Discomfort In A Married State – The show begins with Mary Bonnet (Claudia O’Doherty) discussing her proposed marriage with Victoria Archer (Cerris Morgan-Moyer). Mary asks if she will need to wed someone she has never met before. A concerned Captain Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby) pops up on the screen as Victoria tells her that Stede is rich. Stede assumed he would love the woman he married. Rolling his eyes, Father Bonnet (Boris McGiver) tells him poor people marry for love. Depressed, Mary exhales while Stede stares out the window. Stede and Mary greet each other before posing for a picture.

A Priest (Benton Jennings) officiates Mary and Stede’s wedding. He suggests they will guide each other like the lone lighthouse in the distance. Mother Bonnet (Roslyn Gentle) congratulates the newly married couple. She gives them tombstones for their wedding gift.

Stede is reading a book and Mary having a drink when Alma Bonnet (Eden Grace Redfield) and Louis Bonnet (William Barber-Holler) run through the room. Mary pleads with him to play with alma and Louis. He reluctantly agrees. She suggests he not play pirates because the last time, they had nightmares. Stede and the children have a pirate duel. Alma asks if he would like to say something before, he dies. He pleads with her to let him live for his children. The show switches from Alma stabbing him to El Otro (Carlos Arellano) stabbing him.

Lying in bed, Stede explains to Mary that he and the children were only playing pirates. Blackbear (Taika Waititi) sits at his bedside.

Izzy Hands (Con O’Neill) suggests to Blackbeard that they leave before the Spanish find out they are responsible for massacring their men. Blackbeard ignores his urgency, changing the topic to clouds. He demands Izzy to imagine what the cloud looks like. Izzy tells him the clouds look like “sausages.” As Stede’s crew works, Izzy explains how The Revenge was damaged from gunfire. He recommends executing the crew after the ship is repaired. Black Pete (Matthew Maher) tells Lucius (Nathan Foad) that Blackbeard is likely saying something brilliant. Lucius appears to be unimpressed, as Black Pete wonders if Blackbeard will remember him.

Lucius comments on Blackbeard’s height. A pirate hits Black Pete from behind. Blackbeard orders his men to not brutalize their guests. As he swings down to the lower deck, the men cheer and clap their hands. He identifies himself to the crew. Roach (Samba Schutte) tells him that he is a big fan. He shakes hands with The Swede (Nat Faxon). He yells for Izzy to come over to check out a bird on Buttons’ head. Frenchie (Joel Fry) interrupts to ask if the crew will be killed. Izzy screams for Fang (David Fane) when Ivan (Guz Khan) punches Black Pete in the stomach.

Stede stares at a lighthouse picture from his bed. Stede dreams of the day Mary gave him the lighthouse picture. She claims the lighthouse is from their wedding. He says the kids did a wonderful job. She takes the credit for painting the picture, not their children. He gives her a model of a ship. She asks if it is a child’s toy. He suggests they take a voyage, with the children. When she questions why they would want to go on a voyage, he says, “Break the monotony.” Irate, she reminds him of their previous conversation about how she feels about the ocean. He claims to have no recognition of her disdain for the ocean. As she continues to rant about the ship, he promises to stop it. She asks if he was having the ship built. He assures her that it is not what he is doing.

Blackbeard shows Izzy the model of The Revenge, which he describes as “amazing.” Izzy recommends he focus while he continues to search through Stede’s things. Raising his voice, he assures him that they always have a strategy. He says when they implement the strategy, they will repeat the process over and over again. He admits to being “fu**ing bored.” Izzy gets his attention when he warns him of the consequences of not having a strategy. Blackbeard says dying is something new that he has yet to try.

Oluwande (Samson Kayo) tells Jim/Bonifacia (Vico Ortiz) the crew believes Blackbeard is going to have them killed. Bonifacia admits if it was her decision, she would do it. The Swede admits to having no idea of Jim being a woman.

Buttons informs Izzy of Spanish ships approaching. He repeatedly curses while walking away.

Restless, Stede mumbles Mary in his sleep. Blackbeard asks him who she is when Lucius enters. He asks him to start counting backward and return when he reaches zero. Stede whispers, “I was a coward” while dreaming about Mary. She acknowledges if he unhappy like herself, but they have to try because they only live once. He pretends to be asleep. He waits until she falls asleep to get out of bed. He is fully dressed underneath his robe. He reads a letter to Mary. It speaks of how all of his money is being left to her and the children. She sits on the bed reading the letter. He is laying in the bed when Mary walks in with the letter. She calls him a “disappointment.” He tries to tell her about being stabbed, but she is too busy scolding him for leaving her and the children to be a pirate. Laughing hysterically, Father Bonnet teases him about fearing geese. Mary says her farewells before telling him to enjoy hell.

Blackbeard tells him the Spaniards stabbed him pretty good. When Stede becomes overly concerned about his crew, Blackbeard assures him that they are okay. Blackbeard suggests he not move to keep his guts from spilling out. Stede asks if he is one of Blackbeard’s men. After thinking about it, he acknowledges Blackbeard is his boss. He identifies himself to Stede as Ed.

Sitting down next to Bonifacia, Roach asks, “Are you still Jim.” Wee John Feeney (Kristian Nairn) assures him that she is no longer Jim. Roach believes Jim could be a woman’s name like his uncle who is Margaret. The Swede asks if he can assume the name, Jim.

Blackbeard checks out his appearance in a handheld mirror. Stede tells Ed that Blackbeard likely sees him as a fool. When he refers to himself as a “terrible pirate,” Blackbeard says at least he is alive unlike most of his pirate acquaintances. Stede asks Ed how long he has been working for Blackbeard. He tells him about his consideration to give up pirating.  Blackbeard asks about a piece of material. Stede says it is cashmere. He rubs the material against his face. Stede pulls a lever to open a door to a large closet, with his auxiliary wardrobe. Amazed, Blackbeard asks if all belongs to him when Izzy enters. Stede asks if the man is Blackbeard. He finally comes clean about his true identity. Shocked, Stede is speechless.

Wee John asks Bonifacia if she is a mermaid. With her mouth full, she denies his allegations. Izzy demands to know what they are doing. He tells them after an invasion, there is no food. He orders them back to work before calling them foul names. When he is out of earshot, they continue to question Bonifacia. Black Pete believes women shouldn’t be on ships because they are bad luck. She assures him it is nothing more than a myth. Frenchie explains how women have demon-attracting crystals embedded into their bodies. Jumping up from her seat, she places the tip of her dagger at his throat. She reminds them of how long she has been on the ship without a crash.  They agree to accept her as Jim.

Stede shows Blackbeard his library. He pops open a book to a page, with a picture of Blackbeard. He describes the photo as a Viking vampire clown. He points out the picture shows Blackbeard with nine guns. He explains how he is no different than anyone else, with one dagger and one gun. Stede apologizes for causing him stress. Blackbeard admits to being trapped and bored his flag is enough to scare everyone away. Stede suggests he retire. He asks what it means. Blackbeard admits to liking his lunatic lifestyle. They come up with an idea.

Blackbeard walks out on the deck in Stede’s outfit. He welcomes Stede dressed as Blackbeard. Everyone stares in shock while slowly clapping. Black Pete asks what they are up to. He orders the crew to line up to great Stede. While they all greet Stede, Izzy asks to speak with Blackbeard alone. When they are away from the crew, Blackbeard calls him a “bummer.” Izzy reminds him of how he stuck by him when his moods were erratic. Blackbeard sarcastically says it was so stressful. Izzy assures him that it was stressful, but he just wanted to work with the legendary Blackbeard, not the insane Blackbeard. He promises to turn in his resignation, holding up both middle fingers when he saves them.

Izzy demands to know how long it will take to move The Revenge.  Stede calls him an “asshole.” Izzy orders Fang and Ivan to prepare to ship for a battle. Blackbeard asks Stede if he has any suggestions. He recommends talking to Spaniards until Blackbeard points out they speak Spanish. Lucius continues counting down as he hurriedly enters the room. Frantic, Stede admits he has no clue as to what to do. Black Pete calls Blackbeard a “genius” for saving their lives.

As they walk out on the deck, Fang assures them The Revenge will not be detected in the thick fog. The crew praises Blackbeard for being a genius. Stede questions if he had an idea of the foggy conditions. He reminds Izzy of their conversation earlier about the clouds looking like frankfurters. Buttons voices his concerns about the Spanish vessel colliding into The Revenge. Blackbeard says he would agree before explaining how the Spaniards lift anchor on September 2. Izzy tells him it is only September 1. Lucius confirms the date is September 1. Blackbeard remembers that it is Leap Year, suggesting they jump into the water to save themselves. Stede asks what he will do. He agrees to go down with the ship.

Blackbeard gets drunk while Stede stares at the lighthouse picture from Mary. He asks if it is a silo. Stede regrets not being there for his wife and children. When Blackbeard tells him lighthouses are to be avoided to avoid a collision, they say, “We need to be a lighthouse” in unison. They rush out to the deck to install a light on top of the ship to make it look like a lighthouse. With his mouth full of wine, Stede spits it into the light as he turns in circles. Wee John replicates a foghorn.

The Spanish Captain (Sergio Lanza) tells his First Mate (Nico Galan) that a lighthouse is impossible. Wee John’s foghorn can be heard in the distance. The Spanish First Mate orders for the ship to be diverted away from the lighthouse. The captain angrily tells Blackbeard that he has won once again. The crew cheers their success.

Oluwande tells Bonifacia that they will live another day. She asks him if it would be possible to revert back to being a mute. Stede and Blackbeard share some marmalade as the sunrises. He admits to getting rid of gunpowder to make room for the marmalade. Staring at him, Blackbeard calls him The Gentleman Pirate who lives the high life. They make a pact to show each other how to live their lives as an aristocrat and Blackbeard. He looks down below to see Izzy preparing to leave in a dinghy. Izzy apologizes for what he said about him last night. Blackbeard suggests he take Stede’s life while they utilize Stede’s body to convince people of his death. Izzy agrees to stay as the episode comes to an end.

 

Our Flag Means Death Review

Another fantastic episode, with outstanding performances from the main cast. Viewers are provided insight into Stede’s personal life before he became the Gentleman Pirate. The pace is good, leaving little time for boredom. I believe the 30-minute episode was a good choice for the show.

I question why they chose to make Blackbeard weak, as there is evidence to support it. This is the first Rhys Darby show I have watched. He does a wonderful job keeping viewers entertained and laughing. His performance is definitely worth mentioning.

I love The Revenge crew, each of which have a role in the show. However, I do wish they had more screen time, so we could get to know them better.

The episode deserves a 6.5. Get more Our Flag Means Death recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by  clicking the link to learn more.