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Taika Waititi in HBO Max Pirate Comedy – The Hollywood Reporter

Face the prospect of a proper bloody battle in the first episode of HBO Max’s Our flag means death, pirate captain Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby) had a horrifying reality. “Oh my God. I made a mistake,” he cried. “I’m not a pirate. I’m an idiot.” He wasn’t wrong: An aristocrat who gave up his pampered life more or less at will, Stede had no business trying to plunder the seas. But the wrong choices in his life make for lovable comedy and, ultimately, a surprising heart.

Created by David Jenkins (Humans on Earth) and loosely based on the real Stede Bonnet, Our flag means death comes with an echo of some other series: It’s an office comedy about a lousy boss who isn’t quite the same. Officebut also a kind of cheeky subversion like What do we do in the dark (with whom it shares an actor, pilot director and executive producer at Taika Waititi), with fervent enthusiasm that may have been borrowed from Ted Lasso. But if Our flag means death has a single defining quality, which is “cute” – and, yes, that’s a compliment.

Our flag means death

Key point

A cute comedy about bloodthirsty pirates.

Release date: Thursday, March 3 (HBO Max)
Cast: Rhys Darby, Taika Waititi, Nathan Foad, Samson Kayo, Vico Ortiz, Ewen Bremner, Joel Fry, Matt Maher, Kristian Nairn, Con O’Neill, Guz Khan, David Fane, Rory Kinnear, Samba Schutte, Nat Faxon, Fred Armisen, Leslie Jones
Creator: David Jenkins


The core premise, of a series set during the Golden Age of Piracy but centered on a notoriously clueless pirate instead of a famous dandy, is very cute. The jokes from there are also cute, more of a chuckle than a belly laugh. Some of them rely on the random silence of, for example, crew member Buttons (Ewan Bremner) naked in the moonlight while socializing with his favorite albatross friend. Others exploit the stark parallels between the show’s violent era setting and Stede’s softer, often more modern sensibilities. In a world where a pirate as fearsome as the Spaniard Jackie (Leslie Jones) can keep a “nose jar” to store the noses she has removed from her enemies, Stede pays give his crew a normal salary, encourage them to voice their feelings and read them bedtime stories.

As the sequel progresses, Stede and his crew gradually evolve into more emotional (but still quite enjoyable) storylines that can be described as likable – but also tender and moving in a way. strange. The more severe bend doesn’t quite come as a shock; Even as a pilot, flashbacks to Stede’s troubled marriage and unhappy childhood show that Our flag means death means anthropomorphizing Stede and empathizing with him, not just laughing at him and the aliens of the era he lives in. But it was the appearance of the legendary pirate Blackbeard (Waititi) in episode four that directed Our flag means death towards deeper, more mysterious waters.

Intrigued by reports of this strange “Gentleman Pirate”, Blackbeard searches for Stede and his crew. Revenge – and once arrived, saw in Stede a chance to escape his ennui. Blackbeard’s entrance reorients the series’ appeal: He’s not just a recurring guest star but a brilliant co-star, and the difficult relationship he forms with Stede becomes the backbone autobiography of the entire series. Waititi and Darby, who have worked together since Flight of the gourd, making for a wonderfully quirky couple, Waititi’s uncanny charisma showcases Darby’s initial nervousness. The most hilarious part of the season changes their move, sending Blackbeard into the dangerous uncharted territory of a high society group in France with Stede as the guide.

Meanwhile, the series’ sadder moments lie behind the scenes of both men and how their unfortunate past has informed the people they’ve become today. But Our flag means death handle the dark aspects of the story with a light touch. The show rarely focuses too long on Stede’s guilt about abandoning his family or Blackbeard’s painful memories of his childhood before moving on to another bit of eccentricity. For that matter, though Stede mentions the “mental devastation” of witnessing violence in his early lines and even though he and several other characters would be seriously injured before the end of the season, but the actual violence depicted in the series is never graphic enough to be offensive.

Such restraint between Our flag means death from saying anything really new or poignant about trauma or class or masculinity or any of the other larger ideas it evokes. However, it also keeps the show’s tone as vibrant as a fusion comedy. There’s room for goofy characters like Nat Faxon to roam describing his scurvy symptoms in the same episode that more basic characters like deadly Jim (Vico Ortiz) and gentle Oluwande (Samson) Kayo) are reaching a pivotal point in their long-term relationship, and guest stars like Nick Kroll and Kristen Schaal have plenty of time to develop.

Our flag means death won’t be the most poignant show you’ve seen about the midlife crisis, or the most dramatic – but if you find yourself in the mood to relax on the almost warm, soothing waters with a lovely exotic group, it will gain detection.

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