TV Review: Our Flag Means Death

*Slight Spoiler Warning*

If you're a fan of Pirates of the Caribbean, you'll love the comedic HBO Max series Our Flag Means Death. Set during the 17th-18th century, the story takes place at sea with a man named Stede Bonnet. Stede quickly realizes how much he'd over-romanticized the idea of becoming a pirate captain. He can't steal and can't kill, causing his crew to threaten him with mutiny. Though they decide against it because he's the only one who can read, and they love their bedtime stories.

Inevitably, Stede becomes known as the “Gentleman Pirate”, one who treats his enemies with kindness instead of violence. This gains the interest of the most feared pirate of the sea, Blackbeard(also known as Ed). What starts off as a game for Ed - playing around with Stede’s gullibility - soon forms a much deeper relationship between the two.

The show has great representation for finding oneself through expression: Stede is known to have all sorts of colorful and flamboyant silk clothing, even going as far as to have certain wardrobe for specific events all through the 10 episodes. Blackbeard, who fits the stereotype of a rebellious edgy pirate, dabbles with Stede's clothing and starts expressing himself more through the example of his close friend. By the end of the season, Ed is a very different person, in the way he dress and the way he behaves, all thanks to Stede.

At points within the episodes we get to dive into Stede's past and how he was treated as a child. He was always different from other kids his age, and his father tried hard to make him into a “true man.” There are instances of childhood him being bullied relentlessly, even being left in a boat with no way back to shore. We learn through this why Stede Bonnet wanted a different life so badly, and why he wants to treat others with warmheartedness and goodwill.

As the series progresses, the viewer meets lots more comedic characters. One of the most unique ones, Mr. Buttons, is one of Stede's first mates and also known as “The Bird Man”. He comes off as a sort of odd man with missing teeth and greasy hair. He's known to talk to his good friend Karl the seagull, and the two perform full moon rituals together. At one point Mr. Buttons bites one of the crew mate’s fingers, causing a horrible infection where he later has to cut it off with a pair of scissors.

The pirate series shows a great amount of diversity with its characters. As the relations between Stede and Ed grow, the slow burn eventually develops into an unlikely queer romance between the two. There's even a character named Jim, who firstly uses a false identity as a man so as to not be caught by authorities. Once their true identity is revealed, Jim decides that they don't want anything to be different, they want to just “remain as Jim.” The crew doesn't think twice about referring to him in the correct way, but claims that Jim must be a mermaid.

Our Flag Means Death is a great series to watch if you're looking for something funny, with twists in the plot, diversity, and a story with a little romance.