After compromising the fate of its two protagonists, Our Flag Means Death comes to a close by completely flipping the history books and delivering a finale that is very much on-brand with the style that’s made the show’s writers, especially Taika Waititi so famous. Naturally, that means plenty of laughs at the expense of this unconventional pirate gang and its two captains.
Our Flag Means Death achieves this by turning the pirate comedy into a rom-com of sorts for HBO Max, with the somewhat surprising twist that Stede Bonnet and Blackbeard suddenly find what they have been looking for practically their entire lives in one another. However, this transition from bromance at sea to romance is not necessarily rushed or forced in any way, instead, it feels like the perfect way to cap off the series’ 10-episode run in the same skit-like style it’s been using so far.
That is mainly because, throughout the whole series, most of the characters stay quite true to themselves - Stede Bonnet left his family in what would usually be defined as a midlife crisis, after spending years stuck in a loveless marriage (romantic love at least), running away to seek adventure. On the other hand, Blackbeard has pretty much bored himself to death now that no amount of pillaging and pirating can fill his soul, hence why the two men complement each other so well.
In any case, in the two-part finale episode nine is the real standout because it’s where Our Flag Means Death fully abandons its historical ties to reality and veers off into fan-fiction territory. Much like in real life, Bonnet and Teach secure themselves a royal pardon by the means of King George I’s Acts of Grace proclamation, only that rather than being driven by each man’s survival instincts, Blackbeard invokes said right out of love.
On top of that, the aptly named “Act of Grace” continues the exploration of the Gentleman Pirate’s psyche who can’t still come to terms with killing a man by accident, and let’s just say that’s a burden Bonnet will continue to live with for far longer. Blackbeard goes through a similar process, and after committing themselves to their Majesty’s service as privateers, the beardless Ed goes all in for the kiss, because, unlike Disney executives, Pirates can say gay and act it out too.
The heartbreak feels pretty real in Our Flag Means Death, which is quite a feat for a silly pirate comedy, though having Lou Reed’s lyrics certainly helps as both episodes deliver yet another round of excellent music choices. As for the rest of the crew, they fulfill their duties quite well, continuing to be the more humorous aspect of the show when things between Stede and Ed get too serious.
Episode nine unfolds quite nicely, considering how much ground it actually covers to move the story forward, and it’s perhaps the most serious Our Flag Means Death’s tone ever gets, all while preserving its funny facet intact. The actual finale, "Wherever You Go, There You Are", is more akin to the show’s sillier narratives, while reminding viewers that these men are indeed pirates and Blackbeard must do cruel pirate things for that is his nature.
This encompasses the other two romantic arcs in this pirate story, both coming to an end also with unsatisfying conclusions, with Oluwande and Jim sharing a brief stint together, whereas Lucius and Black Pete’s frantic affair ends as abruptly as it started. Again, these sour moments seem perfectly placed to remind audiences that the mopey heartbroken Ed is just there temporarily until Blackbeard comes out to play again.
Of course, if the final episode is mostly about humor then Stede coming back home has to be the focal point of it, as Mary is instantly shocked at his return after finding a happier life without her husband. The marriage’s fights, Stede being unable to bond with his own children, and his own incapacity to fit in with the upper class society he abandoned tells the tale of a man who from the very first episode went out to find himself and ultimately does by admitting his love for Ed.
Does all this make Our Flag Means Death a love story? Hardly so, but for a series that also was never like playing Sea of Thieves or Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag's brilliant story and gameplay, this route helps it carve out its own definitive path even more. This pirate comedy remains funny from start to end, and using a gay love story as the origin for Blackbeard’s famous pirate flag (a disputed topic in itself) is the perfect way to marry pirate history with its funny script.
Both Rhys Darby and Waititi are stellar in their respective roles, but other standouts here include Rory Kinnear as both Badminton twins and the entire crew that ensures there’s never a dull moment to be seen. It may not be a Pirates of the Caribbean revival by any means, nor One Piece's take on the theme, but Our Flag Means death is definitely a pirate comedy worth watching for more than a few laughs.