Our Flag Means Death: The Queer Pirate Show That Completely Altered My Brain Chemistry
It was early spring 2022, and a dear old friend came to spend the night. She came inside, put her stuff down, turned to me, and said, “There’s a new show I just heard about. It has gay pirates; we’re watching it.” I was a bit hesitant at first. I couldn't tell you why. But, seeing how excited she was, I put my hesitancy aside. With this decision made, we poured a few cocktails, made our favorite dinner (pasta with a yummy homemade pesto), queued up the show, and my life was subsequently changed forever.
David Jenkins and his team of outstanding writers have created a show filled to the brim with love, acceptance, kindness, and humor. Our Flag Means Death follows wealthy landowner Stede Bonnet. Fed up with the monotony of his life, he abandons his wife and children in the middle of the night to become a pirate. While at sea, he finds a new family in his hilariously incompetent crew. Stede, who has quite frankly an impressive lack of skills, often gets himself and his crew into trouble. Which inevitably catches the eye of Edward-heart-eyes-Teach, the infamous dread pirate Blackbeard. Who also happens to be fed up with the monotony of his life. Ed and Stede fall hard and fast for each other (which is absolutely mesmerizing to watch). For as long as they both have been alive, they have had the idea that they are unlovable monsters who deserve to end up all alone. But, once they find each other, that idea, that story that they had about themselves, quickly begins to fall apart at the seams. By the end of season two, they have fully started to accept that they are worthy and deserving of love, no matter their scars or demons. And that is one of the main themes in this show. No matter how many scars you have, the demons you have to face, or what you have gone through in your past, you are worthy and deserving of love. To be quite frank, I couldn't have discovered this show at a better, more pivotal time in my life.
Our Flag Means Death came out during the second semester of my sophomore year. Almost the entirety of that year was extremely dark. I had failed a class the previous semester and was at risk of losing the scholarship I had worked so hard for. I was working insane hours at a job I hated for a boss who could not care less about my well-being. I had convinced myself that most, if not all, of my peers in my major despised me (I know now that’s not the case at all). I was stressed beyond belief. If I were to be fully transparent, I felt that I was fully and wholly unlovable. And when I was in the deepest dark of that year, this treasure of a show, this lighthouse, gave me the hope and the push I needed to start working on how I view myself and those around me.
Fast-forward two years, and I am about to graduate. I have fully realized that I am not only deserving of receiving love but also of freely giving it. While I am deeply saddened that Our Flag was canceled, I know that its legacy and message will stand the test of time. Inspiring those who feel undeserving of love for generations to come.
