Our Flag Means Death 2.06 "Calypso's Birthday"

#they're bbfs now your honor

CON O'NEILL as Izzy Hands in OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH (2022— ) Episode 2.08

Okay but on a serious note Con O'Neill ate in these first few episodes and left no fucking crumbs. Last season we ended on deranged Izzy; now we have an Izzy realizing how toxic things can really get and WISHING he could go back to the days when he was the only proper pirate among muppets. And he's TRYING so damn hard and it would be so easy to play that in a cheesy or insincere manner, but we have Con O'Neill swinging for the fences, crying, begging for death, disheveled, trying to undo everything he did to get us all in this mess and failing and looking both miserable and delighted in his misery because he's getting what he thinks he deserves.

And YET we also get the subtle tear in the eye when Stede finds out what they really did to Ed. Like. You can feel how utterly heartbroken the man is just from a glimmer in the corner of his eye.

Love Izzy, hate Izzy, it really doesn't matter, not when he's played so magnificently by Con, and I salute him for everything he's doing in this campy gay pirate show.

Spare a thought for Con O'Neill who, for months, went to comic cons and had to listen to people telling him how important Izzy is to them, how they see themselves in him and how, if something bad happened to Izzy, they would be absolutely devastated. Man deserves an award.

Con O’Neill, MCM Comic Con panel with Nathan Foad and Kristian Nairn, London May 27, 2023

Q: As someone who was a teenager for Section 28 Part 1, I just want to [...] say a massive thank you for speaking up about Section 28 Part 2. What's it been like at the moment, working on a show that has got such cool and interesting things to say about gender broadly and masculinity more specifically?

don't know what you're talking about. a shark did this. 🦈

CON O'NEILL as IZZY HANDS in OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH in episodes 2.01 — 2.03

not arguing w a dude that has a big strong nose. whatever u say beautiful

Izzy + being supportive of Ed and Stede’s relationship

CON O'NEILL as Izzy Hands in OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH (2022— ) Episode 2.05

i said it once before and I'll say it again: queer community. the calypso's birthday episode is fucking pride man. and for izzy, oh for izzy, to be able to finally be free like that? he doesn't understand wee john's 'look' at first but he knows how it makes him feel, so he gets one as well. and for such a repressed queer man to be able to walk out in drag it's huge. AND he sings a love song!! la vie en rose, that's a staple of love repertoire. so izzy feels comfortable, at home enough to be able to go on the deck and show himself as a queer man that loves. he finally accepts that about himself enough to show it. he kisses wee john's hand. he puts on a show. and the crew loves it, sings along with him at the end. one more song indeed, cocksuckers!

RIP Izzy Hands. You did not die alone. You died surrounded by friends and family. Belonging to something.

new behind the scenes pics from director Fernando Frías on the set of OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH season two