Our Flag Means Death season 2 finale

[silverstarry]

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2x8: Mermen
After watching the Republic of Pirates crumble, Stede and Zheng pursue Prince Ricky Barnes, the Revenge crew schemes to escape imprisonment, and Blackbeard plots a return to piracy, leading to triumph and a devastating loss.

Comments

[diablo_dancer]

I really enjoyed the finale. Was great to see some great female characters join this season (and a slightly expanded role for Spanish Jackie) and excited that it looks like they’ll be staying on. While what happened was sad (and I dread what social media will be like as many people don’t seem to understand storytelling these days and take it as a personal offence), I think it made sense narratively.

Also very amused at the show continuing to predict the ending of the next season of Good Omens 😂

[silverstarry]

I definitely appreciated having more female characters this season, and I'm glad that some of them appear to be sticking around for S3 (fingers crossed!).

[braindiva]

It made sense narratively though I still think they are losing an interesting foil in the crew. It'll be interesting to see how it unfolds if we get a S3.

I do enjoy this show a lot, and did appreciate getting more women into the show, for sure. I do enjoy that they paid off the merman and letters in a bottle.

That said, I felt the complaint about pacing that some people were raising in last week's episode thread. I haven't always felt that, but this episode really did feel like it was overstuffed. I'm happy we left Ed and Stede in a good place in the end, but the speed at which they reversed Ed walking away from piracy (and finding his leather clothes in the bottom of the sea? LOL) gave me whiplash. Same with Izzy saying to Ed that the crew was now his family. What? The same crew he tortured and who wanted to exile him 2 episodes ago? I wanted to love some of that, but you didn't really feel the emotional journey/a real payoff?

[diablo_dancer]

Agree with all of this. The pacing has been wonky and there’s some storylines/characters I really wish were given more time (still a bit baffled by Archie’s addition tbh).

[squirrels_oh_no]

Archie wasn't even properly introduced for several episodes and as such she was just kinda there.

[braindiva]

Hopefully, Archie will get more to do in S3 because they did underutilize her. Jim and Olu also got a lot less to do in S2 despite having pared down the cast along the way. I think it was partly that there were fewer scenes where all the crew was together? It feels that people were broken up on separate quests more often.

[celja]

Yeah there was far too much inconsistency this season. One episode they want Ed dead, a little later they're fine with him again; Ed and Stede are finally a couple, then they're not; Ed is not a pirate and then he is again. What???

[braindiva]

I think these different turns would work over 12, 16 or 20 episodes. But over 8 episodes with no real clear gap in the timeline? It affects how you see the characters. It looks like indecisiveness or inconsistency (even in whim-prone characters!) rather than character growth.

[violue]

i saw people on twitter calling it an example of the bury your gays trope *_*

[diablo_dancer]

Yep, also saw that and just gave up lol. Ignoring how clueless they are about that trope and the history there, I feel like a lot of fans nowadays aren’t happy unless everyone gets a happy ending. And the same ones then complain when inevitably people involved in a show grow to dislike the fandom.

[violue]

i would love everyone getting happy endings tbh, i'm soft

but in fandom people get it in their heads that ANY upsetting storyline is a reflection of systemic problems. like we can't just hate how a character's story played out without assigning a greater meaning to it. we need it to be bigger than it is.

it seems insane for people to play this game with the queerest show i have ever fucking seen

[braindiva]

In a PIRATE show full of queer characters, you are going to kill some queer pirates!!! I can't believe people have to be told that's not what the trope is about.