So last week, the fam gathered here in the Fortress of Ineptitude to finish off the first season of Our Flag Means Death.
Our Flag Means Death is described as a "romantic comedy" about 18th century pirates and the romance is so gay. Not subtext gay but actual you can see them kissing gay.
You know how certain people lost their shit over the subplot in Lightyear over two lesbians who get married and raise a family? Well, Our Flag Means Death would make those same people's heads explode.
The romantic relationships between men are not subtext but the actual frickin' text. Yes, there's sexual tension between Stede Bonnett and Ed Teach, aka Blackbeard. But that moves beyond mere perception to reality when Ed moves into kiss Stede. Or later when Stede confides that he has found true love with someone and that someone is named "Ed".
But true to form for any romance story, there are obstacles on the road to true love. Thinking he's been abandoned by Stede Bonnett, Ed takes command of Bonnet's ship the Revenge and begins backsliding from the kinder, gentler Edward and back towards his more ruthless Blackbeard persona. Which results in Bonnet's motley crew being marooned on a island. Despite the reversion back to form of the harsh and brutal Blackbeard, when alone Ed weeps for this lost love, Stede.
And what happened to Stede Bonnet? Finding out he's been declared "dead" back home, Stede returns to his wife Mary who has been living a very comfortable and happy life as a widow. Stede's return is a very big inconvenience to Mary's lifestyle. Stede and Mary reach an understanding that results in an elaborate con (that Blackbeard calls "a fuckery") to kill off Stede Bonnet in front of many witnesses while Stede returns to the sea in search of his ship, his crew and this true love, Ed.
No wonder fans of this show were in a tizzy over whether Our Flag Means Death would be renewed for a 2nd season. (Which it finally was.)
Our Flag Means Death is a show that defies easy analysis. "It's a funny show about gay pirates" misses so much of the complex humanity on display here.
Also Our Flag Means Death is a show that could not have been made in an earlier era.
"Coming to our 1972 fall line up on ABC, it's Our Flag Means Death, a new wacky comedy about pirates starring Adam West as Steve Bonnet with a great comedic cast featuring Don Adams, Jonathan Winters, Phil Silvers, Don Knotts and Paul Lynde." Paul Lynde would be as close as you would get to a gay pirate.
As for the real thing, we've got a long wait, maybe a year, before we get to season 2 of Our Flag Means Death .
Until next time, remember to be good to one another and try to keep it down in there, would ya? I'm trying to watch TV over here.
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BLOG BIDNESS
Taking a blog break for a bit. We'll be back on Sunday for a new Cinema Sunday post.
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