#ofmd 1x7

[bizarrelittlemew]

Our Flag Means Death S1E2 | S1E7 ⇉ yeah, imagine...

Bonus: imagine a little further, actually

#ofmd #ofmd s2 #our flag means death #ofmdedit #ofmdsource #ofmd gifs #ida.stuff #edward teach #stede bonnet #blackbonnet #gentlebeard #ofmd 1x2 #ofmd 1x7 #ofmd 2x8

[follows-the-bees]

I haven't done any cinematography/camerawork meta analysis threads recently and it's making my brain itch. So here's a small analysis of how negative space is used in the show to express characters' emotions. This is the first in a series.

The use of greenery in negative space in episode 1x7: This Is Happening

First, Jim stands alone in a field with Olu small in the distance, reflecting Jim's mindset of being on their own, isolated. We know from Olu that Jim doesn't talk much about their personal past, and this shot is right after Jim confronts their past, which turns negative.

They isolate and go to their old land, seeking comfort in the openness and of the past: where everything changed.

Olu follows them, not leaving Jim alone in this vast negativity: literally and figuratively.

Next, Olu and Jim face each other, with space in between them, a stone wall behind Jim, and open space behind Olu. This once again reflects their mindset.

Jim opened up to Olu, telling him the truth about their past, introducing him to the person that raised them. Shooting them in profile, completely facing each other shows how open they are now after that previous shot: they are on equal footing, no longer Jim with their back turned to Olu in the distance.

While they are drawn to one another — they almost kiss — what is behind them foreshadows the end of the episode.

Jim still has a wall behind them — they have decided to continue on their journey of revenge — and therefore must leave. Olu on the other hand, has open space behind him because he is open to Jim and whatever is happening between them.

Now moving into the A storyline of Lucius, Ed, and Stede. This overhead shot consists of mostly neutral colors, the only pops are the fire, the purple of Ed, and the green leaves. Ed and Stede sit right next to each other, but their bodies are turned inward, knees almost touching. (This exact same position happens multiple times throughout the show including in 2x4 on the couch in Mary and Anne's home.)

The green is attached to the humans, especially to Ed and Stede, and it being the main pop (along with a kindling, warm fire) in this scene reveals what is important in the scene: the people.

When we move to the two shot, Lucius still dirties the shot in the foreground, but the focus is on Ed and Stede. Just like with Olu and Jim, there is a small space between them and larger space on each side, particularly the green is more on Stede's side, but Ed's purple shirt — which shows his growing feelings for Stede — is out and proud.

That kindling, warm fire is now shown between Ed and Stede, bringing that metaphor up front in this angle.

This whole episode is Stede subconsciously trying to get Ed to stay. His space on his side is open and green, just like his feelings for Ed.

A large palm tree sits behind Ed in his space because his feelings are shown through his purple shirt. Just like Stede, he has growing love for him but isn't as open at this point. (Lucius talks to him about not being a dick and Stede has feelings for him.)

I also love this shot when both the A and B plotlines merge together.

Stede is in the same position as when he looks at the ruined, burned map, but this time he's excited, he found the treasure. Ed and Lucius are on one side and Jim and Olu on the other, Stede bridging the storylines and characters.

Greenery, the stone wall, and particularly the sun are the bright spots in this shot of mainly neutral colors. The sun shining down on all these characters shows how their relationship has changed since the previous shots/beginning of the episode. Olu and Jim are about to split up so they stand in more darkness, while Ed and Stede are right under the sun, the light that is used throughout the show to represent their love (especially Stede's — but that a whole other post I'm working on) is bright and center.

And I'll end with this shot, which unfortunately is cropped, but in the full shot there is open space on either side of the couple. But luckily I want to focus on the space between Ed and Stede. The space here is bridged by their hands touching and holding the petrified orange. (Later on, Stede talks to this orange, calling it Edward in symbolism of his new versus old life).

Stede and Ed parallel Olu and Jim's earlier shot of facing each other but they complete the gap and touch. Their relationship has changed by this point, they are closer: emotionally and physically.

The negative space used in these shots show us the emotional state of the characters, from the green space around them showing their isolation, to by the end the greenery space shows how they have become closer.

#ofmd #our flag means death #cinematography #meta analysis #ofmd meta #jim jimenez #ofmd stede #ofmd stede bonnet #stede bonnet #oluwande boodhari #ofmd oluwande #lucius spriggs #ed teach #ofmd 1x7 #this is happening #ofmd edward teach #edward x stede

[livelovecaliforniadreams]

Ed + Stede Moments Per Episode: 1x7 This Is Happening

#edstede moments #ofmd #ofmdedit #ofmdedits #our flag means death #ed x stede #stede x ed #stede bonnet #captain blackbeard #gif #gifs #gifset #rhys darby #taika waititi #1x7 #insane behavior

[iamadequate1]

Unpopular Opinions on 2x6!

I was in and out of WJW yesterday, but was it said who (Max or DJenks) initiated the 2x6 rewrite? I know Max is to blame for the truncated episode count and episode length, but the makeover-pressure storyline of the original 2x6 maybe just was not working and they decided to correct?

We don't know exactly what "makeover" entailed, but Ed already found Stede attractive under any circumstance (the hanged and sickly look of 1x4, still trying to kiss him after seeing him in that ugly af wig for most of 1x5, that adventurer outfit in 1x7 that did no favor for his legs, etc.) and Stede was already confident enough to try for sex in 2x5. I'm not sure what would have been the point of a Stede makeover, whether it was to make him more "manly" or more "fancy" or more "pretty and gnc" or more whatever was going to be used. The thing that was holding Ed back was wanting to be careful and fear of being hurt again; a Stede makeover wouldn't have helped that, and the crew intervening would have done more harm than good. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Really, the only thing Ed/Stede-wise I'm missing in 2x6 is some degree of sexual tension and a slow dance, dammit. Oh, and really more segue scene in going from on deck, to below deck, to on deck with Ned Low. That was weird.

But, here's the thing: Stede is underdeveloped in S2 compared to Ed. I wrote this thing between the releases of 2x7 and 2x8, and this is the biggest failure that Max gave OFMD in this time truncation. (And the biggest failure from DJenks + company in response is spending so much of the premium screen time on Izzy instead of killing him off early, but I digress...)

This is what I ended that post on, and I stand by it:

I think it should be noted that as of the end of 2x7, Stede is the only crew member who hasn't had mental reflection and/or therapy in Season 2. He realized Mary, Alma, and Louis didn't need him and he was in love with Ed in 1x10, but the voice calling him a child with a toy, an idiot, weak, and ugly is still there.

This is why we need an S3!!!

So, on the lost makeover scene, Stede is the only character that has explicitly had body image issues (from what I remember...), so I really could do without a makeover scene, especially with Stede getting dumped the next episode just a few hours after sleeping with Ed the first time. If Ed had given given him cute reassurances that no makeover was necessary, the dumping would have been even worse! If the crew had pressured the sex in any way, that dumping would have been EXTRA even worse!

I think the makeover/cupid stuff was best left out of canon. I'm sure it would work in a fanfic, but in the placement of the canon story, I don't think it belonged. We REALLY needed more time between "take it slow" and The Banginging (just like we needed more time in the cocaptains era), but 8 episodes, I enjoy the beat breakdowns they chose in the time they were allotted,

Getting more into unpopular opinion territory: I don't care in the slightest that polycule scenes were cut since that storyline is so incredibly uninteresting to me; I don't mind it, but I just don't miss it when it's not around. We don't know who made the call on cutting the polycule scene(s), but IMO, gay Die Hard with Lupete was way better than anything the polycule could have done. And moving the Lupete wedding to the end made the season end on a higher and more hopeful note.

#our flag means death #ofmd #ofmd meta #stede bonnet #loml #izzy critical #i love lupete most of all #ofmd s2e6

[khruschevshoe]

If you want reason #341 why I am currently gnashing my teeth: I'm rewatching season 1 of OFMD and realizing that the only times that Jim ever smiles are because of Olu (especially in 1x7 and 1x10), they are ready to knife Spanish Jackie just to get their family dagger back, and yet there is NO FALLOUT in Season 2 from being forcefully separated from Olu for months on end. Like, I know that Jim did literally conk Blackbeard on the head with a cannonball and all, but I feel like I would have ascended to another plane if they just got to do a little light stabbing or yelling or SOMETHING because the light of their life was stolen and possibly murdered off-screen (they have no idea whether he survived the marooning or not until he shows back up in 2x3).

Ooh, or give me a reunion scene where they hug and/or kiss and they're framed by the sun behind them. If Gentlebeard gets to have the moon, then Jim and Olu can have the sun. I mean, not to steal from a fanfic, but Olu's smile is what brightened Jim's life in the first place. I could have really used some of the cinematographic cues from Season 2 being redistributed from Gentlebeard and onto Tealoranges as the 2nd main couple, y'know?

Anyway, in this essay I will-

#ofmd critical #ofmd #ofmd s2 #tealoranges #jim jimenez #oluwande boodhari #jim x oluwande #they deserved some poetic cinema moments #and a grand reunion #garlicule rides again

[iamadequate1717]

Some thoughts nearly a month later: OFMD S2 flows together nicely after the first watch. Yes, I would like more room between certain milestones, but I also remember that Ed and Stede were besties about 20 minutes after meeting and were going to run away to China together like 3-4 weeks after meeting. I also remember the first time I watched this show and the style of it.

I first watched it the second week it was out, and I watched 1x1-6 in one go, knowing nothing of it. Like I do with fanfic, I then waited for it to finish before going back in (and was in no fanspace to see the speculation), so I watched 1x7-10 two weeks later. Let me tell you, I did NOT see the romance coming! First watch, I tried to get a feel for the humor and "voice" of the show while lazily trying to figure out the overarching story and what they were building toward; I thought it was going to a bigger emphasis on the English threat (and Spanish Jackie coming back in for a larger role!). Eps 4-6, Ed had the whole "I'm gonna burn off Stede's face and steal his identity" thing going on which made every action a bit sinister and Ed/Stede interaction seemingly tied to how that was going to resolve.

Now, 7-10... ep 7 is nice. Not sure how I didn't connect Lucius' "die alone" comment to a story romance, but I'm aroace and didn't have time to think about it much as I barreled into 8-10! Ed was a fratbro in 8, but he renounced his ways, and 20 audience minutes later, he's kissing Stede and starting this whole go to China thing! Whaaaa? It is absolute whiplash on first viewing if you came in not hearing this called "the gay pirate show." (Don't get me wrong! I liked it!) They just met, they got over that whole face burning thing, and ep 7 was the only breathing room on first run to see their relationship as one more as equals, and they're just immediately going off on a gay wedding honeymoon together?

However, if you go back and watch it, you can see all the details they put into the show and how they were setting up the season payoff. It was brilliant. The show was always breakneck and had things happen offscreen (ex: how hard Ed fell, the early early flirtation of Lucius and Pete), I think. If you need reflection time for S2 events, that is what the pause button (and S3) is for.

S2, the audience really had to adjust to the more "real pirate" tone and jettison the fanon (you know, in theory!) while also absorbing the story direction and payoffs. It is a lot to take in on first watch, like S1 was. Like S1, S2 improves on rewatch, and pacing and whiplash aren't so bad.

#our flag means death #ofmd #ofmd s2 #ofmd meta #ofmd s2 is beautiful

[bizarrelittlemew]

Stede being firm (requested by anon)

#ofmd #ofmd s2 #our flag means death #ofmdedit #ofmdsource #ofmd gifs #ida.stuff #stede bonnet #edward teach #ofmd 1x3 #ofmd 1x5 #ofmd 1x7 #ofmd 1x8 #ofmd 2x3 #ofmd 2x5 #ofmd 2x6 #this took ages 💀 #but i've been wanting to do it for a long time

[bizarrelittlemew]

down so horrendous it makes him look stupid hot

#honestly how dare he #ofmd #our flag means death #ofmdedit #ofmdsource #ofmd gifs #ida.stuff #ofmd 1x7 #edward teach

[bizarrelittlemew]

"I mean, we're all enjoying your company here."

#ofmd #our flag means death #ofmdedit #ofmdsource #ofmd gifs #ida.stuff #ofmd 1x7 #stede bonnet #edward teach #blackbonnet #gentlebeard #ed's little forehead wrinkles are so kissable

[bizarrelittlemew]

Stede's morning tea look 😏

Bonus:

#the swordfight practice outfit was the sexiest but this was the sluttiest #and it's the same lavender breeches #slutty domestic “imagine this is the morning after we fucked” vibes #how did he not know he was seducing ed #ofmd #our flag means death #ofmdedit #ofmdsource #ofmd gifs #ida.stuff #stede bonnet #ofmd 1x7

[bizarrelittlemew]

Our Flag Means Death 1x7 "I'm actually a little disappointed. I was starting to have fun."

#ofmd #our flag means death #ofmdedit #ofmdsource #ofmd gifs #ida.stuff #ofmd 1x7 #edward teach #stede bonnet #lucius spriggs #long post #just giffing one of my fav scenes because i want to #and because i love ed talking stede up please he needs it so much

[bizarrelittlemew]

Stede: could you chill please 🙄

#“cAHm doun” #in the mom voice aksjdhfjdks #ofmd #ofmd s2 #our flag means death #ofmdedit #ofmdsource #ofmd gifs #ida.stuff #stede bonnet #ofmd 1x7 #ofmd 1x9 #ofmd 2x5

[follows-the-bees]

I ended up writing a ton more OFMD meta posts than I thought. And for the sake of my own sanity, I made a master post of all of them.

Filmmaking Meta

How cinematography, blocking, and camerawork in S2 eps 6&7 show Ed's and Stede's emotions

Sound design in 2x3 MerStede scene

Full filmmaking breakdown of 2x3 MerStede scene

Scene that captures the thesis of the show

Filmmaking, camerawork, framing, in 2x1

Breakdown of love "confession" scene in 2x4

Progression of the candle light getting closer to Ed in 2x4

The contrast of sounds used in the bathtub scene

The use of greenery in negative space in 1x7: This Is Happening (Part One of Negative Space Series)

How center-framed shots of Ed's back show his emotional state and isolation (Part Two of Negative Space Series)

How negative space shows Ed a hopeful future (Part 2.5 of Negative Space Series)

Negative space shows Ed's isolation after shuffling on the Blackbeard/Kraken role. (Part 2.5.5 of Negative Space Series)

The camerawork, cinematography, and blocking during Blackbeard and Frenchie's "impossible bird" conversation at the end of 2x1.

How the camerawork used in 2x2 Red Flags shows the power dynamic and tension between Blackbeard and Frenchie.

The contrast of having these two shots (2x1 and 2x5) set in the exact same place.

Wild West/Western theme used with the original Blackbeard crew

Wild West theme coming back when Ed is The Kraken

More Western tropes that I found

Buttons as a conduit of death/purgatory

Ed and Stede jumping into the water for each other

2x3 and 2x8 Ed and water parallels

Light motifs show hope and love

Green lighting used in 1x6

Ed and Stede wedding cake toppers

Light motif during the lighthouse scene in 1x4

Mirror shots

Izzy's lighting in jail

1x8 and 1x10 depression era robe

Fanfiction Meta

Stede's costume color in S2

Face touching and Ed's outfits meaning

Character Meta

The crew voting to let Ed back on the Revenge

Ed hiding his heart: the silk and cake topper

Single layers and no shoes show Ed's emotional vulnerability

Stede heals the tattoos Ed puts on his body to get over/integrate his fears/image

Jim's transformation in Calypso's Birthday

Archie's role in the narrative

Ed not really wanting to die in the grav(e)y basket

Stede touches Ed's elbow and back of head cause he knows it's safe

Ed touching Stede's chest

Frenchie's and Ed's instant friendship

Ed and Frenchie have similar coping mechanisms

Discomfort in a Married State

Doggy Heaven line

Izzy taking the blame for the painting

Ed hiding his heart (silk, wedding cake toppers)

Stede character study

Stede Bunnet Symbolism

Choice of saying us not me

Ed's trauma response

Stede going quiet when grieving

Non-Meta

Stede is a cutie patootie

Ed's introduction

Comedic actors can't pull off drama

Small moments in PB scene

Jim as Peter Pan

Edward Teach, born on a beach

Song Lyrics

All Shades of Blue

The Stable Song

Dark, Dark, Dark

Southern Star

Second Chances

Swallowed in the Sea

#ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd s2 #ofmd season 2 #masterpost #ofmd meta #meta analysis #cinematography #ofmd stede bonnet #ed teach #izzy hands meta

[iamadequate1]

OFMD S2, My Beloved

We need to stop tiptoeing around it! Stop with the "I liked it, but..." with every statement about S2. You can say the same thing about everything. It doesn't make you cool or better at enjoying media! You love people, animals, places, tasty food, twinkly holiday decorations, whatever!, but you don't preface all your statements "I like (thing), but (flaw)..." It's an exhausting human experience. It doesn't make you more intellectual to be cynical, and harassing those involved in show production to give some OOC "Emotions Are Not For Sharing" type soundbite to justify your terrible takes doesn't make you a quality warrior. There are things I didn't like in OFMD S2, but on the whole, what an experience! 2023 has been just a soul crushing experience, but here we have a sincere and joyful bright spot.

S2, just the payoffs, guys (gn)!! (I know I put S2 in the title, but this just turned into Ed/Stede, and I apologize for nothing.)

Remember this in 1x4??

Ed: Well, Blackbeard? What do you think? Do you concur? Stede: Me? Ed: I mean, you wanted to be Blackbeard. This is what it's like. (...) Uh oh, time's almost up. What're you gonna do? Stede: What? Ed: They're on us now. Time for a new idea, Stede. Stede: W-w-we talk. Ed: The crew's gonna die. Stede: I don't - have an idea. Ed: Hurry, you're going to lose all your men. It's all gonna be your fault. All of the men who trusted you. Stede: I don't know! Ed: All their blood's gonna be on your hands. It's going to be your fault! Stede: I don't know! Lucius: Time's up! Stede: I don't know what to do! Ed: Death it is.

It serves to show why Ed would want to give up Blackbeard, but also, payoff for S2 Stede! Half his crew is set to be executed, and he flawlessly whips out and carries out a rescue plan to save them, all while mourning the love of his life.

And Ed! Also in 1x4, we get the Treading Water speech.

We don't get the full effect of the life Ed wants to leave until 2x1-3. That life in 2x1-2 is the pirate life, only with fewer breaks. It harshly contrasts against Stede's life, and it was only theoretical in S1. We can see why Stede's Original Pirate Captain Style was so fascinating to Ed, and we can see why he fell so hard. In 2x3, we get the literal visual representation of a bright little goldfish Stede in Ed's dark life where he was waiting to drown.

It's soooo cute!

Ed knew first what was going on. In S1, Stede just did not know why he was so upset about Ed leaving on the "next adventure" or why he spent all night spying on Ed and Jack!

But in S2, he knows exactly why he's so upset for Ed dumping him to be a fisherman....

Oh wait, that's not a fun thing to revisit... backpedal.... end of S1, Stede finally realizes he's in love thanks to Mary the GOAT.

End of S2, he's confident in this love and knowing he's loved in return!

March 24, 2022 to October 5, 2023.... 560 days of speculation, and S2 gave us the softest reunion between these two!

And the callbacks! Ed always comes back to Stede.

In 1x7, Lucius dropped the revelation on Ed that his crush on that bizarre little man might be reciprocated, opening up all kinds of hope!

The payoff in S2, he gets the gentlest love confession from Stede.

Just the S1 gazes become sweeter when you know you get to follow the journey with them being comfortable with their affection to one another!

(The comparison between this gaze and a kiss is the whole reason I made this post...)

End of S1, Stede imagined just the domesticity of asking Ed about his day...

And he got to hear about Ed's day in S2 (featuring that homewrecking fish*), even getting a kiss out of it!

(* warning: post written between 2x7 and 2x8, and I was a bit too harsh on Ed in the end)

In 1x6, Ed had some manifesting skills with his "Stab me!" homoeroticism.

S2 Stede picked up some of his manifesting skills with his "Ed, oh, Ed!" dreams, and in 2x6....

Just after in 2x7, we get cute making-breakfast-for-your-SO like Mary and Doug in S1.

S1 showed how much they could hurt each other. Ed was so happy after Stede agreed (reluctantly) to run away with him to China.

And, well...

Ed hurt Stede, too... dumping him for Jack in front of everyone!

But end of S2, they're together! They're going to be working together on their relationship! They're in love!

Beautiful journey, and it isn't over yet! (S3 renewal announcement soon, HBO, please!)

And, I'm a simple creature. S2 also gave us the Cursed Red Suit and MerStede.

Bless you, OFMD S2. Both of these things made my life much brighter.

And how cute Ed and Stede were smiling at each other in the MerStede scene?

Just heartmeltingly cute. OFMD S2, I love everything about you.

🥰

This was Ed/Stede heavy, so I put up two bonus GIF posts just before this!

Roach:

LuPete:

Someone also posted a great Ed/Stede marriage visuals between S1 and S2 yesterday, too!

#our flag means death #ofmd #ofmd gifs #the greatest show #blackbonnet #gentlebeard #🥰 #ofmd s3 confirmation now plz #ofmd s2 is beautiful #i might have a stede bias #this show is my happy place #there is a 30 gif limit on tumblr posts #i cannot express my love for this show in 30 gifs #tumblr hates me specifically #i like it when a show takes me on a journey and i'm not mad at the destination #need s3 for more of this journey! please hbo #i spent christmas eve making gifs so i won the holiday #me and the free low quality gif maker on my phone are unstoppable #some of these gifs may exist but i made all the gifs on this post because it would look weird to put high quality gifs next to my gifs #the parallels!

[follows-the-bees]

I've seen a lot of people searching for the word to call the main secondary characters in OFMD. Like Jim in S1 and Izzy in s2, etc

So I offer the following:

The word and role of the main secondary character (that get their own arc and can change who it is over the course of an episode or season) is deuteragonist.

In the context of OFMD, the genre is romantic comedy. (I know it's been called other things, workplace comedy, etc, but those are all slightly off) the main genre of the show is romantic comedy — particularly of the Shakespearean variety (meaning it deals with trauma, violence, and the human condition) with bits of 90/2000s sprinkled in (love letters in a bottle, reuniting on a beach after.)

So under that genre, the protagonists and main characters are: Ed and Stede. There is also an argument to be made that Stede is the main protagonist and Ed the love interest.

The others make up the secondary (or tertiary) characters, many of them get their own completed arcs. That includes the antagonists, foils, crew members, etc.

So depending on the episode, the main deuteragonist can change. For instance, in 1x7, This is Happening, Jim is the deuteragonist and makes up the B plot. In 2x5, Izzy and Lucius are the deuteragonist.

Here's a basic breakdown of those two episodes and how it ties into these titles.

1x7 This Happening

A plot: Ed and Stede (and Lucius) on the treasure hunt. Ed and Stede serve as the protagonists/leads.

B plot: Jim, including their background, and relationships with Olu and Nana. That makes Jim the deuteragonist.

C plot: The rest of the crew getting oranges and building the wall, as well as Izzy going to Jackie at the end (that's closer to a D plot)

2x5: The Curse of the Seafaring Life

This one is a bit more complicated since Ed and Stede are separated.

Aa: Stede getting comfortable with being captain again. Includes his talk with Ed, training with Izzy, all of his talks with the crew.

Ab: Ed and his journey of healing and making it right. So his talk with Lucius then Fang.

Aa and Ab (the two protagonists/leads) come together at the end with the moonlight scene.

Ba plot: Izzy and his learning to find a place on the ship.

Bb plot: Lucius and Pete.

Those are tied together as well with the shark sculpture scene. This makes the B plot secondary characters the deuteragonists.

C plot: The rest of the crew. Frenchie and Roach in the kitchen, the throuple. They are the tertiary characters in this episode.

#ofmd #our flag means death #meta analysis #ofmd meta analysis #ofmd meta #protagonist #Deuteragonist #story structure #ofmd stede #ed teach #izzy hands #jim jimenez