than Spanish Jackie. She doesn’t want overhead. You two are ALL ABOUT OVERHEAD.
Izzy (I KNOW RIGHT?)
Wow, what a journey, short king. What a journey. The scene with Izzy and Ed feeling like this dreamlike throwback, both of them the versions of who they were when we met them in S1 to the naked eye but so profoundly changed. The gentle teasing with the undercurrent of melancholy, calling Ed mopey and sulky and whatever. And then Ed apologizes for the leg, and it’s clear that it was exactly what Izzy needed to hear.
Boy, I’m a sucker for an understated yet glamorous musical theater performance. That “La Vie en Rose” was killer. Not to be this dork but: I saw a one-woman performance piece where we got to learn a bunch of Edith Piaf backstory, and I have an inkling that this selection may have implications in the season finale. Makes me love it all the more. And rock that fucking yellow glittery eyeshadow, dude. That shit hasn’t been pulled off since the 1980s.
And then! Izzy slyly teasing the two of them in their post-coital bliss! And then acting as a legitimate proper first mate to Stede. Ready to back Stede up in that fight with Zheng. That moment of understanding passing between Stede and Izzy, one of the few times Stede wasn’t neck-deep in his feelings and letting them drive the bad decisions bus.
He’s still not my meow meow. If I may judge: barf. But I really am on board for this character development and what it brings to the ensemble. And he can definitely sing again next season.
(Argh, the fact that the talent show was the backdrop of Izzy and Ed’s falling out and Ed embracing Blackbeard and hurting the crew, and then IZZY LED THE TALENT SHOW.)
(Anyway, I love this show so much.)
Miscellaneous:
Here’s MY headcanon: Izzy and Steak Knife totally knew each other from whatever passes for a bears/leather daddies club at the Republic of Pirates. KNEW knew each other. RIP Steak Knife, a guy who probably spanked Izzy Hands on the bottom with a paddle.
Oluwande/Jim/Archie heading off to Zheng’s ship. Kids are like that, I guess. It’s funny to me how fandom is very dug in, as fandom has for generations, on babygirling grown-ass men and talking about Ed and Stede are idiots… but this polycule gets a pass because they’re generationally more aligned with your average fandomer and more enlightened because polyamory definitely works better than any other relationship configuration. No one I know who’s poly has ever been a mess of a person and entered into extremely charged and emotional disaster-prone shit. And as cute as Oluwande and Zheng are (SO KEWT!), I mean… that shit is VERY new. Moving in together after one desk makeout sesh? Anyway: Oluwande continues to be the very best, despite the fact that he is making a (cuter, less fraught) mistake.
Fang holding a S1 teacup saying “But do we?” re partying is my entire vibe at this point.
ETA:
Is the fishing this season a callback to the two elderly fishermen who lose their plant to Stede in S1? Are David Jenkins and the writers that clever? Probably.
(no subject)
Date: 2023-10-22 02:44 am (UTC)but we can’t have what we want because Max is a stingy-ass bitch
YEPPPPPPPPPPP!
It seems very deliberate, the way we’ve continued down this road of Stede being very buttoned-up about his own shit.
I am soooo curious to see if he actually starts sharing in the finale, because YES, oh my God. He's Ted Lasso-ing hard. Is the show aware of how hard he's Ted Lasso-ing? Do we need to bring in Doctor Sharon, Sports Therapist from Ted Lasso?
The marmalade just heaped onto the tray itself delighted me so much that I had to recreate it myself within 24 hours of watching this episode. There was no other choice!
Run your fucking B&B. Be a place where your crew can still pirate if they want, but likely several of them will embrace the hospitality industry. Y’all will do it better than Spanish Jackie. She doesn’t want overhead. You two are ALL ABOUT OVERHEAD.
I AM LIVING FOR THE PROMISE OF THE B&B&BAR&GRILL. IT'S ALL THAT PRESERVES ME.
Fang holding a S1 teacup saying “But do we?” re partying is my entire vibe at this point.
HELL yeah.
Is the fishing this season a callback to the two elderly fishermen who lose their plant to Stede in S1?
I've been pondering this, and I so hope so! 🪴 I don't know exactly what it means, but I know I love it.
I can't believe we already only have one episode left, augh!
(no subject)
Date: 2023-10-22 06:53 pm (UTC)Well, in S1 that would've been Lucius, but OFMD answers the question: what if Dr. Sharon had been pushed in the Thames and then forced to catch rats with her teeth? Oy.
And now that I say this, I must also say: this is where it's easy to see the overarching theme of The Work We Have To Do in S2, whether it is Stede and Ed in their relationship, or frankly the Crew as a whole and as individuals. The crew cheered Stede offing Ned Low, even after Blackbeard (BLACKBEARD!) said the bit about it being poison. We just spent a bunch of time with them all angrily and otherwise working through trauma and holding Blackbeard accountable, so it feels intentional and ambiguous that most of those folks don't seem very clued in on how to support Stede or even seem inclined TO support or see Stede. I feel like Lucius would've been the one besides Ed to check on Stede because he, more than the others, saw and reacted to Nigel Badminton's fond reminiscing about his bullying of Stede and would've been a good person for Stede to talk a little bit about his feelings with instead of... y'know...
Long way to say: I'm not mad at Lucius for not being Dr. Sharon, but I do miss Dr. Sharon Lucius. He's probably never coming back. And also hooray for the talent show, which was joyful and lovely and also a reminder that Izzy, the star, abandoned half of those participants on an island not too long ago! Things are complicated!
That marmalade heap was A+++, and you did an EXCELLENT job recreating that tray. Love that for your cookie sheet. It'll never be the same.
(no subject)
Date: 2023-10-22 08:02 pm (UTC)ajfl;aksjdfl;aksjdfalksdjlfsd There will never be another show like this show!!!!
And yeah, it's such a bittersweet feeling to realize how much trauma and anger has permeated the characters this season -- understandably, because after the end of last season, what other option was there?? -- and how it's just not as simple or as straightforward as, well, talking it through as a crew and having everything magically be better. Olu and Jim being so willing to leave really feels like proof of that! Like, I can't really blame them when I objectively think about the haps of this season (and I think they also probably just think of Stede more as a friend than a boss), but also, I think of them sitting on the couch with Stede in the first episode and it tugs my heartstrings!
And yeah, I feel like Emotional Support Lucius was understandably snuffed out, especially due to Ed remaining so staunchly Stede's #1 priority even when he, ya know, pushed Lucius to his watery doom. I get it if he simply does not care to get involved with that whole relationship situation anymore!
and also a reminder that Izzy, the star, abandoned half of those participants on an island not too long ago! Things are complicated!
Everybody's relationship status: it's complicated!
Oh, I'm so curious to see how the finale goes! Lord help me, Lord help us all. To speak an ancient prayer: Lord beer us strength.