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I just want to say: The past few weeks have been difficult. Living in a difficult upside down zone. Hard-to-talk-with-one-eyes-closed-eyes. Frequent, this column devoted to those topics. But earlier this week, on Wednesday, the clouds disbanded and good news emerged: HBO Max has renew Our flag means death for a second season, and I’m choosing to keep it.
You may be wondering if this is because Taika Waititiwho played Blackbeard on the show, currently loving the cover of WIRED. That’s part of it, yes. (The Waititi vibe definitely screams “One of us.”) But it’s more than that; it’s also about a fan favorite show finally winning. The first season ended with a significant twist, but for months there was no word about the second. Fans started panicking, pushing hashtags like #RenewOurFlagMeansDeath and even send postcards HBO ask for a second season. In a dismal week, successfully campaigning for an internet favorite feels like a victory.
Our flag means deathInnovation also comes at a very opportunistic time. Wednesday happens to be June 1, the first day of this year’s Pride Month, and since it’s one of the smartest quirky shows on television—seriously, in a way. Flip the script on queerbaiting remains a revelation — innovation is like a gift to LGBTQ+ fans. Cast and crew confirmed a lot: Waititi’s tweet about the part two with rainbow flags and pirate flags, and Con O’Neill, who plays Izzy Hands, tweeted “May you be proud of x beauties” along with a screenshot of “#RenewOurFlagMeansDeath” trending among the topics of Pride month on Twitter. It’s almost as if HBO got hold of the news just to get it on this particular day.
Amid all the horrors happening on Earth right now, it’s weird to celebrate the renewal of a show—especially when a second season hasn’t even been written and doesn’t have a release date yet. But there is something about memories this shows that feel worth it. Our flag means death, a reality-based show, about a pirate, Blackbeard, who has a crush on a “gentleman pirate”, Stede (Rhys Darby). Both are transformed in the process. At a time when it can feel like the world is falling apart, like things will never work out, watching love blossom in lawlessness is the kind of joy that can’t be denied.
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