Edward Teach is tying up his Blackbeard leathers in a net with a cannonball to drop them over the side of the Revenge, signifying his final farewell to the persona. He then delivers breakfast to Stede in bed, even going as far to include a piece of twine as flourish. He tells Stede it’s his way of saying thank you for the night he died, sharing that he saw Stede as a merman while in the gravy basket and it was this vision that saved his life. The blissful morning is interrupted by Izzy’s entrance.
“It is my duty to inform the captain that the ship has docked on the Republic of Pirates.”
“Thank you, you could inform me on deck.”
“Aye-aye. Also, it’s good to see that it’s not just the ship that has been well and truly docked. Congratulations.”
Richard has delivered a grandfather clock to every ship in the fleet to celebrate a time of peace, and both Zheng and Auntie hate the unsightly and loud item. Oluwande points out the red knots mean Zheng is recruiting and that she must have big plans, and Archie spots Zheng from a distance and tries to get her attention. Zheng is, of course, still hurt about the mutiny … specifically Olu’s part in it. She leaves without saying a word, though Auntie is more than happy to make their unhappiness known. Ed and Stede share another meal at a fish stand where Stede is approached about being the one who killed Ned Low, the other pirates inviting Stede to a round of drinks at Spanish Jackie’s. The trio don’t even recognize Edward as Blackbeard, and Ed compliments Stede for becoming infamous. They skip out on the bill, because pirates don’t pay.
At Spanish Jackie’s Stede soaks in his fame and Ed gives him a list of rules to adhere to. The rest of the crew enter Jackie’s nervously given how they robbed her earlier this season, but Jackie gives them a warm welcome as the crew who killed Ned Low. The Swede — now the bartender — whips up a round of his signature cocktail, “The Sweet and Spicy”, which he claims is just like his wife. Frenchie sees all of the attention as an opportunity to make money. Ed confides in Jackie that him being a regular guy might not just be a phase … it’s becoming more and more evident he wants to leave piracy behind for good. Olu confides in the Swede about his feelings toward Zheng and how he hurt her.
“She just looked at me like I was a worm.”
“Was it devastating as it was arousing?”
Relationships and keeping your partner(s) happy are all about the hard work. Meanwhile, Jim and Archie have visited Zheng to tell her that Olu thinks and talks about her all the time and she should give him a chance to at least talk, which Zheng agrees to.
Blackbeard is deep in thought while Izzy joins him, sharing that he tossed his leathers overboard that morning … something Izzy already knows because he watched it happen. Ed says it felt great and Izzy encourages him to listen to that feeling. Stede continues his popularity by regaling people in the story of how he took out Ned Low when it’s interrupted by someone wishing to kill Stede. Stede takes a lit cigar from one of his companions and tosses it onto his would-be killer, lighting the man on fire. Stede has no intention of stepping away from piracy anytime soon.
Stede rejoins Ed to excitedly tell him about his day — the murder attempt and how he stopped it and the fact that he got his ear pierced. Ed sounds less than enthusiastic and shares that he thinks their intimate night was a mistake and that he’s not ready because he doesn’t know who he is … only that he doesn’t want to be a pirate. He reveals he’s leaving as he’s found a job on a small fishing boat and the two argue briefly as he walks away, Stede calling him a coward.
Aboard Zheng’s ship, the grandfather clock is being moved around as no one wants it near them. Frenchie is selling replicas of the Revenge’s plank while Black Pete sells genuine signatures from the Gentleman Pirate, which are being done by Lucius and Wee John does tattoos of Stede on other pirates. Izzy joins Stede to apologetically share that he knows Ed left him
“For the record … I think you’re good for him. You balance each other out. It took me a long time to realize that, but … I do now.”
Given Ed’s complicated nature and how he reacted when Izzy told him he loved him, Stede didn’t get it so bad. He encourages Stede to return to the ship before he ends up on the wrong end of a sword.
Olu and Zheng have the conversation they desperately need to have and ultimately reach an understanding and forgiveness. The two share that they missed one another and rejoin the rest of the crew at Spanish Jackie’s. Olu tells Jim and Archie that he’s going to return to Zheng’s ship with her and an invitation is extended for the two to join them … something Stede takes immediate offense to as he views it as his crew being poached. When Zheng makes a correct assumption about Ed leaving Stede again a fight breaks out between the two, eventually roping the entire establishment in.
The fight carries on outside and just as Zheng is about to bring a plank down onto his head the clocks strike midnight and all of the grandfather clocks on the fleet explode, causing the loss of the entire fleet and mass destruction to the island as cannonballs are set off.
The first seven episodes of Our Flag Means Death season 2 are streaming now on Max. To refresh yourself on the season before the finale on Thursday, October 26 you can read up on our episodic recaps here.
