It’s bigger, it’s funnier, and it’s finally here: season 2 of the unexpected smash hit Our
Flag Means Death made landfall on Max with a three-episode premiere on October 5, with the
finale coming on October 26. The first season of this chaotic comedic take on the Golden Age of
Piracy created by David Jenkins wasn’t expected to garner much attention when it premiered in
March 2022. However, thanks to social media and word-of-mouth following the first season’s
last two episodes, Our Flag Means Death shot to the top of the streaming charts, beating out
Marvel’s Moon Knight as the #1 in-demand show across all streaming platforms for seven
consecutive weeks. The “gay pirate show,” as it was lovingly christened by its fans, expertly
combined humor and heart, committing to representation that few other shows could have
dreamed of. For once, LGBTQIA+ fans had a show that actually had representation, not just
“leaving things up for interpretation” or relegating any possibility of queer characters strictly to
non-canon fandom spaces. In the second season, the cast and crew (including
director/writer/actor Taika Waititi, Vico Ortiz of Fionna and Cake, and Voltron: Legendary
Defender’s Rhys Darby) continue to provide that representation.
Taking many, many liberties with historical accuracy, the series follows the real pirate
Stede Bonnet (Darby), the “Gentleman Pirate” who abandoned his wife and children to live out
his dream of adventure on the high seas. However, the seafaring life isn’t all it’s cracked up to
be for Stede, and during one of his misadventures, his crew crosses paths with Blackbeard, also
known as Ed Teach (Waititi). Chaos ensues on Stede’s ship, the Revenge, as Stede and Ed
slowly fall in love.

WARNING: spoilers ahead for Our Flag Means Death season 1.

The second season of Our Flag Means Death picks up right where the first left off: Stede
Bonnet has given up his aristocratic comforts for good, and he and his crew are working at
Spanish Jackie’s (Leslie Jones) tavern. Well, most of them are working – the Swede (Nat Faxon)
has become Jackie’s twentieth husband. Meanwhile, onboard the Revenge, Ed is heartbroken –
Stede left him behind at the end of the first season after another identity crisis, and Ed has
reverted back into his Blackbeard persona, abusing the crew and trying to make them mutiny. A
series of unfortunate events, or fortunate depending on who you ask, send Stede and Ed
careening back into each other’s lives. More quirky comedy and tooth-rotting sweetness is sure
to follow, with all-new characters and adventures in each episode.
Our Flag Means Death season 2 is off to a fantastic start. The series is committed to
giving the fans exactly what they want while still finding ways to surprise them. It takes classic
tropes and turns them on their heads, reinventing the pirate genre for a new generation of
viewers who might not have grown up on Pirates of the Caribbean. With fantastic diversity,
Waititi and Darby’s signature absurd comedy, and plenty of heart, Our Flag Means Death sets
sail for a second season that is incredibly memorable right from the get-go and is sure to
capture our hearts and social media feeds once again.