God I wish I could watch this episode for the first time, again. To my mind this is the best episode yet and also a perfect episode in terms of all the things it accomplishes so economically. Genuinely can't believe this was only half an hour, the text is RICH. (Class commentary? In MY silly pirate show??)
Ed's character is made so much more complex with the bit of background we get, and his fish-out-of-water positioning in this episode is so interesting. Conversely, seeing Stede navigate his own upper-crust world for the first time this season is very revealing. We can see that he knows all the rules and how to conform, even excel, in that environment but that doesn't mean it fulfils him at all. He's so worried about that world being similarly cruel to Ed, it really shows his best side.
I love that in the world of the show Blackbeard is meant to be a madman, but we as the audience are constantly presented with evidence that Stede is maybe more insane!
Lucius SHINES in this episode. "We don't own each other," thank you, king, you're absolutely right.
The below are just some noteworthy tidbits I loved.
Apparently I will protect Fang at all costs, he owns my heart in this episode. Nick Kroll and Kristen Schaal absolutely outdo themselves on this one; shout out the Kroll's nostril flare. I love all the comedy royalty cameos in this series. Frenchie and Olu's pyramid scheme had me absolutely howling, it was so clever and played so well. Major kudos again to the costuming - the way Antoinette has every brooch known to humanity pinned to her bodice is so funny. I don't know WHAT Con O'Neill was THINKING when he did that scene but it sure was iconic even if it made me want to rip my skin off from secondhand embarrassment. Taika apparently invented puppy-dog-eyes, who knew! Abshir pushing Stede out of the office was so good. Rory Kinnear returns! His response to the hair comment is so funny I had to rewind and watch it again for full appreciation. Angus Samson as the king is another win for Aussie viewers and he absolutely owned that role.
Ed's character is made so much more complex with the bit of background we get, and his fish-out-of-water positioning in this episode is so interesting. Conversely, seeing Stede navigate his own upper-crust world for the first time this season is very revealing. We can see that he knows all the rules and how to conform, even excel, in that environment but that doesn't mean it fulfils him at all. He's so worried about that world being similarly cruel to Ed, it really shows his best side.
I love that in the world of the show Blackbeard is meant to be a madman, but we as the audience are constantly presented with evidence that Stede is maybe more insane!
Lucius SHINES in this episode. "We don't own each other," thank you, king, you're absolutely right.
The below are just some noteworthy tidbits I loved.
Apparently I will protect Fang at all costs, he owns my heart in this episode. Nick Kroll and Kristen Schaal absolutely outdo themselves on this one; shout out the Kroll's nostril flare. I love all the comedy royalty cameos in this series. Frenchie and Olu's pyramid scheme had me absolutely howling, it was so clever and played so well. Major kudos again to the costuming - the way Antoinette has every brooch known to humanity pinned to her bodice is so funny. I don't know WHAT Con O'Neill was THINKING when he did that scene but it sure was iconic even if it made me want to rip my skin off from secondhand embarrassment. Taika apparently invented puppy-dog-eyes, who knew! Abshir pushing Stede out of the office was so good. Rory Kinnear returns! His response to the hair comment is so funny I had to rewind and watch it again for full appreciation. Angus Samson as the king is another win for Aussie viewers and he absolutely owned that role.