I cannot stop thinking about the silk as symbolism for Edward's heart and how the only person the entire season that sees that fabric other than Ed is Stede.
Like in episode 4, in a quiet and private moment left alone in Stede's quarters he runs the scrap of fabric through his finger tips and he thinks about his life, how his mother told him they were not the kind of people that deserved fine things. And as soon as Stede comes into the room to talk to him, Ed takes the fabric he was holding in his hands and he haphazardly, hurriedly shoves that piece of cloth under his jacket. He buries it under Blackbeard's clothes and keeps it there, hidden away, until the end of the episode.
But the first time we see that piece of cloth, it is in Ed's hands in Stede's quarters, because it's a place that is starting to feel safe for Ed to be vulnerable and open in.
And then we get to the end of the episode, after they have spent some time teaching each other about how to be a pirate, about how to be a noble. After Ed sheds every part of Blackbeard to be Jeff the Accountant for the evening, how he still makes up an identity because he himself is not worthy of being in such high status company. And after all of that, after spending the earlier part of the episode being looked down upon by the captain of the ship he invaded for not being wealthy while being Blackbeard, after spending the latter half of the episode being looked down upon as Jeff for not understanding their stupid dinner etiquette, after he has been humiliated and embarassed, what does Stede do?
He handles it, he goes to the servants, the people at the party that no one gives a shit about, that none of the wealthy fucks really pay attention to, and he uses their knowledge to enact a passive aggressive cruelty on all those who mistreated his friend, Ed. He systematically dismantles every fake identity those aristocrats have built themselves upon, until they are tearing each other to pieces and burning down their own ship.
Stede's care for his friend destroys nobility, and Stede and Edward row happily back to the The Revenge satisfied that they have properly shown those judgemental wealthy assholes that they are not to be disrespected. And while I think that Blackbeard pursued Stede originally because he was bored and Stede wasn't scared off by the name Blackbeard and instead told him to 'suck eggs in hell", not just surrendering like Ed was complaining that most people do during episode 4. I think when Ed comes back inside the ship in episode 5 to see the party breaking out into a fight, to see the ship beginning to burn, that is when Blackbeard's motivations stop mattering, and Ed's feelings turn to love.
So what does Ed do? He pulls out his little scrap of fabric, that he's had tucked away, and what I love about the way this scene is portrayed in the show is that his sleeves from his fancy dress have a ruffle on them that blurs the line between where the sleeve ends and the red fabric begins, so it looks even more like Ed is wearing his heart on his sleeve. And instead of hiding it away when Stede comes to talk to him, he keeps it there. He gives Stede the opportunity to see that it is there.
And what does Stede do? First of all he calls it lovely ("that's a lovely piece of silk you have there"), and Edward calls it tatty ("What this tatty old thing?"), this piece of cloth that reminds him of his mother, of his home, of his status and his station, and Stede tells him those are the best things and he asks, he asks Edward if he can take it. And then Stede pulls that piece of cloth ever so gingerly from Ed's fingertips. He takes Edward's heart from him, and I don't think Ed really realizes what he had been offering keeping that fabric out until it is removed from his hands. Because he freezes, the only thing that changes in his position as Stede takes the cloth from him is his eyes. Which hesitantly turn upwards to look at Stede. Who then does nothing but fold it, reshape it if you will, and tuck it into Ed's breast pocket, on full display. Stede literally takes Edward's heart from his sleeves and puts it on Ed's chest, lets him carry it where it should be.
And the beauty of the production for this scene is that it is night time, it's dark out, Ed is wearing a deep purple shirt, and the red of that silk sticks out so brightly and beautifully against the rest of his clothing.
When I started watching the show, the first six episodes were already out, and like many of you I was worried in the beginning that this story was not going to play out in a way that was satisfying as a queer person. But then I went on Twitter and I saw that David Jenkins had this scene as his Twitter header and the amount of relief and comfort that I felt seeing that, knowing that he wasn't trying to hide the inherent romance of this scene. It was so freeing.
Episodes 1-3 show you who Stede is before Edward and ends with the introduction of a man who is bored of his life, seeking out a man that piques his curiosity. Then Ed gets a full view to Stede's heart just be being in his ship, because Stede has never hidden anything. His love for the sea, his eccentricities, it's all there. Ed knows before Stede is even aware that he is there that Stede had someone in his life named Mary and that Stede believes himself to be a coward. And their first interaction after Stede has nearly died is for Edward to hold his hand. But the end of epsiode 5 tells you how this story is going to play out. That Stede is going to be the one to capture Edward's heart.
Anyway, back to my homework now.
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