Favorite Characters: Black Pete (Our Flag Means Death)

*Black Pete-related spoilers.*

One of the interesting things about watching Our Flag Means Death multiple times is seeing how much the various crew members get rounded out. My first time watching season 1, all of them had their moments, and there were certain folks on the crew who distinguished themselves more with their comparatively large screentime. But because there are quite a few characters, they sometimes felt more like a group than like individuals. That’s just the first time through, though. On rewatch, it becomes apparent that each character is so thoroughly themselves right from the start of the series, and every one of them pops boldly onscreen.

Black Pete doesn’t give a great first impression, and through much of season 1, he doesn’t do much to endear himself to the rest of the crew. His (invented) claim to fame is his insistence that he used to crew for Blackbeard; he attempts to regale the crew one night with the “thrilling tale” of how he saved Blackbeard’s life, which led the infamous pirate to give him his current moniker. Stede is the only one who believes him, but that doesn’t stop Black Pete from frequently talking about how Blackbeard does things, mostly as a way to deride Stede’s methods: they didn’t sew on Blackbeard’s crew, Blackbeard kills as easily as breathing, and so on.

Of course, his stories quickly fall apart when the real-life Blackbeard shows up and starts sailing with the Revenge. Black Pete pays lip service to the notion that Ed might not remember him, then jumps into trying to impress the legendary pirate for real. When he suggests leading a party to replenish their supply of oranges—scurvy is involved, it’s a whole thing—but the mission winds up being given to Jim instead, he shouts, “Tell Blackbeard I took initiative!” All of his meager interactions with Ed are that of a nervous fanboy.

Although he remains obsessed with Blackbeard throughout the first season, it’s the idea of Blackbeard rather than the actual man that Ed is. While most of the crew isn’t quick to jump on board with Stede’s ethos, they do gradually start to demonstrate some of the ways they’re “tender as hell,” to quote Roach. Black Pete, on the other hand, holds onto macho ideas of what pirates do and don’t do. You’d think this would mean he’d get along well with Izzy, who’s similarly prescriptive about masculinity, but that isn’t to be—Izzy views Black Pete as just another one of the useless crew of the Revenge, not “real pirates” like him and Ed. Naturally, Black Pete doesn’t appreciate that.

When we start to see Black Pete’s softer side come out, it’s in his relationship with Lucius. He resists Izzy’s attempts to drive a wedge between them, secure in saying that they don’t own each other, and that he isn’t threatened by Lucius’s sketching sessions with other members of the crew. But that openness doesn’t mean that it’s just sex for Black Pete. He’s distressed when Lucius is delirious from an infected wound on his finger, and once the finger has been amputated, he whittles a prosthetic for his beau. And of course, he’s really worried when Lucius goes missing at the end of season 1, as well as overjoyed when they reunite on the Red Flag. The two of them screaming, “Oh my god!” at each other before crashing into each other’s arms is so cute!

We learned with the finger situation that, when the things Black Pete cares about are threatened, he reevaluates what’s really important to him, and we see a kinder, more considerate Black Pete in season 2. He’s sweet to Lucius after their reunion and does what he can to help him deal with his trauma. And at the same time, he opens up to Lucius about his own fears from when they were separated, worrying that Lucius had been killed. “I cried every night,” he says, which is a huge admission for him. It reflects just how far Black Pete has come since season 1.

I enjoyed ending last week’s post on Zheng Yi Sao with a few choice line readings from Ruibo Qian, so I want to do the same here (and maybe go back and add them into my previous Favorite Characters posts from Our Flag Means Death!) Because the thing is, no matter how much screentime each crew member gets, every actor plays the hell out of them. Matthew Maher has a particular talent for making me bust up laughing with his delivery of random, seemingly unremarkable lines. Here are a few favorites:

·        When Jim tries to warn him against taking oranges from Nana’s trees on St. Augustine, the dramatic note of challenge in Black Pete’s voice as he says, “What are they, Christ’s oranges?” just kills me.

·        When Lucius claims he fell off the ship (not admitting Ed pushed him,) I love how sweetly Black Pete replies, “But you have impeccable balance, babe.”

·        When the crew comes upon the cursed ship and sees that everyone aboard has been brutally killed, it cracks me up that Black Pete takes one look at the ominous ritualistic symbols drawn on the deck and says, “They must be really into geometry.”