Our Flag Means Death season 2 episodes 6 and 7 recap & review

Open Go TV / October 19, 2023 / Reviews

In episodes 6 and 7 of Our Flag Means Death, the crew are enjoying a comfortable time at sea as Ed and Stede get used to staying on the ship together again. The episodes are streaming on Max.

Episode 6 recap: Calypso’s Birthday

A pirate named Ned Lowe is torturing someone because he is angry that Blackbeard broke his record of consecutive raids at sea. Ed stares out into the ocean when Izzy walks up to him with a drink in hand.

He comments on Ed’s moping and Ed goes back inside. Stede shows Ed that he collected all of the treasure they looted and packed it into one room but Ed looks at it as a reminder of guilt for all the bad things he has done.

Archie is talking about a party she attended one time and how wild it was, then asks the others if they also get wild often. Fang says that they’ve all become a bit boring and everyone else agrees.

Frenchie speaks up and says that since it is Calypso’s birthday, they can rectify that and have a party. Archie asks them whether Calypso’s birthday is a made-up holiday for the sake of throwing a party and they say yes.

Frenchie asks Stede if they can prepare for the party and Stede agrees. Ed later tells him that it’s just a reason for them to host a party and Stede says this is the perfect opportunity to use Ed’s treasure to sponsor the supplies and turn poison into profit.

Ricky Banes is now strongly against piracy as he addresses members of the royal navy and sports a prosthetic nose after he was cut off by Spanish Jackie. He receives a box as a present and inside is a porcelain nose.

It is an invitation from Zheng and when he meets her, she greets him with a proposition. She has amassed a pirate army under her command and she offers an end to piracy in exchange for a living wage under the crown.

She tells Ricky that he can be responsible for bringing an end to piracy without any bloodshed and this interests the prince. The party starts on The Revenge and Wee John is getting ready as Calypso when Izzy asks him what he’s doing.

Wee John graces the deck and gets the party started soon after Ed and Stede join in. Everyone is having a good time and Izzy steps in with make-up on his face and he sings a wonderful song for them.

They suddenly find themselves under attack as Ned Lowe and his crew reveal themselves. They restrain everyone and torture them individually. Ned’s crew plays along but they don’t seem to be too excited about torture.

Lucius and Black Pete emerge from the room after spending an entire day uninterrupted as they celebrate their engagement. They hear the screams of their crewmates and gather all their weapons to save them.

Ned brings Stede and Ed onto deck so that he can make a symphony out of their screams but Stede succeeds in turning Ned’s crew against him simply by listening to them and being receptive of their opinions.

Ned’s crew leaves on their ship while Ned is left back on The Revenge. Ned insults Ed’s relationship with Stede so Stede makes him walk the plank. Ed tells him that he need not go through with it, but Stede throws Ned off the edge, chalking off his first kill.

He goes back to his quarters and Ed goes after him to check on him. Ed tries to talk but Stede is overwhelmed with emotions and decides to finally consummate their relationship.

Episode 7 recap: Man on Fire

Ed gathers all of his leather clothes, packs them all up, and tosses them overboard. He then prepares some semblance of breakfast and brings it to Stede in bed.

They’re having a nice moment when Izzy interrupts to tell them that they have made anchor at the Republic of Pirates. He also says that he’s glad to see the two of them have finally come together in a biblical sense.

Ricky gifts Zheng with a grandfather clock and has one delivered to every ship in her army as a symbol of their time of peace. The crew of The Revenge walks around the Republic and notices all the people recruited by Zheng.

They even see Zheng but when they call out to her, she feels embarrassed and walks away. Ed and Stede are enjoying a nice calm meal at a shack on the island.

Some pirates walk up to them and Ed assumes they want his autograph but they actually want to commend Stede for killing Ned Lowe. They invite him to Spanish Jackie’s for a drink.

They head over there and Ed gives Stede some tips on being an infamous pirate. Some of the others are worried about entering the place after what happened the last time they were there, but Spanish Jackie welcomes them with open arms.

They are greeted as legends for killing Ned Lowe. They also get to meet the Swede after a long time. Jackie notices that Ed is not in his usual leather and he says that he’s just trying out a normal life for a while because he’s enjoying the calm it brings.

Olu talks to the Swede about his feelings for Zheng, while Jim and Archie approach Zheng to apologize for the way they left and hopefully reunite Olu and Zheng.

Ed is outside enjoying a moment of peace and watching some fishermen at work when Izzy joins him. Ed says that ever since he got rid of his leathers, he has felt so calm and free and he doesn’t want to let go of that feeling.

Stede is enjoying all of the attention he’s getting from his newfound fame and he’s got so much confidence now. Ed pulls him aside to tell him that they’re on different paths once again.

He wants to leave the pirate life behind and retire but Stede is on the rise and enjoying it so he has decided to leave The Revenge and work as a fisherman. Stede is left devastated and angry by this.

Stede is drowning his sorrows in alcohol while the rest of his crew tries to grift the other patrons. Zheng meets Olu and the two of them rekindle their romance. He agrees to join her on her ship and he extends the offer to Jim and Archie as well.

Izzy tries to talk some sense into Stede and tell him that he and Ed belong together but Stede is distracted by the sight of Zheng talking to his crew.

He confronts her and tells her to stay away from his people but she says that they should be allowed to leave him if they want. She makes a guess that Ed left him and this incenses him so much that he challenges her to duel.

Zheng is so much more experienced at swordplay than Stede and she clearly has the upper hand. The fight moves to the outside and she insists that he yield or face death, but tragedy strikes.

The grandfather clocks that Ricky had sent all strike 12 and explode, destroying Zheng’s army. Chaos reigns as everyone scrambles to safety with the Republic of Pirates under attack.

Review

While the romance between Stede and Ed is lovely, the non-committal nature of their relationship is frustrating. They split and get back together without letting audiences enjoy their time as a couple sufficiently.
The previous season had a nice balance between its primary leads and the supporting characters but this season doesn’t have the same focus. The interesting side characters don’t always get enough time at the front and that is slightly disappointing.
Izzy’s performance of La Vie En Rose is unexpected but brilliant at the same time. He has always been an intriguing character and this is one of those moments that make him stand out.