Editor’s Note: This review is based on the first three episodes.
Our Flag Means Death, the new series from Oscar-winning writer/director Taika Waititi, arrived on HBO Max at the right time.
In the existential sense of things, the world continues to just deal harrowing hand after harrowing hand. If it’s not the pandemic, it’s the conflict in Europe or flying spiders invading the East Coast, or the ever-rising and crushing amount of stress and anxiety the working world injects into our souls on a daily basis. So, yeah, setting sail with this silly assortment of sailors is like a cool ocean breeze on a scoring hot day.
The timing of the series’ debut works perfectly for 2022 because we’re far removed from a time when pirates were an ever-present part of pop culture. You couldn’t turn around with another Pirates of the Caribbean sequel on the horizon or a new dreadfully dull pirate series hitting network or premium television. Had Our Flag Means Death premiered 10-15 years ago, many would’ve wrongly written this series as a hollow spoof, attempting to cash in on the pirate fad.
With the confluence of pop culture relevancy, existential dread, and the fact that Waititi is red hot and could likely get any show he wants to be greenlit, we have been graced with Our Flag Means Death.
The series follows former aristocrat turned “gentleman pirate” Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby, Yes Man) – a man completely out of his element in the world of pirates, but somehow finds himself on a collision course (through a series of wild events) with the legendary Blackbeard (Waititi). He leads with a gentle touch – reading bedtime stories to his crew, extolling the virtues of being a gentleman over a rogue, and freaking out at any sight of danger. Darby is absolutely brilliant in this role. He delivers comedically through a lightning-quick wit and his tasteful slapstick approach to physical comedy.
Yet, the best parts of Darby’s performance lie in the dramatic. Bonnet is a man scarred by the fact everyone in his life either abused him, hated him, or told him he was never strong/tough/manly/good enough. He’s tortured by it, as well as his decision to abandon his family in order to become a pirate. It’s these moments, and the moments he’s (spoiler alert) haunted by the ghost of a former classmate and British captain he accidentally murders (played beautifully by the usually serious-as-all-hell Rory Kinnear), where Darby shines. This trauma and tragedy are imbued into every bit of comedy Darby conveys in the series, and it’s just a marvel to watch.
Bonnett’s crew is composed of some amazing veteran comedic and character actors that bring such wonderful moments of silliness to the series. The wildly underrated Samson Kayo, who was one of the best parts of the Nick Frost series Truth Seekers, is a revelation in his role as the lovesick pirate Oluwande. Kayo is just so naturally funny and quick-witted, but what sells him is his ability to be a charmingly befuddled character. He easily becomes one of the stars of the series by the third episode.
The rest of his crew includes Game of Thrones alums Kristian Nairn and Joel Fry, Samba Schutte (Sunnyside) Vico Ortiz (Sex Lives of College Girls), Nathan Foad (Bloods), Oscar winner Nat Faxon, Matthew Mahr (Gone Baby Gone), and Ewan Bremmer (Trainspotting).
This all-star lineup has this wonderful, lived-in, dysfunctional chemistry that bolsters the chaos and buffoonery of Button’s leadership. This series could literally be all of these characters crabbing at each other on the ship for 30 minutes about literally anything, and it’d be a joy to watch.
This is what makes Our Flag Means Death so watchable. It’s just a really likable show that has great cast chemistry and never takes itself too seriously, but it also has this incredible amount of emotional work put into it. It also peppers in ridiculously sublime cameos from the likes of Fred Armisen and Leslie Jones (amongst others) to create just outlandishly delightful “adventures of the week.” Ultimately, Our Flag Means Death is a must-watch. HBO Max might not be promoting this as heavily as Peacemaker or Winning Time, but this series has all the earmarks of a binge-able cult series that will live in people’s hearts for a long time.
Our Flag Means Death airs every airs Thursdays on HBO MAX.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFE8ASwxmpA
Comments are closed.