Here’s the thing: Our Flag Means Death would not be what it is if not for Taika Waititi and Rhys Darby. There are some shows and some characters that are absolutely embedded in the magic of the actors, not just individually but together. I’d reference one of my other favorites—The Avengers, especially the two seasons with Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg, as an example of how intertwined actor, character, and chemistry are.
You cannot separate Stede and Ed from Rhys and Taika any more than you’d be able to separate Steed and Mrs. Peel from Patrick and Diana (and in the latter case, it has been attempted). It’s not just in the scripts, but in the connection between them—the playfulness, the affection, the joy in their rapport, the joy they obviously get in just standing next to each other. The little gestures of care between them that reflect what it is to love each other, even the rhythm of their movements together.
You believe that Ed would fall in love with Stede within a few hours of meeting him. You believe that Stede would see a kindred spirit in Ed within a few minutes of speaking to him. It’s because the actors themselves GET each other—and I don’t mean that in an RPF, they’re actually in love sort of way, but that they meet one another in the same place.
This show would never have been what it is without them individually and collectively. No one could have the chemistry they do.
pixelskylines
jacobvanloon
turnnoffyourmind
blakekathryn
theartofmadeline
kianamaiart
