Our Flag Means Death Season 2 Episodes 1-3 Review: Impossible Birds/Red Flags/The Innkeeper

When Season 1 ended with Stede and Ed in two different locations and frames of mind, fans knew that Season 2 wasn’t going to be easy. Our Flag Means Death Season 2 Episodes 1-3, “Impossible Birds/Red Flags/The Innkeeper,” remind us all that some messy feelings must be figured out — even amongst the fiercest pirates.

Stede Bonnet might have run his crew with the mindset that nothing is off the table and that their group is always a safe space. But what happens when that crew gets separated, lost, and forced to be more vicious than they ever imagined?

As excellent as Season 1 was for establishing that pirates didn’t always have to pillage and kill to be men of the sea, it’s coming back to bite them all in the butt now that storms are brewing.

Two Teams Trying to Make Their Way

Our Flag Means Death Season 2 Episode 1, “Impossible Birds,” shows us the headspace of everyone we met during Season 1 while adding in a couple of new faces to spruce things up. Bonnet’s crew of Oluwande, Wee John, Black Pete, Buttons, Roach, and the Swede are back on the Republic of Pirates, trying to make enough money to gain ownership of a new ship.

It quickly becomes evident that Ed Teach is back to going by Blackbeard based on the WANTED signs posted all over the island. Stede appears to be the only one still willing to concede that Ed is a nice guy. 

Gone is the happy, eager crew of Season 1, and in its place are a bunch of disillusioned, bitter men who don’t trust Stede to lead them out of anything. This is vital from the get-go because it lets viewers know that Stede isn’t easily forgiven for his abandonment actions during Our Flag Means Death Season 1 Episode 10, “Wherever You Go, There You Are.” 

It’s refreshing to know that despite Season 1 being a light, heartwarming comedy, Season 2 is standing out from the start as more intense and complicated. There are still moments of laugh-out-loud humor, but the edges are sharper, and the vibe is more insecure and broken.

None of that is more evident than when the story flips to moments with Blackbeard and his crew — Izzy, Fang, Frenchie, Jim, and newcomer Archie. Blackbeard is so volatile due to his heartbreak that the crew is scared of their own shadow.

They do what he asks out of fear, not any sense of loyalty. There is even a moment when Archie and Jim are talking, and Jim mentions they hate that you don’t know you’re in the good ole days until they are behind you.

It’s a giant red alarm that Jim isn’t okay and doesn’t know how to be okay again. Not even Izzy, the biggest, toughest asshole of Season 1, can stop from having a nervous breakdown.

He even goes as far as to admit to Ed/Blackbeard that he loves him, ending with a bullet in Izzy’s leg and Blackbeard on a rampage, asking the crew to dispose of his nearest and dearest friend.

The only time we see Ed show any sign of a heart is when he takes a soft tone with Frenchie as he appoints him first mate and then leans on the wheel while staring wistfully at the sky.

Fans of the character will have a tough time seeing him and Izzy conjointly having emotional breakdowns that end with unnecessary violence.

Glorious, Wonderful Reunions

With how heartbreaking “Impossible Birds” is, there is at least an upgrade to bittersweet with Our Flag Means Death Season 2 Episode 2, “Red Flags.” All because Stede’s crew has now been hired by Zheng Sao, the Pirate Queen, which also brings them back to their beloved comrade, Lucius.

The return of Lucius with the story of how he was rescued from the water is a beautiful way that fans have been rewarded. After all, one of the most prominent fan theories after Season 1 is that Lucius didn’t die; a band of lesbian pirates picked him up.

And while Zheng’s crew are entirely female, I wouldn’t say they are lesbians, so the theory is only half right — but a big payoff nonetheless. Gone is the naive, snarky Lucius that fans know and love.

In all fairness, the man has seen quite a lot since Blackbeard threw him overboard. Lucius’s new mindset and attitude is understandable and makes his character that much more interesting.

It’s another way that Our Flag Means Death shows us these pirates are much more hardened than when we last saw them. It adds to the growth and healing that needs to happen throughout this season.

Seeing Lucius reunite with Black Pete is the sort of romantic moment this season lacks — understandably. It’s a vital reunion to counter-measure the extreme brokenness that is the two crews and their leaders.

When Lucius tells Stede off for still believing in the goodness of Blackbeard, it feels as though Lucius is speaking for the darker parts of our minds that we don’t want to acknowledge because the truth hurts.

“Red Flags” is also great for the attention to a new alliance forming between Frenchie, Jim, Fang, and Archie to survive the insane wrath that is Blackbeard. It’s a bond beyond what they’ve created before because now their lives depend on each other.

Once again, Blackbeard shows a moment of the man we know and love when he gives Izzy the gun and walks away. His words to Izzy as the gun goes off break our collective hearts and show that Izzy was the most important person in Ed/Blackbeard’s life once upon a time.

This episode perfectly bridges the utter chaos of “Impossible Birds” and the coming together for a united cause on Our Flag Means Death Season 2 Episode 3, “The Innkeeper.”

Work it Through as a Crew

Bringing both teams back together under one set of sails is vital to the story and is part of what makes Our Flag Means Death Season 2 Episode 3, “The Innkeeper,” the season’s strongest episode so far.

Sure, the previous episodes set up the broken parts that need to be fixed and mended for happiness to reign supreme, but there is a strength to be commended by the reunification of this band of misfits.

Not only are all the romantic couples back together — well, at least the side ones, but having Ed/Blackbeard’s crew be in a state of stability for the first time in months proves that healing is on the horizon.

The stark contrast between Stede’s crew — who can make jokes and find general merriment within the everyday — and Ed/Blackbeard’s crew — who can’t even speak of the horrors they’ve seen and perpetrated is like night and day. It’s an important distinction because, despite their differing experiences, the two groups mold back into one unit exceptionally well, which bodes well for the new normal ahead of them.

The most vital part of this episode doesn’t lie in what’s happening on Zheng’s boat. It’s what is occurring inside Ed/Blackbeard’s mind as his body lies below deck on The Revenge.

While it’s not evident at first that Hornigold lives entirely inside Ed/Blackbeard’s psyche, when that twist is revealed, it adds more layers to the nuance of every moment. Viewers will want to revisit the start of Ed/Blackbeard’s story on the beach to see if other clues come forward about what is happening.

Ed/Blackbeard needs this time to assess who he is and wants to be. By conjuring Hornigold, Ed/Blackbeard is essentially saying he doesn’t love himself or even trust himself — after all, Hornigold is him.

The updo of his hair for most of these scenes and the throwback of his fake identity with Stede in Season 1, Jeff, are clues to the real Ed being caught just under the surface. He is heartbroken and needs to be heard for Ed/Blackbeard to move forward with Stede and the rest of the crew, but mostly Stede.

The visuals of Ed/Blackbeard drowning and Stede being the light/mermaid that sets him free from his ropes and weights are so breathtaking that there are no words to explain the emotions. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen, and it’ll be hard for this show to top something so romantically and emotionally beautiful.

Stray Thoughts:

• Black Pete’s sarcasm this season is already top-tier. I can’t wait to see more.
• The Swede has become one of Jackie’s husbands! Which is so funny to me.
• JIM DID THE WOODEN BOY VOICE FOR FANG!
• Mention of Ivan dying — honestly, the actor and this character deserved better.
• “I know the odds of this finding you are slim. But so were the odds of us finding each other in the first place.” STEDE! Be still my heart.
• The parallel of Stede saying “good night Ed” as Ed/Blackbeard says, “fuck you, Stede Bonnet,” indicates how far they need to go to be back on the same page.
• Ed/Blackbeard having a full-on emotional breakdown and then turning around the next day and simply calling it a “rough night” is so damn relatable.
• Honestly, the dynamic between Archie and Jim is charming and adorable — I already ship it.
• Frenchie being there for Fang in moments of insecurity is a bond I never expected, yet I’m here for it.
• The wedding cake toppers representing Ed and Stede and then being shoved into the ocean is a powerful scene.
• Auntie scoffing at the men being emotional is such a mood.
• “I love you. Best I could.” BREAK OUT THE TISSUES
• Lucius – I fell off the ship, Black Pete – That doesn’t sound like you. You have impeccable balance,e babe. (I love them so much)
• Zheng has the best sarcasm and wit. I love her so much. I hope we get to see more of her.
• Two words: Mermaid Stede. That is all.
• Jeff’s Inn by the Sea and Blackbeard’s Bar & Grill & Other Delicacies & Delights & Fishing Gear are beautiful parallels showing how Ed sees himself in various moods/personas.
• Izzy telling Stede the truth about what happened on the Revenge is such a character-growth moment for them both.
• So far, the music for these episodes is IMPECCABLE!

 

What did you think of this episode of Our Flag Means Death? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Our Flag Means Death airs Thursdays on Max.

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