The central gag of Our Flag Means Death is the juxtaposition between the gritty life of a high seas pirate and the silliness of modern managerial culture. This trio of episodes pits Stede Bonnet, the boss in way over his head, against his greatest challenge yet; learning to do his job properly.
The prospect of a show in which Taika Waititi portrays the world's most famous pirate, Edward "Blackbeard" Thatch is already destined for greatness. The fact that he's not only the best portrayal of the man ever committed to the screen but also one of the most engaging characters on TV today makes it a staggering achievement.
Taika hasn't gotten back into the director's chair on the project aside from the pilot, but the new talent helming the series is excellent. Episode 4: "Discomfort in a Married State" is directed by Nacho Vigalondo, who also crafted the previous two. Vigalondo is probably still up-and-coming, but he's made some truly excellent stuff in the past few years. From 2016's Colossal, a clever science-fiction comedy that gets way darker than one would imagine, to Pooka!, the best effort of Blumhouse's Into the Dark project, he's fast becoming a deeply interesting figure.
After his near mortal wounding in episode three, Stede Bonnet spends a long time sleeping it off as Blackbeard debates what to do with the Revenge. The crew of the ship idolizes Blackbeard, he's everything their captain isn't, but he quickly proves himself to be both, an incredible pirate and deeply fallible. Through exploring Stede's ridiculous wardrobe and his luxurious quarters, Blackbeard discovers that the Gentleman Pirate is doing a few things right. Thus, a beautiful friendship and a hard-won agreement is forged. Stede promises to teach Edward the way of a fancier man and Edward promises to teach Stede how to lead a pirate's crew.
Episode five: "The Best Revenge is Dressing Well" and episode six, helpfully self-censored as "The Art of F**kery" were directed by Fernando Frias, best known for I'm No Longer Here. Every member of Bonnet's ragtag crew is packed with personality, and they all get their own chance to shine. Blackbeard's crewmates, Fang, Ivan, and Izzy Hands, have joined their captain aboard the Revenge, and their often hostile interplay is a welcome addition to the crew. While Izzy remains the gruff taskmaster, and the closest thing the show has to a recurring villain thus far, Fang and Ivan get to play around a bit. Episode five sees the crew visit an upscale party, and the different approaches taken by the myriad members are hilarious.
The sixth episode of Our Flag Means Death unpacks a very true aspect of historical pirates that is rarely addressed: their penchant for showmanship. The real Blackbeard put fuses in his iconic facial hair to strike fear into the hearts of his enemy. In the show, he goes for a pyrotechnics and high-wire act, and the Revenge's crew pieces together a truly staggering display. This continues one of the most enjoyable aspects of the show, finding unorthodox solutions for very deadly problems. Stede's barely a pirate and Blackbeard is sick of the old raiding game, so the creative thinking they employ to defeat better trained, and better-armed enemies are always engaging. While the show does occasionally break out into action scenes, the chaotic energy of those battles leaves them as hilarious as they are harrowing.
One of the most interesting aspects of the series is interweaved throughout the high seas action. These episodes delve deeper into the immediate past of The Gentleman Pirate, the conditions of his life that led him to take to the Revenge. While being based heavily on real history, his misery and stagnation are intensely relatable. Alongside him, Blackbeard is actually given a staggering amount of backstory. Historians know almost nothing about Edward's real upbringing, up to and including the nine or ten different spellings of his name, but the series invents a life for him that feels very authentic. Both men come from near-opposite lives but have ended up in the same place, and that foundation leads them to form a heartwarming relationship.
The cast is stellar across the board. The cameos remain strong, Nick Kroll and Kristen Schaal have hilarious supporting roles. Rhys Darby carries the starring role with perfect dramatic chops and excellent comedic timing. Vico Ortiz is excellent as Jim, who is now the target of constant questioning since being discovered. Joel Fry as Frenchie and Samson Kayo as Oluwande are a fantastic comedic duo. Ewen Bremner is hilarious as Buttons, simultaneously the most intelligent and least coherent character on the Revenge. Nathan Foad's character Lucius has a wonderful developing relationship and some of the best comic moments so far. Waititi's Blackbeard is perfect, no notes. The writing is excellent, but the cast still manages to elevate the text.