Hi guys!! Im back for another quick list of things that ive noticed people talk about in the comments and my opinions on them! The comment section is really split on these two episodes oh boy. •People keep pointing out that there is going to be a third season- I know! But that doesnt change the fact that they have to wrap up some of the plots for satisfying season experience. They cant just stretch all plotlines into two seasons because then this season would just feel like filler. (im not talking about a cliffhanger. there most probably is going to be one. take for example season 1, all small plots were wrapped up so that the main plot can open new ones for season 2) •Some of you mentioned that Stede didnt tell Ed about Chauncey because it would feel like an excuse, and i have to strongly disagree with that. Its not an excuse. He still did leave him and hurt him in the process. He still did a shitty thing. But this is something that just did happen and would help Ed understand the entire situation better. It just feels weird that he withheld this information from him. They need to communicate about stuff like this its really important in relationships. •Yes, Izzy isnt a saint and Ed embracing his old habits was a direct cause of Izzy yelling at him how weak he is. BUT that doesn't excuse Ed from literally shooting him in the leg!! Eds actions are his own and he came back to his shitty habits because he thought it would help him forget about Stede. So yes, Izzy was shit, but hes trying to make amends. And so is Ed now. But i dont think he can make it in 3 episodes. I'll add to this list if I see any other interesting comments that keep repeating, I dont feel like writing everything out multiple times :D keep the conversation friendly, we're all just discussing our favorite show here. Take care!!
It honestly just seems like they need more time to conclude the season so maybe it’ll end on a cliff hanger because of all the villains they’re setting up
I hope that this season does well in terms of audience ratings and people wanting more so HBO renews a new season and the team can work with more than 25-30 min 8 episodes.
I don’t think Ed hated Stede at all. Ed hated himself, hated not being lovable, being a monster that cannot be redeemed. He spent most days crying because he was devastated that Stede had seen his true self, and left. I believe part of him agreed with Stede, believed someone like him could never love him. Plus, Stede represents wealth, which Ed has always perceived as being out or reach. It just added to the idea that Ed doesn’t deserve good things.
I love Izzy this season. He was the only one brave enough to tell Blackbeard about the 'poisoned atmosphere' of the ship. And when you consider that Unicorn horns are said to have properties of curing poisons, the symbolism of Izzy being the new Unicorn is wonderful. The Stizzy dynamic was also fun to watch, just seeing these two starting to get along. Considering Buttons is now a bird, maybe the first mate position is open for Izzy? 👀
I read someplace else that the methaphor is that the old Blackbeard, that one that hate himself died, and than Ed reborn. Episodes 4 and 5 were about healing. It would be (for me) too rush to go ahead without address the crew traumas and the separation. For me it was perfect.
@@janjanfernandes2289the problem became that, by the end of the season, the crew's issues were not addressed but "put in a little box" as Frenchie said, or repressed as Izzy did. Lucius was played for laughs 😢
I think the reason Stede didn't tell Ed about Chauncey is because part of him still feels like he "ruins beautiful things", since him leaving was the main reason for Ed's breakdown and Mary was certainly better off when he wasn't around. Granted, Stede and Mary basically only just met on their wedding day, but Mary tried to get Stede to open up before he ran off, and he stayed silent throughout the whole scene. I think Stede wants to try to give Ed what he wasn't capable of giving Mary, but he's still afraid of "ruining a beautiful thing", so he priotizes Ed's wellbeing over his own.
Honestly the proposal worried me. It seems to me like Lucius is using his relationship to not think about his trauma and force himself to move on (which tbh happens a lot in real life and it never ends well). My guess is that the wedding is the party where they're in drag from the previews. If that's the case then Jesus it's too fast. On another note I think it's best for Ed to never be captain again, but instead part of the crew. That's probably the best chance they got to make him care about them. A lot of people are saying he will be co captain but i hope not.
I agree with everything you said. I think that the progression is perfect and there are good lessons this season but there doesn't seem like enough time to actually conclude it properly. A longer season would give me more hope. Also Stede and Ed were a much more lovable couple in season 1 because they were changing eachother and learning from eachother. This season the relationship is more messy. But once again, that can be fixed with more time! I guess we'll wait and see in the last few episodes!
I don't get why Stede didn't tell Ed about how Rory Kinnear kidnapped him that night. But equally, he did go back to Mary, he didn't try and contact Ed or meet him, when he probably was still waiting, that encounter didn't take all night. So realistically he did leave Ed to go back to Mary out of a panic, but I think he could have explained it differently.
7:37 I think stede didn't say anything about the badminton thing to ed because of his lack of self worth. He doesn't want to say it to ed because he thinks ed might agree with that which would absoluley break stede, coming from the person he loves the most. I mean, throughout the first season you can see how much it affects stede being called a lily livered little rich boy so I'm trying to draw the parallel from there also 5:01 I BURSTED OUT LAUGHING LMAO
I've been waiting for your analysis! Yeah I agree that their conversation went too well, it's kinda odd. My theory for why Stede didn't mention the whole "you defile beautiful things" was his lack of self-worth, and fear that Ed would agree with that and actually leave him. So he went with the more fixable excuse of them moving too fast? idk, i did hope he'd mention that but Stede's not really good at talking about his traumas. And yeah, the Mary and Anne storyline was a little disappointing, I was hoping for...more? hope we see them again. Love the way you analyse these characters, it's always so insightful (agree about Ed and the redemption attempt) there's lots to think about these characters Honestly Buttons turning into a bird is everything i wanted to see this season :'D
I think Stede still believes that he "defiles beautiful things" given that Ed's mental breakdown was caused by him leaving, and Mary was certainly better off without him. Granted, the latter was mostly due to the fact that they basically met on their wedding day, but Mary tried to get Stede to open up before he left, and he still kept quiet about how he felt. I think he wants to do for Ed what he wasn't capable of doing for Mary, but he doesn't view his own feelings as a priority due to his self-worth issues.
With hope, even if there's not enough time this season to unpack everything, we'll get resolution with season 3. I'm trying to be patient, but I like your criticisms
I really really really disliked the way they treated Lucious and his trauma 😣 The way it was almost ridiculed. The way his (also sexual) trauma was used almost like a joke when he started telling it to Stede and Stede ran away. They never adressed it properly, he was never even just simply comforted, and then suddenly he was supposed to be over it. Ew. Just ew. Hate it.
I've been really enjoying this season so far. I do think that Stede hasn't told ANYONE about Chauncey. No one actually knows how broken he is. That probably wasn't the time, in a stranger's house. Episode 4 was really fun to watch and Episode 5 to me felt very familiar. It was back on the ship, everyone is trying their best to get back in sync. I do think that Ed and Stede moved quite fast in Ep 4, but that's kinda their thing. They got attached easily, and they'll continue to do so. They both wanted to eventually get over it, and I don't think they'll stop having sad conversations, but they needed to have at least one to get started. Izzy's advice to Lucius was kinda shit to be honest. They both need to accept that they can be upset. Every character has trauma. They all need a group therapy session. Stede has so much trauma and has never addressed it. Ed was getting better when he started talking about his problems, but now he needs to continue doing that, otherwise he can't get better. I also think that Ed has never tried to apologise before, and so he struggles with expressing himself properly. No one in this show is the greatest most amazing person. Also - Season 3!!! Jenkins really wants to make a Season 3 and knowing his style, he probably will. The crew doesn't ever need to forgive him if they don't want to.
I'm so glad we share similar views on this, I was thinking the exact same things. For one, if Stede had told Ed the real reason he left him, it would've made Ed's calmness and receptiveness to Stede coming back more believable. Ed has a right to be angry and Stede hasn't really given him a reason not to be, and I didn't understand why Ed just kind of forgave him so quickly with so much still left unsaid.
SAME! I was hoping for a deep apology from Stede to Ed. They’re both just…fine? Ed bawled for seemingly months and fell into a suicidal depression. He deserved a real explanation and apology. I love Stede’s character, but Izzy has never been more justified in hating/resenting him the way he abandoned his crew.
I read someplace else that the methaphor is that the old Blackbeard, that one that hate himself, died, and than Ed did reborn as someone who now is capable to love and be loved. Izzy found in the Sted´s crew his family. And Lucious learned to move on and celebrate life. Episodes 4 and 5 were about healing. It would be (for me) too rush to go ahead without address the crew´s traumas and Ed and Sted the separation. For me it was perfect.
Thanks for your analysis! I loved your previous vid because it made me feel better about eps 1-3 which I was actually not a fan of. I thought they were too dark. I adored eps 4-5, so I was shocked by your title (messy). A few thoughts as I watch you: 1. Wasn't it weeks not months between seasons? (I thought Black Pete said "I thought you were dead for weeks" in ep 5.) IMO, Blackbeard let out his anger quite a bit ("You're no fucking mermaid", ignoring Stede, "I'm blaming the fuck out of you", "I wanted to kill him and take his face, actually", etc). I do agree that Blackbeard's mild anger in ep4 didn't match the tone of eps 1-2, but I was relieved for that. For me, his ep4 anger was appropriate. The ep1-2 anger was way out of proportion. I think it makes the most sense if we assume that Blackbeard wasn't suicidally angry AT Stede, but at himself for trusting anyone. So when Blackbeard realises he wants to live, he doesn't have that intense anger anymore and it wasn't meant to be directed entirely at Stede. Of course he's angry at Stede, but his absolute insanity in eps 1-2 was more about himself than about Stede, if that makes sense. Regardless, I'm glad they finally lightened the tone in ep4. 2. Being dragged out of bed at gunpoint isn't what made Stede leave. It was his insecurity of hurting Blackbeard. That's why he says "and then you shaved off your beard for me". That was Stede saying that he thought Ed's life was better without him. It maybe wasn't as direct as you wanted, but for me it worked perfectly. Also from a writer's perspective, if Stede says it was because of Badminton, it could be perceived that Stede was blaming someone else, which is a very unattractive thing for our beloved Stede to do. He took full responsibility for abandoning Ed, which the audience and Ed need for a proper apology. 3. I didn't have the same reaction about Lucius, but after hearing your thoughts, I agree! I also agree that Blackbeard hasn't been held accountable for his actions but I think OFMD is approaching it in a unique way. Usually, if writers want to redeem an awful character, he has to suffer (example Izzy). Blackbeard hasn't suffered. Will he suffer in upcoming eps or is he slowly on a journey to self-awakening (as seen with his conversation with Fang)? In any case, there is gonna be a huge showdown between Ed and Izzy so I'm waiting for that. 4. I do understand your worry about Ed needing redeemed, but would it be so bad to do that over the course of two seasons (2 and 3)? Personally, I wouldn't mind if Ed still has a ways to go at the end of the season.
Yeah, I would much prefer Ed's redemption to take longer. I've been worried ever since they announced there would only be 8 episode. I worry that everything is compressed now. But he's gotta have some kind of reckoning with Izzy before this season ends.
@sybariticcupboardrat3763 yes! I'm anxiously awaiting an explosive scene between Ed and izzy. And tbh, Blackbeard is so relentlessly likable even as a villain, I'm in no hurry for his redemption. Slow and steady
I totally get what you are saying about Lucius and Pete, but I also understand the writers. A lot of times people in abusive/toxic relationships don't have a means of leaving it or speaking out against it (particularly if you are a kid and have an abusive parent), and so the only way you can continue to live is by accepting how things are and finding ways to deal with it. A lot of bad things that happen in life are out of your control, and while that doesn't make the bad thing that happened okay, you can't be hung up on it. Like, this probably wasn't their intention, but it still came across this way to me. I think ultimately the writers were trying to show that people do need to move on. That bad things happen to everyone in life and you have to deal with it. You can still be upset and mad about it, but that won't get you anywhere in the long run. It could have been handled better, sure. And I do agree that there should've been more to this. Lucius does have a choice as to whether or not Ed stays in his life and the situation is much more complex than what I said before. it wasn't handled flawlessly, but it was still handled better than how it is handled in other shows.
I think Stede was taking reponsibiltiy for his own actions, which is healthy. You can't blame your actions on the actions of someone else. He still could have made the right decisions and gone to meet Ed on the dock and talk about it, but he didn't, he ran off because he paniced. He was paniced before the kidnapping so that was just the icing on cake, and they were not communicating properly about it. I'm not saying he shouldn't have brought it up, but ultimately I think the point is to take ownership of what you did an make amends. Explaining too much about the actions of others can come off sometimes as making excuses. Regarding Olu/Jim/Archie, if they had 10 eps like last season, which I totally think they should have had, there would have been more time to flesh out all the other crew dynamics for sure. Hopefully, s3 will have 10. About Lucius, I think the Izzy advice is sound in the fact that yeah you can't hold on to things and expect to heal (like the idea of taking poison and expecting the other person to die), but healing is not a straight line and he shouldn't be expected to just "move on." Grief is circuitous and takes time to work through. They Kevin scene...I love that Ed is now seeing him as a person. I just want to hug Fang/Kevin so much, I love him. Anyone who's been through a lot of hurt and pain knows that there are times when you think you are over it, only to have it sneak back up on you at the worst times and you realize you have a lot more work to do. I like that Ed apologized, and he definitely has so much more amend-making to do! More than they can have him in a half-hour show. 20 years on a boat together is a long time. I get the feeling that Kevin has done a lot of inner work already (knowing how to sit with himself and his emotions...I'm pretty sure he meditates!). Moon scene, love it, no notes. My heart exploded. Buttons, I loved it. Ed stuff, totally agree. I mean he could have blamed it on his excessive use of rhino horn, but that goes back to the point I was making earlier about taking accountability of your actions. He is ultimately responsible for his choices. I wasn't a fan of Stede quieting the crew when they wanted to air their feelings and grievances to Ed. They are working on being more realistic and mature, but still blinded by love I think, and only seeing the best in each other. I mean, Mary was right...the shine will wear off and then you got to deal with the real meat of making a relationship work. Albeit, healthily! Again, man I wish we had 10 eps in stead of 8. I'm going to put my trust in the writers as well because overall all I think this has been a strong season and I'm pretty sure we are getting S3 so, I'm good. Maybe I have rose-coloured glasses on myself because I love the Stede/Ed romance so much. And the whole cast is so strong, I love them all. So glad we are getting more of our Queen in the next eps too, I love her. Okay, love your breakdowns, bye-bye!
I don't dislike the season so far but it feels like I'm still waiting for the good stuff to start happening... Like, some things are happening and I'm just like “yeah okay it's weird right now but i guess that'll make sense eventually” even though I can't really pinpoint what's bothering me. It's good (kinda) but it all feels weird and slightly out of place. Also, one thing that really bugged me is when Stede, Ed and Buttons are leaving Anne and Mary's (i think her name is Mary?) house and that Stede asks Ed to wait for him while he's going back to the ship. The last time Ed was left waiting for Stede... it went terribly 💀 And I just cannot imagine that Ed would now be okay with Stede asking him to wait for him alone, even for a few minutes, without thinking he could just be abandoning him again (idk if that sentence makes sense, it's late here lmao) I was genuinely expecting Ed to be uncapable of watching Stede walk away from him in this scene, and was kind of hoping for a cute interaction like Ed asking Stede if he can come with him and finding a stupid excuse to not reveal that he's just afraid of being abandoned again, and Stede agreeing bc he's nice but not really understanding the reason why Ed asked this. I'm not mad though, I really liked the scene we got but it feels so weird to me that Ed would act the way he did after what happened at the end of season 1. Is it just me?
I love u so much! You saw the beginning of the end two chapters ago. I agree, a lot of things are happening and feel like there will be a lot lose threads
love all your points!! but about this smooth conversation between ed and stede, i think that, perhaps, ed was so ready to talk with stede like in good old times because he simply missed him and was actually overwehlmed with relief at seeing him again. yeah you can hate someone a lot, for a very long time, but, if you still love that person, and this person is literally your happiness, your light, your only joy, i think some people in such a situation would be all too forgiving and eager to move past the previous pain to be near that light again. which is, well, not a very healthy response mechanism, when you are that depended on a person. so, perhaps that is why everything went so smooth. oooor it's the limited time, or, for what i hope, this coversation and later kiss was the impulsive reaction of sorts, like "wow i can see you again, can talk to you again!", but then all the unresolved issues will slowly come up and they would deal with them. or maybe i'm wrong about everything, idk, just wanted to share (love your videos!!)
I loved your thoughts on these two chapters! I'm also worried about the few chapters left. I think we have to start getting the idea that they are laying the foundations for the third season and that not everything is going to be solved in this one. Regarding the fact that Stede did not mention at any time what happened to him that night: I think that if Stede had said it in chapter 4, it would have sounded a bit like an excuse. And I was glad when he didn't mention it. But now I'm worried that Stede isn't mentioning it because he doesn't really consider it important, and it is! We will be here next Thursday ❤️
I also think that Stede still has issues opening himself up to people. He and Mary might have had an arranged marriage, but she did try to get him to open up before he ran away. Stede is basically doing the same thing, but now he's trying to be more present and supportive because he was never able to do that with Mary, and I think he still does believe some of Chauncey's lecture about him "defiling beautiful things".
You raise some interesting points regarding Ed’s redemption but I feel there is some biases towards Izzy and the crew. Izzy bullied Ed into being Blackbeard. You have a man who was abused by his father, by his captain (as we saw while he was in purgatory), who is emotionally immature and has always hidden behind a mask (the character Blackbeard). He finally allows himself a connection (as Ed), and his best friend tells him that ‘Ed’ is no one, not worth knowing. The guy he opens up to and falls for leaves, and basically validates the idea that ‘Ed’ is worthless and he needs to be Blackbeard. A character he hates and wants dead. Ed wanted to die and to kill Blackbeard. His crew were casualties. I think he wanted them to stop him, but they never did. The crew chose to follow him. They killed for him, and didn’t oppose until he tried to run them into a storm. They aren’t exactly saints here and also need redemption. The reason Ed is so calm around Stede, is that Stede is quite nurturing. He talks to Ed in a calm voice, he acknowledges him (Ed) and he is open about his feelings. I don’t think Ed has ever had anyone talk to him like that (maybe his mother).
"the crew chose to follow him" more like they were intimidated into joining and clearly they couldnt refuse. Yes izzy was mean but i feel like people are so hung up on it and dont realize that Ed was never in a good place, even with Stede. Izzy's words and Stede's decision were just the last straw for the kraken to appear. And also, Ed is capable of making his own choices. Being told mean words doesnt excuse his abuse towards the crew and mutilation. It gives CONTEXT to his actions but its not excusable.
Damnit now im really worried. I trust the writers but when you point out everything we have to get through, Zhang Li, Ricky, Fighting the british army, Visiting Spanish Jackie, Lucius proposal, Olu Jim and Archie, and Ed and Stede as well as Izzy on top of all of that... How are they gonna do that,, some of it has to be left over for s3 i hope but goddamn im worried now
I'm thinking they're setting up for either end of this season or possibly next, Izzy grows into a role of captaining The Revenge when Ed and Stede finally leave for their own lives together
I honestly disagree with this. The show has a similar vibe to season 1 - with the 3 first episodes being dark while they were brighter in season 1. Ed of course didn't hate stede and the whole "Buttons turned into a bird" scene was used to show ed that he is capable of change. It's a comedy show so stuff will be glossed over. It'd be too dramatic if they took everything serious. Ed wanted to kill stede in season 1 and stede got over it very quickly. Izzy absolutely betrayed Ed and Stede, but Ed still let him back on his crew. It's a comedy show.
Yeeeaaah... but then again, Ed's arch of redemption doesn't need to be solved by the end of season 2, surely there's gonna be a 3rd season and if they are kind of following historical time line, probably there is enogh time to get there (that scares me more, I hope they don't die as soon as it happened in real life). Also, this is an absurd comedy show, it's supposed to have unrealistic situations, don't forget about it, it doesn't have to make perfect scence, its supposed we are settled in the absurd and see what comes from it, I see a lot of people not taking in consideration that fact. Everybody's like "wtf, why Buttons became a seagull?"... Because it happend, and it represents the drastic change our characters can potentially achive, and it's necessary that Ed witnesses this (alone), this is veeery important for his character development, because he witnessed something that he believed was imposible, he didn't believe people can change, he doesn't believe he can change himself until this. I hope Buttons reapers and crew see it too so they can finally be able to trust Ed again, but only once Ed has worked in his issues and becomes worthy of being trusted again by the crew.
I just wanna hear Ed apologize to Izzy and for Izzy to tell him to go fuck himself. Ed says that he took "some guys leg off" THATS LITERALLY YOUR EX FIRST MATE. THE MAN WHO'S KNOWN YOU LONGER THAN ANYONE ELSE. Izzy's got a lot to repent for but I feel like he's well on his way, and he deserves that apology from Ed. He can even accept it, I don't care, but I don't think he would. I just want him to get it.
Thank you for your analysis and for voicing some of my concerns, making me feel less alone in this fandom. There was a time, last year, when all I breathed and thought about, all I lived was Ed and Stede, and this welcoming, heartwarming world where people's identities and feelings are legitimate and accepted no matter what flag we sail with. I must say I stopped interacting with the fandom and fanart especially when it got extremely dark and sadistic. Many illustrations and tales had the same theme: people unanimously seemed to want a fight under the rain, where Ed would wound Stede and Stede would accept it as punishment, as retribution for the hurt he had caused Ed by abandoning him. In some comics, Stede would actively seek to have his own blood spilled by Ed because "I deserved it". This mindset, to paraphrase Crowley, IS NOT ON! I have no idea what leads people (especially in the queer community) at a time where we are all about consent and respect in relationships, to subscribe to such an abusive view of relationships. So much for dismantling toxic masculinity. After what Blackbeard is shown or hinted at having done in the first episodes of season 2, I've seen fans complaining that the show didn't go "angsty" enough. I don't know what leads people to idolise abusers. As for the Angst, most forgot that ofmd is actually a comedy. A dark comedy, but one nonetheless. And they forget that the theme, the main point of the series, is that people should "talk it through as a crew" rather than disembowel each other out of selfhl-righteousness. Personally, Ed has gone far enough. Too far. To me, he is irredeemable, and it hurts. I loved Ed. I loved his character with all my heart and I loved what he had grown into, with Stede's help and support and love. And I love Stede. I could never even begin to think about craving his being wounded to an inch of his life by Ed. Ed has not apologised and by the end of the season, he still won't have apologised and acknowledged the hurt he has caused. He will only make amends because he can afford to. How can he come back from what he has done to these lovely people? How is Lucius supposed to be the bad one for not moving on? How can Stede just gloss over the fact that this man has been such a monster? This has poisoned the series for me. The series makers have not allowed for the character to grow out of his darkness to the extent that he could be welcomed back on the Revenge. And that hurts me a lot. And now I'm seeing the same kind of hurt wished upon Aziraphale in countless drawings. That's not on. To want to see Crowley hurt Aziraphale till he bleeds or Aziraphale forgetting Crowley and so on and so forth you get the gist is to me to have completely misunderstood just how much the two love each other. I'd hate for these fans' nightmare scenarios to come true.
Sorry for the essay, I don't know who else to talk to about these worries. Anywhere I only meet fans who would wish for more gore rather than more love.
I think a big part of the Ed redemption issue would be if Izzy doesn't forgive Ed and stops being in his life. Izzy (and Lucius) SHOULDNT have have to live with their abuser. And Ed should lose something forever bc of his actions. I think he should lose Izzy.
Love your analysis! However, I'm gonna have to disagree with you on Izzy. While it's absolutely true that Izzy has some strong conflicting feelings towards Ed, I do not think they're born of hatred. They are in fact born from love, deep, painful love kept alive across decades of knowing each other. The evidence is there: Everything Izzy did in Season 1 was out of a very misguided idea of being to save Ed from "weakness". He was the only one willing to voice the toxic reality of the situation in the 1st 2 episodes of season 2 to try snapping Ed out of his madness. He had the opportunity to kill Ed twice and twice he refused (when Ed asked him to and when he shot Ed in the arm instead of the back). He didn't throw the cannonball at Ed, Jim did. According to Stede, Izzy was the only one who fought to keep Ed on the ship when everybody else wanted to throw him overboard. He's still seeking his approval after everything they BOTH put each other through (cause there is blame on both sides of this issue). And he's rewritten the story of his leg to protect both himself AND Ed. In fact, I just came to a realization thanks to a comment in another video: Izzy's shark story is a metaphor for how he feels that HE DESERVES what happened to him for his actions in season 1. He "stupidly" dangled his leg over the water (tempted Ed by betraying him to the British) and had it bitten off by the shark (Ed attacked), which he feels he deserves for his disloyalty. Still unhealthy as heck, but absolutely understandable. I think the cornerstone of Izzy's character, which bleeds into his relationship with Ed, stems from the question "what even are you?" The crew gave him an answer (their new unicorn), but has he found one for himself? Especially where Ed is concerned? Izzy has loved Ed probably since they met, and a love that long is not so easily severed, for better or worse. Is it healthy? Absolutely not, but it's there and it could get better. In my humble opinion, Izzy was probably trying and failing to hate Ed (but most likely drowning in the guilt of his own role in everything), trying to come to terms with how he still loves him despite everything, what's his new role in this new life and how Ed (and probably Stede) fit in it, as well as dealing with his own self worth and making amends. I definitely need Ed's perspective on Izzy cause the laissez Faire way he handled Izzy's leg and supposed death in early season 2 really gives me pause and like you in increases my worry in the Ed Problem. It wasn't just anyone who's leg he took and who he ordered Frenchie to kill. It was Izzy, his 1st mate, his oldest friend, the one who taught him how to fight, how to be a pirate, who's been with him the longest, even longer than Fang... and he casually shoots off his leg, after cutting off more toes, mind you, tortures him the most out of everyone, immediately fires him, and casually orders Frenchie to kill him as the new 1st mate. All this could be chalked up to "heartbreak mania", I guess, but in these last 2 episodes they are never seen together except at Ed's group apology where Izzy's treated as one more of the crew. Honestly, when I finished watching the last 2 episodes, the only thought in my mind was "Ed, talk to Izzy. No seriously, talk to Izzy. Y'all need to talk, dammit!" I certainly hope we get some kind of conversation between the 2 eventually, whatever comes out of it. 😢
i completly agree with how open ended and rushed the season is but i believe its because they want to have leway to discuss eds issues in the potential 3rd season
This is probably a risky solution, but I feel like they could do something along the lines of " resolve half of the arcs/conflicts in the last 3 eps of season 2 and then tie the rest up in a season 3" ( but again it would be a risky solution considering ther isn't a conformation for a season 3, this was just a random thought of mine so no seriousness atached to it ).
I think the season ends with a cliffhanger. I'm also worried about screen time cuz If it had 10 episodes would be fine, but there are still several things to develop. I still think there is a hole in this issue of Ed and Izzy because Ed hasn't talked to him yet and I'm not just saying that because I really like Izzy, but I think Izzy was the one he screwed up the most, especially because it's one of the older relationships he has there, he destroyed him psychologically and also physically. Let's not forget the "take off ur boots" scene and the memorable shot. I don't think everyone should love Ed or pretend nothing happened, but Ed doesn't really care for anyone there except Stede. It seems like without Ed (and including Izzy), they are one big family. Ed is still in the process of entering it. But there are only three episodes and a lot to happen. I hope from the bottom of my heart that it will be renewed.
My personal interpretation of the season so far is that its purposefully showing the unhealthy behavior throughout the whole season in order to have it be recognized by the crew at the end of the season and have the healing occur as the main arc of s3 (heres hoping we get it). Like specifically w ed i dont think his redemption arc is meant to be a true redemption arc i think the show is showing that hes only trying to be better bc he thinks its what he has to do to be w stede but has no internal motivation to be better hence the horrible job hes doing at it n hopefully at the end of the season he realizes this n gains the true desire to be better.
Honestly I think it was purely a writing choice to not have Stede tell Ed about what happened that night. Sometimes I feel like shows do this so they don't waste time retelling something they already showed earlier either because they fear the audience being bored, or theyre trying to save time. I don't necessarily agree with that choice but its an explanation
I feel like with Izzy and Lucius, letting go is more what it means to you as a person holding onto the guilt instead of is it right or wrong. Like Lucius wants to keep feeding the situation in an eye for an eye kind of way but it won’t really change anything (it’ll just start the cycle over like Ed becoming Hornigold in a way?) Izzy’s coping mechanisms are equally insane tbh but I feel like his letting it go gives him peace and in a way puts all the guilt on Ed? Hopefully it will make him feel even worse (not that I want him to suffer just would round the story more) I feel like it could also be an extension of Izzy refusing to clean up Ed’s messes. Like he’s not going to come at him and cut off his leg and let him make amends that way, he’s letting him suffer. Ed and Fang make me thing Ed doesn’t feel guilty because he doesn’t allow himself the time to think about it, but once he does (if he does) I feel like he’ll feel horrible about it. Maybe Izzy will die and he’ll be forced to live with it forever? (Or maybe I’m thinking too hard about Blackbeard when I should be writing an essay for school lol)
Just wanted to say your videos and analyses are very well thought-out and compelling to watch, particularly Good Omens. Thank you for creating all of these!
ok PHEW im glad im not the only one who thought the ed personality flip flopping was strange. like the tone?? is so weird?? its so grim dark in episode 1-2 and then it's just goofy silly haha he's wearing a cat bell!! ONE DAY later???
I agree!! only 3 eps to wrap up this season stressed me out too! There were so many things that needed to be resolved and discussed but too little screentime. They doubled the number of villains in this season constantly foreshadowing their coming back also made me worry about them so much. Hope the passionate fandom and the popularity of this show draw HBO's attention so that they will consider allowing more screentime for this show next season.
To me, even if the last 3 episodes are perfect in every aspect possible, it won't change the fact that i feel like these 5 episodes are paced weirdly. To me episode 1, 2 and 3 are slow and could have maybe been shrunk down to 2 episodes. While episode 4 and 5 are fast paced with lots of things moving on and being established, i felt like they could have been stretched to 3 episodes instead of 2. But maybe this is a false sense of pace from me? Idk i got a weird sense of ep 1, 2 and 3 being set ups (which would warrant less runtime) but that might be due to personal biases or influences, im not sure. But i did find the pace strange and some of the tones weird but the tones could be fixed/explained eith the last episodes so!!
HeyHey. I like your analysis and totally agree with most of it. One thing about buttons though: I don't think that he actually turned into a bird. Buttons himself metioned before (in the same episode i think?) that ed still isn't really there after his near death experience and will see thinks that he believes to be real (i don't remember his exact wording, but something like that) And only ed saw buttons as the bird. and not even transforming, just disappearing and suddenly theres the bird. So yeah, my theorie is that ed just had hallucinations (maybe the smokestuff that buttons was burning helped that along too?) and buttons is still on that island, doing button things.
I (personal opinion) think it would have been better if they’d kept 10 eps, but I’m honestly loving this season, and the move to NZ for filming has brought the quality up
For what it's worth, I kind of have a growing suspicion that the crew are drifting away from Stede and Ed, and by the end they'll take Izzy and split, while Stede and Ed might try retiring together. It's interesting that Stede's had less positive interactions with the crew this season, in contrast to Izzy whose arc is building a relationship to them. Stede and Ed really remind me of couples who get lost in their own relationship and let their friendships drift. Hell as a foil, Izzy's arc even starts with what Jenkins describes as 'breaking up' with Ed and now he's got more time for a social circle. At the end of the day this is a romcom.
Ah shit, sorry I slipped and forgot the most important thing; Never, ever hope that a story is being bad on purpose. Wasn't expecting the final message to be that S1 Izzy was right. As soon as he makes peace with being in a romcom the show morphs back into a Pirate show to kill him off, specifically. Now the crew's escaped but he's trapped forever in his ex's garden. How morbid.
loving the Ed Stede reunion stuff because it feels good, but Ed has a boatload, several boatloads of Very Serious Issues to get through! Love the hand holding - feels more intimate, more solid. the fish!!! is there anything to how tiny the fish is? 😉
i am so afraid you are right about almost everything but i just don't want to adimt it to myself so i just focus about stupid stuff beacause i'm dumb. about the moon stuff i actually loved it so much, i undestand the thing you said about the parallelism it's just that's not the writers trying to do the parallel that's litteraly Ed rememberinh what appened the last time and how he wanted to kiss stede but he didn't no he does now, about the "taking slow" i think it's also about the fact that he's like doing redempion and stuff and he was kinda shocked by the converation with fang, so all the things happening togher are just so much he has so clear his mind AND DOESN'T WANT TO SCARE STEDE BY GOING TOO FAST (that was so good omens). that's it i love you ps i wrote that comment a week ago but never posted it
I wonder if they’re going to leave things unresolved and leave this season as a bridge to the third season idk 😓there’s so much stuff I love in this season but I really wish there was more episodes to flesh out every part of the plot
I agree there's a lot to deal with in these final episodes. But since they left it on its own, I think the season finale will be extra long, which gives them a bit more time
I have to admit i'm not enjoying season 2 as much as season 1 but that may be down to how pleasantly surprised i was with season 1. I didn't know what to expect at all. Whereas i now expect the same vibes from season 2 and it never hits the same as being pleasantly surprised. It's not the only show i've felt this way about. That being said, i've found a few episodes of s3 to be really light on humour and concentrating more on the serious emotions, while other episodes are the opposite. My favourite so far has to be the cursed coat episode which i thought was perfect. I wish all episodes had that same balance in them. The Ned Low episode bored me tbh. It felt slow, and i agree about the disjointed pacing this season.
I feel like if Stede had told Ed about Badminton, that would have felt like he was shifting the blame, which is not what Ed needed to hear in that moment. Stede owning up to his actions is a really mature move.
Very good analysis! Indeed they have little time to wrap up all of the different stories. I hope they are setting things up for a 3rd, final season, intentionally leaving lots of lose ends to be addressed later. However, others have noted that the show doesn't make room for most of the secondary characters to develop. And that this 2nd season was produced with less money than the first... so that could be part of it. I'm trusting the writers tho. Fingers crossed!
Pretty sure there will be an open ending AND at least another season so maybe among the various ongoing issues you mentioned, this season will just handle some (one?) of it. I am a bit worrying too as they introduced a bunch of new characters which must have lead the plot somewhere. Still, as long as they leave Sted alone with their love, I'm okay with all else. I am still traumatised from Good Omens 2 :D and just praying the writers of OFMD won't give me another broken ending like that...
I think they already stated that the show will need three seasons to be compleated. Propably not all plot leads can be compleated in the remaining episodes and the second season just serves as the mid piece of this story. Personally I prefer the slow pace and leaving some of the trauma and drama to be handled in the next season.
I'm sorry but I need more Stizzy scenes. I read too many fics with them😢 and kiss at the end of e5 is so good. But i still think they needed more scenes to reconcile
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Hi guys!! Im back for another quick list of things that ive noticed people talk about in the comments and my opinions on them! The comment section is really split on these two episodes oh boy.
•People keep pointing out that there is going to be a third season- I know! But that doesnt change the fact that they have to wrap up some of the plots for satisfying season experience. They cant just stretch all plotlines into two seasons because then this season would just feel like filler. (im not talking about a cliffhanger. there most probably is going to be one. take for example season 1, all small plots were wrapped up so that the main plot can open new ones for season 2)
•Some of you mentioned that Stede didnt tell Ed about Chauncey because it would feel like an excuse, and i have to strongly disagree with that. Its not an excuse. He still did leave him and hurt him in the process. He still did a shitty thing. But this is something that just did happen and would help Ed understand the entire situation better. It just feels weird that he withheld this information from him. They need to communicate about stuff like this its really important in relationships.
•Yes, Izzy isnt a saint and Ed embracing his old habits was a direct cause of Izzy yelling at him how weak he is. BUT that doesn't excuse Ed from literally shooting him in the leg!! Eds actions are his own and he came back to his shitty habits because he thought it would help him forget about Stede. So yes, Izzy was shit, but hes trying to make amends. And so is Ed now. But i dont think he can make it in 3 episodes.
I'll add to this list if I see any other interesting comments that keep repeating, I dont feel like writing everything out multiple times :D keep the conversation friendly, we're all just discussing our favorite show here. Take care!!
I will say Buttons becoming a bird did feel absolutely right
It honestly just seems like they need more time to conclude the season so maybe it’ll end on a cliff hanger because of all the villains they’re setting up
I hope that this season does well in terms of audience ratings and people wanting more so HBO renews a new season and the team can work with more than 25-30 min 8 episodes.
I don’t think Ed hated Stede at all. Ed hated himself, hated not being lovable, being a monster that cannot be redeemed. He spent most days crying because he was devastated that Stede had seen his true self, and left. I believe part of him agreed with Stede, believed someone like him could never love him. Plus, Stede represents wealth, which Ed has always perceived as being out or reach. It just added to the idea that Ed doesn’t deserve good things.
I love Izzy this season.
He was the only one brave enough to tell Blackbeard about the 'poisoned atmosphere' of the ship. And when you consider that Unicorn horns are said to have properties of curing poisons, the symbolism of Izzy being the new Unicorn is wonderful.
The Stizzy dynamic was also fun to watch, just seeing these two starting to get along. Considering Buttons is now a bird, maybe the first mate position is open for Izzy? 👀
I agree. For me the tone of Ed’s plot line in episodes 4 and 5 felt a bit jarring coming off of the first three episodes which got so dark
I read someplace else that the methaphor is that the old Blackbeard, that one that hate himself died, and than Ed reborn. Episodes 4 and 5 were about healing. It would be (for me) too rush to go ahead without address the crew traumas and the separation. For me it was perfect.
@@janjanfernandes2289the problem became that, by the end of the season, the crew's issues were not addressed but "put in a little box" as Frenchie said, or repressed as Izzy did. Lucius was played for laughs 😢
I think the reason Stede didn't tell Ed about Chauncey is because part of him still feels like he "ruins beautiful things", since him leaving was the main reason for Ed's breakdown and Mary was certainly better off when he wasn't around. Granted, Stede and Mary basically only just met on their wedding day, but Mary tried to get Stede to open up before he ran off, and he stayed silent throughout the whole scene. I think Stede wants to try to give Ed what he wasn't capable of giving Mary, but he's still afraid of "ruining a beautiful thing", so he priotizes Ed's wellbeing over his own.
Honestly the proposal worried me. It seems to me like Lucius is using his relationship to not think about his trauma and force himself to move on (which tbh happens a lot in real life and it never ends well). My guess is that the wedding is the party where they're in drag from the previews. If that's the case then Jesus it's too fast.
On another note I think it's best for Ed to never be captain again, but instead part of the crew. That's probably the best chance they got to make him care about them. A lot of people are saying he will be co captain but i hope not.
I totally agree with all of this!!! I haven't thought much about these, but it's soooo true!!
I agree with everything you said. I think that the progression is perfect and there are good lessons this season but there doesn't seem like enough time to actually conclude it properly. A longer season would give me more hope. Also Stede and Ed were a much more lovable couple in season 1 because they were changing eachother and learning from eachother. This season the relationship is more messy. But once again, that can be fixed with more time! I guess we'll wait and see in the last few episodes!
I don't get why Stede didn't tell Ed about how Rory Kinnear kidnapped him that night. But equally, he did go back to Mary, he didn't try and contact Ed or meet him, when he probably was still waiting, that encounter didn't take all night.
So realistically he did leave Ed to go back to Mary out of a panic, but I think he could have explained it differently.
7:37 I think stede didn't say anything about the badminton thing to ed because of his lack of self worth. He doesn't want to say it to ed because he thinks ed might agree with that which would absoluley break stede, coming from the person he loves the most. I mean, throughout the first season you can see how much it affects stede being called a lily livered little rich boy so I'm trying to draw the parallel from there
also 5:01 I BURSTED OUT LAUGHING LMAO
I've been waiting for your analysis!
Yeah I agree that their conversation went too well, it's kinda odd. My theory for why Stede didn't mention the whole "you defile beautiful things" was his lack of self-worth, and fear that Ed would agree with that and actually leave him. So he went with the more fixable excuse of them moving too fast? idk, i did hope he'd mention that but Stede's not really good at talking about his traumas.
And yeah, the Mary and Anne storyline was a little disappointing, I was hoping for...more? hope we see them again.
Love the way you analyse these characters, it's always so insightful (agree about Ed and the redemption attempt) there's lots to think about these characters
Honestly Buttons turning into a bird is everything i wanted to see this season :'D
I think Stede still believes that he "defiles beautiful things" given that Ed's mental breakdown was caused by him leaving, and Mary was certainly better off without him. Granted, the latter was mostly due to the fact that they basically met on their wedding day, but Mary tried to get Stede to open up before he left, and he still kept quiet about how he felt. I think he wants to do for Ed what he wasn't capable of doing for Mary, but he doesn't view his own feelings as a priority due to his self-worth issues.
With hope, even if there's not enough time this season to unpack everything, we'll get resolution with season 3. I'm trying to be patient, but I like your criticisms
I really really really disliked the way they treated Lucious and his trauma 😣 The way it was almost ridiculed. The way his (also sexual) trauma was used almost like a joke when he started telling it to Stede and Stede ran away. They never adressed it properly, he was never even just simply comforted, and then suddenly he was supposed to be over it. Ew. Just ew. Hate it.
I've been really enjoying this season so far. I do think that Stede hasn't told ANYONE about Chauncey. No one actually knows how broken he is. That probably wasn't the time, in a stranger's house. Episode 4 was really fun to watch and Episode 5 to me felt very familiar. It was back on the ship, everyone is trying their best to get back in sync. I do think that Ed and Stede moved quite fast in Ep 4, but that's kinda their thing. They got attached easily, and they'll continue to do so. They both wanted to eventually get over it, and I don't think they'll stop having sad conversations, but they needed to have at least one to get started. Izzy's advice to Lucius was kinda shit to be honest. They both need to accept that they can be upset. Every character has trauma. They all need a group therapy session. Stede has so much trauma and has never addressed it. Ed was getting better when he started talking about his problems, but now he needs to continue doing that, otherwise he can't get better. I also think that Ed has never tried to apologise before, and so he struggles with expressing himself properly. No one in this show is the greatest most amazing person. Also - Season 3!!! Jenkins really wants to make a Season 3 and knowing his style, he probably will. The crew doesn't ever need to forgive him if they don't want to.
ooooo boy watching this after the show ended is 😭 you were right about so many things, first of all the time issues. oh well
I'm so glad we share similar views on this, I was thinking the exact same things. For one, if Stede had told Ed the real reason he left him, it would've made Ed's calmness and receptiveness to Stede coming back more believable. Ed has a right to be angry and Stede hasn't really given him a reason not to be, and I didn't understand why Ed just kind of forgave him so quickly with so much still left unsaid.
SAME! I was hoping for a deep apology from Stede to Ed. They’re both just…fine? Ed bawled for seemingly months and fell into a suicidal depression. He deserved a real explanation and apology. I love Stede’s character, but Izzy has never been more justified in hating/resenting him the way he abandoned his crew.
I read someplace else that the methaphor is that the old Blackbeard, that one that hate himself, died, and than Ed did reborn as someone who now is capable to love and be loved. Izzy found in the Sted´s crew his family. And Lucious learned to move on and celebrate life. Episodes 4 and 5 were about healing. It would be (for me) too rush to go ahead without address the crew´s traumas and Ed and Sted the separation. For me it was perfect.
Yes, that's why they did the bird thing. To show Ed that people are able to change.
Thanks for your analysis! I loved your previous vid because it made me feel better about eps 1-3 which I was actually not a fan of. I thought they were too dark. I adored eps 4-5, so I was shocked by your title (messy). A few thoughts as I watch you:
1. Wasn't it weeks not months between seasons? (I thought Black Pete said "I thought you were dead for weeks" in ep 5.) IMO, Blackbeard let out his anger quite a bit ("You're no fucking mermaid", ignoring Stede, "I'm blaming the fuck out of you", "I wanted to kill him and take his face, actually", etc). I do agree that Blackbeard's mild anger in ep4 didn't match the tone of eps 1-2, but I was relieved for that. For me, his ep4 anger was appropriate. The ep1-2 anger was way out of proportion. I think it makes the most sense if we assume that Blackbeard wasn't suicidally angry AT Stede, but at himself for trusting anyone. So when Blackbeard realises he wants to live, he doesn't have that intense anger anymore and it wasn't meant to be directed entirely at Stede. Of course he's angry at Stede, but his absolute insanity in eps 1-2 was more about himself than about Stede, if that makes sense. Regardless, I'm glad they finally lightened the tone in ep4.
2. Being dragged out of bed at gunpoint isn't what made Stede leave. It was his insecurity of hurting Blackbeard. That's why he says "and then you shaved off your beard for me". That was Stede saying that he thought Ed's life was better without him. It maybe wasn't as direct as you wanted, but for me it worked perfectly. Also from a writer's perspective, if Stede says it was because of Badminton, it could be perceived that Stede was blaming someone else, which is a very unattractive thing for our beloved Stede to do. He took full responsibility for abandoning Ed, which the audience and Ed need for a proper apology.
3. I didn't have the same reaction about Lucius, but after hearing your thoughts, I agree! I also agree that Blackbeard hasn't been held accountable for his actions but I think OFMD is approaching it in a unique way. Usually, if writers want to redeem an awful character, he has to suffer (example Izzy). Blackbeard hasn't suffered. Will he suffer in upcoming eps or is he slowly on a journey to self-awakening (as seen with his conversation with Fang)? In any case, there is gonna be a huge showdown between Ed and Izzy so I'm waiting for that.
4. I do understand your worry about Ed needing redeemed, but would it be so bad to do that over the course of two seasons (2 and 3)? Personally, I wouldn't mind if Ed still has a ways to go at the end of the season.
Yeah, I would much prefer Ed's redemption to take longer. I've been worried ever since they announced there would only be 8 episode. I worry that everything is compressed now. But he's gotta have some kind of reckoning with Izzy before this season ends.
@sybariticcupboardrat3763 yes! I'm anxiously awaiting an explosive scene between Ed and izzy. And tbh, Blackbeard is so relentlessly likable even as a villain, I'm in no hurry for his redemption. Slow and steady
I totally get what you are saying about Lucius and Pete, but I also understand the writers. A lot of times people in abusive/toxic relationships don't have a means of leaving it or speaking out against it (particularly if you are a kid and have an abusive parent), and so the only way you can continue to live is by accepting how things are and finding ways to deal with it. A lot of bad things that happen in life are out of your control, and while that doesn't make the bad thing that happened okay, you can't be hung up on it. Like, this probably wasn't their intention, but it still came across this way to me. I think ultimately the writers were trying to show that people do need to move on. That bad things happen to everyone in life and you have to deal with it. You can still be upset and mad about it, but that won't get you anywhere in the long run. It could have been handled better, sure.
And I do agree that there should've been more to this. Lucius does have a choice as to whether or not Ed stays in his life and the situation is much more complex than what I said before. it wasn't handled flawlessly, but it was still handled better than how it is handled in other shows.
I think Stede was taking reponsibiltiy for his own actions, which is healthy. You can't blame your actions on the actions of someone else. He still could have made the right decisions and gone to meet Ed on the dock and talk about it, but he didn't, he ran off because he paniced. He was paniced before the kidnapping so that was just the icing on cake, and they were not communicating properly about it. I'm not saying he shouldn't have brought it up, but ultimately I think the point is to take ownership of what you did an make amends. Explaining too much about the actions of others can come off sometimes as making excuses. Regarding Olu/Jim/Archie, if they had 10 eps like last season, which I totally think they should have had, there would have been more time to flesh out all the other crew dynamics for sure. Hopefully, s3 will have 10. About Lucius, I think the Izzy advice is sound in the fact that yeah you can't hold on to things and expect to heal (like the idea of taking poison and expecting the other person to die), but healing is not a straight line and he shouldn't be expected to just "move on." Grief is circuitous and takes time to work through. They Kevin scene...I love that Ed is now seeing him as a person. I just want to hug Fang/Kevin so much, I love him. Anyone who's been through a lot of hurt and pain knows that there are times when you think you are over it, only to have it sneak back up on you at the worst times and you realize you have a lot more work to do. I like that Ed apologized, and he definitely has so much more amend-making to do! More than they can have him in a half-hour show. 20 years on a boat together is a long time. I get the feeling that Kevin has done a lot of inner work already (knowing how to sit with himself and his emotions...I'm pretty sure he meditates!). Moon scene, love it, no notes. My heart exploded. Buttons, I loved it. Ed stuff, totally agree. I mean he could have blamed it on his excessive use of rhino horn, but that goes back to the point I was making earlier about taking accountability of your actions. He is ultimately responsible for his choices. I wasn't a fan of Stede quieting the crew when they wanted to air their feelings and grievances to Ed. They are working on being more realistic and mature, but still blinded by love I think, and only seeing the best in each other. I mean, Mary was right...the shine will wear off and then you got to deal with the real meat of making a relationship work. Albeit, healthily! Again, man I wish we had 10 eps in stead of 8. I'm going to put my trust in the writers as well because overall all I think this has been a strong season and I'm pretty sure we are getting S3 so, I'm good. Maybe I have rose-coloured glasses on myself because I love the Stede/Ed romance so much. And the whole cast is so strong, I love them all. So glad we are getting more of our Queen in the next eps too, I love her. Okay, love your breakdowns, bye-bye!
I don't dislike the season so far but it feels like I'm still waiting for the good stuff to start happening... Like, some things are happening and I'm just like “yeah okay it's weird right now but i guess that'll make sense eventually” even though I can't really pinpoint what's bothering me. It's good (kinda) but it all feels weird and slightly out of place.
Also, one thing that really bugged me is when Stede, Ed and Buttons are leaving Anne and Mary's (i think her name is Mary?) house and that Stede asks Ed to wait for him while he's going back to the ship. The last time Ed was left waiting for Stede... it went terribly 💀 And I just cannot imagine that Ed would now be okay with Stede asking him to wait for him alone, even for a few minutes, without thinking he could just be abandoning him again (idk if that sentence makes sense, it's late here lmao)
I was genuinely expecting Ed to be uncapable of watching Stede walk away from him in this scene, and was kind of hoping for a cute interaction like Ed asking Stede if he can come with him and finding a stupid excuse to not reveal that he's just afraid of being abandoned again, and Stede agreeing bc he's nice but not really understanding the reason why Ed asked this.
I'm not mad though, I really liked the scene we got but it feels so weird to me that Ed would act the way he did after what happened at the end of season 1. Is it just me?
I think the show is going to end with Izzy being the captain of the revenge. Don’t know how, but it just feels cathartic and full circle.
I love u so much! You saw the beginning of the end two chapters ago. I agree, a lot of things are happening and feel like there will be a lot lose threads
love all your points!! but about this smooth conversation between ed and stede, i think that, perhaps, ed was so ready to talk with stede like in good old times because he simply missed him and was actually overwehlmed with relief at seeing him again. yeah you can hate someone a lot, for a very long time, but, if you still love that person, and this person is literally your happiness, your light, your only joy, i think some people in such a situation would be all too forgiving and eager to move past the previous pain to be near that light again. which is, well, not a very healthy response mechanism, when you are that depended on a person. so, perhaps that is why everything went so smooth. oooor it's the limited time, or, for what i hope, this coversation and later kiss was the impulsive reaction of sorts, like "wow i can see you again, can talk to you again!", but then all the unresolved issues will slowly come up and they would deal with them. or maybe i'm wrong about everything, idk, just wanted to share (love your videos!!)
I loved your thoughts on these two chapters! I'm also worried about the few chapters left. I think we have to start getting the idea that they are laying the foundations for the third season and that not everything is going to be solved in this one.
Regarding the fact that Stede did not mention at any time what happened to him that night: I think that if Stede had said it in chapter 4, it would have sounded a bit like an excuse. And I was glad when he didn't mention it. But now I'm worried that Stede isn't mentioning it because he doesn't really consider it important, and it is!
We will be here next Thursday ❤️
I also think that Stede still has issues opening himself up to people. He and Mary might have had an arranged marriage, but she did try to get him to open up before he ran away. Stede is basically doing the same thing, but now he's trying to be more present and supportive because he was never able to do that with Mary, and I think he still does believe some of Chauncey's lecture about him "defiling beautiful things".
You raise some interesting points regarding Ed’s redemption but I feel there is some biases towards Izzy and the crew.
Izzy bullied Ed into being Blackbeard. You have a man who was abused by his father, by his captain (as we saw while he was in purgatory), who is emotionally immature and has always hidden behind a mask (the character Blackbeard). He finally allows himself a connection (as Ed), and his best friend tells him that ‘Ed’ is no one, not worth knowing. The guy he opens up to and falls for leaves, and basically validates the idea that ‘Ed’ is worthless and he needs to be Blackbeard. A character he hates and wants dead. Ed wanted to die and to kill Blackbeard. His crew were casualties. I think he wanted them to stop him, but they never did. The crew chose to follow him. They killed for him, and didn’t oppose until he tried to run them into a storm. They aren’t exactly saints here and also need redemption.
The reason Ed is so calm around Stede, is that Stede is quite nurturing. He talks to Ed in a calm voice, he acknowledges him (Ed) and he is open about his feelings. I don’t think Ed has ever had anyone talk to him like that (maybe his mother).
"the crew chose to follow him" more like they were intimidated into joining and clearly they couldnt refuse. Yes izzy was mean but i feel like people are so hung up on it and dont realize that Ed was never in a good place, even with Stede. Izzy's words and Stede's decision were just the last straw for the kraken to appear. And also, Ed is capable of making his own choices. Being told mean words doesnt excuse his abuse towards the crew and mutilation. It gives CONTEXT to his actions but its not excusable.
@@fluffy_magnusindeed!
Damnit now im really worried. I trust the writers but when you point out everything we have to get through, Zhang Li, Ricky, Fighting the british army, Visiting Spanish Jackie, Lucius proposal, Olu Jim and Archie, and Ed and Stede as well as Izzy on top of all of that... How are they gonna do that,, some of it has to be left over for s3 i hope but goddamn im worried now
I'm thinking they're setting up for either end of this season or possibly next, Izzy grows into a role of captaining The Revenge when Ed and Stede finally leave for their own lives together
I honestly disagree with this. The show has a similar vibe to season 1 - with the 3 first episodes being dark while they were brighter in season 1. Ed of course didn't hate stede and the whole "Buttons turned into a bird" scene was used to show ed that he is capable of change. It's a comedy show so stuff will be glossed over. It'd be too dramatic if they took everything serious. Ed wanted to kill stede in season 1 and stede got over it very quickly. Izzy absolutely betrayed Ed and Stede, but Ed still let him back on his crew. It's a comedy show.
Yeeeaaah... but then again, Ed's arch of redemption doesn't need to be solved by the end of season 2, surely there's gonna be a 3rd season and if they are kind of following historical time line, probably there is enogh time to get there (that scares me more, I hope they don't die as soon as it happened in real life).
Also, this is an absurd comedy show, it's supposed to have unrealistic situations, don't forget about it, it doesn't have to make perfect scence, its supposed we are settled in the absurd and see what comes from it, I see a lot of people not taking in consideration that fact. Everybody's like "wtf, why Buttons became a seagull?"... Because it happend, and it represents the drastic change our characters can potentially achive, and it's necessary that Ed witnesses this (alone), this is veeery important for his character development, because he witnessed something that he believed was imposible, he didn't believe people can change, he doesn't believe he can change himself until this. I hope Buttons reapers and crew see it too so they can finally be able to trust Ed again, but only once Ed has worked in his issues and becomes worthy of being trusted again by the crew.
I just wanna hear Ed apologize to Izzy and for Izzy to tell him to go fuck himself. Ed says that he took "some guys leg off" THATS LITERALLY YOUR EX FIRST MATE. THE MAN WHO'S KNOWN YOU LONGER THAN ANYONE ELSE. Izzy's got a lot to repent for but I feel like he's well on his way, and he deserves that apology from Ed. He can even accept it, I don't care, but I don't think he would. I just want him to get it.
Thank you for your analysis and for voicing some of my concerns, making me feel less alone in this fandom. There was a time, last year, when all I breathed and thought about, all I lived was Ed and Stede, and this welcoming, heartwarming world where people's identities and feelings are legitimate and accepted no matter what flag we sail with.
I must say I stopped interacting with the fandom and fanart especially when it got extremely dark and sadistic. Many illustrations and tales had the same theme: people unanimously seemed to want a fight under the rain, where Ed would wound Stede and Stede would accept it as punishment, as retribution for the hurt he had caused Ed by abandoning him. In some comics, Stede would actively seek to have his own blood spilled by Ed because "I deserved it". This mindset, to paraphrase Crowley, IS NOT ON!
I have no idea what leads people (especially in the queer community) at a time where we are all about consent and respect in relationships, to subscribe to such an abusive view of relationships. So much for dismantling toxic masculinity.
After what Blackbeard is shown or hinted at having done in the first episodes of season 2, I've seen fans complaining that the show didn't go "angsty" enough. I don't know what leads people to idolise abusers. As for the Angst, most forgot that ofmd is actually a comedy. A dark comedy, but one nonetheless.
And they forget that the theme, the main point of the series, is that people should "talk it through as a crew" rather than disembowel each other out of selfhl-righteousness.
Personally, Ed has gone far enough. Too far. To me, he is irredeemable, and it hurts. I loved Ed. I loved his character with all my heart and I loved what he had grown into, with Stede's help and support and love. And I love Stede. I could never even begin to think about craving his being wounded to an inch of his life by Ed.
Ed has not apologised and by the end of the season, he still won't have apologised and acknowledged the hurt he has caused. He will only make amends because he can afford to. How can he come back from what he has done to these lovely people? How is Lucius supposed to be the bad one for not moving on? How can Stede just gloss over the fact that this man has been such a monster?
This has poisoned the series for me. The series makers have not allowed for the character to grow out of his darkness to the extent that he could be welcomed back on the Revenge. And that hurts me a lot.
And now I'm seeing the same kind of hurt wished upon Aziraphale in countless drawings. That's not on. To want to see Crowley hurt Aziraphale till he bleeds or Aziraphale forgetting Crowley and so on and so forth you get the gist is to me to have completely misunderstood just how much the two love each other. I'd hate for these fans' nightmare scenarios to come true.
Sorry for the essay, I don't know who else to talk to about these worries. Anywhere I only meet fans who would wish for more gore rather than more love.
I’m actually scared 💀 if it’s going this good….what will the finale have.
I think a big part of the Ed redemption issue would be if Izzy doesn't forgive Ed and stops being in his life.
Izzy (and Lucius) SHOULDNT have have to live with their abuser.
And Ed should lose something forever bc of his actions. I think he should lose Izzy.
He hated himself, not Stede. And badminton is not important, Stede was always gonna panic. Ed was probably always gonna have a breakdown
Love your analysis! However, I'm gonna have to disagree with you on Izzy. While it's absolutely true that Izzy has some strong conflicting feelings towards Ed, I do not think they're born of hatred. They are in fact born from love, deep, painful love kept alive across decades of knowing each other. The evidence is there: Everything Izzy did in Season 1 was out of a very misguided idea of being to save Ed from "weakness". He was the only one willing to voice the toxic reality of the situation in the 1st 2 episodes of season 2 to try snapping Ed out of his madness. He had the opportunity to kill Ed twice and twice he refused (when Ed asked him to and when he shot Ed in the arm instead of the back). He didn't throw the cannonball at Ed, Jim did. According to Stede, Izzy was the only one who fought to keep Ed on the ship when everybody else wanted to throw him overboard. He's still seeking his approval after everything they BOTH put each other through (cause there is blame on both sides of this issue). And he's rewritten the story of his leg to protect both himself AND Ed. In fact, I just came to a realization thanks to a comment in another video: Izzy's shark story is a metaphor for how he feels that HE DESERVES what happened to him for his actions in season 1. He "stupidly" dangled his leg over the water (tempted Ed by betraying him to the British) and had it bitten off by the shark (Ed attacked), which he feels he deserves for his disloyalty. Still unhealthy as heck, but absolutely understandable. I think the cornerstone of Izzy's character, which bleeds into his relationship with Ed, stems from the question "what even are you?" The crew gave him an answer (their new unicorn), but has he found one for himself? Especially where Ed is concerned?
Izzy has loved Ed probably since they met, and a love that long is not so easily severed, for better or worse. Is it healthy? Absolutely not, but it's there and it could get better. In my humble opinion, Izzy was probably trying and failing to hate Ed (but most likely drowning in the guilt of his own role in everything), trying to come to terms with how he still loves him despite everything, what's his new role in this new life and how Ed (and probably Stede) fit in it, as well as dealing with his own self worth and making amends.
I definitely need Ed's perspective on Izzy cause the laissez Faire way he handled Izzy's leg and supposed death in early season 2 really gives me pause and like you in increases my worry in the Ed Problem. It wasn't just anyone who's leg he took and who he ordered Frenchie to kill. It was Izzy, his 1st mate, his oldest friend, the one who taught him how to fight, how to be a pirate, who's been with him the longest, even longer than Fang... and he casually shoots off his leg, after cutting off more toes, mind you, tortures him the most out of everyone, immediately fires him, and casually orders Frenchie to kill him as the new 1st mate. All this could be chalked up to "heartbreak mania", I guess, but in these last 2 episodes they are never seen together except at Ed's group apology where Izzy's treated as one more of the crew. Honestly, when I finished watching the last 2 episodes, the only thought in my mind was "Ed, talk to Izzy. No seriously, talk to Izzy. Y'all need to talk, dammit!" I certainly hope we get some kind of conversation between the 2 eventually, whatever comes out of it. 😢
i completly agree with how open ended and rushed the season is but i believe its because they want to have leway to discuss eds issues in the potential 3rd season
This is probably a risky solution, but I feel like they could do something along the lines of " resolve half of the arcs/conflicts in the last 3 eps of season 2 and then tie the rest up in a season 3" ( but again it would be a risky solution considering ther isn't a conformation for a season 3, this was just a random thought of mine so no seriousness atached to it ).
I think the season ends with a cliffhanger. I'm also worried about screen time cuz If it had 10 episodes would be fine, but there are still several things to develop. I still think there is a hole in this issue of Ed and Izzy because Ed hasn't talked to him yet and I'm not just saying that because I really like Izzy, but I think Izzy was the one he screwed up the most, especially because it's one of the older relationships he has there, he destroyed him psychologically and also physically. Let's not forget the "take off ur boots" scene and the memorable shot. I don't think everyone should love Ed or pretend nothing happened, but Ed doesn't really care for anyone there except Stede. It seems like without Ed (and including Izzy), they are one big family. Ed is still in the process of entering it. But there are only three episodes and a lot to happen. I hope from the bottom of my heart that it will be renewed.
ngl buttons actually turning into a bird is the highlight of the season for me so far
My personal interpretation of the season so far is that its purposefully showing the unhealthy behavior throughout the whole season in order to have it be recognized by the crew at the end of the season and have the healing occur as the main arc of s3 (heres hoping we get it). Like specifically w ed i dont think his redemption arc is meant to be a true redemption arc i think the show is showing that hes only trying to be better bc he thinks its what he has to do to be w stede but has no internal motivation to be better hence the horrible job hes doing at it n hopefully at the end of the season he realizes this n gains the true desire to be better.
I truly hope you're right. I would rather they'd stretch the redemption to season 3 than rush it in 3 episodes..
Honestly I think it was purely a writing choice to not have Stede tell Ed about what happened that night. Sometimes I feel like shows do this so they don't waste time retelling something they already showed earlier either because they fear the audience being bored, or theyre trying to save time. I don't necessarily agree with that choice but its an explanation
Big agree. Thats the only reason I thought of too
I am forever going “just tell him WHY you left 😤😤” though 😂 gahhhhh
I feel like with Izzy and Lucius, letting go is more what it means to you as a person holding onto the guilt instead of is it right or wrong. Like Lucius wants to keep feeding the situation in an eye for an eye kind of way but it won’t really change anything (it’ll just start the cycle over like Ed becoming Hornigold in a way?)
Izzy’s coping mechanisms are equally insane tbh but I feel like his letting it go gives him peace and in a way puts all the guilt on Ed? Hopefully it will make him feel even worse (not that I want him to suffer just would round the story more)
I feel like it could also be an extension of Izzy refusing to clean up Ed’s messes. Like he’s not going to come at him and cut off his leg and let him make amends that way, he’s letting him suffer.
Ed and Fang make me thing Ed doesn’t feel guilty because he doesn’t allow himself the time to think about it, but once he does (if he does) I feel like he’ll feel horrible about it. Maybe Izzy will die and he’ll be forced to live with it forever?
(Or maybe I’m thinking too hard about Blackbeard when I should be writing an essay for school lol)
Just wanted to say your videos and analyses are very well thought-out and compelling to watch, particularly Good Omens. Thank you for creating all of these!
ok PHEW im glad im not the only one who thought the ed personality flip flopping was strange. like the tone?? is so weird?? its so grim dark in episode 1-2 and then it's just goofy silly haha he's wearing a cat bell!! ONE DAY later???
I agree!! only 3 eps to wrap up this season stressed me out too! There were so many things that needed to be resolved and discussed but too little screentime. They doubled the number of villains in this season constantly foreshadowing their coming back also made me worry about them so much. Hope the passionate fandom and the popularity of this show draw HBO's attention so that they will consider allowing more screentime for this show next season.
To me, even if the last 3 episodes are perfect in every aspect possible, it won't change the fact that i feel like these 5 episodes are paced weirdly. To me episode 1, 2 and 3 are slow and could have maybe been shrunk down to 2 episodes. While episode 4 and 5 are fast paced with lots of things moving on and being established, i felt like they could have been stretched to 3 episodes instead of 2.
But maybe this is a false sense of pace from me? Idk i got a weird sense of ep 1, 2 and 3 being set ups (which would warrant less runtime) but that might be due to personal biases or influences, im not sure. But i did find the pace strange and some of the tones weird but the tones could be fixed/explained eith the last episodes so!!
I liked this season from episode one to 8 it was so good 😭
HeyHey. I like your analysis and totally agree with most of it. One thing about buttons though: I don't think that he actually turned into a bird. Buttons himself metioned before (in the same episode i think?) that ed still isn't really there after his near death experience and will see thinks that he believes to be real (i don't remember his exact wording, but something like that) And only ed saw buttons as the bird. and not even transforming, just disappearing and suddenly theres the bird. So yeah, my theorie is that ed just had hallucinations (maybe the smokestuff that buttons was burning helped that along too?) and buttons is still on that island, doing button things.
I (personal opinion) think it would have been better if they’d kept 10 eps, but I’m honestly loving this season, and the move to NZ for filming has brought the quality up
For what it's worth, I kind of have a growing suspicion that the crew are drifting away from Stede and Ed, and by the end they'll take Izzy and split, while Stede and Ed might try retiring together.
It's interesting that Stede's had less positive interactions with the crew this season, in contrast to Izzy whose arc is building a relationship to them. Stede and Ed really remind me of couples who get lost in their own relationship and let their friendships drift. Hell as a foil, Izzy's arc even starts with what Jenkins describes as 'breaking up' with Ed and now he's got more time for a social circle.
At the end of the day this is a romcom.
Ah shit, sorry I slipped and forgot the most important thing; Never, ever hope that a story is being bad on purpose.
Wasn't expecting the final message to be that S1 Izzy was right. As soon as he makes peace with being in a romcom the show morphs back into a Pirate show to kill him off, specifically.
Now the crew's escaped but he's trapped forever in his ex's garden. How morbid.
loving the Ed Stede reunion stuff because it feels good, but Ed has a boatload, several boatloads of Very Serious Issues to get through!
Love the hand holding - feels more intimate, more solid. the fish!!! is there anything to how tiny the fish is?
😉
It used to be (at least where I'm from, not universal) congratulations to the groom and best wishes to the bride, so good luck seems okay.
i am so afraid you are right about almost everything but i just don't want to adimt it to myself so i just focus about stupid stuff beacause i'm dumb.
about the moon stuff i actually loved it so much, i undestand the thing you said about the parallelism it's just that's not the writers trying to do the parallel that's litteraly Ed rememberinh what appened the last time and how he wanted to kiss stede but he didn't no he does now, about the "taking slow" i think it's also about the fact that he's like doing redempion and stuff and he was kinda shocked by the converation with fang, so all the things happening togher are just so much he has so clear his mind AND DOESN'T WANT TO SCARE STEDE BY GOING TOO FAST (that was so good omens). that's it i love you
ps
i wrote that comment a week ago but never posted it
I wonder if they’re going to leave things unresolved and leave this season as a bridge to the third season idk 😓there’s so much stuff I love in this season but I really wish there was more episodes to flesh out every part of the plot
Does anyone have confirmation on the runtime of the finale? Because I’ve been holding onto hope that is going to at least be an hour.
I agree there's a lot to deal with in these final episodes. But since they left it on its own, I think the season finale will be extra long, which gives them a bit more time
I have to admit i'm not enjoying season 2 as much as season 1 but that may be down to how pleasantly surprised i was with season 1. I didn't know what to expect at all. Whereas i now expect the same vibes from season 2 and it never hits the same as being pleasantly surprised. It's not the only show i've felt this way about. That being said, i've found a few episodes of s3 to be really light on humour and concentrating more on the serious emotions, while other episodes are the opposite. My favourite so far has to be the cursed coat episode which i thought was perfect. I wish all episodes had that same balance in them. The Ned Low episode bored me tbh. It felt slow, and i agree about the disjointed pacing this season.
I have been watching your channel for this!!
I feel like if Stede had told Ed about Badminton, that would have felt like he was shifting the blame, which is not what Ed needed to hear in that moment. Stede owning up to his actions is a really mature move.
Very good analysis! Indeed they have little time to wrap up all of the different stories. I hope they are setting things up for a 3rd, final season, intentionally leaving lots of lose ends to be addressed later. However, others have noted that the show doesn't make room for most of the secondary characters to develop. And that this 2nd season was produced with less money than the first... so that could be part of it. I'm trusting the writers tho. Fingers crossed!
remember THE FISH IS STILL THERE
I just ask for a good ending that fix my Good Omens trauma and heart break.
off topic, but i absolutely love your tshirt
I love when you post!
gosh I couldn't agree with your points more, I love your shirt btw
Pretty sure there will be an open ending AND at least another season so maybe among the various ongoing issues you mentioned, this season will just handle some (one?) of it. I am a bit worrying too as they introduced a bunch of new characters which must have lead the plot somewhere. Still, as long as they leave Sted alone with their love, I'm okay with all else. I am still traumatised from Good Omens 2 :D and just praying the writers of OFMD won't give me another broken ending like that...
6:28 for me i was really glad that it was over they are in love so i didn't mind this show is not meant to be serious 😂
A fish is better than a rotten leg
I think they already stated that the show will need three seasons to be compleated. Propably not all plot leads can be compleated in the remaining episodes and the second season just serves as the mid piece of this story. Personally I prefer the slow pace and leaving some of the trauma and drama to be handled in the next season.
I'm sorry but I need more Stizzy scenes. I read too many fics with them😢 and kiss at the end of e5 is so good. But i still think they needed more scenes to reconcile
14:04 AHAHQHAHHA YOU'RE SO FUNNY
i also am not really feeling this season. i think it’s just that s1 was So Good that s2 couldn’t be anything but disappointing
these eps were so disappointing after the gorgeous pacing and the pitch perfect balance of comedic and dramatic tone in 1-3 :///
YES!!!
KRL sim