Hi, can't stop thinking about Stede being inescapably himself vs. unapologetically himself and how this interacts with Ed's own insecurities during the treasure hunt. To Ed Stede is fascinating and 100% worthy of love and the only person who from Ed's pov disagrees is Izzy (whose opinion on that matter rightfully doesn't count). Seeing Stede excited about the map and the moth and the prospect of a treasure is enough to spent the afternoon doing something he isn't particularly interested in.
What Ed seems to miss - despite being good at reading the room most of the time - is that Stede is trying to make a good impression and create an experience to share with him specifically; it doesn't occur to him that someone would plan a nice harmless little activity mainly to impress and entertain him.
Now I can't stop thinking about the happiness they would have created for each other had they clearly communicated their intentions and really hope they get a moment in s2 in which they have a conversation along the lines "I made this because I thought you might enjoy it." - "I will enjoy it because you made it."
Wish you a pleasant afternoon!
it doesn't occur to him that someone would plan a nice harmless little activity mainly to impress and entertain him
It NEVER occurs to Stede that he doesn't need to impress Ed. Literally all Ed wanted to do is take a nap ffs, Stede could have let him cozy up on the couch and read a book to him & they would both have had the time of their lives.
anyway, YES it's a communication issue. Ed is generally really good at communicating his wants and thoughts clearly. He says exactly what he means most of the time. Stede, on the other hand, thinks a single clear statement would kill him. He's so used to communicating things indirectly that he looks for subtext and hidden meaning where there is none.
Like the beginning of ep7, what does Ed actually say? "I can't stay on here forever", which is true. He's got his own ship to captain (presumably, somewhere), he's clearly seeing his time aboard the Revenge as a sort of retreat, a pause fro the daily grind of pirating. It can't go on forever like this. Ed is not saying that he wants to leave immediately, or never see Stede again, or that he's bored out of his skull with Stede.
But that's exactly what Stede hears. He's so used to rejection that he doesn't pause a single second to think or ask for clarification, he just immediately jumps to conclusions - namely, that Ed is a hair's breadth away from disappearing forever, unless he gets some enrichment NOW.
They could!! Have just talked about this! Stede could have just asked "What do you mean?" But that would have meant running the risk of hearing Ed say, out loud, "It's time for us to go our separate ways". He can't. Indirect communication has the "advantage" that you can just ignore the things you don't want to acknowledge; if it's never said it doesn't exist.
Stede thinks rejection is inevitable. He's unable to trust in Ed's friendship; he can't believe anyone could stand his presence for prolonged periods of time, much less enjoy his company. Any day now, Ed is gonna realize how fundamentally unloveable Stede is. Any day he's gonna come to his senses and then he'll leave Stede behind for "the next adventure"; something more exciting, more fun than him (and then Calico Jack happens, this is a fun, lighthearted little romcom 🙃)
None of this is true, of course. It's just Stede constantly running worst-case-scenarios in the back of his head.
Meanwhile Ed? Constantly shows Stede he appreciates him and enjoys his company. Ed signals, over and over, "Hey, I really like you!"
He's miserable on the treasure hunt. He hates bugs and nature and is deadly embarrassed to be seen on this outing. He's still going along with it for Stede's sake. He wouldn't do that for anyone else.
And if they had just taken one minute to talk about this - well, nothing would have changed, because Stede is incapable of talking about his emotions, or articulating his deep feelings of inadequacy. But one can dream.
Yeah anyway, this really is the heart of their conflict. Stede could never admit to his insecurities; Ed isn't aware they could possibly exist, because to him, Stede has nothing to be insecure about and he completely falls for Stede's charade of confidence. It's so well done and I'm gonna go eat a wine bottle about it :)
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