Okay so I wanted to ask about Izzy. I know you've addressed this in some of your quite impressive metals (love btw), but I need a little clarity hoping you can shine a light on.
So how does Izzy see his relationship with Blackbeard exactly? Izzy feels "this" (that's the part I need clarity with) relationship with Blackbeard is the only type of closeness he can have. Why is that? And what is that?
Also, what are Ed's feelings towards Izzy? Codependent but to what degree of intimacy?
I need to preface this by thanking you for your patience! Just got my laptop back from the shop and I cannot for the life of me write in longform on a phone. So it has been roughly a month. ._.
I'm gonna answer your questions separately, and I also want to make a very strong statement: I've seen some readings that Edward doesn't know who he is, which I don't see the text/show supporting.
Here's why: Edward Teach has a commanding identity and presence that he just turns parts of up to 11 for his own purposes. I think there are a number of practical reasons for this.
I'll build this argument in pieces. Let's start with very basic readings of Edward Teach as a character and Izzy Hands as a character. Then we'll read them and their relationship together (from Izzy's perspective first, then from Edward's).
Who Is Edward Teach?
What I believe is that while Edward is extremely intelligent and competent, he doesn't connect that competence to 'full self-actualization.' This is why we get that comment from him about being bored! He's bored with his extraordinary brilliance and competence. Feeding only that side of himself isn't meeting his emotional needs anymore. He thinks he needs something new or interesting in his life, and Izzy doesn't understand why Edward isn't happy with the status quo (riches and pirate success).
We learn about Edward's background most often in scenes with Stede. Edward chooses to reveal this background and history to Stede ... VERY PERSONAL history! This will become important later, because for me what someone chooses to reveal to you about themselves is part of defining your relationship to that person.
Edward chooses over and over to be vulnerable in a particular, personal, and intimate way with Stede. They discuss personhood, identity, and the very day Stede meets Ed after being stabbed? He doesn't know he's Blackbeard, he thinks 'he works for Blackbeard,' and he calls him a good man. Stede has been conscious in his presence for all of five minutes.
IMHO Edward Teach (if he wasn't already in love at that point), was instantly charmed by that response and it just got even more and more interesting to him from there. This is one of the reasons Episode 04: Discomfort in a Married State is one of my favorites! If not my absolute favorite. You can read this instant connection as either platonic or romantic love at first sight. And I for one really enjoyed it.
Stede and Ed's relationship is foreshadowed and defined VERY CLEARLY and very early in the show. And really if you need the guide to how everyone relates to everyone? It's Episode 04. You can watch that (and re-watch it) and it will tell you almost everything you need to know about Edward, Stede, and Izzy.
It's a really neat piece of work (check out the writing credits).
Who Is Izzy Hands?
I'm personally fascinated that, in contrast to Edward choosing to reveal his background to Stede as being vulnerable and to foster intimacy and understanding, we the audience don't get to know anything about Izzy Hands except for what he:
a). projects/says he believes
b). Fang reveals to undermine Izzy and
c). what his actions/orders reveal.
Izzy Hands discloses nothing about himself to anyone! He's the opposite of vulnerable and emotionally available.
Izzy's conversations with Edward are limited to work, their plans, and what Edward and Izzy are and aren't contributing to making the plan work, and giving ultimatums to people (except for one instance...)
The only personal conversation that I think we ever see Izzy have, where he's being vulnerable is AGAIN in Ep 04: Discomfort in a Married State. Recall the moment where Izzy prepares a dinghy to leave The Revenge after the Lighthouse scene?
EDWARD: Izzy?
IZZY: I said some things I regret last night. I don't think you're the shell of a man ... or a twat.
EDWARD: You were right man, about all of it. Have you ever heard of "retirement?"
IZZY: Mm. That's not much of an option in this line of work. The only retirement we get is ... death.
EDWARD: What if Blackbeard turned up dead? His corpse disfigured beyond recognition, of course.
IZZY: But still be identifiable as Blackbeard.
EDWARD: Well, he's wearing Blackbeard's clothes, he's on Blackbeard's ship.
IZZY: What happens to you?
EDWARD: I'm not even here. My name's Stede Bonnet. I'm a wealthy landowner. Of course, the crew would need a new captain. Someone who really knows the ropes.
IZZY: You mean me. I suppose it could be me, yeah.
EDWARD: I need you here.
IZZY: Edward? [pause] You still got it.
EDWARD: [turns, smiling] I know. [turns away, exhales]
**THE EMPTY BOAT PLAYS.**
I go feral for this scene, this conversation, and this song every time!
Everything you fundamentally need to know about Izzy Hands and Edward and Blackbeard is illustrated in this episode because it's the longest private conversation they have in the entire show and it's also the ONLY time Izzy is intentionally vulnerable in any way with anyone.
In the transcript of the scene, you can see Izzy apologizing and regretting what he says! He doesn't do this for anyone but Edward. And then Edward? Edward allows that Izzy is right about what he said. Edward probably at this point believes that Izzy is right, too, so he moves into the next phase of what he and Izzy always do: they come up with the plan and they execute the plan.
Notice that Izzy is a little nonchalant about suggesting or "supposing" that he could be the captain? In response to Edward implying the possibility as a way for him to retire without having to die? They both see this outcome as win-win right now.
Izzy Hands & Edward Teach
That all changes post-duel in Episode 06: The Art of Fuckery. Edward 'allows' Izzy to banish himself from The Revenge. The threatened departure in Episode 04 becomes a reality by Episode 06 and BOTH TIMES Izzy is the one making the choice.
Keep in mind that the duel happens directly after Edward chose to reveal both his personal background AND the plot to kill Stede! Izzy thinks the plan is still on and he doesn't listen when Edward tries to change the terms of the agreement.
IZZY: Stede Bonnet, draw your weapon.
EDWARD: No, Izzy, we're not doing this.
IZZY: No, you're not doing this ... so I must.
Izzy is the one who is going along with the plan as usual even after Edward has decided he wants to change the plan.
I'm just gonna leave that here because I think it sums up the relationship. Edward and Izzy come up with the plan and execute the plan.
Izzy's a bit of a hardass who can't see the frankfurters in the clouds (he's not as talented as a sailor) and who validates and executes Edward's plans (but only when he understands them ... and they make sense to him).
It's conditional, it's transactional, and Edward and Izzy support and validate each other in an emotionally limited and predictable way that's based in succeeding at piracy.
Izzy only lets himself be vulnerable after he's questioned Edward's competence as a sailor, which is in many ways the foundation of their relationship! Izzy is proud to serve the most brilliant sailor he's ever met. He validates that aspect of Edward's self and personhood without understanding or approaching the other emotional aspects of what it means to be a captain ... because Blackbeard is the one who handles the responsibility and the stress of whether or not the plan is going to work. Izzy's job is to be First Mate hands who always executes whatever plan Edward has devised (because he believes in Edward's plans).
Izzy Hands & Blackbeard
Again I'm relying on Episode 04 to make this point.
You can see the difference between Blackbeard and Edward most clearly in the clothes swap. Edward wants to let Stede 'be' Blackbeard by putting him in the outfit. Stede is game for this because the man loves wearing different clothes.
Izzy is First Mate Hands and he follows Blackbeard's orders. So what does he do?
Recall how that scene with Edward wearing Stede's clothes goes:
EDWARD (wearing Stede's clothes): Did you see that? This is amazing.
IZZY: A word, Cap'n?
EDWARD: You can be a real bummer sometimes. You know that?
IZZY: When you tasked me with trackin' that absolute idiot, I did that, no questions asked. And when we traced him to a Spanish warship, I attacked that ship, losin' several of our men, by the way.
EDWARD: Mm. Kinda' the job, they're pirates.
IZZY: For years, I've followed your every whim, I've managed your increasingly erratic moods, I've massaged this crew when they were worried about your judgment.
EDWARD: Mm, sounds stressful, Izzy.
IZZY: It is, but I did all that because I was honored to work for the legendary Blackbeard, the most brilliant sailor I had ever met. But now, you're just ... an insane, unpleasant shell of a man who's merely posing as Blackbeard.
EDWARD: (Pointing to Stede) That's Blackbeard.
My favorite part of this next scene is where Izzy is like: Okay, fine, if that's how you want to play this ... and then he just treats Stede exactly like he would Blackbeard! Down to asking about the state of the munitions and ordering Fang and Ivan to load the cannons and execute anyone who won't fight.
Izzy plays along with the game because Edward is insisting and Izzy wants to prove a point. Except, wait, Edward is still the brilliant sailor (the clothes have nothing to do with that), and he still had a plan the whole time! He just didn't (this time) explain it to Izzy.
Edward is proving to Izzy that Izzy can't fully predict him, and that he always has a plan even when he hasn't discussed it with Izzy.
Izzy took for granted that Edward would fully disclose his plans and discuss his options. Edward even HINTS to Izzy exactly what the plan is and Izzy still misses it even when he should have seen (fuckin' frankfurters).
Blackbeard & Izzy Hands
It's Izzy who suggest that Edward is 'an unpleasant shell of a man posing as Blackbeard.'
It's Edward who has to remind Izzy that he's still Blackbeard even when he's not explaining himself to Izzy or meeting Izzy's expectations.
Edward regularly fights Izzy about who Blackbeard is and who Blackbeard is allowed to be in the context of the show. The clearest example of this is when Izzy confronts Edward with the stereotypical picture of Blackbeard from the book (NO, THIS IS BLACKBEARD), and ends up ... with The Kraken, instead.
Edward's interpretation of that stereotypically violent image is The Kraken, not Blackbeard.
Izzy chooses not to validate Edward's changes in the plan. Izzy chooses to duel Stede when Edward tells him to stop. Izzy chooses to collaborate with Nigel Badminton to rid himself of Stede, whom he blames for 'doing something to my boss's brain.'
Edward Teach & Izzy Hands
Which brings us to the conclusion. What is 'this' relationship between Edward and Izzy? It's what they choose.
Edward speaks informally to Izzy and doesn't order him around. Edward discusses his plans with Izzy and values his opinion. Edward looks to Izzy to validate and execute his plans (though he doesn't rely on that as much as Izzy believes -- Edward makes a point of proving this to him!). Edward is very much the brains of the operation.
Izzy speaks informally to Edward and formally (Blackbeard, Captain) when he's operating as First Mate Hands. He reinforces Edward's authority as Blackbeard and insists that everyone (who isn't him) respects Blackbeard by modeling that behavior, himself. Izzy is a competent duelist (and less competent sailor) who absolutely has killed people (I'm assuming this is true, even though we don't see him do this on screen).
Edward chooses not to disclose personal background information to Izzy or talk about whether or not he is a good person with him.
Do you recall that Edward's confrontation with Izzy happens immediately after the scene where Stede monologues about the consequences of witnessing death and being the cause of it in the bar? And how it changes you forever? Because I didn't. BUT IT DOES and now I'm never going to be over it!
Izzy chooses to tell Edward that he should have let the English kill him. Izzy chooses to tell Edward that whatever it is he's become is a fate worse than death.
Edward chooses to tell Izzy that he is, in fact, still Blackbeard.
Izzy is the one who chooses to deny that Edward is Blackbeard. It's Izzy who chooses to make the distinction that Edward didn't. Izzy who invalidates Edward's expressed identity (not some namby-pamby in a silk gown pining for his boyfriend). Really, this is an attempt to undermine Edward through attacking his attachment to Stede, specifically (while Edward is wearing Stede's robe, no less! practicing the emotional openness that he's developed on The Revenge, and in Stede's room, next to the Lighthouse painting!).
Izzy is the one who chooses to deny that Edward is Blackbeard.
Edward is the one who chooses to process that grief in absolutely the worst way possible and goes straight to The Kraken, without any of Blackbeard's tempering calculation and planning the outcome. One wonders if Edward, who last killed as The Kraken, is going right back to not outsourcing the big job anymore.
Izzy is the one who chooses to see that 'Blackbeard is himself again' when he's just got someone and something much darker. Edward sobbing alone in the darkness, looking at the Lighthouse image, and externalizing his emotional trauma while also bottling it up?
NOT GONNA LIE I'M ANXIOUS FOR EVERYONE.
Anyway, I don't have all the answers for all of what this relationship between Edward and Izzy actually is. I'm in the "it's complicated and very unhealthy" camp because of how it turns out and how we see Edward undermined in healthy coping and dealing with grief.
Everything Izzy chooses in this case is pretty unforgivable, especially in deciding that he's only going to support the particular kind of Blackbeard he wants Edward to be (for his own reasons).
Izzy makes it very clear he doesn't accept who Edward is choosing to be (Blackbeard in a silk gown, grieving his first real love).
Edward chooses The Kraken. Izzy chooses The Kraken (for now). They're both going to deal with the consequences of their choices and I'm a little anxious for them, because this is like two semi-trailers playing chicken with each other. I really don't see either of them backing down from their collision course.
In Closing
I'm overwhelmed with admiration for the level of character agency implied by these relationships. Both Edward and Izzy choose their actions, their responses, and then deal with their respective consequences.
At some point I may write the full essay on how character agency and choice is a primary theme in the show, but for now I'll just stick with this figurative excerpt looking at Izzy and Edward's relationship to each other and their choices in how they relate to one another and how they define their own relationship on-screen (when in doubt, re-read the actual transcripts and watch the performances).
If Izzy had done as Edward asked and not dueled Stede, there's a chance they would have been able to work things out without Izzy choosing to go become a collaborator with the English. If Izzy had accepted that Edward has an inner emotional life he's not privy to (and isn't owed an explanation about, and could just ACCEPT that without denying it!), and trusted in Edward's judgment and his vision for himself, Edward might have chosen something different than the Kraken.
We'll never know. UNLESS THEY HURRY UP AND RENEW THIS SHOW ALREADY. AHHHHHHHH.
(... also Izzy is disturbingly okay with and supportive of Edward as The Kraken not gonna lie.)
Oh David Jenkins we're really in it now. x_x
