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ferusaurelius · 2 years

Note

I've been reading your ofmd meta. It's amazing! How did you learn to figure all that stuff out?

Thank you for the ask!

There are two distinct questions here:

What makes OFMD a compelling ground for media and critical (meta) analysis?

What’s the critical basis I’m using in writing meta analysis and how did I learn to use it the way I do?

Why Write Meta Analysis of “Our Flag Means Death”?

The first question is easy: THERE IS SO MUCH TO UNPACK HERE. It’s all right out in the open, too, and it’s a real credit to David Jenkins that he created a supportive environment for the cast, the creative directors, the writers, and his entire CREW to bring all of their creative selves.

OFMD is so full of love for its characters and story that it always takes my breath away whenever I think about it. So much creative energy and love was wrapped into this show in so many ways that I’ll never shut up about it ever.

The second question has a longer answer.

Analytical Training, Experience, and Practice (Not Necessarily In That Order)

While I am formally trained and have a BA in English, I would still credit my experience as a writer-practitioner as equally or more important in my analytical background as the formal training.

I am first and foremost a writer, and I “read” texts like a writer who wants to figure out what makes a narrative function. Learning how something is working is fundamental to being able to replicate it in your own artwork.

The simplest term for what I use as a framework for all my meta is a technique historically called close reading, but I’d openly admit that I am more flexible and informal with it than you’d find taught in a typical college class!

Think of a “reading” in literature or film/media analysis as a bit like what a study or practice sketch does for visual artists.

When I was writing my meta post on The Tragedy of Israel Hands, I very explicitly decided to tackle OFMD and what was happening with Izzy by breaking down the show into episode-by-episode readings from Izzy’s point of view.

I also chose to add some extra spice based on direct scene transcriptions, mentions of Izzy by-name even when he wasn’t on-screen, and what was happening for him as a character (what was his story?) vs. the obvious romance that was happening for Edward and Stede in the foreground.

David Jenkins had helpfully stated in an interview that OFMD was broken up into acts, so I just followed his lead on doing the same in my analysis. ;) He’d also suggested doing a rewatch with a focus on Con O’Neill and I was intrigued by the possibility of what I might find.

Turned out? Con managed to fit an actual three-act tragedy into the same visual and narrative space (albeit in the background) as Rhys and Taika acting the main romance in the foreground! This is fucking incredible in my opinion. Con’s narrative counterpoint with Izzy adds so much depth and richness to the romance and the comedy. I could chew glass over it (and I did! hence the post).

I firmly believe that ANYONE can do a good and detailed textual reading (with or without formal training), so here’s my quick(?) breakdown of how that works for me in the hope that it will inspire you and others to try your hand!

The best way to get good at analysis is to practice. Analyze, analyze, analyze! Write, write, write! Create in whatever way makes sense to your brain and energizes you to explore how you think about what you love. You don’t even have to publish/share the results. It can just be for you if you want.

As usual, only do what works for you.

If there’s a thought or a step that you want to skip? Skip it. Do what you want. Create and write meta! Enrich the OFMD fandom with your own readings. :D

Ferus-Style Close Reading Guide

Goal: Break things down to build a detailed, text-supported understanding of a creative product (story, episode, play, film, painting, etc.). You can do this whenever you’re interested in something and feel like spending more time with it as a method of learning more and deeply appreciating a work of art.

Pick a moment in the text (show, fanfic, story, etc.) that interests you.

Interest is crucial! Think about why you’re interested. Sit with the text a bit.

Take extensive notes on what’s happening. You can also use another method you prefer like outlining, grabbing screencaps, or some combination to record and organize your first impressions and thoughts.

This serves as a record of where you started.

Don’t necessarily try to interpret right away, but DO decide for yourself what you think is happening in a moment or a particular scene. This can be as short as a single line of text or a few seconds of interaction in a TV episode or film. Trust yourself! The best art, by and large, does what it does in plain sight and will repeat or reinforce the significant themes and symbols.

Hold off on interpretation to allow yourself time to develop a good understanding of what has actually taken place in the text. Plenty of professional critics are weak at this step and jump straight into reshaping events to fit their thesis and interpretation rather than reading “out of” a text. It’s not necessarily bad (and there are techniques that use this sort of interpretation), but it’s really not where I’m coming from.

Break down your favorite scenes into as many moments (or points of focus) as are likely to be relevant to your analysis. If you’re working with a specific character, focus on their actions or their scenes (or other ‘by name’ references when they’re not on-screen). If the focus is a motif (a visual element), try to figure out what its appearance or framing is accomplishing when it is present. How do other characters react to it or introduce it? How do these interactions “read” to you? Again, what is happening?

This is the focusing step that typically tells me where the rest of my analysis is going. At this point I usually have an idea of what I’m seeing when it’s either reinforced by one or more sequential scenes (reinforced) or dropped and sidelined in an interesting way.

Take a step back and think about how the moment you’re analyzing is ‘working.’ What does it do? What purpose does this story beat or moment serve? Why is it happening in this moment, at this specific time, and what important features of character, setting, or story are happening? What are the consequences that follow?

I can’t stress consequences enough! Actions having consequences is a fundamental element of a well-structured narrative. The narrative consequences for a character or a plotline are one of the things that is MOST controlled by authorial choice. Do these consequences fit in with the theme you’ve noticed? Why or why not? Whatever is happening here is usually some of the most interesting elements of the narrative (if they’re present).

Write down your initial guesses about the answers the questions above. Or answer a few of your own questions in a first pass. Theorize!

Now that you’ve considered the individual moments, scenes, or elements and taken a stab at the larger emergent themes it’s time to mash them together into a coherent picture (what are YOU seeing?). How are you seeing this text?

Keep repeating the process above for other surrounding scenes (the context) or moments relevant to your analysis.

YMMV with repetition. A longer analysis takes more repetition. A shorter or more contained analysis may only go through this process once. Again -- no one person will see the same scene the same way as another! Everyone has a valuable perspective to contribute.

Theorize once again after stringing the analytical moments together and connecting them -- what new ideas occur to you once you’ve chewed over the “small” interesting bits separately? Does a pattern begin to emerge? Why or why not?

You can learn as much from figuring out your first impressions were wrong (and looking again to see what’s ACTUALLY happening) as you will from being “right” the first time. Enjoy the experience!

You can learn almost as much from absence as from presence. While that may sound cryptic at first, glaring absences when characters or significant elements are NOT present are just as important in their own way, and may help you discover other themes in the same text. Strategic absences are MUCH more difficult to identify without careful attention. They’ll be obvious when you begin to look for them (which is the fun bit).

“Establishing” shots (introductions, first/last shots, first/last words) are always important.

Repeated and reinforced themes are generally stronger indications that a particular symbol or motif is significant. Looking for repetition or apparently deliberate call-backs to previous episodes, comments, scenes, or character relationships are often where the most fruitful opportunities for analysis are located.

Write up your general conclusions based on what you’ve learned from your smaller (close) bite-size readings and why you believe they’re significant along with how they’re functioning. If you observe a theme or pattern, focus your writing on how that pattern is built up and the evidence you found to support that conclusion.

And you’re done! Or whatever process you prefer is finished. For now. ;)

The most important element in my analytical process is close attention to the different on-screen choices (in framing, acting, and dialogue) that I’m seeing in a particular episode.

I take extensive notes on what’s happening, sometimes by recording transcripts of the dialogue and often through watching and re-watching a scene of particular interest.

To continue with my example meta, The Tragedy of Israel Hands was based on rewatching OFMD with a focus on what was happening to Izzy in both the foreground and the background, with these questions in mind:

What would this story arc appear to be from Izzy’s perspective?

What extent was that interpretation supported by: each character’s arc, the framing of various shots, and the choices and tone throughout the context of Con O’Neill’s overall performance of this character?

Was there a narrative thread linking together Izzy Hands’s story as a contrast to Edward and Stede’s foreground romance?

And now you have the meta on the meta. METACEPTION. -is shot-

You probably didn’t want an answer this long, dear asker, but regrettably I Am Just Like This.

#our flag means death meta #ofmd meta #ferus ofmd meta #how ferus writes meta #answering asks #close reading #sorta close reading?#i do a very very detailed version of close reading that works for me #and it's considerably less formal than the historical or theoretical background #would suggest #metaception #the tragedy of israel hands #look the day has arrived when i write meta on meta #is shot #im laughing #ferus chats

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ferusaurelius · 2 years

Text

Izzy and Who Does the Work

So I was thinking the other day about work dynamics and how one early interview compared OFMD to a workplace comedy. The comparison was fairly thin, since there was a throwaway line about the crew of The Revenge spending all of the first episode deciding whether or not to murder Stede (their captain/boss).

However, there’s also this much better take: a conversation between the most excellent meta writers @chuplayswithfire and @knowlesian about Izzy the toxic leader that I want to riff on a bit.

And I want to talk a little about what it’s like to be the person who works for a toxic manager (aka: Izzy) and that journey and why it’s harmful/erasing to believe Izzy when he claims he’s doing all the work.

At the root of his claims is an unfounded belief and self-perception (toxic, untrue pretty much in any workplace):

No one else is competent (arrogance)

Confuse direction (delegation) with action (work)

Assume things will fail without their involvement (micromanaging)

We’re going to talk about the impact beliefs like this have on others and their experiences.

Because really important and complicated tasks are by necessity collaborative, there’s a truism in strategic studies that: “Remember, terrain doesn’t wage war. Machines don’t wage war. People do and they use their mind!”

No matter how good a plan or a strategy is, unless it’s executed well (by the people on the ground) it will fail. Izzy reminds me of the guy who just doesn’t quite understand the above because he treats everyone around him like interchangeable action-doing machines. If they would only just do everything exactly like he says, everything would work and be fine!

Izzy does not live in actual reality by any measure.

Izzy justifies his violence toward others as necessary in order to get them to conform (except he calls it ‘doing the work’) and that ends up hurting everyone around him and even himself ... when it’s people like Fang, Ivan, Frenchie, Oluwande, and Roach quite frequently doing their work well IN SPITE OF HIM or primarily out of some loyalty and admiration for Edward Teach, Blackbeard, most brilliant sailor alive and (actually good) leader.

Blackbeard’s crew notably has no love or loyalty for Izzy ... they reserve it for Edward, who also instantly wins over the crew of The Revenge, too.

His reputation precedes him.

Good leaders:

Say thank you.

Give credit to the team.

Listen to the ideas of others.

Remain confident and humble (because it’s important that people WANT to do the work).

Does the list above remind you of anyone? If you said Edward Teach you were correct.

It’s fun to watch Edward TEACH (haha a pun!) these techniques to Stede and it’s a bit FLABBERGASTING that Izzy has managed to serve and follow a good leader for so many years while LEARNING NOTHING.

Izzy believes he’s essential to Edward’s success ... when the crew has been organizing things just fine because they love Edward, a bit like Izzy himself does (while making it weird forever). In fact? When Izzy removes himself from The Revenge after the duel? Nothing melts down and nothing implodes.

Fang and Ivan have things on lock with or without Izzy giving them a hard time -- and we even get that beautiful “co-captains” moment with Edward and Stede that breaks me on every rewatch because they suggest it, bashfully, together in the same moment.

Izzy Hands You Elitist Jerk

Izzy Hands is the man who remains ignorant because he thinks he knows everything -- he’s the kind of person who cannot be taught.

In the rock-climbing world, a beginner who confidently ignores everyone’s offers of help or education is known as a “gumby” ... after the hard rubber kid’s toy that nothing will stick to.

While Izzy is far from a beginner at piracy (that’s Stede), unlike Stede he is willfully and comfortably blind to the talents and contributions of others.

Izzy is the kind of person who equates vulnerability with shame and who is terrified to admit he doesn’t know something.

Izzy is someone who demands respect without earning it (abuse of positional authority), who takes credit for the work without doing it, and who punishes people who have done nothing wrong (in pretty consistently gross ways).

I love to hate him and I hate understanding him. He’s a pretty good example of a toxicity death-spiral and, as Edward calls him: a real bummer. But enough about Izzy, let’s talk about one of the people he’s unjustly ignoring.

Consider Fang - My Hero

Fang is unironically the most amazing crew member and Izzy treats him horribly from Episode 03.

Who spots The Revenge run aground in the intro shot with Blackbeard’s crew? Ivan and Fang. Who leads the shore party? Izzy. Strike one.

Who pulls Fang by the beard (what the FUCK) when he asks why Blackbeard wants to follow Stede’s ship and then tells Fang it’s not his job to fuckin’ think (EXCUSE ME) in the most heinous way possible? Izzy.

To be honest if I were Fang I’d have murdered Izzy right there, but Fang’s too nice a person to do anything but tell it like it is:

FANG: Ow, that really hurts! I hate it when he does that.

Implying this is NOT THE FIRST TIME this has happened to him. This is yet another of Izzy’s toxic entitled power moves to keep other people “in their place.” With all the loaded classist, colorist, and racist associations of that phrase fully intact in these scenes, by the way!

We see Izzy once again making things awful in the scene with Lucius cleaning barnacles, which is yet another pointless cruelty and/or punishment. Who pulls Lucius up and rescues him? Fang. Who says no one has ever taken an interest in his form before? Fang.

Lucius is right to say that Fang’s never met anyone worth a damn!

Who is it that tells Lucius (and by extension Roach and Frenchie) about Izzy the Spewer? Fang.

Who listens to Edward telling ghost stories in Episode 06 and says it seems like he’s having an awfully nice time? Fang. Who says it’s the most open and emotionally available he’s ever seen Edward? Ivan.

Izzy is the only person in the named ‘original’ crew of Blackbeard who calls this openness seduction and insists that the plan is still on, because “he promised me.” Excuse me Izzy WHAT? When did Edward promise you shit? Never that’s when.

Which brings me around to the problem with Izzy: he thinks respect is what he’s owed, not something earned and voluntarily (freely) given. Izzy Hands doesn’t say thank you to anyone.

Even when Edward Teach signs the Act of Grace to save Stede Bonnet (because he loves Stede, because Stede is his friend), Izzy is the one in the corner telling him he doesn’t have to do this. Like the only reason anyone could ever make a sacrifice is because it was pried out of them by force rather than -- as the title puts it -- through grace.

Responsibility Doesn’t Mean Taking the Credit, It Means Taking the Blame

Let me tell you I, like Fang, have worked for “an Izzy.”

And in the MMO gaming realm (a bit more like piracy than most capitalist workplaces, imho!) ... the Izzy Hands attitude is pretty endemic and that dysfunction bleeds over into drama, greed, and self-serving petty awfulness.

Why compare MMO raid groups to piracy? A few reasons:

It’s not a formal commitment. You can stay or go at any time.

You have your choice of ‘crews.’

You have your choice of leaders (insofar as if someone pisses you off, and you’re in a place of trust, you can steal their shit and laugh your way to the bank - think Calico Jack)

Standard procedures vary based on the group (culture, respect, organizational structure, etc.)

The informal-but-still-structured nature of the endeavor means having to decide where to place your effort -- having just enough trust in the group leadership that you won’t get fucked over (you’ll get your loot) and that as a whole the group can take on big challenges without those being totally futile

Picking the wrong group is a waste of time (you get no loot; Stede’s crew is starts out here even though they get a salary)

Picking the group that gets things done but are miserable fucks is miserable (Calico Jack)

Picking the right group is badass and can be a source of pride AND loot (Edward Teach, Thee Great Blackbeard)

Edward is that phenomenal raid leader with a fantastic crew who has an absolutely jack-shit “co-leader” who is ruining everyone’s day.

Stede Bonnet has it right in Episode 04!

STEDE: Ed, do you know this guy? Because he’s an asshole!

And you know what really breaks me about this scene? Stede Bonnet in Blackbeard’s clothes is standing in for what Edward has to put up with in managing his unhinged, angry, furious, exhausted, taking-the-credit-but-not-the-responsibility first mate, one Israel Hands.

The biggest power move in my current place of work that defuses conflicts?

“I take full responsibility.”

Izzy Hands takes and takes and takes everything except responsibility.

Look What You Made Me Do

So yeah, as much as I enjoy Izzy Hands as a character, I can’t help but think his protestations and his viewpoint are not to be taken seriously, much less justified.

Leaning too far with OFMD meta analysis into Muppet-land, or corporatism, or any of a number of other useful metaphors ... can tip over into accepting Izzy’s harmful self-justification (excuses!).

Careless use of metaphor has the double-bind effect of letting Izzy take credit he has not earned while erasing the work that the rest of the crew are doing more quietly (very well, thanks, because they’re amazing and they just DO what needs to be done rather than grandstanding about it):

Frenchie - A bard. Invents pyramid schemes and fanfiction. Sews. Code-switching master who Edward picks for his “new crew” because he’s a badass who was ‘in service’ for a minute, has a mind like a steel trap, and navigates every situation with grace and aplomb.

Oluwande - Voted Captain after Izzy gets thrown overboard. Level-headed. The man Blackbeard’s crew picked to lead them instead of Izzy when they thought Edward Teach was never going to return.

Roach - A chef, a “knives are knives, meat’s meat” doctor who will always get the job done. Treats scurvy. Makes a mean tapas. Calls Stede on his bullshit (I wasn’t asking you, I was asking him (Buttons)). Embodiment of ‘fuck around and find out’ (entertained). Wins the award for best smile.

Ivan - Professional with an eye for valuables (spotted the Revenge aground; dibs on the gold teeth; ‘I’ve never seen him so open and emotionally available’).

Fang - BLACKBEARD’S HELMSMAN. Buries Lucius’s finger at sea. ‘That Brown Peter, he can’t be first mate. I saw him talking to Izzy about it before. Never. Disaster. No offense, Lucius.’ Give him a dog in season two.

Did you notice they were all men of color?

Because if we talk too much about how Izzy “just wants performance awards and recognition” I am afraid we are contributing to ignoring at whose expense he is operating, and once again justifying a white man’s mistreatment of POC while he(we!) ignore, minimize, and erase the actual work they are doing.

And that’s not a narrative I’m looking to repeat or reinforce, and I am as capable of fucking up as the next hyperfixated OFMD meta writer, so ...

Moving Forward

That mutiny scene at the end of Episode 09 has something to teach us!

Go back and re-watch it! It took me a bit to get all the dialogue (had to turn on captions because there’s a song playing at the same time):

IZZY: Okay, okay! Maybe, maybe we got off to a bad start. But, what, what, what, what, can I do differently, huh? I’m open to suggestions!

ROACH: Mm-hm! (Delighted, smiling like it’s his birthday, getting ready to throw Izzy overboard)

IZZY: Pete! Help me out here!

PETE: For the record, I never formally accepted the role of “first mate” and I fully endorse this mutiny.

IZZY: Gah! Y-you, you, you don’t have to do this. Part of good leadership is restraint. [Looking at Oluwande.]

OLUWANDE: Everyone’s got their own style.

Like LOOK AT IT???

This show is so good I swear. And if you’re gonna doubt me or doubt other meta writers about the anti-racist beats (Ivan and Fang are in the foreground during the mutiny, all of the people throwing Izzy overboard are men of color ... and the people Izzy has hurt the most are the ones taking the lead in pitching him overboard) ... FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING BELIEVE THE SHOW.

Izzy even uses the classic racist tone-policing excuses to try to get some sympathy!

“Part of good leadership is restraint?”

IZZY GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK. WHERE WAS YOUR RESTRAINT WITH FANG? (His poor beard. It really hurts, Izzy you bag of dicks. As you would know if you ever listened to him.)

Anyway!

Thanks Izzy fandom I love you, I’m one of you, but let’s not make Izzy’s exact same mistake by believing his warped self-serving story about how he’s the one doing all the work.

Maybe (if you’re a white fan like me) ... start by taking responsibility to focus on THE HARM IZZY DOES TO OTHERS and taking a second or a third watch looking at the people around him rather than ... you know, minimizing the harm and exclaiming ‘but he did the work!’, just like he tries to do when he’s getting thrown overboard.

Here’s the on-screen truth: the crew’s just fine without him. Better than fine! Living their best lives! Getting free of a toxic ex!

Acting like Izzy is the only competent pirate on a crew of otherwise muppets erases the men of color who are amazing and doing just fine without him and don’t need that bullshit in their narrative -- from Izzy, from fandom, from meta writers like me, or from anyone.

Blackbeard’s crew and the crew of The Revenge deserve better, especially from people like me who write about Izzy Hands.

Because I’m thinking a lot about Fang and Frenchie lately, who are my personal heroes. And Jim.

And where OFMD is going to go with everyone, including Izzy, in our renewed-for-pride Season Two ... so what do we do? We talk it through as a crew.

See Also: It’s Not About You, Izzy for the other half of this meta where I talk about why OFMD is (rightly) Edward Teach’s story and the narrative framing could not be more clear about that.

#our flag means death meta #ofmd meta #ofmd izzy hands #ferus ofmd izzy meta #my writing #and you know this is just part of talking about a really problematic character #and we're all gonna fuck it up including me #but the first thing you do is take responsibility #and the next thing you do is change your behavior #oh izzy if you REALLY wanted a second chance #you would have done the Captain Hands thing so differently #but you just kept on like you were #the sad thing is how sad it is #and the show is SO GOOD about making Izzy's problems Izzy's fault #so let's agree as a fandom to keep it that way #and to keep up that talking it through as a crew #i love this show a normal amount #will i ever be the same person ever again?#nope probably not #ferus chats #ferus writes about izzy hands #why is it always izzy hands LET ME SLEEP YOU BASTARD #i for one haven't been the same person since i stayed up to watch the finale #all the way back in march #it seems like so long ago lol

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ferusaurelius · 2 years

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Okay so I wanted to ask about Izzy. I know you've addressed this in some of your quite impressive metals (love btw), but I need a little clarity hoping you can shine a light on.

So how does Izzy see his relationship with Blackbeard exactly? Izzy feels "this" (that's the part I need clarity with) relationship with Blackbeard is the only type of closeness he can have. Why is that? And what is that?

Also, what are Ed's feelings towards Izzy? Codependent but to what degree of intimacy?

I need to preface this by thanking you for your patience! Just got my laptop back from the shop and I cannot for the life of me write in longform on a phone. So it has been roughly a month. ._.

I'm gonna answer your questions separately, and I also want to make a very strong statement: I've seen some readings that Edward doesn't know who he is, which I don't see the text/show supporting.

Here's why: Edward Teach has a commanding identity and presence that he just turns parts of up to 11 for his own purposes. I think there are a number of practical reasons for this.

I'll build this argument in pieces. Let's start with very basic readings of Edward Teach as a character and Izzy Hands as a character. Then we'll read them and their relationship together (from Izzy's perspective first, then from Edward's).

Who Is Edward Teach?

What I believe is that while Edward is extremely intelligent and competent, he doesn't connect that competence to 'full self-actualization.' This is why we get that comment from him about being bored! He's bored with his extraordinary brilliance and competence. Feeding only that side of himself isn't meeting his emotional needs anymore. He thinks he needs something new or interesting in his life, and Izzy doesn't understand why Edward isn't happy with the status quo (riches and pirate success).

We learn about Edward's background most often in scenes with Stede. Edward chooses to reveal this background and history to Stede ... VERY PERSONAL history! This will become important later, because for me what someone chooses to reveal to you about themselves is part of defining your relationship to that person.

Edward chooses over and over to be vulnerable in a particular, personal, and intimate way with Stede. They discuss personhood, identity, and the very day Stede meets Ed after being stabbed? He doesn't know he's Blackbeard, he thinks 'he works for Blackbeard,' and he calls him a good man. Stede has been conscious in his presence for all of five minutes.

IMHO Edward Teach (if he wasn't already in love at that point), was instantly charmed by that response and it just got even more and more interesting to him from there. This is one of the reasons Episode 04: Discomfort in a Married State is one of my favorites! If not my absolute favorite. You can read this instant connection as either platonic or romantic love at first sight. And I for one really enjoyed it.

Stede and Ed's relationship is foreshadowed and defined VERY CLEARLY and very early in the show. And really if you need the guide to how everyone relates to everyone? It's Episode 04. You can watch that (and re-watch it) and it will tell you almost everything you need to know about Edward, Stede, and Izzy.

It's a really neat piece of work (check out the writing credits).

Who Is Izzy Hands?

I'm personally fascinated that, in contrast to Edward choosing to reveal his background to Stede as being vulnerable and to foster intimacy and understanding, we the audience don't get to know anything about Izzy Hands except for what he:

a). projects/says he believes

b). Fang reveals to undermine Izzy and

c). what his actions/orders reveal.

Izzy Hands discloses nothing about himself to anyone! He's the opposite of vulnerable and emotionally available.

Izzy's conversations with Edward are limited to work, their plans, and what Edward and Izzy are and aren't contributing to making the plan work, and giving ultimatums to people (except for one instance...)

The only personal conversation that I think we ever see Izzy have, where he's being vulnerable is AGAIN in Ep 04: Discomfort in a Married State. Recall the moment where Izzy prepares a dinghy to leave The Revenge after the Lighthouse scene?

EDWARD: Izzy?

IZZY: I said some things I regret last night. I don't think you're the shell of a man ... or a twat.

EDWARD: You were right man, about all of it. Have you ever heard of "retirement?"

IZZY: Mm. That's not much of an option in this line of work. The only retirement we get is ... death.

EDWARD: What if Blackbeard turned up dead? His corpse disfigured beyond recognition, of course.

IZZY: But still be identifiable as Blackbeard.

EDWARD: Well, he's wearing Blackbeard's clothes, he's on Blackbeard's ship.

IZZY: What happens to you?

EDWARD: I'm not even here. My name's Stede Bonnet. I'm a wealthy landowner. Of course, the crew would need a new captain. Someone who really knows the ropes.

IZZY: You mean me. I suppose it could be me, yeah.

EDWARD: I need you here.

IZZY: Edward? [pause] You still got it.

EDWARD: [turns, smiling] I know. [turns away, exhales]

**THE EMPTY BOAT PLAYS.**

I go feral for this scene, this conversation, and this song every time!

Everything you fundamentally need to know about Izzy Hands and Edward and Blackbeard is illustrated in this episode because it's the longest private conversation they have in the entire show and it's also the ONLY time Izzy is intentionally vulnerable in any way with anyone.

In the transcript of the scene, you can see Izzy apologizing and regretting what he says! He doesn't do this for anyone but Edward. And then Edward? Edward allows that Izzy is right about what he said. Edward probably at this point believes that Izzy is right, too, so he moves into the next phase of what he and Izzy always do: they come up with the plan and they execute the plan.

Notice that Izzy is a little nonchalant about suggesting or "supposing" that he could be the captain? In response to Edward implying the possibility as a way for him to retire without having to die? They both see this outcome as win-win right now.

Izzy Hands & Edward Teach

That all changes post-duel in Episode 06: The Art of Fuckery. Edward 'allows' Izzy to banish himself from The Revenge. The threatened departure in Episode 04 becomes a reality by Episode 06 and BOTH TIMES Izzy is the one making the choice.

Keep in mind that the duel happens directly after Edward chose to reveal both his personal background AND the plot to kill Stede! Izzy thinks the plan is still on and he doesn't listen when Edward tries to change the terms of the agreement.

IZZY: Stede Bonnet, draw your weapon.

EDWARD: No, Izzy, we're not doing this.

IZZY: No, you're not doing this ... so I must.

Izzy is the one who is going along with the plan as usual even after Edward has decided he wants to change the plan.

I'm just gonna leave that here because I think it sums up the relationship. Edward and Izzy come up with the plan and execute the plan.

Izzy's a bit of a hardass who can't see the frankfurters in the clouds (he's not as talented as a sailor) and who validates and executes Edward's plans (but only when he understands them ... and they make sense to him).

It's conditional, it's transactional, and Edward and Izzy support and validate each other in an emotionally limited and predictable way that's based in succeeding at piracy.

Izzy only lets himself be vulnerable after he's questioned Edward's competence as a sailor, which is in many ways the foundation of their relationship! Izzy is proud to serve the most brilliant sailor he's ever met. He validates that aspect of Edward's self and personhood without understanding or approaching the other emotional aspects of what it means to be a captain ... because Blackbeard is the one who handles the responsibility and the stress of whether or not the plan is going to work. Izzy's job is to be First Mate hands who always executes whatever plan Edward has devised (because he believes in Edward's plans).

Izzy Hands & Blackbeard

Again I'm relying on Episode 04 to make this point.

You can see the difference between Blackbeard and Edward most clearly in the clothes swap. Edward wants to let Stede 'be' Blackbeard by putting him in the outfit. Stede is game for this because the man loves wearing different clothes.

Izzy is First Mate Hands and he follows Blackbeard's orders. So what does he do?

Recall how that scene with Edward wearing Stede's clothes goes:

EDWARD (wearing Stede's clothes): Did you see that? This is amazing.

IZZY: A word, Cap'n?

EDWARD: You can be a real bummer sometimes. You know that?

IZZY: When you tasked me with trackin' that absolute idiot, I did that, no questions asked. And when we traced him to a Spanish warship, I attacked that ship, losin' several of our men, by the way.

EDWARD: Mm. Kinda' the job, they're pirates.

IZZY: For years, I've followed your every whim, I've managed your increasingly erratic moods, I've massaged this crew when they were worried about your judgment.

EDWARD: Mm, sounds stressful, Izzy.

IZZY: It is, but I did all that because I was honored to work for the legendary Blackbeard, the most brilliant sailor I had ever met. But now, you're just ... an insane, unpleasant shell of a man who's merely posing as Blackbeard.

EDWARD: (Pointing to Stede) That's Blackbeard.

My favorite part of this next scene is where Izzy is like: Okay, fine, if that's how you want to play this ... and then he just treats Stede exactly like he would Blackbeard! Down to asking about the state of the munitions and ordering Fang and Ivan to load the cannons and execute anyone who won't fight.

Izzy plays along with the game because Edward is insisting and Izzy wants to prove a point. Except, wait, Edward is still the brilliant sailor (the clothes have nothing to do with that), and he still had a plan the whole time! He just didn't (this time) explain it to Izzy.

Edward is proving to Izzy that Izzy can't fully predict him, and that he always has a plan even when he hasn't discussed it with Izzy.

Izzy took for granted that Edward would fully disclose his plans and discuss his options. Edward even HINTS to Izzy exactly what the plan is and Izzy still misses it even when he should have seen (fuckin' frankfurters).

Blackbeard & Izzy Hands

It's Izzy who suggest that Edward is 'an unpleasant shell of a man posing as Blackbeard.'

It's Edward who has to remind Izzy that he's still Blackbeard even when he's not explaining himself to Izzy or meeting Izzy's expectations.

Edward regularly fights Izzy about who Blackbeard is and who Blackbeard is allowed to be in the context of the show. The clearest example of this is when Izzy confronts Edward with the stereotypical picture of Blackbeard from the book (NO, THIS IS BLACKBEARD), and ends up ... with The Kraken, instead.

Edward's interpretation of that stereotypically violent image is The Kraken, not Blackbeard.

Izzy chooses not to validate Edward's changes in the plan. Izzy chooses to duel Stede when Edward tells him to stop. Izzy chooses to collaborate with Nigel Badminton to rid himself of Stede, whom he blames for 'doing something to my boss's brain.'

Edward Teach & Izzy Hands

Which brings us to the conclusion. What is 'this' relationship between Edward and Izzy? It's what they choose.

Edward speaks informally to Izzy and doesn't order him around. Edward discusses his plans with Izzy and values his opinion. Edward looks to Izzy to validate and execute his plans (though he doesn't rely on that as much as Izzy believes -- Edward makes a point of proving this to him!). Edward is very much the brains of the operation.

Izzy speaks informally to Edward and formally (Blackbeard, Captain) when he's operating as First Mate Hands. He reinforces Edward's authority as Blackbeard and insists that everyone (who isn't him) respects Blackbeard by modeling that behavior, himself. Izzy is a competent duelist (and less competent sailor) who absolutely has killed people (I'm assuming this is true, even though we don't see him do this on screen).

Edward chooses not to disclose personal background information to Izzy or talk about whether or not he is a good person with him.

Do you recall that Edward's confrontation with Izzy happens immediately after the scene where Stede monologues about the consequences of witnessing death and being the cause of it in the bar? And how it changes you forever? Because I didn't. BUT IT DOES and now I'm never going to be over it!

Izzy chooses to tell Edward that he should have let the English kill him. Izzy chooses to tell Edward that whatever it is he's become is a fate worse than death.

Edward chooses to tell Izzy that he is, in fact, still Blackbeard.

Izzy is the one who chooses to deny that Edward is Blackbeard. It's Izzy who chooses to make the distinction that Edward didn't. Izzy who invalidates Edward's expressed identity (not some namby-pamby in a silk gown pining for his boyfriend). Really, this is an attempt to undermine Edward through attacking his attachment to Stede, specifically (while Edward is wearing Stede's robe, no less! practicing the emotional openness that he's developed on The Revenge, and in Stede's room, next to the Lighthouse painting!).

Izzy is the one who chooses to deny that Edward is Blackbeard.

Edward is the one who chooses to process that grief in absolutely the worst way possible and goes straight to The Kraken, without any of Blackbeard's tempering calculation and planning the outcome. One wonders if Edward, who last killed as The Kraken, is going right back to not outsourcing the big job anymore.

Izzy is the one who chooses to see that 'Blackbeard is himself again' when he's just got someone and something much darker. Edward sobbing alone in the darkness, looking at the Lighthouse image, and externalizing his emotional trauma while also bottling it up?

NOT GONNA LIE I'M ANXIOUS FOR EVERYONE.

Anyway, I don't have all the answers for all of what this relationship between Edward and Izzy actually is. I'm in the "it's complicated and very unhealthy" camp because of how it turns out and how we see Edward undermined in healthy coping and dealing with grief.

Everything Izzy chooses in this case is pretty unforgivable, especially in deciding that he's only going to support the particular kind of Blackbeard he wants Edward to be (for his own reasons).

Izzy makes it very clear he doesn't accept who Edward is choosing to be (Blackbeard in a silk gown, grieving his first real love).

Edward chooses The Kraken. Izzy chooses The Kraken (for now). They're both going to deal with the consequences of their choices and I'm a little anxious for them, because this is like two semi-trailers playing chicken with each other. I really don't see either of them backing down from their collision course.

In Closing

I'm overwhelmed with admiration for the level of character agency implied by these relationships. Both Edward and Izzy choose their actions, their responses, and then deal with their respective consequences.

At some point I may write the full essay on how character agency and choice is a primary theme in the show, but for now I'll just stick with this figurative excerpt looking at Izzy and Edward's relationship to each other and their choices in how they relate to one another and how they define their own relationship on-screen (when in doubt, re-read the actual transcripts and watch the performances).

If Izzy had done as Edward asked and not dueled Stede, there's a chance they would have been able to work things out without Izzy choosing to go become a collaborator with the English. If Izzy had accepted that Edward has an inner emotional life he's not privy to (and isn't owed an explanation about, and could just ACCEPT that without denying it!), and trusted in Edward's judgment and his vision for himself, Edward might have chosen something different than the Kraken.

We'll never know. UNLESS THEY HURRY UP AND RENEW THIS SHOW ALREADY. AHHHHHHHH.

(... also Izzy is disturbingly okay with and supportive of Edward as The Kraken not gonna lie.)

Oh David Jenkins we're really in it now. x_x

#our flag means death meta #ofmd meta #ofmd izzy hands #ofmd edward teach #ofmd stede bonnet #ferus answers an ask #sorta i honestly don't know that i answered your question #but i tried #ofmd meta on agency #ferus ofmd izzy meta #ferus chats #ofmd analysis #im losing my mind over this show #i love this show a totally normal amount #oh david jenkins we're really in it now #ziggyz-eyepatch #ferus answers

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ferusaurelius · 2 years

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Is that Blackbeard?

At the risk of being simplistic, because Ep 04: Discomfort In A Married State really does just deliver over and over again about who Edward Teach is and who Stede Bonnet is and who Izzy Hands has been for Edward/Blackbeard?

I read this separate discussion between two excellent meta writers about Izzy the toxic leader and then riffed on that reading with my own take about Izzy and who does the work without realizing what else the show (and the framing) had done quite deliberately (re: ‘who’ created Blackbeard). And I came back to this again reading this meta on the Blackbeard of the old days and THAT person being who Izzy met at first (i.e. can’t be a co-creator of the Legend if you met Thee Great Pirate Blackbeard, because Edward Teach did that all himself).

And then I realized.

OH MY GOD IT’S RIGHT THERE ON THE SCREEN.

Borrowing the gifs above from some wonderful editors to make the visual argument.

GO REWATCH THE SCENE IN THE CLOSET.

The guy outside in the other room, with the ominous music playing as an overlay? That’s Izzy!

The music playing inside the auxiliary wardrobe? Erik Satie, Gnossiene No 5. The Edward-and-Stede romance theme.

So to go along with “Blackbeard as creative endeavor” ... yeah, that’s absolutely 100% Grade-A Edward Teach.

I just happened to be watching this interview with Taika Waititi and Ra Vincent (collaborator and production designer) and they literally used this scene to introduce and summarize the show.

Because remember this is a romance between two guys who happen to be pirates on the ocean.

Taika did practically no research on Blackbeard. So what we’re getting at in Our Flag Means Death is just ... really ... the love story here. And the obstacles to that love: workplace/professional, personal, geographic and distance at the end of Episode 10.

And as David is quoted in this LA Times piece:

“If you’re watching a romance that doesn’t break your heart, I don’t think that’s going to be a very good romance,” Jenkins says.

This is pain on the level of a boombox held aloft by John Cusack. Viewers have been wrecked and yet are profusely grateful for the respect shown to the relationships. And Jenkins and the cast have been overwhelmed by the fans, whom they affectionately call the crew. Followers on social media post everything from art to analysis. Some theories are so accurate “it’s like seeing a beat for beat, unintentional re-creation of a conversation we had in the writers room,” Jenkins says.

My favorite bit in the auxiliary wardrobe scene is that eye-smile Taika does with that soft “Shhhh.”

And my other favorite thing is that in the Deadline conversation with Taika and Ra? THIS SCENE is how they decided to introduce and summarize the show.

Who, me? On the floor thinking about it? I would never.

Just when we’re talking about this show, even in terms of analysis, I want to honor the spirit of the love story that is the beating heart.

Beyond the pirate aspects and, as David himself put it in the LA Times piece, the Hieronymus Bosch canvas level of violence, and the comedy, and the drama ... it is still a relationship story. It is still a love story.

And that’s beautiful.

#our flag means death #ofmd #ofmd blackbeard #ofmd edward teach #ofmd stede bonnet #gentlebeard #i mean this doesn't really count as meta #this is more me just throwing out observations and a record #of other conversations and thoughts about the narrative #because at the heart of this comedy is also drama and romance #and that's beautiful #oh david jenkins we're really in it now #so yeah have fun with the deeper dive analysis #i'll just be over here on the floor #ferus chats

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ferusaurelius · 2 years

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The Tragedy of Israel Hands

A play in three Acts.

Remember how I said I’d write up some Izzy meta? Well here’s the short version. I have a google doc full of 10+ pages of notes and individual scene breakdowns for each episode, but I don’t know if I want to pull all that out and unpack everything with that level of detail just yet.

As a tribute to Con O’Neill, I’m going to stick to the top-level summaries of what I’ve noticed. His acting is brilliant! Go and rewatch OFMD and appreciate his performance, please.

The pure tragedy of Izzy Hands adds an extraordinary level of depth, contrast, and context to the romance between Edward Teach and Stede Bonnet -- beyond mere antagonism! -- that I’m still a bit overcome with inexpressible awe and admiration. I’ll do my best to stick to the outline to encourage you to go back and rewatch the show with a focus on Izzy’s perspective. :)

I also submit to you David’s tweet (pictured here) about the complexities of the relationship between Izzy and Edward and David’s polygon interview (skip to the end) as further motivation to do that rewatch.

I made myself unbearably sad about Izzy as a character while also accepting (and acknowledging) the sheer damage he’s doing to himself and his relationships -- and now you can join me in a hell of Izzy’s own making, too! :D

Warning this is so fucking long you probably should be sitting down.

Act I - Trouble in Izzy’s Pirate Paradise

Basically, Izzy fails to understand that he has never gotten to know Edward as a person beyond what they’ve done to construct the Blackbeard legend together. His assumption that he knows what’s best for Edward and that he has to protect the “legendary Blackbeard” become the seeds of his own undoing. Izzy’s actions directly instigate the series of events that will lead to Edward meeting and falling in love with Stede.

If you look at that process of understanding each other while falling in love as inevitable between Edward and Stede, then Izzy’s attempts to thwart that relationship, as well as his crushing ignorance about the inner life of probably the only person he thinks of as a friend(!), are really devastating.

Con O’Neill plays this really well in scene. I’ll hit the highlights.

01- Pilot (Stede Bonnet & Crew vs. The English Navy)

Izzy doesn’t appear in this episode, so consider the English officers (Wellington and Hornberry) as a kind of stand-in foreshadowing the consequences of hubris. Remember, it’s one of the officers looking through a telescope and calling Stede a “fat woman in a dressing gown” that touches off the series of events that leads to the crew of The Revenge killing Nigel Badminton and taking hostages. As a point of interesting trivia, it’d be the role of a first officer like Izzy to track a ship’s course and prevent it from running aground, as occurs in the very next episode.

02- A Damned Man (...It’s Izzy. Izzy is the Damned Man.)

In a brilliant bit of staging and writing, we ‘meet’ Blackbeard-the-legend before Edward-the-man. Izzy and Edward created Blackbeard together as a practical way of taking prizes with as little resistance as possible because everyone sees the flag and gets terrified. Hint: the motive is fear.

David Jenkins does all of this out in the open because he’s a mad genius like that and we salute him.

Recall also that Izzy’s motivations for approaching The Revenge are purely self-interested. He wants to take advantage of Stede’s misfortune and take those valuable hostages for himself, if possible. I also love the metaphorical implications of Izzy’s undoing being through hostages/damned/condemned men, too! It’s so literal and on-the-nose it’s beautiful.

Anyway, Izzy wastes a perfectly good opportunity to kill Stede Bonnet because as a god-tier duelist he’s too busy playing with his food. He takes so long to put Stede out of his misery that the rest of the crew manages to pull off even an idiotic plan.

Izzy ends up humiliated by Stede in part because he underestimates the Gentleman Pirate and his merry band of imbeciles. Even the best pirates have bad days when they get arrogant. Izzy is totally unprepared to suffer an actual defeat and in even worse news for his dignity, Fang and Ivan were both there and witnessed this and they’re 100% aware of his bullshit.

The end of this episode also gives us a great shot of Izzy, Fang, and Ivan on Blackbeard’s ship. I love the atmosphere with spikes, black rigging, and muted colors. We’ll meet Edward in person -- and so will Stede! -- next episode.

03- A Gentleman Pirate (… who will shortly invade Izzy’s life, while Izzy is the one capturing The Revenge, a study in irony.)

Did you forget that the opening shot of this episode was from Izzy’s perspective while he looks through a telescope at The Revenge? Because I did. Ed appears! Well, kinda. Ed is facing away from the camera and sitting in a chair in the candle-lit darkness, smoking a pipe.

We also get this exchange:

EDWARD: Wait till they make landfall then invite ‘em aboard the ship. And, Izzy, I want you to handle this personally.

IZZY: Oh, Edward, can’t I just send the boys?

EDWARD: Mm-mm. No, I want this done right. After all, he is a gentleman. We want to make a good impression.

IZZY: Stupid fuckin’ Stede Bonnet.

That last line there is the tragic refrain of Izzy Hands. He’s going to think and repeat this so much both internally and out loud, even he doesn’t even realize at this point that it’s the real beginning of the end. He’ll get the picture soon enough, but by then it will be far too late.

And we’ll get to watch him delude himself into believing he ever had a chance at success while further ensuring his own failure. No one sabotages themselves quite like Izzy (thanks Con O’Neill!). Every attempt for Izzy to turn the ship around and restore order through his actions has both immediate and long-term consequences leading to his humiliation, isolation, and defeat.

In this episode, Izzy has done everything in his considerable power to keep this introduction from happening and, in fairness, reveals in the next episode that he’s the one that tracked Stede to the Spanish warship and attacked because Edward directed him to do so.

“Our Prayer” by the Beach Boys plays when Stede and Edward meet. WHAT. This is amazing! Sorry, Izzy, I regret to inform you that Edward and Stede are having a religious experience known only to themselves.

Izzy probably expected Blackbeard to carry on with violence-as-usual after they invade both the Spanish warship and The Revenge as a sort of two-for-one prize. And if Stede weren’t so good at subverting expectations and charming Edward, that’s exactly what would have happened!

Izzy did everything right as a professional and a first mate who is obeying his Captain and still the world is conspiring to thwart him.

David also mentions in his Polygon interview that this episode is the end of the first act. So we’re going to treat it like that.

Act II is where both the love story between Edward and Stede and the contrasting tragedy between Edward and Izzy are both going to play out on-screen and really hit their relative stride (often in the same crucial frames!).

Act II - Izzy Suspects the Obvious Truth About Edward and Stede

No one denies like Izzy Hands, no one lies like Izzy Hands, no one duels and loses and gets thoroughly sidelined like Izzy Hands!

No, I’m not sorry. He brought it on himself in so many ways, partly because he can’t see how much he doesn’t understand about Edward even when Edward explains everything in front of him in very plain language. Izzy isn’t capable of asking the right questions because he already assumes he’s right and has all the right answers. If only Edward could see it, too!

04- Discomfort in A Married State (It’s Stede and Mary but, wait, it’s also … Izzy and Edward.)

Do I even need to tell you how much I adore the scene where Izzy goes along with Edward’s dumb plan of treating Stede like Blackbeard while Stede is wearing Blackbeard’s clothes?

Izzy plays this totally seriously and shoves Stede down in the hold and tries to get him to give orders. Then Edward, dressed like Stede, waits for Lucius to finish counting down and then lays out the situation of what it’s like to be Blackbeard in excruciatingly clear emotional detail.

If you watch Izzy’s face in this scene you’ll realize that Edward has never expressed any of these doubts in front of Izzy.

Izzy is just as taken by surprise as Stede is. It’s BRILLIANT. Then up on deck in the next scene it’s Izzy in the fog at first. He doesn’t believe that Edward has managed to do this. Edward knows Izzy doubted him!

They share a look I still can’t decipher while everyone takes in the thick fog ( @thescreechowl sussed it for me). Izzy is also the one who has to tell Edward that it’s not September 2nd, it’s September the 1st. Izzy is forced to play the harbinger of doom because he’s the only one on the ship who can keep up with Edward’s reasoning.

Is it Izzy’s fault that he has to be the one to tell Edward they’re doomed? No, it’s just what a good first mate does. You’ll notice that Izzy also isn’t around for the lighthouse scene. Everyone else is at the rail celebrating without Izzy.

In the morning, after Edward makes his deal to teach Stede about being a pirate if Stede will teach him about the ways of aristocrats and fine things? Edward has to hide that from Izzy.

Izzy, in a moment of clarity, already knows the game is up and has already packed his bags to leave the ship. He knows that his open doubts from the day before have crossed a line with Edward in a way that even he can understand. And Edward, knowing that he still needs Izzy around if he’s going to follow through on his deal with Stede, tells Izzy what he needs to hear in order to keep him on The Revenge.

Izzy takes this made-up plan of Edward’s as something serious and then admits he was wrong about Ed being a deranged, unstable, erratic “twat.” This could almost count as a reconciliation between the two, except it isn’t because Edward chose to lie to him rather than tell the truth.

At the end, after Izzy tells Ed that “you’ve still got it”? Edward, wearing the clothes of a gentleman and the famous Black Cravat that used to belong to Stede, smiles, says “I know,” and then turns away from Izzy.

When Ed turns around he stops smiling. We the audience can see the change in Ed’s expression, but Izzy is still smiling behind him! Izzy doesn’t see that change from smiling to serious. The contrast between those two expressions? It devastates and chills me because Edward isn’t being honest and neither of them are pursuing a true understanding of the other.

Ed has never been fully himself with Izzy, but Izzy is the one who doesn’t really understand that Ed hasn’t trusted Izzy with everything and has never let his first mate really know who he is past Blackbeard and brilliant sailor.

Izzy, tragic and arrogant fool that he is, truly believes that he understands Edward’s plan and is taking this suggestion to kill Stede and steal his identity at face value.

Ed chooses to lie to Izzy in the hope that he can get what he wants and hedge his bets with that support, even if it means changing the terms of the agreement. Ed baits Izzy with the promise of becoming captain once he’s retired by stealing Stede Bonnet’s identity. Izzy, who probably can’t even imagine Edward not telling him the truth, eats this sham idea up hook, line, and sinker.

It’s the beginning of the end of Blackbeard. It’s also the beginning of Edward starting to figure out who Ed is for real, and Izzy missing or willfully denying those changes.

05- The Best Revenge is Dressing Well (Izzy puts bows in Edward’s beard and skips the party to babysit, except all he does is embarrass himself and sacrifice his dignity and authority by being a dick.)

David Jenkins has confirmed that it’s not Stede who puts those bows in Edward’s beard, it’s Izzy, but that scene got cut for time. Tragic!

Anyway, Izzy is only present to assist Edward or discipline the crew into doing ship chores and to be honest this episode features him losing his grip on reality and authority.

Izzy catches Black Pete and Lucius having sex and confronts them in possibly the weirdest way imaginable. Everyone thinks he’s unhinged. They see nothing wrong with a bit of casual sex and Izzy tries to play that off as a weakness, realizes he’s not getting the shame reaction he expected and has unintentionally revealed himself (Izzy, what the fuck?), and then retaliates by making Lucius remove barnacles from the side of the Revenge.

Fang, Izzy’s long-time subordinate, is also the one who spills the beans about Izzy’s unfortunate nickname as Izzy the Spewer/Dizzy Izzy. I don’t think I have to explain why Izzy wouldn’t appreciate anyone knowing about that one time when Blackbeard left him in charge of the ship during rough seas and he didn’t measure up to the challenge.

When Izzy confronts Lucius with more tasks to do that night and assumes he’ll be able to use his sexual history against him? Yeah, sorry Izzy. That’s not gonna work on this ship.

I’ve never seen a degeneration arc so swift and so complete as what happens to Izzy in this episode. His entire foundation of self-belief and identity is shaken. Who is Izzy without his authority as Blackbeard’s first mate, when everyone knows his weaknesses and no one fears or even respects him?

I don’t know and neither does he. Damn, Izzy, this is a sad pickle you’ve got yourself into.

Also your boss is in love with fuckin’ Stede Bonnet.

(Yes, I’m aware of the innuendo. It started out accidental but now it’s on purpose, because I sent myself into orbit and we’re all in this suffering together.)

06- The Art of Fuckery (Izzy fucks up everything so much worse than Stede.)

Izzy you tragic son of a bitch.

Honestly this is the episode we really begin to watch The Tragedy Of Israel Hands unfold, since Izzy starts to admit to himself what he should have realized from the beginning. He’s the narrator for the opening shot!

Izzy, the most oblivious man alive, deadpanning in the background: “We’ve been almost a fortnight aboard The Revenge, and I’m beginning to suspect that Edward has no intention of ending Stede Bonnet’s life.”

Really, Izzy? It’s been almost a fortnight and you only just now came to that conclusion? I swear if irony could kill, this man would be stone dead. He makes it worse by claiming that “if he didn’t know better” he’d think Edward had been seduced by Stede!

And then we have the whole “run me through” scene with Izzy listening and making all his (for once, correct, but not in the way he thinks) assumptions. It’s funny as fuck that both Fang and Ivan know they’re not killing Stede, despite whatever promises Izzy may think Edward has made to him.

What’s funny about this is that Izzy is simultaneously in denial about the possibility of this relationship and also willing to use it in order to get rid of Stede! Izzy will allow that this seduction may possibly have occurred if acknowledging the attachment will accomplish his goal of ridding himself of fuckin’ Stede Bonnet. The absolute mindfuckery of this strategy is killing me.

This man who knows better? This is the same man who tells Stede, “I know Edward adores you.” That’s so far beyond fucked up as a manipulation tactic that in fairness I don’t have a way to fully unpack it beyond Izzy being simultaneously unable to deny the evidence and also incapable of accepting the probable outcome.

Later, after Stede &. Crew complete their fuckery, Izzy presumably doesn’t understand Edward’s history, what the Kraken represents for him, or that (ouch!) Edward doesn’t consider him a friend.

So when Izzy challenges Stede in order to spare Edward from having to kill the man himself (this would be their usual routine), Izzy won’t be aware that Edward would now rather have worked things out rather than seeing either of them duel. Izzy is carrying out what he sees as his duty.

What really fucks me up here is both that Izzy is trying to spare Edward the pain of killing Stede and that Edward is also letting him go through with it! There’s no world in which Edward successfully puts a stop to this duel or can justify asking Izzy to stand down. They respect(?!) each other too much for that.

When Stede wins the duel on a technicality, further recall and keep in mind that Izzy was the one who doomed himself by suggesting banishment as part of the terms to make it interesting.

The ominous music playing in the background while Izzy rows away from the Revenge is first heard in the “Blackbeard” theme back at the end of Episode 2. Did I mention I really love this show?

I’ve decided to treat this first break between Izzy and Edward as the end of Act II, because ... brace yourself, it’s about to get even worse! :D

Act III - Izzy Betrays Edward’s Trust While Trying to Save Him

Izzy fails to take responsibility for his actions and decides to compound that error by doing increasingly terrible things, including possibly selling out the only friend(?) he thinks he’s ever had ... by rationalizing that it’s for his own good.

Izzy you sick tragic fuck. Edward is never going to forgive you, and you’re going to end up in hell dealing with The Kraken instead of the Blackbeard you knew.

07- This Is Happening (Izzy betrays Edward because Ed betrays Blackbeard, at least in Izzy’s mind.)

Izzy completely fails to admit that Edward likes Stede because Stede wants to get to know him as a person and Izzy can only conceptualize this as insanity. Edward was half-insane before he met Stede and Izzy probably would accept him being half-insane again rather than admit whatever the fuck is going on might be both permanent and, if you’re Ed, preferable to returning to the usual.

We don’t see Izzy until the last minutes of the episode, wherein he is doing his level best to end fuckin’ Stede Bonnet once again because he’s “done something to my boss’s brain.”

Izzy, we regret to inform you that’s called love. We know they’re both idiots, but give them a break, they’ve never been in love before!

08- We Gull Way Back (Izzy fucks up even worse, which is impressive when you consider he doesn’t physically appear in this episode.)

Calico Jack reveals he was sent by Izzy Hands, who he calls a sentimental bastard for wanting to get Edward out before the English showed up.

For Ed, he and Stede are now a “we,” so Ed responds that: “Izzy sold me out.”

Yeah, Izzy, Ed will not be forgiving or forgetting that you only meant to catch Stede in your trap and is definitely taking this personally.

09- Act of Grace (Izzy gets decked by Ed and deserves it.)

Did you catch the part where Chauncey refers to “Captain” Hands? Who has already agreed to commit himself to the King’s service in exchange for Edward’s life? Izzy what has been going on in your head.

IZZY: Edward, I know you’re upset, but it was the only-- [Edward punches him.]

IZZY: Okay ... that’s fair.

Izzy cannot even begin to understand the circumstances of Edward’s fury, but he knows what it looks like when it’s directed at him and he for damn sure accepts Edward’s right to pass judgment on his actions.

Pay really close attention to that speech Izzy makes when he’s trying to convince Edward that Stede’s death is the right thing and the only humane way to end it and then Edward’s reaction to that speech.

Izzy makes every practical argument about how firing squad is the right way for this situation to end and it’s in part his words that push Ed into shouting “Act of Grace.”

Fuck me but the realization in Izzy’s voice when it’s Ed saying the words? Izzy you started this! Yet he still doesn’t realize even when it’s happening that Ed is committed to doing whatever it takes to save Stede Bonnet’s life.

Izzy’s even there when Ed signs the Act of Grace! Of the pirates, it’s just Izzy and Stede there to witness this choice. As it has been since the beginning. Stede sees more of Ed than anyone else ever has, without realizing what it all means. Izzy doesn’t understand what’s changed but probably realizes better than Stede does why it’s happening.

The point is Ed chooses to sign the Act of Grace even when Stede tries to let him off the hook and Izzy has prepared an alternative path. Ed is so thoroughly committed to this path that he’ll accept no substitutes.

Can we talk about how Izzy as Captain Hands portrays himself as “tough and fair” while also eating dinner on the deck of the ship in front of the crew while they’re working? Self-deluded guy thinks Fang and Ivan will back him up and puts himself in the same position as Stede when the crew wanted to mutiny in Episode 1.

Edward told you back in Episode 6 to be careful what you asked your god for, because she might just answer! Coincidence? Haven’t met her.

Can we talk about how surprised Izzy is to see Ed turn up without the beard? How Ed just ignores that the crew is in the middle of a mutiny and is the one who allows Izzy to go right back to his role as first mate? Ed just interrupted Izzy getting the comeuppance for his arrogance.

Let’s move on because thinking about it too much is going to destroy me, and we’ve still got one episode left.

10- Wherever You Go, There You Are (Ed turns into the Kraken and Izzy, because he’s monumentally fucked up, thinks that’s a good thing... for now.)

Izzy has presumably been the only one Ed spoke to until asking for Lucius, because whether Edward likes it or not, he’s used to relying on Izzy to play the role of first mate. Izzy looks so rattled not only by the change in Edward here but also by not knowing what to do beyond ... go back to doing what he’s always done and praying that works out, somehow.

Izzy is sitting up amongst the rest of the crew while Edward is singing and at the end, when he tries to correct them and enforce Captain or Blackbeard as a form of address, it’s Ed who corrects him and says he’d rather be known as Edward from now on.

Izzy’s look of utter shock and surprise gets me every time. Remember, he serves Blackbeard!

Up next: Izzy why are you like this?

Izzy, in speaking plainly, confesses that he should’ve let the English kill Edward and uses what should be a gesture of physical affection as a taunt. Izzy knows Edward well enough to know what will make him doubt himself and his choices to try a different life. Izzy wants Edward to go back to being Blackbeard but he has no fucking idea what he’s just unleashed, instead.

And then we’ve got Leonard Cohen’s “Avalanche” playing while Edward makes his transformation.

Other people have discussed how fucked up the toe scene is (does this show go hard or does it go hard?) and, I’m going to go a bit out on a limb here, and say that Izzy thinks this brutality is what he wants because it’s who Blackbeard should be. Above all else, loyalty to his Captain, no matter who that is or what he has to endure.

And I’m going to stand by the reading that “it’s complicated” because the lyrics overlaying that?

The crumbs of love you offer me / are the crumbs I’ve left behind

The most fucked up reading possible is that these lines are referring to Izzy and Edward’s fucked up relationship. So that’s where I’m going with this.

Fucking Izzy Hands doesn’t fully realize what’s about to hit all of them and is still prepared to be loyal and accept whatever fucked up justice Edward distributes as what he deserves for betraying him in the first place. Did you notice that it’s Izzy who uses Stede’s first name, now?

Or that Izzy has adopted Stede’s language in front of the other crewmembers while he and Ivan are marooning them. That when the crew ask where Jim is, Izzy replies that, “Edward probably wanted to discuss feelings or something?”

That it’s Izzy who sends everyone down into the Kraken’s lair to decide whether or not they’ll be part of his new crew?

That it’s Edward who calls the crew Bonnet’s playthings and no longer uses Stede’s first name?

Izzy’s the one standing next to Edward, holding a gun on Frenchie as he hoists the new flag. No longer is it enough to be loud and a jerk, or to stick to verbal threats until violence is the practical alternative! Think back to the beginning when Izzy just bought Stede’s hostages without getting violent.

Violence is now the rule rather than the exception.

How the fuck far is Izzy going to go when he’s just glad to be serving Blackbeard? How the fuck much is he going to be willing to suffer when violence is the new normal rather than one of many tools to get what they want?

Con O’Neill is a magnificent bastard who managed to act out Izzy Hands’s entire operatic fucked up tragedy in full view of Edward Teach’s love story while in the same frames as Stede Bonnet.

WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK.

#our flag means death meta #izzy hands #ofmd meta #our flag means death #ofmd #our flag means death spoilers #long post #here it is folks ready to be fucked up about how fucked up and tragic Izzy hands is?#because i wasn't and i wrote this #ferus regrets understanding izzy hands and appreciating him #i don't even like him and he's STILL tragic #con o'neill #con o'neill deserves a fucking emmy #WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK #i wrote this and even i don't like it #fucking fuck #ferus izzy meta

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ferusaurelius · 2 years

Text

Izzy Hands in a Minor Key

In this essay I will ... add to excellent discussion about the companion structures and themes of Episodes 07 and 08.

First, this is inspired by @bookshelfdreams and @mikimeiko and dedicated to @speckled-jim (and a few other folks, you know who you are, who also like to scream about Izzy the Ratbastard).

As background, please consider this post (Mikimeiko) about Edward and Stede’s fear of losing each other and then follow up with this post (bookshelfdreams) about the themes of loss and abandonment in Episode 07 and 08. This is an excellent addition about Calico Jack’s role in the narrative and between the two of them you will be well-prepared to consider the following:

I will submit to all of you that Izzy Hands and his terrible life choices are the glue holding these companion episodes together, because Izzy planned this situation and he used his deeply personal knowledge and understanding of Edward to instigate the breakup.

The full arc of these episodes is about loss, abandonment ... and betrayal.

Izzy Hands is once again making everything awful and Making It Weird Forever (thanks @knowlesian). Ready to suffer? :D

Proceed past the cut.

Full Disclosure: This is the top-level summary or I’d be here all night.

07 - This is Happening

A brief summary of the situation between Ed and Stede: they are still deciding whether or not to accept each other and what that means during the treasure hunt. We get the lovely improvisational restaurant conversation, Edward does his ‘please touch my beard’ flirting thing, and then -- oh no! The map burns and is ruined!

Lucius helpfully clues in Ed to the fact that Stede has set up this very Stede-directed adventure for him. Edward has heart eyes 100% of the time because this is probably the nicest thing anyone has ever tried to do (while being a lovable pure idiot about it). God, Stede is the most cinnamon of rolls. And Edward makes an effort to be sweet in return (Lucius reinforces this; it’s so fucking brilliant that Edward still threatens to stab him in the ‘fuckin face).

Did you notice that it’s an Izzy-style threat? A bit softer and gentler, but still with admirable cursing and pitch-perfect comedic timing.

Which brings us to Izzy.

Izzy is conspicuous by his absence. Where would Edward go if Edward left? Back to Izzy and the ‘next adventure!’ And it wouldn’t much look like this very impractical treasure hunt with a petrified orange as the prize.

If we compare the prizes Izzy recently took: one of Stede’s hostages, a Spanish warship, and The Revenge, itself. All very respectable (except Stede; Izzy put him back!)

Izzy, after trying to ‘put Stede back’ post-duel scene: None of this is going how I planned. I hate my entire life and my best friend just banished me from the ship. What is a first mate going to do without a captain to serve?

“This is Happening” is where we see Edward and Stede begin to recognize their relationship while Izzy experiences the full-on terror of his identity being stripped away. Read: loss and abandonment. Izzy is experiencing both of these in the background, and it’s this terror of losing Edward and of contemplating a future without that relationship that prompts him to FUCKING CALL UP CHAUNCEY FUCKING BADMINTON.

Izzy. What the fuck.

08 - We Gull Way Back

Now for a quick linguistic aside on the episode title that you need to understand before we proceed further. “We Gull Way Back” is directly referencing three things:

1. “We Go Way Back” = Calico Jack is Edward’s old friend, buddy, and ex-lover.

2. “Gull” = the Death of Karl and Buttons’s fabulous ability to hex Calico Jack. It’s a weird reverse ex(orcism). Yes this is a pun. Shoot me.

3. “Gull” = an archaic term for “to trick, to subvert, or to fool.” This last theme is where Izzy Hands comes in and it’s a direct title reference to his role in this episode and in setting up the entire circumstances of this arc without being present on-screen. Because David Jenkins is brilliant.

You may be wondering: Ferus, if Izzy doesn’t show up in this episode, what are you going to analyze?

Ready to be fucked up? Because this has been fucking me up all day. Brace yourselves. Recall all the previously cited meta about Calico Jack and the role he plays in questioning Stede’s identity and making Edward think Stede couldn’t handle the old days?

Izzy knew:

All of Edward’s history

What Edward’s reaction would be to seeing this old friend and ex-lover

What Calico Jack would think of Stede

What old hobbies Jack and Blackbeard used to share

The story of Blind Man’s Cove, that Jack once saved his life there, and that it had no escape routes

That neither Stede nor the rest of the crew would suspect this trap (because none of them know Edward and their history as Blackbeard as well as he does)

That this trap was calibrated specifically and personally to trick Edward into being the one who took Stede to a place where the English could catch and execute him

It’s fucking me up so bad, fam.

It’s not just a betrayal, it’s probably one of the most intimately personal and subtle betrayals I’ve seen depicted on screen.

What the FUCK, Izzy. No shit Edward was right to punch you right in your fucking face!

And it’s the first time we really see Edward lose his temper with Izzy, by the way. Foreshadowing the descent into The Kraken we get in Episode 10.

Izzy set up the whole fucking thing and he’s paying the price.

Additional Disclaimer: If you’d like very specific dialogue and scene examples of how all of the above is working, my ask box is always open for screaming about Izzy Hands. My word is not definitive in any way, shape, or form. If you also like to scream about Izzy Hands please know that I am very friendly and open to being challenged, contradicted, dismantled, or otherwise appropriated with or without credit and/or reference. I love OFMD a totally normal amount.

#our flag means death meta #izzy hands #edward teach #calico jack #stede bonnet #episode 07 this is happening #episode 08 we gull way back #I respect Izzy Hands and I scream about him and he continues to live in my brain without paying rent.#I wrote this post and I do not like it because of the level of existential suffering and admiration Izzy’s stupidass situation provokes #i still can't sleep #give con o'neill a fuckin' emmy #i'm so fucked up about this #my writing #turned into a professor izzy studies against my will #i like this show a normal amount #ofmd meta #our flag means death #never shutting up about the gay pirate show and neither is my brain #ferus izzy meta

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