Our Flag Means Death (TV Series) Act of Grace (2022) User Reviews

David Jenkins, Why?!

[michellesharpe-16943 · 9/10 · 24 March 2022]

I literally fan girl screamed when the Ed and Stede kissed. It was a beautiful moment. Taika Waititi and Rhys Darby have insanely good chemistry.

But there's an episode left and you know things cannot be wrapped up in a bow that easily. So of course things go bad.

I think Rhys Darby really stood out in this episode. He really acted his heart out and it was extremely effective.

Beautiful

[Joshumms · 9/10 · 24 March 2022]

Absolutely beautiful story, the amount of things this show has managed to be is incredible. Funny, wacky, and a surprisingly compelling set of characters and story, Stede and Blackbeard are just amazing.

Thanks Jenkins!

[abithefallenhuman · 10/10 · 29 March 2022]

I can't quite articulate my feeling of this episode, but a Tumblr user I know can;

"our flag means death slapped pink bandaids with hearts over the wounds i have sustained over the years from being queerbaited.

It tucked me in and read me bedtime stories about found family compiled of funky little weirdos who are all likable and funny in their own special ways. Logical reasoning for the whys and hows flew out the window with each passing moment because i did not care anymore, I was so blindsided by the sheer amount of representation and romantic tropes that i felt like i was witnessing live action fanfic. By the end i was left crying in my rpatz bruce wayne eyeliner just like ed. When i say it was delightful to watch even when it hurt my feelings i mean that. David jenkins i owe u my life "

This show is incredible, well worth it's slow first three episodes, and this episode is one of its greatest.

They really did it

[alfuso-20166 · 10/10 · 1 June 2022]

The most beautiful, tender, sweet, loving, kiss I've ever seen. Please, I want some more. Over and over. Wonderful chemistry between Darby and Waititi. And as perfect an ensemble of supporting actors as I've ever seen. Not a sour note in the lot. Another series, please.

That was magical.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 10/10 · 1 April 2023]

Steed and Blackbeard are now in The hands of The English, sentenced to death, it would take something pretty incredible to save him from The Firing Squad.

I don't know how it's been possible for this to be better than all previous eight episodes, and in scratching my head to explain why, or even to write how or why.

Where do you even begin, it was beautiful, it was funny, sweet, heart breaking, it was almost as if a fairytale were unfolding in front of our very eyes. I. These times of ultra toxic and harsh attitudes, it was just nice to see that love is love, regardless of those who feel it.

God's perfect little rich boy Steed finally has to face up to two things, Admiral Chauncey and a realisation of his feelings for Blackbeard.

That scene where Steed looked down and saw a clean shaven Blackbeard, that was so funny.

How on Earth will they follow this up in the finale?

10/10.

It's a Romance, not a Bromance

[penniellington · 10/10 · 16 September 2023]

Don't let anyone article lie to you and make you think this is JD and Turk or Chandler and Joey-level bros, just hanging out.

THIS. IS. A. ROMANCE.

Thanks to feckless Izzy and roping in Jack and Badminton, Stede and Ed are captured by the Royal Navy. Badminton wants Stede dead for his role in his brother's death, but Ed pulls a card out of his (redacted) to save them both.

They get sent to a privateering academy to become British soldiers. Who cares? That's not remotely important.

What's important is that THE SCENE THAT WAS HEARD AROUND THE WORLD happens. You know the one.

It is EVERYTHING. It is worth the wait. It is life.

If only the episode ended there.

<3

[givemebaretrees · 10/10 · 16 September 2023]

I really had no idea what I was getting into when I started watching this show as it aired, and I was DELIGHTED by the kiss at the end of this episode.

First of all the Act of Grace scene itself is just fantastic. King George's "overthinking things as usual" is one of the funniest line deliveries in the whole series, every rewatch it manages to startle me into cracking up. Also, Izzy Hands manages to be a compelling antagonist even as he sold out Stede and his crew. But Taika Waititi and Rhys Darby as Ed and Stede make this show what it is, which is a perfect queer romance story.

And Stede's despair as the episode concludes is so perfectly done, your heart just breaks for him as you watch. The collapse of this relationship and the potential future together they've both realized they want happens so quickly, but calls back to so much of the earlier season that it makes perfect sense.

Perfect episode from start to finish.

Beautiful, poignant, emotionally devastating

[erinsdodge · 10/10 · 17 September 2023]

"Act of Grace" marks another huge shift in the tone of the show, as our heroes face grave losses and an emotionally devastating betrayal.

There are plenty of hilarious moments throughout, but the drama is on a different level now as the circumstances worsen, and Stede and Edward are forced to make impossible choices.

The twist ending, and the emotional torment that occur in the last half are startling-

I am so invested in these characters and their relationships, that I honestly felt like it was ME going through the pain of the last few minutes of this episode. I had to do some laps to get right after watching this episode; it was that serious!

Act of Grace

[bobcobb301 · 6/10 · 9 April 2022]

A real copout for how they helped Stede and Blackbeard survive, but what can you do? The idea of those two representing the Royal Navy is kind of funny though and I wish they pursued it.

romcom legendary

[snyderjacq · 10/10 · 15 September 2023]

I am a lesbian who went through comphet and it is so much fun to watch golden age pirates go through a similar experience. They uhauled, first date lasted for weeks, had the most spectacular misunderstanding breakup. Finally a romcom for me but it's also a swashbuckler in the truest sense. This is so fun and it's exactly the kind of thing I am hoping for when I turn on the TV. I had no idea TV could be fun like this. Give them everything and I hope they double down on everything weird about this show. Cast & crew are rippin, they are just top notch. The music cues are richter scale 9 kind of strength.

ACT OF GRAAAACE

[annabaldwin-72844 · 10/10 · 17 September 2023]

What an episode!!

Incredible performances from all involved, but Darby and Waititi showing that they have just as good dramatic chops as they do for comedy!

Stede and Ed's relationship built to this point and to see it actually be REAL and they actually have feelings for each other and it's actually addressed??? An absolute breath of fresh air when media mostly insists on hiding such things or merely hinting them.

The ending scenes are devastating, Darby's scream of horror is to be reckoned with, and my association of Lou Reed's A Perfect Day with Trainspotting has been well and truly trumped.

Absolutely amazing

[c-15384 · 10/10 · 21 September 2023]

This is a highly emotional episode. It is so beautifully done and has a big emotional impact. I have not stopped thinking about this episode for the last year and a half.

It features excellent character moments showcasing the highly developed emotions of the characters and the talent of the actors. The music over this episode also serves to portray a truly emotional story. It is so well chosen and complements the emotion perfectly.

The writing is absolutely wonderful and the acting is stellar. This is another episode I rewatch often as the character moments are done so well. The episode tells a great story and is so well put together in every aspect.

NO MORE QUEERBAITING!!!

[lpsangeldaschund · 10/10 · 16 June 2022]

When my friend first told me this show had gay characters I truly believed it was hinted at or wishful thinking or a side character who we never see develop much other than being the "gay best friend" trope. I was wrong. I was so wrong and I love it. This show grabbed me by the face and gave me a huge gay kiss and wasn't shy about it and I absolutely adore that we are finally seeing shows featuring gay main characters who are proud and unashamed to be gay. If we do not have more episodes like this one in season two I'm going to write David Jenkins myself.

I Cried!

[traceyseier · 10/10 · 2 October 2023]

I'm not ashamed to say I cried. This episode is the emotional climax of the season and it is the reason I come back to this show again and again.

That said, this episode jerks the emotions around in every direction.

Strong performances from Taika Waititi, Rhys Darby, Con O'Neill, and Rory Kinnear. We see fierce love, self-sacrifice, selfishness, and madness from all of them, and it works so well.

It shouldn't be so rare to see a same-sex romance given all of the drama and all of the story beats and complexity that straight romances have always had. But it is so rare and precious, and this episode really gives us what we've been crying out for.

Romantic, Dramatic, Adventurous

[Encaitare · 10/10 · 17 September 2023]

Thanks to the scheme organized by Izzy, Jack, and Spanish Jackie, the Royal Navy has caught up to the Revenge. The crew are interrogated by Admiral Chauncey Badminton, and Ed tries to take the blame for Nigel Badminton's death. The admiral doesn't fall for it, and arranges for Stede to be executed by firing squad.

Ed invokes the Act of Grace, which would pardon pirates who agree to become privateers for the Crown. At last the crew rallies around Stede, proving to the Navy that he's a real pirate and should be saved. And so our heroes are shipped off to... pirate rehab military school. In this new environment, they can admit their true desires, but nothing can ever be that simple.

Beautiful and heartbreaking

[denizb33 · 10/10 · 4 October 2023]

Another example of pitch-perfect pacing, from confession (Ed confesses to spare Stede; Stede confesses to spare Ed) to trial (and the affirmation of Stede as captain before all his crew) to capture (and Stede unable to believe that Ed may want to rest for a while) while the crew deal with an Izzy whose suddenly tasted a bit of power and begun to emulate seemingly every unsavoury pirate captain from his own past.

The part that always makes me cry is the image of Stede's hand on the doorknob -- at that point, there seems to be no turning back from the direction he's taken and, at this hour (now that the night has passed and he's far from Ed and the crew), there's no one near to help him see things in any other way but the fashion in which he's always seen them, and which Chauncey has reinforced. He opens the door, and begins to try to make amends...

They Did It, Your Honor

[magicalmrmistofelees · 10/10 · 4 October 2023]

I cannot think of anything that has felt so joyful, so fulfilling, that has graced my television screen in such a long time. Despite the fact that things do sort of end up going south for our characters by the end of the episode, I am beyond thrilled that they were able to have their Moment. Truly, peak romance.

Beyond the Best Moment Of This Show Yet, there was also some phenomenal acting here, particularly from Con O'neill as Izzy Hands and Taika Waititi as Blackbeard. And the supporting characters are also given moments to shine, most notably as they band together to decide who will be their new captain. It's a lovely episode that will forever be seared in my memory.

The episode

[ajrusemckay-64533 · 10/10 · 4 October 2023]

The one that changed it all. We were not queer baited but received at least three lovely queer stories that have changed lives.

When Ed steps in front of Stede my heart fluttered. The love and devotion right there will ruin any viewer. The romantic beats just do not stop.

Watching Ed and Stede in that beach and Rhys and Taika put their all into it. This was the moment in television I wasn't aware I was waiting for.

To only be heartbroken in the last few minutes as Stede deals with his trauma in the worst way possible.

Plenty still comedic beats here from Izzy trying to run the ship to Stede coming up with ridiculous ways ti escape this show has it all.

Breathtaking, heartbreaking

[catrinlok · 10/10 · 9 October 2023]

Well, what to begin with... So long hve I been there with this show that I more do metas thn revies, so let it be spoilering a bit, for those who already saw it. 'Think of new names for us', - Ed tells to Stede, and that is such a small detail to be of great importance, when you think about it fterwards it is painful. What is a name for Ed? A way tk hide from what he sees dangerous, from the whole word really. We still don't know whether Edward is his real name, but still, I hope so. At least, he trust this name to be his sincere one, he introduces as Ed to Stede before, and this name is for his true self, very versatile, very lovely and dangerous same time. And now, he's gonna set himself free... but he's gonna hide himself again behind some false name. He still has a very long way...

Take that, queerbaiting!

[tannihernandez · 10/10 · 26 October 2023]

If you weren't already fully aware of how beautifully queer this story is, this is the episode that will make you realize exactly how special what your watching is. I don't want to spoil the moment for anyone who hasn't yet seen it, but something magical happens here that makes the whole series worth watching alone (though there are a hundred other reasons to watch and enjoy it, too.)

Of course, this is s a story and all good stories need a conflict, so things don't stay perfect and magical and happy. But the ending twist is a meaningful one for the characters and sets up some really interesting (if painful) storytelling for the rest of the show and the second season.

This episode was an act of grace

[blueruvy · 10/10 · 5 November 2023]

I'm writing this a year and a half after I first saw this episode and yet I remember THAT moment like it was yesterday. Years of being lead to believe by other shows and other media that I'll finally get to see myself represented on screen, that THIS would be the time - only to be disappointed over and over. I'm not allowed to be a fact, readable clearly and irrefutably in the text. I don't get my day in the sun. After a few decades of that, you stop believing that anyone will actually show you on screen, no matter how much they promise and how many hints they drop. You just stop.

So yeah, I was absolutely one of the many that despite the very obvious evidence in front of my eyes, still kind of expected this show to play off Stede and Ed's affection as bromance. I hadn't consumed any promotional media around the show where creators were explicit about it being a romcom. I was elated, overjoyed, filled with giddy glee when The Kiss happened. But I was also surprised, in a way that breaks my heart now given all the show has given us since then.

This show was already doing so many important things up to this episode, but this undeniable proof of its intent is precious beyond all reckoning. I thank the creators for teaching me to never settle for less, with the fiction I consume.

Okay, elsewhere in this episode, the trial and act of grace scene is so heartwarming, if we compare to the way the crew felt about Stede in the pilot, to now defending him and parroting his sayings back to him. It's validation that Stede's approach to piracy is better, it is effective. It reinforces what we see elsewhere: that if he just sticks to being himself and not trying to be an idealised version of something else, things will go well.

And conversely, this episode is also an essay in how self-doubt amounts to self sabotage. Once the news of Mary reporting him dead, and Chauncey's rambling gets into his dead, things go south.

For all the tenderness, we also see Ed's impulsivity in full force. He throws himself into the role of indentured naval recruit, the leaps at and doubles down on the escape plan, utterly missing Stede's obvious reservations. Ed is introduced to us early as impulsive, all-in when something is only partly thought through, and that early narrative work really paid off, here.

I love the parallel between the proposed mutiny against Stede in the pilot, and the attempted mutiny against Izzy here. When characters get over-arrogant in this show, they get burned for it. Also just very funny that Izzy's aim this whole season fizzled out and failed in less than a day.

Also, very minor thing, but thrilled to see Officer Hornberry, again. His sing-song voice is a treasure.

such an insanely good episode

[razzapple_ · 10/10 · 14 January 2024]

Absolutely PHENOMENAL. This is the kind of episode that you never really stop thinking about, you'll randomly remember it and go through all the same emotions over again. And god it's emotional and so incredibly well written. The way all 8 of the previous episodes build up to the big event in this one is amazing, with the foreshadowing, the character development and the backstories, showing how each of their past trauma and experience led to this. I also love the way this episode calls back to certain aspects of their pasts, repeating flashbacks we've seen before and paralleling previous scenes. The script is incredible, with lines that tie heavily into both past and future events as well as fundamental concepts of the characters' personalities and mentalities and the actors are so amazing. Their delivery of these lines and the emotion they portrayed all throughout the episode was outstanding. Genuinely phenomenal episode i could talk about it for hours.

Gorgeous

[ginamwatts · 10/10 · 11 January 2024]

Where to even begin. Ed and Stede have understood each other so well about certain things from the beginning - they have probably never felt so understood by another person. But there is still so much they haven't talked about and learned about each other, and that all comes to a head here. The way their respective insecurities run up against each other, and they simply don't have a chance to hash it out, is so real and so heartbreaking. I wish either of them could have done things differently, but also, their actions are so in character that of course they had to happen this way. Completely stunning episode.

What makes Ed happy is... you.

[yaheliangel · 10/10 · 5 October 2023]

So emotional, oh my god!

You can truly see the love they all have for each other.

I cried when Ed lied for Stede (that he killed Nigel himself), when he protected him with the act of grace, when the crew defended Stede as a real pirate together, ugh!

The kiss scene was absolutely beautiful. So accurate and so touching and just everything I ever wanted. The gasp I had when it happened was surreal - i'm so not used for these kinds of shows to not be main-couple queerbait, and the whole thing being canon in s1 is so amazing!

Everything that happens after the kiss is so gut-wrenching, with perfect soundtrack and amazing writing, it all just falls into place just right for episode 10.

Think up some new names . . . cool ones.

[shaugen-35205 · 10/10 · 12 January 2024]

Still reveling in the ending of the last episode where Stede and Ed are reunited only to be in the hands of the British who sentence Stede to death by firing squad by saving Blackbeard by turning him over to Izzy Hands. I really don't see how this show keeps getting better and better, but it does. I also don't see how they can put so much into 25 minutes and have me craving for more at the end. This was another stellar episode watching Blackbeard give up his own freedom to save Stede and sign on to serve the British. He even seems relieved to be off the ship, done with piracy and with Stede. Stede, however, is asking how to escape only to learn that Ed is ok with the current situation. What we've been finally waiting for happens when Ed declares his feelings for Stede in a romantic moment on a sand dune. I melted when I saw the magical kiss leading Stede to also admit that Ed makes Stede happy too. An escape plan is in motion and suddenly there is excitement brewing as Blackbeard runs off to get a boat and Stede is nervously awaiting their meet up. Of course there is a major confrontation between Badminton and Stede leading to another accidental death. Stede does not show up to the meeting place as Ed paces all night long and sadly rows off in the morning alone with A Perfect Day playing on the soundtrack. It cuts away to Stede returning home to his wife and then to Ed climbing on board the Revenge asking for tea in his quarters. They are apart and the viewer has been quickly destroyed after much anticipation for their romance to officially begin.