i saw some criticism about the resolution of ed and stede's arc (of course, bearing in mind that this was not intended as a series finale). though i can see where these voices are coming from, please don't forget that everything in this show is parabolic and symbolic.
yes it was important before that ed had not killed anybody besides his father and stede's first kill was really heavy. so it may feel strange that during their reunion scene, they massacare a lot of people like its nothing.
and yes, it feels lacking that they do not have a discussion about their future, just open an inn (you might say 'on a whim'...).
and this can be caused by the budget cuts but i see the resting point of their arc in a different light.
both of these characters are in a crisis during the whole show:
stede doesn't value himself, he wants to be respected by other (piracy just a means to gain respect)
ed doesn't want to be blackbeard anymore, he just doesn't know how to stop
the massacre-reunion scene is so important for both of them, because the crises get resolved (with all the built-up before)
stede is finally a 'real' pirate (the wooden boy became real). he offed ned, he gained the respect of the other pirates. but what is more important: he 'feels' like a real pirate, he believes in himself.
and ed is finally able to face his legacy. he once again puts on his leather clothes: he acknowledges his past. yes, he is blackbeard and he cannot pretend that he is but a humble fisherman. he stops running from his past.
they kill a lot of people, but these killings are symbolic: they mean that both of them are pirates and for stede it is a chatartic reaching point, and for ed it is an acknowledgement and acceptence.
and that is why they don't need a lengthy discussion afterwards. they know who they are, the crises are averted, they can be present in their lives as they want and have a real connection with eachother. and at the moment they want to be innkeepers together. of course, as the narrative established they ARE pirates, so it is not the end by far. but where they are now, it makes total sense.
