*Jackie-related spoilers.*
Spanish Jackie! We’ve gone through the main crew now, plus the season 2 newcomers, so I have just a couple important recurring characters left. I love Jackie for all kinds of reasons, not least of which because it gives us a performance from Leslie Jones that I think a lot of people wouldn’t necessarily expect from her. She’s awesome as this funny, formidable character!
We first meet Spanish Jackie at her bar on the Republic of Pirates. She is That Bitch and won’t take crap from anybody. She keeps a jar full of noses she’s taken from people who try her or test her, she’s completely unimpressed with Stede’s fancy airs at his “regional debut,” and she has a vendetta against Jim, who killed her favorite husband (did I mention she has 20 of them?)
The Jim subplot is a good place to start with Jackie. Throughout the episode, Jim is poking their nose around—which we’ve already established is a dangerous thing to do at Spanish Jackie’s—searching for their family dagger while Oluwande frantically tries to run interference and keep Jackie from recognize them. But little do either of them know, Jackie not only saw through Jim’s disguise on the spot, but she lured them there by setting an insultingly low bounty, knowing they wouldn’t be able to resist proving they’re worth a lot more than that.
When Jackie tangles with Jim again later in season 1, it’s once more evident that she’s not one to be trifled with. She shoots one of her own husbands to keep Jim from leveraging him against her, and there’s little doubt that she’d put up a good fight if she followed through on Jim’s suggestion that they fight to the death. But she has a suggestion of her own: drinks. They hang around the bar drinking together, and she advises Jim not to let revenge become their life, offering herself up as a cautionary tale.
Season 2 sees Jackie on the ropes a bit more—Stede’s crew tries to steal a chest full of indigo from her, and after she separates Ricky from his nose, he goes full scorched-earth against piracy, seizing her bar and using it as a staging ground for the British navy. She’s forced to serve English pigs in her own establishment, enduring their demeaning taunts because they’re holding her latest husband, the Swede, hostage.
But although she’s down at different points, she isn’t out. She catches Stede and co. with the stolen goods, which is when she cuts off Ricky’s nose, and she likely would’ve done the same with Stede and the crew if Zheng Yi-Sao hadn’t intervened. Instead, Zheng cuts a deal with Jackie, paying her for the indigo and taking Stede’s “trifling ingrates” off her hands. And with the English, Jackie puts up with their indignities while biding her time. They’ve been using the Swede as a taster to ensure that the food and drink Jackie serves them is safe, but they don’t realize that everyone is poisoned-trained in her house. She poisons every naval officer in her bar, then joins up with Stede, Ed, and Zheng to go after the rest of them.
· When Oluwande claims he killed Jim in retaliation for killing Jackie’s husband, he stammers out, “I thought it were kind of gauche, if I’m honest” – I just love how sincerely Jackie replies, “It was fucking kinda gauche.”
· Jackie urges Jim to give up their revenge kick, saying, “Guess my age” – When Jim guesses around 50, she deadpans, “25,” in reply.
· Reason #849 why we need season 3, we don’t get nearly enough of Ed and Jackie’s friendship! – After he tosses his leathers, I love her asking, “Why you dressed like a dirty-ass orphan?”
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