*Oluwande-related spoilers.*
Honestly, is it even possible to dislike Oluwande? If there’s a heart of the Revenge, it’s probably him, and while he unfortunately has less to do in in the second season than the first, his presence still adds enormously to the ship.
Oluwande comes aboard the Revenge alongside Jim, when they’re hiding from Spanish Jackie after killing her favorite husband. At first, we mainly see him running interference for Jim a lot: interpreting their gestures for the crew (since they’re pretending to be mute,) helping maintain their disguise, and generally keeping them from getting caught out (well, as much as possible—Jim can be stubborn, and there’s only so much Olu can do.) We know about Olu’s feelings for Jim long before he does, but it’s clear from the get-go that he’d do just about anything for them.
But while Jim is more important to Oluwande than anyone else on the ship, he’s still well-integrated into the crew. Especially in the early episodes, we see him standing up for Stede, discouraging the crew from mutinying. He also tries to gentle intimate to Stede that he might not be cut out for piracy but offers a patient if slightly long-suffering listening ear after Stede’s actions result in the death of Nigel Badminton.
In short, he’s a good guy. He looks out for people and is generally kind to them—certainly for a pirate. It’s why, when Izzy brief takes over the ship, the crew vote to make Oluwande the captain after their planned mutiny. Olu tries to bow out, but his humility only cliches it for them. As Buttons puts it, “The only good captains are the ones that hate being captain.”
In season 2, separated from Jim, Oluwande’s gentle friendliness puts him on Zheng Yi Sao’s radar. The legendary pirate queen is posing as a soup merchant on the Republic of Pirates, and while I imagine a lot of her patrons are surly and demanding, she quickly comes to think of Olu as “the break in [her] day.” He absolutely deserves to be liked and crushed on, so I enjoy this new development for him, and he’s also able to use Zheng’s regard for him to plead for leniency for Ed’s crew when they reunite with the Revenge.
As I said, Oluwande isn’t as prominent in season 2, which is a bummer. But his inner light still comes through. When Stede’s crew tries to bring Ed’s back into the fold, Olu is a voice of reason and reassurance among a lot of anxiety and paranoia, helping Jim and the others finally feel safe on the ship again. And I love how he helps Auntie in the season finale, first realizing that she needs medical attention, and then in getting her to understand that her gruff attitude isn’t what Zheng Yi Sao needs. “Soft, Auntie,” he quietly coaches when Zheng finds them, leading to a really beautiful moment between the pirate queen and her first mate.
If (when!) we get a third season, I hope we see a lot more of Oluwande. I want to get more exploration of, and clarity for, his relationships with Jim, Zheng, and/or Archie, I want to see him more prominent in the crew, and just overall, I want to see more of him doing what he does best.
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