Relationship Spotlight: Oluwande Boodhari & Jim Jimenez (Our Flag Means Death)

*Oluwande/Jim-related spoilers.*

In talking about this show, I haven’t written much that isn’t related to Stede and/or Blackbeard. Not that the rest of the show isn’t great, because it is—the crew of the Revenge is filled with great characters, you could write volumes about the psychology of Izzy Hands, and the guest stars add a lot to the episodes. But Stede and Blackbeard are both just so overwhelmingly great that it can be tough to get around to talking about anything else. But again, the rest of the show has all kinds of good stuff, and it’s worth the effort. So today, Oluwande and Jim.

By the time we meet the crew in the pilot, Jim is pretending to be a man. They wear a fake nose and beard as a disguise, and they pretend to be mute so no one will suspect anything by the pitch of their voice. The only one who knows their secret is Oluwande. It’s not clear exactly when or how these two met, but Oluwande is a devoted friend to Jim. He knows they’re lying low because Spanish Jackie has a vendetta against them, so once this pair joins the Revenge with Jim in disguise, Oluwande runs interference. They share a cabin so Jim has somewhere they can relax and be themselves, if only a tiny bit, and Oluwande offers to stand guard when Jim wants to bathe.

It takes a handful of episodes before the rest of the crew learns the truth about Jim, but while the others accept them with only minimal confusion/fretting about “women” on ships bringing bad luck, their bond with Oluwande remains special. For much of the season, these two circle around each other—the pull toward romance is there, but their friendship is also important enough to them that neither is eager to put it at risk.

Things come to a head when the crew goes to St. Augustine, where Jim is from. There, they’re confronted by their past, including the nun who raised them after their father was murdered. Oluwande still wants to be supportive, going with Jim to see Nana and being there for them in a hard time. As Jim returns to the orange tree planted by their late father, Oluwande offers to be their new family. But the episode ends with Jim going where Oluwande can’t follow, leaving the Revenge to resume their own quest for vengeance.

If Oluwande was starting to confront the realization that he had feelings for Jim before, all that bubbles over after they leave. He wallows in his sorrow, constantly drinking and missing his friend/loved one. He wishes he hadn’t pushed them so much about their past, and he licks his wounds after having put himself out there.

Fortunately, it doesn’t take Jim too long to realize that revenge isn’t what they truly need, and they make their way back to both the ship and Oluwande. Things go pretty badly soon after that, but even though circumstances conspire against them, their relationship remains strong. This will give them fewer hurdles to reuniting than Stede and Blackbeard, but the going is still going to be tricky. Season 2 when???