Is Our Flag Means Death the End of Queerbaiting? | A Video Essay

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The light at the end of the queerbaiting tunnel has come - in the form of pirates! In this video we explore queerbaiting tropes, harmful queer stereotypes, and why OFMD is the perfect show. So perfect, in fact, that it has come to vanquish queerbaiting all together.
This video was made for MCS 550: Fandom and Active Audiences at DePaul University as part of a graduate program in Digital Communication and Media Arts.
Follow me:
Twitter @KenzMangan
SOURCES~~~~~~~~~~~
Extensive Bibliography for material used in the script is found in this google doc: docs.google.com/document/d/1i...
Video Footage Used:
OFMD scenes from HBO Max unless otherwise stated
• Dean and Cas do that E... - Supernatural
• Video - Merlin
• JOHNLOCK EVIDENCE (Ser... - Sherlock
• Stede and Ed’s first c... - Stede and Ed First Convo
Images/Gifs Used:
All OFMD images from HBO Max unless otherwise stated
shorturl.at/chjv1- Dumbledore
www.deviantart.com/asami-x-ko... - Korrasami big moment
theunitedorganizationtoonsher... - Korra
hero.fandom.com/wiki/Asami_Sato - Asami
www.cinemablend.com/televisio... - Korrasami looking at each other
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Leg... - Korra Logo
www.wsj.com/articles/SB930605... - Gay Vague Examples
shipping.fandom.com/wiki/Makorra - Makorra kissing
/ 413838653243020334 - Subaru not a choice ad
shorturl.at/fjK79 - our flag means death logo
www.whattowatch.com/watching-... - Stede Bonnet
www.20thcenturystudios.com/mo... - love simon poster
www.amazon.com/But-Im-Cheerle... - But I’m a cheerleader poster
play.google.com/store/movies/... - GBF Poster
/ janis-ian-from-mean-gi... - Damian from mean girls
lamberts.tumblr.com/post/6815... Lucius and Black Pete kissing
abnerkrill.tumblr.com/post/67... - Jim and Oluwande kissing
tenor.com/view/jim-jimenez-ou... - Jim gif
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bros_%2... - Bros Poster
our-flag-means-death.fandom.c... - Chief Mabo
tenor.com/view/our-flag-means... Lucius gif
nopageleftblank.wordpress.com... - Superwholock image
Sound Used:
freesound.org/people/Xxx_d3x5... - bleep for censor
freesound.org/people/kwahmah_02/ - pop noise when images come up
Music by CMT8 from Pixabay
Music by Lofi_hour from Pixabay
Music by Lofi_hour from Pixabay
Music by Magiksolo from Pixabay

Опубликовано:

22 ноя 2022

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Комментарии : 55

@DariaElGrellPozina Год назад

I watched the show when it already came out and everyone was praising it to the moon and back for how gay it is. So I watched it, the scene under the moon happened and I was like "ah, that's probably why everyone is calling it gay, yeah, that was pretty romantic". But then it kept going with the bathtub scene, the scene by the fire, the foot touching scene, the way Ed threw himself in front of Stede and I was like "???" the whole time and then the kiss, I GASPED😲🥺😭

@caroline_sunshine Год назад

Yeah i knew it was supposed to be queer, but even then I was still shocked at HOW queer it actually was. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.

@AddieHden 8 месяцев назад

Same. First time I watched S1 - INCLUDING the snake snack conversation - I DID NOT SEE IT! I was convinced it was just a charming and cute bromance. Looking back, rewatching the 1st season - I can not believe I did not see it. So obvious. SO OBVIOUS. and MY did it deliver.

@mse90 Год назад

Just to fact-check the Legend of Korra bit a little: it's not just that the creators weren't sure if they could get away with as much as they've shown, it's that they weren't allowed to get away with more than this at the time. And even this much had to be pushed. I hear a lot of people nowadays call what Korra did underwhelming, but for me, that ignores the context of the time it was made. Even if it doesn't seem all that long ago, it actually WAS a big deal at the time. Queer representation is never just its own thing, it builds on history and precendence. And much like OFMD made a case in its own genre, LoK created a precedence that made it easier for children's cartoon to include queer representation on the forefront following it later on.

@emperium108 Год назад

Korra walked so that shows like Steven Universe/Kipo/the Hollow could jump as high as they could.

@kenzmangan6831 Год назад

I found a quote from one of the writers saying they "weren't sure what they could get away with", which is why that made it into the video! But you are right in saying that it was a big deal, and deserve celebration for pushing boundaries and opening doors!

@sybariticcupboardrat3763 Год назад

OFMD is double edged sword. On one hand, I love it and it makes me happy it exists. On the other hand, it's one of those shows that makes others that came before (and new shows that don't meet the new bar) look boring by comparison. Sucks for me, easily bored and in need of entertainment. But ignoring my personal suffering... We only responded to queerbaiting because there isn't much other representation we're going to find. With explicit queer shows, we don't have to anymore. So the public zeitgeist is shifting. Queerbaiting is already starting to be seen as cringy and outdated. I hope we're on a roll.

@aprilflowers2297 Год назад

I haven’t gone back and watched any Supernatural since I found OFMD, and that used to be my go to comfort show. I can’t count the number of times I’ve watched OFMD in just a few months. It’s so nice seeing the characters allowed to have the relationships that are hinted at. And the cast in interviews are so much fun, flirting and teasing each other and not pretending they aren’t. And the fandom is incredible, you can feel how happy they are.

@oblivionfiend2037 Год назад

I first heard about OFMD through the Good Omens fandom (I live in the UK so I wasn't able to watch it immediately) and I remember people talking about it and seeing the fanart and thought, "Oh okay so we'll get some significant eye contact, maybe some hand holding and just a lot of unspoken, open to interpretation vibes. As usual. And all the actual queer content will be fan-based." But then I saw the scene with the kiss... And I went "wait, it's gay gay?! As in, actually gay? As in cannon? And the focal point of the show? And well thought out and written?!" And I still didn't believe it

@shyannevasquez5257 Год назад

When I heard rumors of a gay pirate show on HBO, I wasn’t sure whether I would like it. I had never watched any pirate media before because I didn’t feel connected with it. It always had this undercurrent of dude bro that never appealed to me. But, on watching the first episode, I instantly connected with the very flamboyant and outrageous Stede, feeling a sort of kinship with him. Never in 1 million years did I expect him to actually be gay though. In the second episode, when Lucius comes out to Jim, I thought Welp, that’s our one gay person for the entire show. We are not going to get any other LGBT people at all. Gay pirates indeed. Even when Ed was introduced and him and Stede were growing closer by the episode, it never occurred to me that the show would make its two main characters have a romantic relationship with each other. I held this until episode seven and then I started to think maybe, just maybe. It wasn’t until the kiss that I was fully convinced. There was always a part of my mind that was like yeah, you thought this before…. People compare the show a lot to fanfiction and I think that is a pretty fair comparison. And the best fan works, there is a love for the characters and the structure of stories built into the fabric of it. The reader already knows the tropes. We already know the clichés, the plot beats in a romance. We are just waiting for the penny to drop. In fanfiction, it usually always does, creating a sense of vindication. In a lot of other shows, the penny just never drops… The viewer is just waiting and waiting and waiting for nothing. Not so in our flag means death. God, I love the show!

@TROQUE4 Год назад

I'm so afraid that season 2 won't b able to live up to its first one

@chrisleneil Год назад

I have faith in David Jenkins. His engagement with fans made it incredibly clear to him that we were all traumatised by being queerbaited. He understands, & he’s offended on our behalf.

@torch_warden8177 11 месяцев назад

bro, if stede and Blackbeard are played by the same actors, there's no way in hell that with their improv they dont make something great

@Miroslava_Ivanova 9 месяцев назад

You guys seen the trailers? I think we're in good hands 😁💜🏳️‍🌈🏴‍☠️

@torch_warden8177 9 месяцев назад

@@Miroslava_Ivanova Yep, 100% agree ^^

@gleewhoseline198 9 месяцев назад

I say try to relax and enjoy it for what it is. Season 1 surprised us in a way it can't replicate, Season 2 has to be different. :)

@npaul5962 Год назад

This is the most educational and heartwarming video I've seen on LGBT media. I've never heard someone speak so patiently and thoughtful about queer representation. I like any person who watches this can understand the struggle against constant disappointing or misleading "queer" plot threads in TV shows. I really like the way you ended the video on a soft, hopeful note. Thank you so much!

@TheJoYo Год назад

episode one jumps right into how to handle group trauma as a leader. I'd never seen anything like it from star trek until Stance New Worlds.

@Desaved Год назад

Really excellent points in all. I would have liked to see even more content on the heavy-set Black guy and his cabin mate. Their relationship is fun and mysterious. I really love Leslie Jones's character too and that "Jim" was revealed the way they were. Sometimes things come together like a cloud formation, OFMD has so many great characters that it should have seasons already racked. HBO is doing its audience a disservice when this content is so limited.

@eileeng5917 Год назад

Thank you for this video, couldn't have explained queerbaiting better than that. Ofmd really raised the bar for all, it's been such a strong healing balm after everything. For me, it's daunting that straight allies can deliver something like this correctly and properly while some queer creators feel the need to laugh & mock their own community ehem gatiss ehem. Also mentioning the latter guy I saw him in a park some months ago and we both just glared at each other for good 30 secs lmao

@kenzmangan6831 Год назад

Thank you for doing the lord's work and glaring at Gatiss lmao

@andreraymond6860 Год назад

Queer themes in Pirate cinema is actually quite legitimate from a historical perspective. American historian B.R. Burg wrote a work called Sodomy and the Pirate Tradition which had as its central thesis that homosexuality was far more common in 18th century pirate culture than has ever been accepted by western historians. Pre-Victorian society he argues, was far less averse to homosexuality than repressive Victorian society. The repressive 19th century established a myth of heterosexual normality, when much of the historical evidence points to pirate culture being very accepting of LGBTQ people. It is worth looking at, despite the overwhelming rejection of Burg's ideas by the academia of the late 20th century. Black Sails absolutely follows themes of Homosexuality. The majot plot twist that ends season one is a reveal that Captain Flint is gay. It is the core of his whole quest in the show. His desire for revenge over the humiliation and death of his partner fuel his whole character arc. Besides that, his relationship to the character of billy Bones fits neatly with the subtextual arc from the book Treasure Island. Ibn the Robert louis stevenson book we learn that Billy took care of Flint in his dying years. They were close companions. I haven't seen the last two seasons yet, but I suspect the show ends with them sailing off into the susnset.

@jackster10101 Год назад

Just say gay they both mean the same thing

@jesselatner3894 Год назад

i am a straight white male in my early thirties and i 100 percent believe you are right. you deserve representation in media. straight people need to grow the fuck up and realize that gay people are people too.

@morganleanderblake678 Год назад

This thumbnail super misled me to thinking you were about to call the show Queerbaiting.

@alenayushkevich8159 Год назад

supernatural is my personal origin villain story. dean winchester is bisexual as a rainbow in the sky yet we are forced again and again to believe otherwise

@anthonyhayes1267 Год назад

Every once in a while, the RU-vid algorithm throws me a hidden gem of a channel. You did good today, algorithm.

@bisexualmajima Год назад

Great video, really well researched (despite knowing a loooot about queerbaiting and queer censorship in media, I had never heard of the whole gay vague/pink dollar thing til now) and you're 100% right and I hope we get more OFMDs in the future, it's such a fun show. I loved the variety of queerness they showed instead of leaning in only one direction or the other by having very out and proud characters like Lucius, having characters clearly dealing with heavy internalized issues like Izzy, and even having characters who hit somewhere in the middle or oscillate between the two like Calico Jack (not to mention him being...oddly relatable bi struggle representation despite being such a goofy character). Not to mention polyamory being portrayed in such a positive light (and also making the show open season for multishippers if they're not into the canon couples) subscribed!

@kenzmangan6831 Год назад

Well said! I'm glad you enjoyed the video and I'm so excited to see what OFMD brings in the future!

@ctndiaye1 Год назад

It'll be interesting to see how the series ends. Since watching the show, I started researching the history of these real pirates so I know how it ended but of course a lot is not known and the writer basically made it his own.

@chrisleneil Год назад

Love this! Hope you continue the videos!

@kenzmangan6831 Год назад

Thank you!

@NattiNekoMaid Год назад

I'm just hoping that the owl house opens up so much more for the future in children's entertainment. That, and I want more shows like infinity train season 4 that can show a relationship that can become gay but acknowledges that the people just aren't there yet to consider being in a relationship.

@tsuntsunsweetie Год назад

Well said! Great vid, thank you for it!

@hidden_games7099 Год назад

Nice vid! Keep it up!

@blackk_rose_ 8 месяцев назад

I just remembered how careful I always am when there's talk a new queer show. There's so many people online who call shows gay or ship a same-sex pairing that are never actually confirmed in canon. Which is fine, of course, but I've been burned a few times thinking I'd get actual queer rep and it was just the fans picking up on subtext and being queerbaited and the internet being full of fanart that for someone who hasn't seen the show it seemed like it would genuinely be a queer show. So when I saw people talking about that gay pirate show, I expected it to be like that too and I wasn't that interested in watching it because although I love pirates, I have no patience for queerbaiting and barely watch shows without queer rep anymore. But suddenly people were talking about the kiss and there were pictures of Ed and Stede kissing and I realised people weren't being queerbaited or shipping a non-canon pairing, it was actual rep. I watched clips of the show because I couldn't access it and was flabbergasted HOW queer it is. And now I've seen both seasons and still cannot believe we now have a genuinely funny show that neither acts like queerphobia and other forms of discrimination don't exist nor makes fun of queer people or makes being queer seem like a huge burden. And unlike a lot of queer shows and the very popular queer joy show Heartstopper (which I do adore too), this one isn't set in high school where a teenager realises they're gay and struggle with their identity and first love - it's about middle aged queer men falling in love on a pirate ship with a very queer crew. How cool is that? It's queer joy in its best form and the kind of rep we barely get.

@impalavaka Год назад

so eloquentttt omgg 💗

@Miroslava_Ivanova 9 месяцев назад

Honestly, ofmd has ruined me for settling with queerbaiting, I was so worried whether s2 of good omens would be enough after s1 wasn't very overt, but I'm ultimately happy with where it left off, without getting into spoilers. With those two and wwdits I say we welcome the new and improved, actually queer superwholock Our omens in the shadows 😅💜🏳️‍🌈🏴‍☠️

@PattytheFangirl 10 месяцев назад

You should do a video essay about both seasons of Good Omens

@kenzmangan6831 10 месяцев назад

I haven't actually watched either season yet! But now I definitely will haha

@PattytheFangirl 9 месяцев назад

@@kenzmangan6831 Oh yes please. i really loved hearing your insight on OFMD, and as someone who's been in the Good Omens fandom since season 1 and saw people full on shouting at the creator, Neil Gaiman, about Queer bating i really wanna know your thoughts. I would almost suggest making two different observations, one for season 1 and another for season 2, since both seasons are so different. but you can choose whichever. lol

@leslieshepherd9045 10 месяцев назад

Did you talk about Good Omens 2 somewhere?

@kenzmangan6831 10 месяцев назад

No! I actually haven't gotten around to watching it yet. Should I?

@overanimated626 Год назад

The name of this video made me so mad i refused to click this video for a month until just now when i realized I've watched two of your other videos and _they_ were good, so i finally decided to trust that the title was just misleading haha... You may want to change the title.

@kenzmangan6831 Год назад

I've been considering it! Any suggestions?