was scrolling through the episode 5 lifting some dialogue for a fic and Noticed Something so who wants to get incredibly granular about the 'they're such dicks about spoons' scene?
now there is So Fucking Much going on in this little scene alone (i know i've come across some rly good meta about this esp wrt to frenchie but i can't find it rn if anyone can pls let me know so i can link it)
but to massively oversimplify there a two parallel conversations going on (ah yes the man who can effectively carry two conversations and go into specific and accurate detail/analysis of what went on while freaked out and emotionally heightened is and then regulate those emotions is totally a loose cannon and in need of a minder), one with frenchie and one with stede.
frenchie responds to the situation (potential threat to ed) much quicker than stede, moving to be ready if ed needs him. he doesn't need ask if something happened, he knows it already has, he gets it, and once he's reassured that he doesn't need to be ready to leap into action, he takes a validation approach. "i get it, i understand, i see and know what you're going through and it fucking sucks and they are in the wrong".
stede on the other hand, as a rich white guy who understands as a neurodiverse queer how cruel these people can be, but who doesn't truly appreciate the violence of it esp when race comes into play is a step behind, and once he realises what's going on he's trying to figure it out, solve the problem do a chain analysis, and then once he starts to click to how bad this is and how much "his people" have hurt ed, to step up and step in (always makes me think of this great post by knowlesian)
(there's also something bizarrely sweet about them having this jargon-heavy back-and-forth about silverware they both understand the significance of but that's a different post)
ANYWAY on to the point of this fucking post which is this little clip here
there's some interesting stuff going on just before, with how ed reacts to stede telling him to stand down and the way it's actually the softening of stede's voice and the "these are my people, I'll deal with it" that seems to convince him, but before he does, before he really accepts, ed looks to frenchie.
because stede's learning, yes, and he's trying, but he doesn't get it. not the way ed and frenchie do. and as much as ed's fallen ass-over-tits for this weird lil guy, he's only known him five minutes, and he knows knows him from the perspective of Blackbeard, as a fellow captain, someone stede's treated (for the most part) as an equal.
what has me gnashing and wailing about this is not just that it's frenchie's judgement, his (i'm assuming) approval that lets ed really trust stede here, but also the fact that ed gets to have that!!! he's freaked out and heightened and probably second-guessing his read on things tonight but he has a friend!! he has an ally!! someone who gets it, someone he can look to for a second opinion, confirmation, solidarity.
ed doesn't need a minder, he doesn't need managing, he needs some fucking friends.
baratheonpilled
areudirty
turnnoffyourmind
ellievsbear
snowghoul
jbbartram-illu
theartofmadeline
dailybridgerton
