La Ron S. Readus
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Our Flag Means Death: The Gay Emancipation of Blackbeard (VIDEO SCRIPT)
🕑 Added 2022-04-06 20:00:05 +0000 UTCI’ll be 100 percent honest with you, Readers. If I didn’t learn or pick up on the fact that Our Flag Means Death was actually queer, I probably wouldn’t have watched it.
I was looking for something I could bingewatch right quick one Sunday evening, found the shows comedy matching my own sense of it, and was very impressed with the vast array of queer representation despite it being a period piece based on the actual historical records of one Stede Bonnet.
/And while near the beginning of the show I felt that the overall message would surround Stede’s decision to break away from his life as a nobleman and overcoming others depiction of him in order to make it as the Gentleman Pirate, I was soon given a new element in the show that ended up mirroring Stede’s arc. Blackbeard, played by Taika Waititi/
Because when I tell you I was impressed at how this show handled Stede and Blackbeards bond in this show, it is not meant to be taken lightly.
Not only was Stede’s development regarding him learning to get over his own insecurities and brush the societal norms off his shoulders keeping him from living his life very well done, but I can especially say the same thing about ol’ Edward Teach himself.
/Especially since the show does a great job at looking at their real life relationship with a very sweet yet very realistic queer lens that I was not expecting to see play out over the course of these 10 half an hour episodes/
But while the internet literally flipped their shit when they discovered that their ship between the two was actually made canon within the last two episodes of the show -- and respectfully so, mind you -- watching everything that lead to the kiss between the two pirate captains left more of an impression to me
/Specifically regarding the development of Blackbeard, and everything I’ve noticed regarding what he had to go through in order to get to the point that a lot of fans of the show decided was its season finale and not the ACTUAL season finale/
Trust me, I COMPLETELY understand why a lot of you decided to come to that conclusion as well.
That’s why for Today’s Lesson, I want to take a closer look at the journey that Blackbeard takes over the course of Our Flag Means Death, and how his kiss means freedom.
Not just for himself, but with other real life men like him who are also seeking a similar form of emancipation. Let’s begin.
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Hey, Readers. La’Ron here. Offering you analysis and perspective on your favorite bits of geek and pop culture media
If it wasn’t obvious from the intro, this video will in fact contain spoilers for the series Our Flag Means Death. It’s currently available to stream on HBO Max, so give it a watch before continuing here if you haven’t seen it yet and don’t want me to spoil pivotal points of it for you in this video.
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That’s the syllabus. Now onto the lesson.
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When It Comes to the Allegories...
I really do appreciate how Our Flag Means Death handles Blackbeard’s development in how it presents them.
It addresses pretty much all of the stages of men feeling stuck, wanting more or just something different while also struggling with keeping up appearances with what others and society expect of them.
/After all, that’s why Blackbeard initially sought Stede out in the first place. After hearing word of the Gentleman Pirate from his first mate Izzy -- more than likely described in ways that made him seem weak and pansyish in comparison to the traditional role of pirate that he played -- it stirred his curiosity./
And with making the decision to keep Stede alive after his encounter with the Spanish, and learning that Stede didn’t immediately clock him as Blackbeard upon regaining consciousness, it gave him the opportunity to see things through different perspectives that he otherwise wouldn’t have gathered if Stede saw him as Blackbeard and not just the guy that was tending to his wounds named Ed.
/That’s why I think episode 4 “Discomfort in a Married State” handles the beginning of Blackbeard’s journey into tackling both queerness and toxic masculinity reinforced by societal norms and heteronormativity very well. Yes, in seeing the depictions of how he handles his curiosity in Stede, but also -- thanks to the show leaning into the mysteriousness and possible threat he could serve to Stede and his crew from the episodes before -- how its revealed he’s grown tired of how the world depicts him thanks to giving in to those expectations, with Izzy being that representation of said expectations made flesh/
We’ll talk more about that in a minute, though.
And while this level of expectation subversion was pretty much expected considering Our Flag Means Death is a comedy and Blackbeard is played by Taika Watiti, it still allows not only a very well-paced development arc for this depiction of Blackbeard...
But a realistic one that properly illustrates the struggles of choosing to find yourself in a literal sea of societal expectations.
/Now I HEAVILY acknowledge that both Ed AND Stede are two sides of the same coin in this regard and that Stede’s journey is just as valid. Stede also deals with not being what society desires and expects him to be when it comes to both masculinity and societal norms. And while he wants a life of adventure via being a pirate but isn’t necessarily cut out for what a lot of it entails, he’s willing to allow himself the chance to grow and learn in order to gain the respect of his men while also not sacrificing who he is at his core./
The reason why Blackbeard’s arc speaks more to me however, is that it’s through Stede’s experiences and confidence in embracing aspects about him that society looks at him funny for with raised eyebrows that starts Blackbeard down his trek of self-discovery.
/And it all starts with him meeting Stede and both appreciating how he handles himself in spite of everything and wanting that for himself. From there it goes to a mutual understanding, broadening each other's horizons, having each other's backs, emotional vulnerability, and eventually love./
Then There’s Izzy.
As I stated before, Izzy is the personification of not only toxic masculinity and internalized homophobia, but societal expectations enforced by it.
/As both a character and as an allegory, I hate him and constantly wished for his downfall over the course of the show. I also acknowledge that in order for Blackbeard’s journey to be as prominent as it was, his role - in every aspect it took - was absolutely necessary./
Izzy being Blackbeard’s first mate gives him a lot of power, and the show properly depicts that type of power once that’s revealed to the audience.
Even before Izzy’s irritation with Blackbeard stepping away from his traditional depiction of himself, the seeds of him being an antagonistic force in Our Flag Means Death were planted from the start.
/From his overall opinion of Stede after their first meet, to how they interacted again when Blackbeard desired to meet with Stede, and how Izzy lied to Blackbeard regarding why the interaction fell on deft ears. It’s not necessarily wormtongue levels, but the manipulation is there during the early episodes of the show./
Which is why it was interesting watching Izzy’s frustration with Ed both before he was forced to leave the ship for losing the duel, and even after he struck the deal with Spanish Jackie and the British to remove Stede from the equation.
/The moment he saw Ed and Stede switch outfits and present themselves to the rest of the crew, Izzy was shocked. The more Ed spent time with Stede and relaxed with the usual depiction of himself, the more Izzy became disgusted. Even after he brought the British back to the Revenge, Izzy’s surprise in seeing Ed choose to end his life of piracy by declaring Act of Grace to save Stede’s life from the firing squad was 100% genuine./
That’s because to Izzy, Blackbeard is how REAL pirates -- ie, real men -- are supposed to act.
They’re ruthless. They’re cutthroat. They show no emotions but the ones that get shit done and show that they’re not to be trifled with.
Everything else is suppressed and hidden away, never to be seen by anyone else, less it makes them look weak and both degrades and regresses their reputation -- ie, manhood.
/And while he practices what he preaches for sure -- whether it’s constantly belittling Stede’s crew when it’s just him in charge, or trying to punish, condemn and embarass Lucius for being outly queer -- seeing Blackbeard begin to lose this depiction of himself that he helped maintain under these societal ideals of how pirates should be after being the blueprint for it for so long is baffling to him./
Because he absolutely refuses to consider the idea that this way of thinking is just as tiring as it is toxic -- as proven by Blackbeard in his decision to seek out Stede in the first place...
/He blames Stede as the reason for why he’s grown soft. For why he’s no longer the gold standard of what it means to be a feared and respected “pirate.”/
/To Izzy, Ed’s emancipation is Blackbeard’s emasculation, and -- similar to Jason Alexander’s Mauricio in Shallow Hal -- he must do everything in his power to make sure that the latter is restored to its former “glory.”/ (My captain is Blackbeard)
In going this route with Izzy, Our Flag Means Death has succeeded in creating an antagonistic villain that I and others can both freely hate and respectfully understand the purpose that they serve in the overall narrative.
Because of what he represents -- even if you don’t immediately pick up on the social commentary as far is how it represents modern day mentalities and philosophies -- the show allows you to not have to feel sorry for him or to try and see the world through his perspective because of what the show’s message ACTUALLY entails, but you understand WHY his presence is necessary once all the pieces are put in place to begin with.
And more specifically, once you start seeing the reason why Izzy’s presence is so necessary in this story, you’ll start to see why BLACKBEARD was so conflicted regarding whether or not he should let Izzy go.
Because in real life -- similar to Ed’s experience in Our Flag Means Death -- when it comes to living a life free from the chains of toxic masculinity and societal expectations, regardless if it’s a queer one or not...
It’s Not That Simple.
If you’re anything like me, then upon watching Our Flag Means Death, you probably were wondering why Blackbeard even TOLERATED Izzy’s constant outbursts, complaints and coercions upon seeing how close he and Stede were becoming.
While it was clear that Blackbeard sought The Gentleman Pirate and The Revenge in order to see a new way of doing things, and to eventually fill a void in his life thanks to how the pirate allegory for toxic masculinity has forced himself and others to perceive him...
Izzy only saw it as a way of claiming a new ship -- possibly a new crew -- and sees his growing relationship with Stede as nothing but irreversible damage to said image and himself.
But despite these two butting heads up until Izzy’s eviction, it was clear that Ed not only still had his authority, but wasn’t afraid to use it.
/When Izzy and the other two members of his OG crew confronted him about looking at Stede as a pet that needs to be put down before the attachment grew too great, Ed could’ve nipped that in the bud right then and there just as easily as he commanded Stede’s crew to greet him when they swapped outfits. When Izzy attempted to set up Stede’s downfall with their plan to do a fuckery with the Dutch, Ed could’ve put an end to it once he realized the reason for motivating Stede to do so. Instead, he actually attempted to take Stede’s life as Izzy suggested, and was literally conflicted when Izzy challenged Stede to a duel when it was clear to him that Ed couldn’t bring himself to kill Stede./
But it’s in that keyword that is the reason why all of this was allowed, along with everything that transpired after escaping from the British Navy: Confliction
The reason why Ed continued to entertain the words and ideas of Izzy, despite initially wanting more than what the dogma of societal expectation of being a pirate forces him to experience, is because at the end of the day that’s all he knows.
Despite actively seeking the opposite, this expectancy is what is most familiar to him, and it causes him to either back away from the new and liberating experiences that have shown to be healthier for him in order to fall back in line with how the toxicity of what he already knows expects of him...
Or try and bargain in order to keep both because of how hard and scary it is to pry oneself away from the familiarity of said toxicity.
Especially when the journey you decide to go on is -- to a certain extent -- damn near uncharted waters in comparison to already being familiar with the toxic expectancy of traditionally being a “pirate” for way longer.
/That’s why despite allowing himself to shed that expectancy once Izzy was removed from The Revenge after losing the duel, that familiarity started to rear its ugly head again when Calico Jack appeared. Yes, it was part of a ploy from Izzy to separate Ed from Stede in order to save Blackbeard’s depicted masculinity and reputation at the end of the day. But despite saving his life in the past and being part of his crew before failing at forming his own, Calico Jack literally brought out the worst in Ed with every passing moment the two of them were together. And even when HE was able to see it when Jack’s actions affected a member of Stede’s crew, Ed STILL opted to choose the side that ended up being the most familiar, despite the most familiar one ending up being the most toxic./ (This is who I am, Stede)
Conclusion
The show’s depiction of every aspect regarding Blackbeard’s struggle with finding his emancipation from toxic masculinity, and even accepting his queerness as a result, is absolutely necessary. Because I know so many Blackbeards in real life.
I know so many men who literally feel like how Blackbeard declares himself when he first talks to Stede:
/Drowning in a pool of expectancy, unable to positively or healthily display their vulnerabilities, wants, desires, emotions without being looked at as weak/
Men who were brought up believing that sharing emotions others would label you weak for having or having certain thoughts and feelings toward other men is a form of emasculation; that telling your other male friends how you feel about them isn’t something straight men do, so you bottle shit up until it’s constantly ready to burst
/Always wanting to hold on to a bit of what society expects them to be and choosing to keep people who are uncomfortable with the journey of growth you need to take to become better, because it's familiar and more acceptable than what they ACTUALLY discover makes them happy./
I know so many men like Blackbeard who are searching for their Stede -- whether it be a state of being they’re looking to unlock within themselves, or literally another person that they want to gain the same level of trust, vulnerability, open mindedness and love for...
Eagerly willing to free themselves of the weight of societal expectations that’s been burdening them for so long.
Our Flag Means Death is a very funny show that does a stupendous job of depicting one navigating the seas of exploring queer feelings and awakenings, and new perspectives and outcomes of life after being riddled with nothing but toxic expectations of what it means to be a man...
And showing that while it's possible to unlearn this behavior and breathe fresh air, depending on how deep you were initially drowning, it can take time to finally reach the surface.
But it also showcases with Blackbeard that just because it WILL take time, even if you think it’s far too late for you and that so much has influenced who you are in a negative way, that doesn’t mean getting there in a timely manner is impossible or that it isn’t worth it.
/Because if the kiss that Ed and Stede shared in episode 9 is proof of anything, that if it can happen for Blackbeard, then it can happen for you./
But I digress, Readers. Your homework assignment for the day:
Write in the comment section below what you thought of Our Flag Means Death if you’ve seen it.
Or, if you feel like sharing with the rest of the class, a movie or television show that you’ve seen that you believe does a great job at tackling the realities of one seeking to liberate themselves from the toxic hold societal expectations have on masculinity in order to seek healthy happiness.
Whichever question you decide to answer, I’d love to know your thoughts.
/A HUGE shoutout to my Patrons both big and small for helping make this channel possible.
Make sure you check out the card at the end of the video to see if you want to join, or click the link to it or any of my affiliates in the description box below.
But until then, this is Readus 101. Class dismissed./
