Season 1
- Rhys Darby ( X-Files ) as Stede Bonnet
- Ewen Bremner ( Exodus ) as Buttons
- Joel Fry ( Plebs ) as Frenchie
- Samson Kayo ( Truth Seekers (2020) ) as Oluwande
- Con O'Neill as Izzy
- Nathan Foad as Lucius
- Vico Ortiz as "Jim" Bonifacia
- Matthew Maher as Black Pete
- Kristian Nairn ( Game of Thrones ) as Wee John Feeney
- Guz Khan as Ivan
- David Fane as Fang
- Taika Waititi ( JoJo Rabbit ) as Blackbeard
- Nat Faxon as The Swede
- Samba Schutte as Roach
- Rory Kinnear as Admiral Chauncey Badminton
Our Flag Means Death (2022) [Season 1, Episode 1]
Pilot
Shown 03 Mar 22
Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby - X-Files ) has recently become captain of a pirate ship. Normally the pirates would get equal shares of any booty they steal. Instead, Bonnet just gives them a regular salary. Not only does this remove their incentive to comit piracy, it also undermines the basic system of self-government. Real-life pirate ships were a democracy where the captain was elected, while Bonnet has undermined the democracy by making everyone his employee. Yes, he has replaced democracy with capitalism, paid for by his aristocractic inherited wealth.
Bonnet keeps his mutinous crew occupied by staging a contest to design a new flag. However, he has to pull his weight by catching them a big ship to attack.
This leads up to a run-in with Admiral Chauncey Badminton (Rory Kinnear), who was a school bully in Bonnet's childhood. Now Bonnet gets the chance to prove himself, and potentially get some payback.
Our Flag Means Death (2022) [Season 1, Episode 2]
A Damned Man
Shown 03 Mar 22
The ship runs aground on a desert island. Bonnet is distracted by the ghost of Admiral Chauncey Badminton (Rory Kinnear), so he leaves the crew to explore the concept of recreation.
The island is not as uninhabited as it appeared. The natives are very racist against white people, who they perceive as colonisers.
Worse, Israel Hands and a couple of his thugs have been following Bonnet's crew.
Our Flag Means Death (2022) [Season 1, Episode 3]
A Gentleman Pirate
Shown 03 Mar 22
Blackbeard (Taika Waititi - JoJo Rabbit ) is intrigued by Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby - X-Files ), and wants to meet him. Unfortunately Bonnet is more interested in being known as the Gentleman Pirate, and has no intention of meeting his rival.
Bonnet has an English hostage he wants to ransom. Unfortunately the only place to find a middle-man is a dodgy tavern run by Jackie ( Leslie Jones ). The bad news is that a couple of Stede's crew have fallen foul of Jackie.
Our Flag Means Death (2022) [Season 1, Episode 4]
Discomfort In a Married State
Shown 10 Mar 22
Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby - X-Files ) is seriously wounded as a result of the previous episode. While recovering in his sickbed, he has flashbacks to his unhappy life before piracy. He was trapped in an arranged marriage. Although he and his wife had a couple of children, things were otherwise passionless. He escaped into his fandom of piracy, like all good nerds he indulged in cosplay and the collection of models. Yes, this certainly explains a lot about him. Ironically, this is the most positive portrayal of a nerd in a long time.
Blackbeard (Taika Waititi - JoJo Rabbit ) goes to extreme lengths to befriend Stede. After all, they have more in common than one might suspect. Each wants the other's life.
We learn a lot about Blackbeard. For example, for some reason he rejects the idea of carrying multiple pistols. Instead he only carries one pistol and one sword. In an era without quick reloads, multiple pistols would be the best option. After all, if a pirate has two functioning hands then he should have at least two pistols. Similarly, the sword should be paired with a parry-dagger in the weaker hand.
Our Flag Means Death (2022) [Season 1, Episode 5]
The Best Revenge Is Dressing Well
Shown 10 Mar 22
Blackbeard (Taika Waititi - JoJo Rabbit ) has Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby - X-Files ) teach him the rudiments of etiquette. They put these new skills to the test by attending a dinner party aboard a ship of French aristocrats. Some of Stede's crew tag along posing as servants, and proceed to run a con game on the aristocrats. Once upon a time this would have been portrayed as simple class warfare. Now the servants are all played by people of colour, so the class divide is shown as a clearly racial one.
Meanwhile, Stede's white crew members are left on the ship under the unwelcome command of Israel Hands. Rather than do their duty as sailors, they spend their time having sex with each other and re-enacting the sketching scene from Titanic. Yes, while the people of colour are oppressed geniuses their white colleagues are irrepressible hedonists.
Our Flag Means Death (2022) [Season 1, Episode 6]
Here Dragons Be AKA The Art of Fuckery
Shown 10 Mar 22
Blackbeard (Taika Waititi - JoJo Rabbit ) teaches Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby - X-Files ) and the crew about psychological warfare. He calls it The Art of Fuckery.
Israel Hands is unhappy at all the homoerotic innuendo. He forces the amateurs to try this out on a Dutch merchantman that they encounter. After all, this will be the perfect opportunity for Blackbeard to go through with his promise and kill Stede.
Our Flag Means Death (2022) [Season 1, Episode 7]
This Is Happening
Shown 17 Mar 22
Blackbeard (Taika Waititi - JoJo Rabbit ) is getting bored, and plans to return to his own ship. Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby - X-Files ) wants to keep the bromance going, so he buys a dodgy treasure map and takes his paramour on a quest.
The rest of the crew have a real quest. Their supply of oranges has been depleted, and at least one of the crew is suffering from scurvy. Stede suggests they get apples instead, which would also supply vitamin C, but the crew insist on oranges. Apparently this is a reference to events depicted in Milk , when the actress who did an orange-juice commercial was the leader of a national campaign against equality for LBGT people.
The island they are on is the home of Jim ( Vico Ortiz ), the crew's trans-man who uses they/them pronouns. We find out why Jim killed Jackie's favourite husband.
Our Flag Means Death (2022) [Season 1, Episode 8]
We Gull Way Back
Shown 17 Mar 22
Calico Jack (Will Arnett - ) drops by to hang out with his old mate Blackbeard (Taika Waititi - JoJo Rabbit ). This is uncomfortable for Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby - X-Files ), who is left in a situation akin to his partner freely associating with their ex-lover.
The subplot involves Jim ( Vico Ortiz ), the crew's trans-man who uses they/them pronouns. Jim is on a revenge mission, and Jackie ( Leslie Jones ) is top of the hit list.
Our Flag Means Death (2022) [Season 1, Episode 9]
Act of Grace
Shown 24 Mar 22
Blackbeard (Taika Waititi - JoJo Rabbit ) and Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby - X-Files ) are caught by the Royal Navy. They take advantage of the King's Act of Grace: a law which allows captured pirates to become privateers. This would be a great idea for Season Two, with our heroes taking on the evil Spanish Empire. However, they are just too damn arrogant ever to accept a good thing.
Our Flag Means Death (2022) [Season 1, Episode 10]
Wherever You Go, There You Are
Shown 24 Mar 22
Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby - X-Files ) is back with the wife and kids he abandoned. Of course, they were better off without him. The Widow Bonnett is friends with Kristen Johnston , who has a plan to kill Stede off for good this time.
Blackbeard (Taika Waititi - JoJo Rabbit ) is back on Stede's ship. However, he is heartbroken without his buddy. This makes him vulnerable to Izzy's jibes.
Our Flag Means Death (2022) [Season 2
, Episode 1
]