Some Thoughts on LGBTQ Representation in Our Flag Means Death

*Spoilers.*

The last time I wrote about Our Flag Means Death, it was to sing the praises of the extraordinary slow-burn central romance between Stede and Blackbeard. Honestly, the representation on this show is absolutely wild to think about. The fact that they “go there” with Blackbeard and Stede was enough to knock unspoiled fans on their heads when they first saw it go down, and what’s more, theirs isn’t even the only queer romance on the show.

We’ll start by talking about some of the other representation before circling back to our main couple. The first explicit references come within the first few episodes. It’s already been established that Jim is in disguise and pretending to be mute because they’re on the run, although viewers probably think initially that “Bonefacia” is a woman disguising herself as a man. When Lucius catches sight of them out of their disguise, he promises he won’t tell a soul and says he’s great at keeping secrets, pointing out, “My mum thought I liked girls for years!”

Jim’s secret later comes out (not Lucius’s fault, by the way,) and after some initial confusion by the crew—the phrase, “Are you a mermaid?” gets uttered—everyone adjusts to the fact that Jim can actually talk and their pronouns are they/them. Also, bonus fact: Jim is played by a nonbinary performer who’s funny, endearing, and handles knives like an absolute boss.

As the series goes on, we learn that Lucius has sketched most of the crew au naturale and has a particular affection for Black Pete. Izzy tries to shame them for this, but they simply roll with it, shrugging that they’re not possessive or into labels. And we see this casual attitude from both of them. It might be “expected” that flirty, sassy Lucius is out and proud, but Black Pete, the gruff sea dog of “I used to be on Blackbeard’s crew, ‘cause I’m tough like that” fame, is just as unbothered by Izzy’s insinuations. They may not be a couple that makes the most sense when you first see them, but they’re pretty cute together, especially when Black Pete carves a prosthetic finger to replace the one Lucius loses.

Meanwhile, Oluwande is navigating his complicated feelings for Jim, but any reticence on his part isn’t about their gender identity or expression. Rather, he’s 1) shy/nervous to make a move and 2) afraid of ruining their friendship. When Jim temporarily parts ways with the crew, Oluwande is a wreck, wallowing in too much rum and giving away their shared room because he doesn’t want to sleep in it alone. Once Jim comes back, it’s only a matter of time before the fireworks fly.

And then, we return to Blackbeard and Stede. I won’t enumerate all of the wonderfulness of their romance again, but there’s something particular I wanted to talk about with them this time around. One thing I really love about the Stede/Blackbeard relationship is how damn dynamic it is. I think part of the reason that people continue to gravitate towards non-canon slash pairings, even as LGBTQ representation is slowly increasing, is that too many canon same-sex pairings feature watered-down storytelling. A number of stories still lean into "I've never felt this way about another man/woman before, I don't know if I can do this, what will people think?" as a main source of drama, and plenty of others don't really have drama at all, instead giving us blandly pleasant background couples that don't have a lot going on. People ship non-canon pairings because they're exciting, meaty, and complex, the kind of romances they'd want to see onscreen. (And, well, fans are going to ship attractive characters with each other. It's what they do.)

Both characters are equally capable of bringing the drama and the hilarity, and they're magnetic together. I just love watching the dance they do over the course of the season as their friendship slowly becomes more. I love the cute/sweet moments between them, like when they discuss the possibility of being “co-captains,” riff about the imaginary bar and grill Blackbeard is going to open, and talk to each other about their feelings later in the season. But I also love a depressed Stede holding a fake spyglass to his eye as he watches Blackbeard depart (again, temporarily) with an old pirate buddy/ex(?) who came between them, and I love the utter desperation in Blackbeard's voice when he shouts, "Act of grace!!!" as British naval officers are about to execute Stede. I very much do not love Blackbeard's dark turn at the end of the season, but it's compelling as hell, and I badly need to know what's going to happen next and how both he and Stede will react when they find each other again.

Blackbeard/Stede is fantastic because it has all the complexity and drama of a non-canon ship paired with explicit onscreen confirmation involving declarations of love and physical intimacy. The closest thing I’ve seen to it on my screen is Aziraphale and Crowley from Good Omens, but while there’s no doubt in my mind that that angel and demon love each other, and writer/cast alike have affirmed that interpretation, the show still leaves things clear but unspoken. With Stede and Blackbeard, they say, in no uncertain terms, that this is a romance. And sadly, in the TV landscape, that’s still pretty magical to see.