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izzysillyhandsy · 6 months

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Death and Change in OFMD

"What if it's not a death? What if life just begins again?"

For a show that's obsessed with change as a result of talking things through, sitting with yourself and healing through community, a lot of change is attempted by death - death of the old self, a stand-in for the old self or a symbolic death.

We see this shortcut to "a better (or more endurable) self" over and over, and depending on the additional work put in, it works - or it really doesn't.

Putting this post together, I was surprised by how often death is used in this show as a catalyst for letting go of the past, for splitting off parts of their own selves that certain characters have outgrown and/or want to escape from.

And how rarely actual people die in these transformative deaths.

Killing Blackbeard - 1 - Ed wants to retire

Although it is unclear if this was actually Ed's plan all along or if he just made it up for Izzy on the spot (S2E4 seems to point to the former, interestingly), here we have the first instance in the show of Ed trying to kill Blackbeard.

Ed wants to leave his old life behind (mainly out of boredom, it seems), and at this point he thinks that all he has to do is convince everyone else he's gone.

This is a very superficial first try - basically stabbing a Blackbeard puppet with all the outer signifiers (clothes, ship) but completely ignoring Ed's inner Blackbeard.

This could never have worked, of course, even if Stede wasn't such a charming guy. But the fuckery set events into motion that would, possibly towards the end of the show, lead to Ed leaving Blackbeard behind for good.

Corpses: 0 Success: not directly - Blackbeard is still very much present in Ed. But the foundations are shaken and Ed&Izzy (a.k.a. Blackbeard) will never go back to who they were before.

Killing vulnerability - 1 - Izzy wants Ed safe (and all to himself)

Izzy goes for a 2-step approach here - the duel and the British Navy (talk about escalating!). All of this is a very complicated and mixed bag of emotions - Izzy's love and jealousy, his fear of change and his extreme confusion about what's actually happening.

But I think the primary reason Izzy tries so hard to go through with killing Stede is fear of (Ed's) vulnerability and the danger that the "new Ed" might bring to both of them, and specifically their relationship. They've worked their way up for years and Izzy is more than aware of the dangers of piracy (and possibly the danger Ed is/was to himself).

Izzy gets it all wrong of course - the change in Ed has already happened and his attempts to kill Stede (and everything that happens after the Navy plot) make Ed the most vulnerable (and unstable) he's ever been.

Corpses: 0 Success: none - Izzy thought that killing Stede would undo what he "did to Ed's brain", but there was so much more at play here. Izzy's misguided attempts actually helped emotionally opening Ed up for Stede, and put Edward further out of Izzy's reach.

Killing the married state - 1 - Mary wants to be free

When Stede comes back and threatens the new and better life Mary has built for herself, she is very quick to turn to murder to keep on growing. Stede as a symbol of her old and unfulfilled life must go.

As soon as they actually talk about it though - and in an honest and open way (which is very unusual for Stede), another option presents itself.

Stede must die for the widow Bonnet to exist. But maybe it doesn't have to be a death?

Corpses: 0 Success: almost there - because they talked it through and discovered they actually wanted the same thing!

Killing the married state - 2 - Mary and Stede want to be free

Both Mary's and Stede's life changes for the better - they've both made peace with each other, recognized the needs of the other and acknowlegded how they were stifling each other's progress.

(the whole thing is made easier by the lack of (obsessive) love on both sides though)

Corpses: 1, but he doesn't mind Success: 100%, both are now free - long may they roam

Killing vulnerability - 2 - Ed wants to be the unfeeling Kraken

Ed is finally convinced that he is fundamentally unloveable by the combined efforts of Stede and Izzy. It's very unlucky for Lucius that he is the perfect stand-in for Ed's vulnerability. Overboard he goes.

Lucius death marks the turning point for Blackbeard - he is now 100% Kraken to everyone around him as the crew (and especially poor Izzy) quickly have to find out.

Alone, Ed is still vulnerable and in pain - but no one else can hurt him anymore. The way he treats Izzy in particular- I don't see a lot of hesitation and regret. Ed himself calls it "the nasty dark stuff" later.

So, for what Ed actually wanted, I'd say he was partly successful. He is firmly on the path to appearing to be an uncaring monster, and he is doing his best to stop everyone from loving/caring for him.

Corpses: 1 (for now) Success: 50% - Ed did change radically in his attitude to the outside world, and only his next death and resurrection-by-Stede snapped him out of it.

Killing Blackbeard - 2 - Ed wants to see the world (and himself) burn

This time, Ed is all in. Literally. He's not only attempting to kill Blackbeard, he feels there isn't anything else left which is worth saving.

As per usual, Ed is outsourcing the job to Izzy, this time clearly telling him what to do. Unfortunately, Izzy is the absolute worst choice - he is the one person who, in a way, loves all aspects of Ed and could never kill him.

As soon as Izzy's gone though, all bets are off. Ed's backup plan works out as planned (finally).

Corpses: 0,9 (an almost corpse) Success: it's a very good start. Ed dying and coming back was the first step to permanent change. He made some progress in the gravy basket - but he also realized that he still has a long way to go.

Killing Blackbeard - 3 - Izzy wants to sever the bond with Ed

Again, Izzy goes for a 2-step approach. First, he tries to kill himself after, for the first time, refusing to "clean up Ed's mess". Again, as always with Izzy, there is a lot at play here - his whole life just fell apart, and he's not thinking clearly - he just wants everything to be over.

But by killing himself, he kills the Izzy half of Blackbeard. And in the end, he doesn't even have to die - when his suicide attempt fails, he drags himself up on deck to save the crew and to break up with Ed. And this time, it's final.

Izzy shows Ed in an absolutely unmistakable way that they (and with them, Blackbeard) are over.

Corpses: 0,5 (a part of Izzy dies here) Success: 50% - Izzy's half of Blackbeard is dead. Izzy has finally acknowledged that this close, obsessive bond and all that it entails has to be cut. Until his own death, he will not be alright again though, and he still loves Ed and suffers for it. The severance isn't complete. But Blackbeard (as in Ed and Izzy) is finally over.

Killing vulnerability - 3 - Stede wants to be a real boy

When Stede kills Ned Low, his first intentional murder, he leaves the part of himself that he (and his father, the Badmintons, etc) perceived as weak behind. This sets him firmly on the way to become a "real pirate", his driving ambition since episode 1.

This season, we didn't have enough time for the full ramifications of this event. My feeling is that his first kill irrevocably changed Stede. He is a pirate now (although not a good one, yet). Is this really what he wanted? In what ways did it change him (apart from being more assertive with Ed and a show-off at Jackie's)?

Corpses: 1 (probably, not 100% sure; also, an evil walk-on character) Success: I truly cannot tell - I'm hoping for S3 to pick it up again. It should have been a "success" and a life-changing moment though.

Killing Blackbeard - 4 - Izzy wants to set Ed free

"I wanna go."

Even though Izzy doesn't get mortally wounded deliberately to set Ed free, he is very quick to accept his death and to use the opportunity to do what he thinks is necessary - free Ed from his oppressive past.

I think that Izzy's half of Blackbeard was already killed in the third attempt. He wasn't egging Ed on anymore - and he wouldn't have done it again in the future, ever. The only thing that remains is Izzy's love for Ed - and that is impossible to kill.

But Izzy lets himself die anyway, so Ed's part of Blackbeard can die with him. Maybe he thinks that Edward needs a clearer cut, a proper, unmistakable death (or sacrifice) to finally be able to let go. To free himself of this thing they've built together and that has taken over Ed's whole self at some points in their lives.

He attributes 100% of Blackbeard to himself here - maybe because he's seen change in Edward, but not enough. It is an incredibly selfless thing to do.

Corpses: 1 (a main character) Success: maybe, it all depends on Ed now - but also (objectively) overkill. Izzy's half of Blackbeard was well and truly dead since their breakup. Was Izzy's real death necessary for Ed to move on? Maybe. But maybe there could have been another way.

So, what worked and what didn't?

Killing the married state: perfect execution, perfect background work, actual talking and mutual understanding. Both got the change they wanted, and it didn't even have to be a real death.

Killing vulnerability: with Izzy and Ed, all attempted murders were committed out of desperation and without looking at the deeper issues. This resulted in making the situation way, way worse.

With Stede and Ned Low, it was a total mess - Stede wasn't prepared for that kind of life-changing event, and Ed and Stede had a breakdown in communication for most of the season. So I expect conflict arising out of this in the future - generally, killing vulnerability seems like a terrible idea in any case.

Killing Blackbeard: I've seen people argue that Izzy's death was necessary from a narrative standpoint because he represents Ed's dark side, and without Izzy dying Ed would never be able to let go of his Blackbeard/Kraken persona. I couldn't disagree more.

The first attempt was of course much too superficial. We've realized, episode by episode, how deep-seated Blackbeard is in Ed's mind. It (combined with the fuckery) set things in motion though.

Ed's and Izzy's death and rebirth were definitely transformative - they set both of them on the right path - so in this instance, both their deaths were necessary (and beautifully written). Again, neither of them really had to die for it. But without the two of them actually coming together and working things through, it wasn't a full success - both would (and did) continue to suffer.

Unfortunately, there wasn't time for a proper reconciliation and for working things through.

So the show and the writers themselves used "death for self-realization" right at the end of S2. And although Izzy's half of Blackbeard died with Izzy shooting Ed, they wanted to give Ed a dramatic and emotionally significant moment to, for once and for all, draw a line under Blackbeard and move on.

This makes Izzy the only character that actually dies as a result of a character needing change, out of the 9 events described here (Ned Low might still be alive, and even if he isn't - he wasn't personally significant to Stede or anyone else).

I've kind of made peace with it though - it fits Izzy's character that he'd use his death to give Ed the clear cut he thought Ed needed. And with Ed, who is a highly imaginative kind of person who loves his rituals and metaphors (the Kraken with the makeup and the goth room, the pink dressing gown, the piece of red silk, "I dreamt that you killed me" etc) this might actually have worked?

Still, I wish they had gone the way of Stede and Mary, talked it through and listened to Lucius: "What if it's not a death? What if life just begins again?"

(and maybe it will - Izzy definitely deserves his own Gravy Basket)

#ofmd #ofmd s2 spoilers #ofmd meta #izzy hands #stede bonnet #edward teach #lucius spriggs #ned low #why are my posts always so long #this is not a “Why did Izzy have to die” post #these characters love to take emotional shortcuts though #I've even left out some deaths there are so many

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pigmentsandpotions · 7 months

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Our Flagtober - Day 8: Beach.

"To Stede Bonnet! Complicated, hard-headed, really quite irritating at times… And now free. Long may he roam."

#Our Flag Means Death #ofmd #Our Flagtober #ofmd fanart #Our Flag Means Death fanart #inktober #drawtober #drawloween #digital art #artists on instagram

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oculus-scriniarii · 2 years

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to stede bonnet - complicated, hard headed, really quite cringe at times, and now free. long may he roam.

#ofmd #our flag means death

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nicnacsnonsense · 2 years

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Was I the only one a little upset by the toast Mary made after Stede’s death? Like, they had this whole reconciliation and she still can’t think of one nice thing to say about him? “Free” is a positive thing for Stede, but it doesn’t say anything about his character. I just would have liked something like, “To Stede Bonnet. Complicated, hard-headed, really quite irritating, unexpectedly… considerate at times, and now free. Long may he roam.”

#stede bonnet #mary bonnet #ofmd

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remypat · 6 months

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Finale Predictions...

Please don't not read if you want to avoid spoilers...

Going into the S2 Finale of OFMD...I'm a writer myself and am quite afraid of which direction they will be tackling the ending. They've proven to us that a cookie-cutter version of a happy ever after isn't as easy as it seems, especially with two characters with such different dreams. And yet with the looming threat of not receiving a third season, I know that they still want to deliver some sort of closure. My thinking is...

-Ed will finally give up on piracy. We see in the sneak peeks of the finale that Ed is back in his leathers but we all know that the man is only doing it to save Stede and the crew, but after that? My man is dipping and probably into that crappy lil shack we've seen in the stills. Maybe Ed is gonna repair it, turn it into a home, or an inn or a fishing equipment shop. Who knows? Ed sure as hell doesn't but one thing is for certain. Ed needs to step away from everything to find himself and find out what he wants to do for the rest his life. A nice parallel that I'd like to see is for Ed to be the one that has to plan his own death. The world needs to think that Blackbeard is no more. Mary's last words in the final episode of Season 1 always manage to make me tear up, 'To Stede Bonnet, complicated , hard-headed, really quite irritating at times and now free. Long may he roam.'

It's Ed's turn to be free, time for him to roam and find himself.

-Stede will not be joining him. Unlike Ed, Stede knows what he wants. He wants to be a pirate captain! To sail the seas and go on fun adventures! His love of Ed aside, Stede does not want a monotonous life. At least not any time soon. I have an inkling that the image of the two merman holding a heart and a spear is the new jolly roger of Stede's ship. Why else would the two merman be making out the word 'Ed' with their fingers? It's a proclamation of love for him, a promise that Stede will return to Ed and wherever he goes, he carries Ed in his heart.

-I dont think that Izzy is going to die. (BITCH THEY BETTER NOT KILL HIM OFF, I JUST STARTED LIKING IZZY)i know that its typical in film that when a character goes on their heart-wrenching redemption arc, they are often killed and become a sort of martyr. Izzy's death makes the most sense but he deserves a jab at happiness and a life aside from Blackbeard. Izzy deserves silly adventures and to be loved. I just hope that the writers keep Izzy alive and make him Stede's first mate, but....its probably not likely....Some silly things I'd like to see are -when Ed finds Stede's letter I want us to find out that Stede did some silly shit like sign off on his letters with 'Sincerely, Your Stede' or to write 'P.S, I love you and always will'. i just cant wait to see Ed's reaction to the letter!

-How much of a fucking gag would it be if a seagull is perched on top of one if Stede's bottles, because literally no one BUT Ed knows for a fact that Buttons is a bird now, so he'd definitely take the seagull as a sign or something, so that's how he finds Stede's messages.

- If Izzy does die....they name the ship 'Izzy's Revenge' , a lil call back to when he took over after Ed and Stede left but this time, its to honor his memory and continue with his legacy. -Black Pete and Lucius wedding?? I mean, what better way to close off the show? We've been getting a lot of parallels with Stede and Ed's relationship vs Black Pete and Lucius's relationship. As Ed and Stede's relationship has sort of bittersweet ending, Black Pete and Lucius get the truly happy ending.

Gosh, I don't know what else to expect from the finale, its only 25 mins and weve got so much ground to cover. its literally driving me insane.

#ofmd s2 #ofmd season 2 spoilers #our flag means death #ofmd #ofmd spoilers

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gilmores-glorious-blog · 2 years

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bitches say they’re fine but then bitches watch the last 2 minutes and 42 seconds of episode ten of hit show our flag means death where 1970’s folk rock song “miles from nowhere” by cat stevens is playing over the ending montage and then bitches realize that they are solidly Not Fine.

#it’s me i’m bitches.#there’s just SO MUCH going on in those three minutes and all of it destroys me!!!!!#stede leaving on his own with nothing but a dinghy and the clothes he has on but perfectly content because he’s going out to find ed again??#“to stede bonnet… now free. long may he roam.” ?????#fang and ed and izzy standing all threatening together and izzy literally pointing a gun at frenchie??#FRENCHIE RAISING THE. THE FUCKING FLAG AHSJSKTJDJAJSJASJAJSKSKSK?!!!!!!!!?????!!!!!#THE LINGERING SHOT OF THE FLAG!!!#that birds eye view shot of kraken ed???#seeing that jim is being held hostage??#ED CRYING OVER THE LIGHTHOUSE PAINTING??????? AS IT SHOWS STEDE’S EMPTY ROOM???? WITH LITERALLY ONLY THE PAINTING LEFT THERE?????#AND THE FACT THAT ED IS CURLED UP WHERE STEDE’S BED USED TO BE!!!#and the sound of ed’s sobs being the first thing we’ve really heard over the music since the sound of stede rowing out to the ocean !#well and then there’s the whole island scene but i’m choosing to ignore that until!! olu’s little “oh fuck me” as he looks out and!!#sees stede!!#most of the sound cutting out as we see- through olu’s telescope- stede standing up and holding his arm out to them??!!!#BEING THEIR LIGHTHOUSE???!!!!!!#and then the music cutting back in with the “i love everything” part of the song right as the credits start rolling!!!!!#it all!!!!! makes me so insane!!!!!!!!!!!!!#anyways it’s fine i’m fine i’m normal this is fine #our flag means death #ofmd #eli.posts

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mabellous · 2 years

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“To Stede Bonnet. Complicated, hard-headed. Really quite irritating at times… and now free. Long may he roam.“

#our flag means death #ourflagmeansdeathedit #ofmdedit #stedebonnetedit #tvedit #ofmd #stede bonnet #idk these shots are just so beautiful #also mary's speech made me cry like a baby but what else is new #**

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sherlockig · 1 year

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“To Stede Bonnet… now free, long may he roam.”

#ofmd #our flag means death #stede bonnet #rhys darby #darling honey light of my life

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rovermcfly · 2 years

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To Stede Bonnet. Complicated, hard-headed. Really quite irritating at times... and now free. Long may he roam.

#queer pirate show #stede bonnet 2.0 #stede bonnet #I wasn't gonna make gifs of this show (lazy) but how can I NOT GIF MY BELOVED #THE ONE #THE ONLY #STEDE 2.0 #I just want to look at him for forever #I am going to construct such a specific stede 2.0 until s2 comes out akjhsfhadsl #anyway everyone look at him!!! my beloved!!#rhys darby #ofmdedit #ofmdgif #rovergifs

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wrensgeekyvibes · 2 years

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To Stede Bonnet...

Complicated, hard-headed. Really quite irritating at times.

And now free.

Long may he roam.

There is so much weight in just a few words. I’m so emotional about this. These two pirates mean everything to me.

#our flag means death #stede #blackbeard #you make stede happy #i love stede #edward x stede #ofmd spoilers

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wick-de-la-vela · 2 years

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Thinking about the themes of theatricality and performance in OFMD again lads.

They're so INTEGRAL to the show, with both stede AND with ed. both the literal aspects, the fuckery, the shakespeare. but then the more metaphorical. ed playing the role of blackbeard, the kraken, getting Tired of it the same way the star of a broadway show who's been playing it for years gets tired of the same lines, the same rut they've been in. a play is a prison for an actor after awhile!!! the lines are written, you are doomed to play out the same events over and over again. you cannot change the fate of your character. you are just a body, a vessel to convey a writers thoughts.

GAH and the clothes swap!!!!! the "show me how to be an aristocrat and i'll show you how to be a pirate" thing. STEDE is ALSO tired of his role. "lily livered little rich boy, and that's all you'll ever be, baby bonnet." (And also the role of a straight man with a wife and kids whom he is contented with) he wants to be someone people take seriously. he wants to LIVE! He wants adventure! He wants meaning in his life! He wants LOVE! he wants something new that doesn't come easy by way of wealth. He wants to make something of himself, rewrite the ending of the script.

ed wants to wear fine things, wants to be one of "those kinds of people", bc no matter how much wealth he acquires pirating, he's still ed. Once a helpless boy, then a murderer, then the donning of the Persona of blackbeard. when he and stede switching clothes, they're switching costumes, switching parts in the play, switching roles for the first time. and they SEE themselves in the other. they see the need the other has. the need to escape where they've been and who they've been. and finally at the end.

at the end, stede bonnet dies. the show is retired, the character is gone, he's dead, but it's like, an actor moving on to greener pastures. Stede Bonnet is dead, but now Just Stede can live!!!! he is no longer confined to the role!!! He is free!!! Long! May! He! Roam!!!!

ed, meanwhile, had finally been ready to leave it all behind and then was Rejected, so he did the only thing he knew how to do. he goes and gets out his fucking ben nye and puts the mask back on again, doubling down. he sinks back into his role and all its trappings.

And god it feels like a tragedy, man! The Inevitability of it all. This was always going to happen.

But fuck if stede won't do his damndest to drag ed back out of it. They will get their happy ending.

God its just. YEAH MAN these were real people! We're seeing fictionalized lives of real people!!! I can go read excerpts from the trial of stede bonnet if i want to! I know how it all ended! We all do! We can read it!!!

They are LITERALLY using a performance medium with themes ABOUT performance and changing roles and rewriting stories in order to ACTUALLY rewrite the stories of men that did exist and. I just . I'm just feeling a human emotion about it man. Im feeling it.

#ofmd spoilers #ofmd #ofmd finale spoilers #i know this was completely incoherent but like #i be dying here #ofmd meta

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