Yesterday, it was announced that Max is canceling Our Flag Means Death. I know I just did a Favorite Characters post from the show a couple days ago, but I want to write about it again.
I’m definitely sad, and I’m definitely angry—I already canceled my Max subscription—but today, instead of focusing on what Max took, I want to think about what this show gave.
First of all, I’m so grateful to the show for giving us a season 2 finale that could function as a series finale in the event that they weren’t allowed to make their planned third season. I’m glad that most of the characters were left in a good place for us to imagine their continuing adventures. If the show had been canceled after season 1, that would’ve been wrenching. I’ll always wish we could get the proper ending that David Jenkins and co. imagined, but I’m so grateful for what we got.
I’m thankful to the entire production. From the brilliant writers to the tremendous cast to the talented crew, every single one of them left it all on the mat. The costumes, the direction, the effects. The banter, the speeches, the unspoken interactions. The amazing DIY lighthouse, Stede’s beautiful mermaid tail, Lucius’s bizarre book of Ed-fixated sketches. The needle drops, the delightful improv, the fantastic episode endings that had me champing at the bit for the following Thursday.
These actors never missed. Rhys Darby and Taika Waititi were positively born to play Stede and Ed. Both of them poured their hearts into these characters from the second they appeared onscreen, and their chemistry together was playful, effortless, and soulful. The whole crew was simply amazing: Nathan Foad, Samson Kayo, Vico Ortiz, Samba Schutte, Joel Fry, Kristian Nairn, Matthew Maher, Ewen Bremner, Nat Faxon, Con O’Neil, David Fane, Guz Khan, and Madeleine Sami. Not one of them wasted a single line delivery or reaction shot. I’m glad we got a chance to meet fantastic new characters like Zheng Yi Sao and Auntie—Ruibo Qian and Anapela Polataivao both fit this show like a glove—and I loved our terrific cast of recurring characters and guest stars, from Leslie Jones to Claudia O’Doherty to Will Arnett.
Everyone put their absolute all into this beautiful, hilarious, sad, weird, hopeful little show. I’ve never seen queer representation treated with so much depth and nuance—nobody is doing it like Our Flag Means Death. Season 2 came along right as I was reckoning with my neurodivergence, and this wonderful found family of damaged oddballs helped me find much greater understanding of myself. Thank you so much to everyone who lent their imaginations to put this loving, lovely story onscreen.
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