Break out your good shovels, we’re going on an adventure! Our Summer TV Binge of Our Flag Means Death continues this week with a trip to Jim’s home to discover who helped make them into the knife-wielding badass they are. And we’ll find out what inspired fans to make hundreds of orange-glazed cakes.
1. Orange you glad … nope, sorry, can’t finish that joke, it’s too bad
With Izzy Hands out of their hair, Ed and Stede share a pleasant morning cup of tea on deck. Ed says he’s ready for his next adventure but seems to enjoy the luxurious life on the Revenge and Stede is eager for him to stay. Their conversation is interrupted by a citrus emergency, however. The Swede has scurvy, oh no!
After blaming their lack of oranges on Roach for baking a cake with a 40-orange glaze, Stede agrees to take the crew to St. Augustine, where the citrus (and humidity) is plenty. But Jim has a particularly strong reaction to the idea. Since Jim is generally pretty chill, it’s a surprise. But everybody loves The Swede, and the idea of listening to him cry about losing teeth is simply too much to bear. So Jim agrees to hunt for oranges, even though they clearly aren’t keen.
2. Treasure Island?! No, Florida
On land, Stede is excited to find a treasure map and enlists Ed and Lucius to search for it. An old-timey treasure map sold by a sketchy woman at the docks is exactly the kind of thing that would excite Stede and make everyone else roll their eyes. But since Stede is still the captain of the Revenge, they go. (After a wardrobe change, of course. Stede has standards.)
Ed acts like a pouting teen during the trip, insisting that the fearsome Blackbeard can’t be caught doing something as silly as treasure hunting. (He’s right, and is spotted immediately by a random passerby.) Although Stede Bonnet is a silly man, he’s not stupid. After Ed says he needs adventures to keep him occupied, Stede tries to engineer an adventure. But it’s a bit like your parents forcing you to go on a family trip. As Lucius says, you can’t exactly order people to have fun.
3. Love to be stabbed by Jim
Black Pete and Jim split up to hunt for oranges and compete for leadership. (Pete’s the only one competing, ever ready to prove his worthiness to Blackbeard.) When Pete happens across a church with a perfect-looking grove, it seems like he’s won. But no! Enter Nana, the knife-wielding nun, and Jim’s guardian. She accepts Jim’s new name with grace and invites the crew in for cake. We learn that Jim grew up at the nunnery after their parents were murdered by a sinister group called the Siete Gallos. Nana trained them to be a tiny, silent killing machine. Jim already got to Alfeo de la Vaca, the man who murdered Jim’s father and one of Spanish Jackie’s many husbands but hasn’t yet killed the other members of the Siete Gallos.
Nana jokes around with Oluwande and doesn’t question Jim’s transition into a new identity. But she also sees Jim as a weapon, not a person, and heaps guilt on them for not devoting their life to revenge. Jim’s painful family history reminds us that everyone on the Revenge has a complicated past and is walking around with their own childhood traumas. Oluwande offers to be Jim’s family and tries to help Jim live in the moment. Just as the two almost share a kiss, they’re interrupted by Stede and his ridiculous treasure hunt.
At the end of the episode, though Jim seems to know how Oluwande feels, they return to their quest for revenge instead of returning to the Revenge. Poor Oluwande is left with the message that “life is pain” from Nana, the nihilist nun.
4. Blackbeard’s Bar and Grill, and Other Delicacies and Delights, and Fishing Equipment
Stede tries unsuccessfully to get Ed and Lucius excited about the adventure he’s planned but, to no one’s surprise, Blackbeard has no idea how to chill. After ruthlessly stabbing a snake, the trio stops for an impromptu snake snack and Ed details his vision of “Blackbeard’s Bar and Grill, and Other Delicacies and Delights, and Fishing Equipment.” Ed and Stede riff on this idea for a while, then Stede helps Ed with a bit of food stuck in his beard.
Continued belowThis little exchange is a moment full of sweetness and hilarity between Ed and Stede, where the two are perfectly in sync. It both showcases how well the actors work together and how well the characters are starting to know (and like) one another. The moment was improvised by Darby and Waititi, as were several other classic moments from the show. Both are talented improvisers and the chemistry of both the actors and the characters shines through. Little moments like this between these two weirdos are what sell the audience on both their friendship and their romance. There are many romances out there where the main duo flirt but don’t actually seem to enjoy each other’s company, so it’s refreshing to see two people become best friends before something more. They like each other, you guys.
5. This is happening
Things take a turn for the worse when Stede’s map is burned. Ed is ready for the whole ordeal to be over but luckily for him, Lucius is there to take his ego down a notch. Ed doesn’t realize that everyone is constantly vying for his attention and wondering if they’re cool enough to hang out with Blackbeard, especially Stede. Though they seem to have had instant chemistry, Lucius delivers a good reminder to Ed that if he’s a dick about everything to Stede, he’s going to end up alone. So Ed caves in and the adventure continues! Using a scrap of burned parchment, Lucius and Ed humor Stede’s enthusiasm for digging at the base of trees. Since they’ve found themselves on Jim’s family orchard, all Stede finds is a petrified orange. Stede is charmed, though, and considers the day to be a success.
Having vanquished the snake and found the treasure (or something like it, anyway), the gang heads back to the ship. Ed and Stede decide that a ship can have two captains after all, so long as they’re the two perfect people. (Clearly, they are. They’re the two perfect people. I’m dying inside right now trying not to spoil future episodes.)
But wait! Izzy Hands has teamed up with Spanish Jackie and the twin brother of Captain Badminton, the man Stede “killed.” They’re all out for Stede Bonnet, and we’ve got three episodes left of Our Flag Means Death to see how things play out for our cutesy co-captains.
Other things:
- After Our Flag Means Death aired, the actor who plays Roach, Samba Schutte, posted a picture of his 40-orange glaze cake, followed by the recipe. (Turns out, he’s an excellent home baker!) Fans of the show (myself included!) were inspired to make their own versions of the cake and Samba shared every single one on social media. Samba routinely shares behind-the-scenes pictures and videos, along with fanart and of course, cakes. The cast and crew of Our Flag Means Death interact with each other and fan creations in a refreshing and positive way — we love to see it.
- Recall Ed saying he’s “not built for sitting idle” in this episode because it’ll come back later.
- ”Coming Nana, coming for some cake,” is one of the funniest lines in this episode largely because of the way Samson Kayo delivers it.
- Jim’s favorite color is teal! Oluwande’s earring is teal! Ahhhh!
