The Best Revenge Is Dressing Well – The show begins with Blackbeard (Taika Waititi) providing The Revenge crew with an educational tour of the merchant craft. He tells the crew to look at the French military vessel’s missing cannons. When he informs them of his plan to cause great damage, Izzy Hands (Con O’Neill) orders them to only observe the real pirates at work. Black Pete (Matthew Maher) interjects by pointing out, The Revenge men is also real pirates. Captain Stede (Rhys Darby) asks him to explain how violent the attack will get.

A battle ensues aboard a vessel while The Revenge crew watch. Stede suggests Lucius (Nathan Ford) document every detail of the gusto. Frightened, Lucius appears to be confused by his order. They are forced to dodge a flying pirate. An unresponsive pirate has “Our Flag Means Death” carved into his chest.

With the battle out of the way, Stede describes their training experience as “extraordinary.” Ivan (Guz Khan) approaches to ask if they have assessed a pirate. Stede says the thought never crossed his mind. He orders Lucius to add body search to the tip list. Ivan adds all gold teeth are his to keep. As he pulls a gold tooth from the dead pirate’s mouth, Stede is amazed by their willingness to waste nothing.

Blackbeard approaches while Stede ransacks the enemy ship’s library.  He informs Blackbeard of his plan to loot the library by replacing the books, with the ones he has already read. Blackbeard assures him that it doesn’t work like that before tossing a book off to the side. When Stede continues looting, he slaps the books out of his hands.

Holding the French Merchant Ship Captain (Jeff Lorch) at dagger point, Stede orders him to give up the goods. When the Captain refuses to oblige, he asks Blackbeard for some pointers. Blackbeard suggests he add a bit of oomph to this threat. Jerking the dagger out of the sheath, Blackbeard stabs it into the mast in nanoseconds. He swears the dagger will be put through his eyeball if he fails to give up the loot. The captain mumbles as Stede looks horrified.

Stede teaches Blackbeard proper dining etiquette. He explains how to start with the utensils on the outside and work your way inward. Blackbeard asks if all the utensils are necessary for eating. Stede assures them they are very necessary for dining, not eating. When he says the French vessel’s silverware lacks saucier spoons, the captain sincerely apologizes, saying he had no idea they would be playing host to his kind. Blackbeard asks him to state further. He says, “A rich donkey.” Irate, he assures the captain that he knows nothing about him. Stede suggests he ignore a captain whose ship is lacking a tureen. Blackbeard regains his composure before ordering Fang (David Fane) to utilize the snail fork to skin the captain before tossing him overboard.

In a flashback, Mother Teach (Simone Kessell) tells Young Edward Teach (Mateo Gallegos) to feel a piece of fabric. She says the Carmody Estate is packed with “beautiful things.” Massaging the material between his fingers, he asks why they can’t have these things. She says it’s God’s decision to distribute things among the people. In the present, Blackbeard has a piece of red silk draped across his arms. Stede interrupts Blackbeard’s thoughts to discuss his reaction to the captain’s comment. He admits the captain’s words “stung.” Stede says it is a natural process called “passive aggression.”

Frenchie (Joel Fry) shows them an invitation to a formal dinner. When Stede says they are not interested, he promises to burn it, but not before Blackbeard suggests, otherwise. Stede warns Blackbeard that the attendees will be hobnobs conversing about nothing. Making up his mind, Blackbeard invites Frenchie to join them.

When Izzy walks into a room, Lucius and Black Pete are in a compromising position. Wee John Feeney (Kristian Nairn) asks Izzy to make him a drink. He refuses before ordering them to return to work. Black Pete claims they were working. Lucius assures him they are very good. Wee John admits to hearing them. Izzy sarcastically tells Lucius he thinks he is cute. He tells him that he just likes to act like it. Black Pete says he convinced him. Izzy mocks their behavior. Addressing him as “Iggy,” Lucius promises to speak with Stede about his new work rules.

Blackbeard, Frenchie, Oluwande (Samson kayo), and Stede arrive at the party. Stede introduces himself as “Sir Godfrey Thornrose” to access the event. Frenchie introduces Oluwande as the Crown Prince Azi of Egypt. The Heavily Made-Up Man (Jordan Feldman) rushes over to kiss Oluwande’s hand. As they enter the party, Stede offers to return to The Revenge. Blackbeard says he would rather die than turn down a challenge. They are approached by Antoinette (Kristen Schaal) and Gabriel (Nick Kroll) who asks Stede if he is Thornrose, the master phrenologist. Stede acknowledges he is Thornrose. They want him to palpitate Antoinette. Gabriel gets everyone’s attention while Stede palpitates an excited Antoinette.

Siegfried (Brian Gattas) refers to Oluwande and Frenchie as “well-spoken Africans.” He says it would be wonderful if his Africans could be like them before scolding Abshir (Devon Deshaun Stewart). Frenchie assures him not everyone can be like the Egyptian Prince. He makes up a story about Oluwande’s wealthy family that left him a fortune in a pyramid in Egypt. He invites Siegfried to join them in a scheme to retrieve the prince’s money.

Antoinette is disappointed that Stede got her ethnicity wrong. When she admits to being Prussian, Blackbeard tells them he killed someone of Prussian descent. Stede shakes his head no, but he refuses to listen. He is relieved when all the guests burst out laughing.

Izzy forces Lucius to clean the barnacle off the hull while hanging on a rope. Lucius warns him of what will happen if his calligraphy is damaged. Fang approaches to alert him of Izzy’s departure. When he refuses to help him, Lucius tries a different approach by offering to sketch him.

Blackbeard tells the guests about the time he stayed among cannibals. The crowd roars in awe. Antoinette asks if he truly tasted human meat. He assures them that he tried swallowing it without actually tasting it. Stede watches with concern on his face. When he attempts to tell them about his experience traveling, someone asks if his continuous chattering will ever stop.

Siegfried gives Frenchie cash to help financially support their scheme. Frenchie suggests he keep their scheme a secret. Once he is out of earshot, Abshir alerts them that he is onto their scheme. Oluwande comes clean about not being from a royal family. He offers them a private office for their business purposes. Frenchie gives him a tip from Siegfried’s investment.

Stede warns Blackbeard about the wealthy guests. Blackbeard tells him that he is jealous because they like him best. Antoinette asks him to play the piano. He gets silly with the guests who love it. Poor Stede looks left out.

Izzy returns to check on Lucius to find him missing. Lucius sketches Fang who says he is the first to be interested in his form. Wee John enters to alert them of the boss searching for them. Fang worriedly asks if Blackbeard has returned. When he says it is Izzy, they show no urgency to get back to work. Lucius asks why he calls him “Izzy the Spewer.” Fang tells them about a time when Izzy was in charge on the high seas. The choppy water caused Izzy to projectile vomit and poop everywhere. Lucius continues to sketch Fang’s private parts when Izzy demands to know what is going on.

Sitting at the dining table, Blackbeard recalls the proper dining etiquette when Antoinette joins him. He is disturbed when she touches his beard, causing the crowd to roar in laughter. Stede asks the Fleur de Maquis (Yvonne Zima) what is going on. He refuses to tell him anything because Prince Azi would be very unhappy with him. Frenchie and Oluwande meet with a Well-Heeled Investor (Cornelius Peter) who pleads with them to let him invest in their scheme. Frenchie refuses his offer, but Oluwande agrees to accept all his valuables. Abshir refuses to permit Stede access to the office.

Blackbeard struggles to maintain proper dining etiquette. Gabriel calls his manner of eating “interesting.” He says that is “passive aggression.” Gabriel is surprised by his comment. Slamming his hand on the table, he assures them they do not know his true identity. He threatens to kill them all. They poke fun at his threat. As he rushes out of the room, he tells them that Stede was right when he called them “fickle.”

Stede tells Frenchie that fancy parties were never his thing. Frenchie says he served members of the elite class. He assures him that the guests are not as fancy as they act. Blackbeard angrily shoves his way through the guests. Stede asks if something happened at dinner. He informs him of how the people laughed at him for confusing the utensils. When he pulls out his gun, Stede orders him to “stand down.” He promises to handle the situation, as they are his people.

Izzy issues a deck-swabbing order to Lucius who asks what will happen if he refuses. Izzy threatens to tell the others about his seductive ways. Lucius tells Black Pete about his sketch of Fang in the buff. Black Pete tells Izzy that Lucius has sketched nearly every member of the crew.  Calling him “Dizzy Izzy,” Lucius threatens to tell the crew about his nickname “Izzy the Spewer.” Izzy refuses his offer to be sketched. When Izzy stomps off, Lucius gives Wee John a high-five. Black Pete says what it did was “hot.”

Antoinette calls Stede “The Head Toucher” when he enters the room. Gabriel asks about Blackbeard, causing a roar of laughter. Stede suggests they play “Stark Revelations.” When they refuse, he says it may be too sophisticated for them. Stede explains the rules of the game before they get started. They all laugh at the thought of them playing against just him. The first question goes to Sebastian. Stede asks him if he ever had a baby named Daphne out of wedlock. Awe rings out from the crowd, as Sebastian flees to safety. The next question is posed to Siegfried asks if he is struggling with his finances. When he denies the accusations, Stede reminds him of his embezzling funds from a business partner. Stede turns to Gabriel and Antoinette. They claim to be happily married for years. He asks them about their first meeting. Gabriel says they met while attending a ball. Stede tells the crowd that Gabriel and Antoinette as brother and sister.

A woman calls Siegried a crook. He bites back by bragging about his deal with Prince Azi. The other guests claim to own part of the prince’s wealth. As a fight ensues, Frenchie reminds Stede of what he said earlier about the servants seeing everything. Blackbeard enters just in time to see the guests going crazy. He asks what he did to cause such chaos. He whispers, “Passive aggression.”

Back aboard The Revenge, the elite boat is on fire. Blackbeard pays Stede a compliment about knowing how to cut loose. Frenchie asks what happened to their money. Oluwande assures him that it has been invested wisely. Abshir tells the other servants of his plan to utilize the money as part of an act to be a Nigerian prince.

Blackbeard has a flashback of being a child while holding a piece of silk fabric. Stede approaches to apologize about the party being a dud. Blackbeard acknowledges he was right about not being ready. Folding the fabric, Stede places it in Blackbeard’s vest pocket. They appear to have wanted to hug but changed their minds. As they walk away, they both turn to look at each other simultaneously. Blackbeard rubs his hand across the fabric in his vest pocket as the episode comes to an end.

 

Our Flag Means Death Review

The episode was much improved from the previous episode. The Revenge crew did a fabulous job keeping me entertained. It is worth noting, that some of the crew was missing. This is the result of having too many cast members right from the get-go.

Rhys Darby’s performance was outstanding as always. He takes centerstage to get revenge for Blackbeard by playing their own game.

Lucius has finally popped out of his shell. It seems he is a favorite among the crew. Nathan Ford did a wonderful job bringing Lucius to life.

While the show holds little to no historical significance, it was interesting, nonetheless. The cast and film crew delivered a solid episode that will live on in the hearts of fans for some time to come. The episode deserves a 6.5. Get more Our Flag Means Death recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by clicking on the link to learn more.