A light historical pirate romp. The principal character in Our Flag Means Death from creator
David Jenkins is Stede Bonnet, the “The Gentleman Pirate” (played by Rhys Darby). While this is a comedic/broad depiction, Stede Bonnet was a real historical figure, who like the character in the series, made an unconventional (and probably ill-suited) choice to become a pirate captain despite coming from means.
The first episode does a swell job of priming you some of his irregularities, like providing a wage for his crew instead of their pay being reliant on plunder. Aspects to show how he avoided mutiny as long as he did. It’s a comedy so, of course, the first ship they pirate is but a wee fishing vessel with nothing of monetary value. Enough to drive the crew to do what ship crews were ought to do with captains who did not align with their objectives: plot a mutiny.
The strength of this show lies in the collection of its crew. Whether they are on the verge of being mutinous against their captain, debating the merits of different flag decisions, or preparing to engage in battle, the characters present distinct POVs creating a crew that can provide as much commentary on society today as that of the 18th-century seas. The entire sequence as they try not to blow their cover as pirates while hosting the British on their ship was great.
In Our Flag Means Death, non-binary actor Vico Ortiz plays Bonifacia Jimenez, who we meet in disguise as the silent pirate Jim in hiding from bounty hunters. What I originally thought was going to be another entry into the female pirate disguised as a man for safety (ala Anne Bonny, Mary Read, etc.) turned into after the reveal of and descision to continue to be addressed as Jim and other characters referring to them as they/them just another deflightful inclusion of the breadth of queer representation on the series. A series that is very much a queer romance from bow to stern.
The set design is great. I don’t know if Stede Bonnet had a library on his ship, and I refuse to look it up because it is such a great character device, such an impractical extravagance, as pointed out by his old school bully in the pilot episode, that it says more about him than any line of dialogue. The library alone showed me that he was a man that loved the idea of being a pirate, the romanticism of it, and not the gory reality. Having him bring his collection of fantasies, the narratives he’d thought he’d be living. He even has Lucius (played by Nathan Foad) write down everything he says/does, believing his tale will want to be read by others (and here we are witnessing a telling of it, so he got us there). Stede Bonnet, as portrayed in Our Flag Means Death, might as well be someone from the 21st century that said “a pirate’s life for me” and got whisked into his fantasy, only for him to realize the violence he thought was cool when reading about it (watching on tv from the comfort of his home), is actually terrifying when it is going to happen in front of him, at his command, and that he’s expected to take part.
You get almost all the way through three episodes before you even see a glimpse of Taika Waititi’s Blackbeard. I look forward to watching him chew the scenery in this role (and I mean that in the best way).
Our Flag Means Death is being released in mini-drops on Thursdays on HBOMax in the US and Crave in Canada. This is similar to how The Sex Lives of College Girls was released last year. It’s an intriguing new model that combines the binge model with the weekly model. This method allows the show to release an entire season in the span of a month, but stay in the public consciousness for longer than a week.