The Queer Awakening of Our Flag Means Death 

Also for people talking about Jim and Oluwande and the whole non-binaryness there, I legitimately just completely missed that. I watched the series three times over in the space of 2 days and somehow that one completely went over my head. Mistake honestly made. But my interpretation of it would be 'yup thats pretty fucking cool'

The main straight relationship in this show is between two seagulls, and I love that

Babe, new hot trope just dropped: pretend to bury your gays

I think Stede runs back to his straight life not so much because he's afraid of (or doesn't want) the pirate life, but because he fears the very thing that Chauncey verbalized for him later in that episode: that he "defiles beautiful things", and that him staying with Edward would be doing a disservice to the great Blackbeard everyone knows and reveres and that everyone would be better off if Stede went back into the closet - into the life he was always expected to live

I think another big reason why it feels so representative and not stereotypey is because there are so many queer characters. Like if Lucius was the ONLY gay character then he would just be a sassy flamboyant gay bestie stereotype. And other characters comform to other stereotypes like Stede being a soft man with feminine interests, Ed being a sleezy leather daddy, etc but because there are multiple characters you get to see there isn't only one way people are queer and acknowledges that some people do embody those stereotypes in real life but that it's ok

As a straight man, I don't really go out of my way to find gay content on TV so it doesn't come up much. I stumbled across OFMD after enjoying What We Do In The Shadows and I'm so glad I did. Gay representation is so often an off-hand comment or a token side character, OFMD is so 'unapologetically gay' front and center and I loved every glorious second of it! I found myself fanboying and giddily thrilled when Ed finally kissed Stede and had nothing but respect for the show for unambiguously showing that this was not a 'bromance'. The characters are well written, well-rounded, and have nuances and personalities aside from being defined by sexuality and it would be a crime if season 2 is not picked up. This show is the first time I've kinda 'got' the fandom mentality.

Ofmd brings me back to fan culture. This time not so frustrating like Sherlock but absolutely openly queer and I am absolutely speechless how big this show already is. I really hope this also opens the door for more queer shows for queer people.

I am so glad Fang was sketched and given such positive feedback on his body

The writer of the show said in an interview that he'd like to make it three seasons long. Given how the last time I saw a show embraced this hard it was probably Game of Thrones, they'd be absolutely stupid to turn down what now will be such an absolutely guaranteed success of a show. Fuckin' weird to think that we've been in a pandemic that's lasted longer than Blackbeard's career :P

Ofmd breaks so many barriers and means so much to me, not only as a queer poc, but the character of Jim Jimenez and their actor Vico Ortiz hold a VERY special place in my heart as a nonbinary Latine. It didn't sink in for me that Jim was purposely supposed to be nonbinary/trans until the oranges episode, and I just sat there on the couch in disbelief. After the episode ended, I looked up Vico Ortiz, and I shit you not, I was curled on my bed CRYING when I found out Vico Ortiz was trans nonbinary themselves and were also an activist campaigning for spanish gender neutral pronouns and grammar (spanish is a HEAVILY gendered language, everything is either male or female, from actions to inanimate objects). Words alone can't express how much this show means to so many poc queer and trans people

Love your analysis. Only thing I felt was missing is Jim and Oluwande's romance. I was shocked to see a non binary character on screen using they/them pronouns. A very pleasant addition to the show, and personally my favorite of the 3 queer couples we've seen so far.

No mention of Jim and Oluwande’s romance? They are both beautiful and nonbinary and sweet.

Lucius is not dead, I refuse.

One correction is that Waititi was only the executive producer and directed the pilot. He wasn’t involved in any of the writing and David Jenkins has emphasized in a lot of interviews that he was hands off in that regard.

This is the first time someone’s ever told me to have a queer day and honestly I’m going to need that daily

I fucking love this gay pirate show with all of my gay little heart, it does a body and a soul good and I'm grateful beyond measure for its existence. Also jfc Taika Waititi is goddamned gorgeous and sexy and scary and sweet and holy shit take me now leather pirate daddy

You have a very soothing cadence. I like listening to your voice. I like how naturally you talk. It sounds so conversational, it doesn't sound like you have a script. It's like I'm at your house and you are sort of geeking out on me, and it's so charming that I'm just eating chips and enjoying it while I sit on your sofa.

I don’t think Lucius will swim to the island, I think he’ll get into the ship via one of Stede’s secret tunnels, which we know he knows about

loved this show so much, choking at seeing the kiss scenes again 😭. Interesting prediction for a series end, the weight they gave that moment in the show to just move on did confuse me at the time, but as a set up it makes a lot of sense. Now granted I am pretty romantically clueless but I always felt like the mystery of romance was always there throughout the season. To put it in a bad analogy, I felt as if i was on the ship rather than at the port waiting for it to arrive.

Hey Lily, thanks for this video! I love this show! I was just saying yesterday to my friends while telling them how good (and gay) the show is, just like you said, it's probably quite realistic in terms of queer representation. Who wants to be gay in a society that might kill you for it when you could be free on a ship? And I appreciated they suddenly started using they/them with Jim and made it clear they had changed their name because they're non-binary.

I adored this show, I've been trying to get pretty much everyone I know to watch it.

Its funny to me that people try to claim that there were no gay people in times where there were strict state and religious laws about it because if nobody ever thought about gay sexing then WHY would you need to tell people not to do it? Laws are made AFTER something is starting to be/ is percieved to be a problem.

I binge watched it in order to watch your video about it and omg I am crying, it's such a beautiful show and I hope it gets another season

Watched this show with my best friend, I knew that it was gay, but had no idea it was a comedy, I assumed it was gonna be a drama and was pleasantly surprised when I realized it was a comedy. It was a cool show 🤝

Wait, so if Lucius drew everyone, does that include Stede? Does he have Stede’s penis in his sketch book? 😳 Please tell me Lucius goes on to collect more in his sketch book of crew members from both crews. It shows how sociable & strong he is as a network man.

I love OFMD for all of the reasons you say. I see it as a natural follow up to Good Omens in a kind of queerification of entertainment.

The whole “see, we don’t own each other” scene was so good for my little poly heart! I felt so seen 🥺

I loved the show. Characters were written so well. Support.

I think you're right about where this show is going, and also I love it so much.

Saw the poster. Instantly subscribed.

Girl you should really make a video about the second season!!!

This deserves an update for season two. The Calypso stuff is top-tier.

I would love a S2 update

No one on the Revenge is neurotypical or cis-het

6 hour harry potter thing... that was optimistic 😂😂😂😂

Love how you pronounce Bonnet

i really like your videos and this was no different! i really love ofmd and id like to see your review of season 2 cause that was something… it was frustrating! i like your analysis and id like to see more 🩵

I mean "the gays escape" might just become a pirate show trope if this happens lol. Won't elaborate because spoilers for another show.

Just let me quickly point to a book that's living in my library for a couple a decades now Sodomy and the Pirate Tradition: English Sea Rovers in the Seventeenth-Century Caribbean, Second Edition January 2nd 1995. Availabele has hardcover or pocket book. Also yea this show is fun as hell 🙂

Wait you’re Kiwi?? I really thought you were British. OFMD is one of my favourite shows it brings me so much queer joy! 🏴‍☠️🏳️‍🌈

Love this show.

This was great! Thanks! Great outro! (no, it was bad, but that's the point)

It's funny how Captain Hook is homophobic in this but gay in Masked Fables, another thing people should get into.

Oh my! You’re from New Zealand, too?

Coming back to this video after season 2 has been out fo a while, and I DO think we now have a bury your gays at our hands SPOILER ALERT FOR SEASON TWO! Alright, so hear me out. To me, Izzy's death was so rushed within the last episode, we barely got to grieve him and Pete and Lucius got married on what feels like the same day. Don't get me wrong, his character arc absolutely needed him to apologise to Ed for his wrongdoings, but to absolve him from any consequences by dying just somehow felt meh. I know that the writers were limited by the eight instead of ten episodes, and the writer's strike, and because they didn't know if they were going to be renewed for a third season and thus had to wrap everything up, but literally nothing would have changed in the finale if Izzy had been able to sail away with the revenge. My point here being: We had effectively three main characters in season two: Edward, Stede, and Izzy. And to me, killing the one character of the three that is played by a (confirmed by con himself) queer person, just has some (maybe unintentional) bury your gays vibe to me. ESPECIALLY after the journey Izzy just went on.

Very much agree with all of this ^.^

Didn't realize you were a kiwi, damb lol.

How did it happen that the primary purpose of gay stories is to appeal to and win the approval of women?

Yea OFMD is so queer and I love it.

💖

I just wish they had created fictional pirates, rather than fictional histories for IRL enslavers

I'm kinda a fan of Izzy and I'm worried that Izzy is gonna be the fake blackbeard

gay is quite good ngl

Just don't tell anything to old Greek people 😆😆they will not like it

Stupid platform exclusives......

Love the show but important to give the credit to David Jenkins for his work on the show. He's the creator and showrunner.