‘Our Flag Means Death’ Season 2 Premiere Review: New Season, Same Pirate Perfection

For anyone who has been waiting patiently for their favorite gay pirates to return to the TV screen: The wait is over. “Our Flag Means Death” is back on Max for a second season and picks up right where it left off. If the second season’s premiere is any indication, viewers are in for another season of laughs, a few tears, and a whole lot of pirate fun.

Making a period piece into a witty comedy is tough, but “Our Flag Means Death” seems to have already mastered this art. All of the show’s dialogue is written in a modern, witty tone which makes it digestible to viewers despite a historical setting which could otherwise feel unrelatable to modern audiences. This is displayed most clearly in the writing for Spanish Jackie (Leslie Jones), whose casual rhetoric and non-stop swearing make her a perfectly relatable and funny character. After catching Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby) and his pirate crew attempting to steal her chest of expensive indigo dye, Jackie demands, quite simply, “give me back my blue sh*t, Steve.” When a character with the costuming and personality of someone from the 18th century inhabits a modern and casual tone, there’s an inherently pleasant surprise which allows the audience to remain interested and amused. In general, the type of dry humor that the show employs, focusing on witty remarks as opposed to clear-cut jokes, is refreshing and creates a pervasive comedic atmosphere rather than a robotic string of set-ups and punchlines. The show’s style of comedy is so conversational and simple that the viewer is sure to be laughing along from start to finish.

However, as any viewer of the show’s first season can admit, “Our Flag Means Death” has so much more to offer beyond its comedic facade. Blackbeard (Taika Waititi) enters the new season exactly as he began the first: a coldhearted pirate killing machine. Unlike the first season, however, he now has a weight on his heart. Feeling abandoned by Stede, whom he developed such deep feelings for in the first season, he returns as a heartbroken man. While telling the story of a landless bird to a member of his crew, very clearly alluding to himself, he explains that the bird has been resigned “to sail, rob, raise hell forever.” Waititi, typically known for delivering punch lines, carries the emotional weight of this season’s first episode with a deeply raw and emotional performance.

This second season also brings with it two exciting new faces. Prince Ricky Barnes (Erroll Shand) is introduced in the first episode as a sort of second coming of Stede Bonnet. Coming from a background of wealth, Ricky is an extravagant man who dreams of becoming a pirate just like Stede. While the crew is robbing Spanish Jackie, Ricky stays back and makes a cocktail (a lime rickey, to be exact) to leave at the scene of the crime. He explains to Stede that he is going to do this regularly in his pirate pursuits, and that everyone he robs will know the phrase “you’ve been ricked.” Shand delivers quirkiness and wit in his debut as Ricky, and viewers should be excited for what is to come for his character this season.

Season 2 also sees the addition of Susan (Ruibo Qian), a mysterious soup vendor who pops up throughout the episode as a relatively neutral character, but is revealed to be so much more. She is introduced when Stede and Olu (Samson Kayo) come to buy soup from her shop. When asked by Stede what kind of hard work it must have taken to acquire her store, she states smugly that “I killed someone and stole their kiosk.” Despite her small presence in the bulk of the first episode, Qian’s monotone delivery and cool attitude make her stand out in an already expansive cast. She is definitely one to look out for, and her character’s development throughout this new season is another thing to be excited about.

Season 2 of “Our Flag Means Death” is already proving to be a successful continuation of the show’s outstanding first season. This new premiere has come out of the gates swinging, and is already delivering wit and humor, authentically emotional performances, and a few new faces to keep things interesting. There’s no question that fans of the series should be looking forward to what this new season has to offer.