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#the way Taika looked at Rhys I just can't
celluloidbroomcloset · 3 months
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I've seen it floating around a bit that the numbers Bloys was talking about were demographics, not actual viewing numbers. I...do not think this is accurate.
"Numbers" is a catch-all term that's an easy excuse—and he cannot say "yeah, it was cancelled at the last minute because my boss is a fucking asshole." Every streamer has used "numbers" as an excuse for cancellations, but it's getting harder for them to do so because things are getting more transparent.
Now, there may be an argument in terms of longevity of numbers, because a show that doesn't go on and on is going to dip. Our Flag Means Death is essentially a limited series, and was always intended to be (I doubt anyone thought that especially Taika and Rhys were going to go on making it for ten seasons or whatever). But there are very few fictional shows that are going to be watched forever and ever, and even fewer that would consistently rate at the top of any list. Shows spike and then another show comes along and people watch that. Quite a few streamers and networks already know this—we see limited series like Ted Lasso and Good Omens, which will never keep going beyond a few seasons. That's actually something HBO used to specialize in.
What about demographics? If the argument is that OFMD's only, or major, appeal is to the LGBTQ+ community, I don't think this one holds water either. You don't get to be the most-watched show on Max by appealing solely to one demographic, and there's no evidence that the viewership is only made up of queer people. It is a queer show; it's also a comedy about pirates. It's a queer comedy about pirates. Yes, the first season was practically straight-bait (oh, haha, a pirate comedy! Wait...those pirates are...they are super gay), but the second season proved to retain and even expand viewers. Just anecdotally, I can't tell you how many straight people I've sold on this show in part because it's not queer-bait-y.
Rainbow capitalism is an actual thing and the reason behind it is because queerness does indeed sell. It's profitable. One of the reasons for the intense cultural backlash against queerness is that it's profitable and conservatives see themselves losing even more of their grip. This has been a marked shift from the 90s and 2010s. This is not just because queer people exist and buy things, but because straight allies exist and buy things too. Companies have scrambled to try to package and sell queerness. It's a problem in a lot of ways, but it also indicates that it's a sound investment.
So, no. I think the numbers comment is exactly what it looks like—a dodge to try to explain cancelling a very popular show at the last minute, without giving the real reasons behind it. I doubt Bloys could've say anything else to that question, really, but he's going to bear the public brunt of it.
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04/18/2024 Daily OFMD Recap
TLDR; Rhys / Bears; LindsCantrell/Ringasunn; Vico Ortiz; Gypsy Taylor; Nathan Foad; OFMD Remaining Billboard; Fan Spotlight: PatchworkPirateBear and Cast Cards; Fuck David Zaslav; Love Notes; Today's Taika/Daily Darby
= Rhysie Darby =
Hey all! As you've probably heard, our beloved Captain will be hosting the Big Bear Week this year! Check out more on Deadline.com Img Src: Rhys' IG Stories
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= Linds Cantrell / Ringasunn =
Our lovely crewmate @/ringasunn was given some awesome stills by Lindsey Cantrell our resident ofmd set director, and they were kind enough to share them with all of us! Thanks @/ringasunn! Src: Ringasunn's Twitter
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= Gypsy Taylor =
Our favorite costume designer Gypsy shared some unseen pictures of Wee John's socks!! Src: Gypsy's IG
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= Vico Ortiz =
Vico giving a shoutout for all the animation they've gotten to do since the lockdown!
Src: Vico's IG
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== Nathan Foad ==
More BTS and images of Nathan with Love's Labour's Lost!
Img Src: Nathan's IG
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== Our Boys Still Up ==
Thanks @ourflagmeansfanfiction on IG for keeping an eye on our boys on that billboard! Did Max maybe just forget it was there and are still paying for it?
Img Src: Our Flag Means Fanfiction IG
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== Fan Spotlight ==
= Patchwork Piratebear =
@saveofmdcrewmates is highlighting our sweet crewmate @patchworkpiratebear! They are a pillar of kindness and are always sharing their artwork and edits to be shared in support of the campaign! Feel free to take a load off and do some coloring! There's lots more on their socials! SaveOFMD Posts: Tumblr, Twitter, IG PatchWorkPirateBear's Socials: Tumblr: @patchworkpiratebear , IG, Twitter
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= Cast Cards =
Always happy to see another Cast Card from the lovely @melvisik! Today's is "Mark Prendergast, the court scribe who penned the edict leading to Ed and Stede’s Act of Grace." Img Src: @melvisik Twitter
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== Fuck David Zaslav ==
Hey! Looks like there are lots of people pissed at David Zaslav! Sesame Street is going on Strike!
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Article Link
== Love Notes ==
Hey lovelies! This one's late, sorry about that, I fell asleep again. Today I wanted to send a reminder that you get to create your own space. You get to choose who's in your crew, and your safe space ship. If you don't feel comfortable, because someone is making you feel that way, you don't have to interact with them. I know it's hard, I know that I often suffer from justice fatigue (and I want so badly to explain my point of view), but it really is important to give yourself some space from the things in this world that are heavier. It doesn't mean you can't come back to them, or you shouldn't care, but remember to give yourself a break.
Tumblr, Twitter, those places have "safety" measures in place through blocking, ignoring certain words, etc to help with this kind of thing, so if you need a break from discussions or politics, or whatever, please feel free to use them. You deserve some joy and rest too. Tumblr is my happy place personally, I love coming here and seeing all the cool meta, fanart, fics, etc, but there have been times where I've felt like I just can't deal with the heavier stuff. It's okay not to interact with it if it's bothering you. It's okay to block people who are attacking you. It's okay to ask for support with it too. I love that there's a way to block anon asks now (not just turning them off, but you can block them last time I looked).
A lot of our lives we're told that we don't have a lot of control, but one thing about these kinds of spaces is, we do get to have some semblance of control on what we see and who we interact with, and there's no shame in practicing self care.
Anyway lovelies, take care of yourselves, we love you and we want you to be okay <3
Some other little things that helped me today:
TinyBuddhaOfficial IG
Adorable Raccoon Memes IG
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== Daily Darby / Today's Taika ==
Today's Theme is STAAAAAAAAAAAAAHP, How very dare you look that good.
Gifs courtesy of @kiwistede and @darkinerry
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funforahermit · 3 months
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It's funny how being a fan of Rhys Darby has led me to become a fan of a lot of his friends as well. That's never happened to me before, with any of my other crushes, and I don't really know what's different this time?? Maybe it means that I just really have a thing for kiwis, who knows 'xD But let's see -
There's Jonno Roberts of course, absolute comedic GENIUS, pipes like you wouldn't believe, actor par excellence, and sexy as fuck. His on screen chemistry with Rhys is off the charts, even better than Rhys and Taika imo (controversial opinion alert 'xD), but I find that I also enjoy watching Jonno on his own. And the little bit I know of his personal life is endearing as heck, not least because he's a firm trans ally.
David Farrier, irresistable mixture between fearless journalist and complete mess! Dark Tourist, Tickled, Mister Organ - those are all deeply fascinating documentaries, and I can never decide if I want him to tell me more about the deepest darkest secrets of humanity or if I want him to get the hell out of there and stay away from danger for god's sake 'xD Lately I've been going through his podcast Flightless Bird, and just... everything he talks about is really interesting and compelling. And yes, the accent helps, I admit that. Also, bonus points for being a fellow bisexual 🤟
Jemaine Clement!!! God he's hot. Like is it just me or is he just..... SO hot. Like damn. I'm sure I could also talk at length about his talent, but I am kind of distracted. Fuck.
Bret McKenzie: I adore his solo album Songs Without Jokes, I listened to it so many times when it came out, and now all the songs are part of my permanent playlist. I love them to bits.
The last two together, obviously, are the best duo ever and I can't get enough of their songs or their comedy.
Steve Wrigley! Now I'm not gonna lie, I'm not the biggest fan of his stand-up and for the longest time I couldn't understand why Rhys would insist on touring with him and make him his opening act all the time. But I get it now. I've grown to love him for the amazing friend that he is, and for looking after Rhys so perfectly - even if some of his jokes make me go a bit :/ (The Ohakune airport story is hilarious though!)
Dan Schreiber - NOT a kiwi! 'xD Amazing brain, amazing way with words, amazing spirit of adventure, amazing sense of humour. One of these days I'm gonna listen to all his other podcasts (beside the Cryptid Factor I mean), just haven't found the time yet.
I feel like this is an uncomplete list, but I gotta go and do some real life stuff now.. Just wanted to say that I love them!! And I've got Rhys to thank for knowing them at all.
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dearedwardteach · 6 months
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Literally saying izzy was romantically into ed in promos and in the show anf then saying he's Ed's mentor & father figure is queerbaiting. also idk if the deadbeat eich asshole dad and the abusive piece of shit man are gay for each other that's not the queerest thing on TV especially when Rhys & Taika are two straight men who can't kiss convincingly.
thank you for proving my point that y'all need to stop using words you don't understand the meaning of op!
queerbaiting is the act, for a piece of media, of intently (meaning it is a calculated move on the creators' part, keep that in mind) portraying characters and/or relationships in a way that's ambiguous enough that the character/relationship might be perceived as queer or leading up to it for queer people, while making sure that it won't be too obvious that it doesn't make you lose your core, straight, more often that not homophobic, audience. it also means that no matter how ambiguous the character/relationship is, the person is never explicitly queer on screen or the relationship never becomes canon. the essence of queerbaiting is that you NEVER see queerness being explicitly portrayed on screen. just because your fav didn't end up with the person he was in love with doesn't make it queerbaiting. that's just life, actually. sometimes your love isn't reciprocated and the person sees you as a friend/family and it sucks. someone who doesn't love you back when you're queer isn't queerbaiting you, i can't believe i have to spell it out??? what kind of twitter-induced braindeadness fuckery
also idk what show you've watched but i seem to remember than in the our flag means death i watched, not only are the two main characters explicitly queer, but literally so are the rest of characters who get to have a romance on screen except for spanish jackie, the swede and zheng (and i say explicitly bc there's no reasons to believe those three are 100% straight). not only that, but two characters who don't get a romantic partner are queer as well (izzy and wee john). so yes this show is one of (because i said one of, not the, hello, reading comprehension?) the queerest show on tv, idek how you manage to come to my ask box to argue otherwise??????
finally, and this is what it boils down to as well, is that y'all are acting like entitled brats who are unable or unwilling to differentiate reality from fiction. let's assume taika and rhys are straight. SO WHAT. WHO CARES. they are actors, it's literally their jobs to ACT. the people they portray on screen ARE NOT THEM, they are FICTIONAL. they do not EXIST IN REAL LIFE. an actor does not have to be queer to portray a queer person on screen. moreover, actors DO NOT have to justify themselves or be forced to come out to please you. that is such a dangerous and fucked up way of thinking.
do you know what the end result will be? actors will stop on taking queer role if it means not being forced to justify themselves or come out/not being literally HARASSED and THREATENED by entitled assholes like you who think they owe you their entire existence (they don't owe you shit, especially NOT their own identity). queer creators will stop creating content and putting it out there if it means being insulted, accused of being queerphobic, and even threatened everytime they make an artist decision y'all don't like. how can y'all be so fucking STUPID. y'all are the queerphobic ones. your pseudo purity and incapacity to look further than your own ass will be the end of queer media.
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jaskierx · 2 months
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honestly as a lurker the things that surprised me is the scale they chose to go to. like objectively with the amount of charity this fandom does you can't in good faith tell people "you should have used money for X instead" (although you know people will even if they'd have asked 45 bucks) and of course everything will be funded cause people are thrusting and enthusiastic, but I was honestly a little speechless at the amount they chose to raise cause they should have definitely chosen to do less. hope it gets exceeded in such a way that a lot goes to charity and it won't just be a clout stunt.
also in general some of the people in the group are definitely the people who would swear up and down raac did nothing wrong so I just hope they don't screw up
there are A LOT of red flags. like the fact that people were volunteering to go into credit card debt to donate and being cheered on for it. or that the charities in the financial transparency doc don’t match the charities listed in the billboard fundraiser plan. or that they were so reluctant to share anything about their ‘advertising contact’ beyond his first name, which made the whole thing feel like a scam
the first billboard was criticised enough and that was after it had made a tangible difference by boosting momentum and being noticed by djenks. we can’t just put a billboard up every time people are feeling a bit down about the cancellation. it’s a marathon and not a sprint. there are going to be times where it doesn’t feel like anything is happening. you can’t just ask the whole fandom to throw money at a dodgy endeavour because you’re chasing a high
and that high can be achieved for free in ways that don’t make us look bad! look at the state of us all after samba dropped the boyfriends clip. ofmd and rhys and taika have been trending all week on tumblr. THAT is what we need to be doing, not buying things to point at so certain people can say ‘look, i did this’
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mermaidsirennikita · 4 months
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I feel like What We Do in the Shadows or Good Omens would be better recommendations for Our Flag Means Death fans. Re The Terror there's a lot of subtext but there's nothing explicitly gay to my understanding.
I don't care for Good Omens personally (I get why other people do, and it's def a better rec than the other things lmao) but What We Do in the Shadows, definitely. Very similar sense of humor. A similar approach to queerness onscreen (ie not constant self-denial and suffering lol), and obviously both have a connection to Taika and Rhys.
I didn't dislike The Terror, it was just very slow and I struggle with a lot of slow things (whatever gives Tobias Menzies work though, I adore him). But yeah, I never heard of anything explicitly gay in The Terror?
For me, there's nothing wrong with subtextual queer content, and obviously there is a very long literary and cinematic history of queer coding--it was once all you could do. However, as a consumer, I think that in new content I don't want shit I have to squint and read into. If that is ALL I CAN GET, which with some projects it is, then that's not on the creator--it's obviously on the bigger powers that be, and I'm aware of that.
But let's be real, there are creatives who do very purposefully want to live in the in-between of baiting fans and keeping audiences who won't pick up on the coding (what's the word again? Hmm...). And so, with the vast majority of new content... I wanna see it explicitly done. That doesn't mean I have to see explicit love scenes or whatever, I just don't want ambiguity as to whether or not these two characters like each, whether this one character is gay, etc.
And that was something OFMD gave, you know? There was NO QUESTION. I got into that show midway through the first season airing because of Ed/Stede gifs I saw, and I was like "oh wow that looks WAY more textual than I expected???" But even then I didn't expect a kiss, I didn't expect feelings, I didn't expect it to be confirmed through Calico Jack that Ed slept with men, I didn't expect Stede to realize he was gay--all of these things I didn't expect at all. (I mean, I also didn't expect explicitly NB Jim because I had no idea based off the gifs that Jim existed, and though I don't love their arc in s2, Jim did offer really amazing rep for people in my life I dearly love, that they can't easily get basically anywhere else.) I think that's what will be hard to chase. Not IMPOSSIBLE, but tough, because even when there are explicit, canonically queer characters and arcs on TV, they're often couched in suffering.
... Or rather, the popular ones are. And the really, really popular ones often leave it ambiguous.
I think I'm especially off it at this point because I don't watch as much TV as I once did, and I do read so many romance novels, many of which do feature queer characters who are explicitly queer and have amazing HEAs (albeit after some angst!). That's become more of my standard, and I have less patience for TV
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freyalorelei · 7 months
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Okay. Wow. Where do I start.
(HERE THERE BE SPOILERS:)
THEY MADE MERSTEDE HAPPEN. Now we KNOW that the crew reads fic, because that was pure fanservice. When he materialized and swam up to Ed, I couldn't stop giggling. My husband asked what was so funny, and when I refused to reply, he asked if it was a fan fic thing. Why, yes. Yes, it is.
(Also MerStede is a good look and yes it's camp and cheesy and cringefail or whatever the kids say these days, but honestly I can't blame Ed 'cause yeah, I'd go there. Also congrats to Rhys for living out his cryptid dreams. :D)
Not loving where the Olu/Jim relationship is heading. Seeing Archie intrude on their space was uncomfortable. And I don't like that they made Olu incompetent (he's been a pirate for how long and he doesn't recognize a battle map?). Zheng Yi Sao is amazing, though. "Girl, how are you?" 11/10, chef's kiss, you're doing great sweetie, etc.
I'm shocked that Lucius immediately pivoted to blaming STEDE for his misfortune instead of, you know, THE GUY WHO PUSHED HIM. Everyone seemed a little too on board with pointing fingers at Stede, and no one mentioned Chauncey or the effort Stede went through to fix his mistakes. He even admitted to Lucius to his face that he's aware he's a flawed individual who has hurt many people.
Apparently Stede's vision of their reunion involves a full-bearded Ed, even though the last time they saw one another Ed was clean-shaven. I get that they couldn't make Taika grow a short beard within days, but it's an odd choice for the character. I guess he's remembering Ed as he was when they fell in love? Also I was originally anti-Steard, but that opening scene gave me pause. Damn but that's a good look for Rhys.
Alas, poor Ivan, we hardly knew ye. And for Ed to barely twitch at his death? That's cold, man. They need him to atone HARD for his actions this seasons, because so far he's become very unsympathetic.
Ricky idolizes Stede the same way that Izzy idolized Ed, and it's going to end just as badly for him. Also now I want to try a gin Rick(e)y. Watch this become the new signature fandom drink (with orange juice in place of lime, of course). Lavender-eucalyptus scents will surge in popularity as well.
"You smoke now?" babe he just endured a cavalcade of horrors incomprehensible to the human mind, you're lucky he isn't strung out 24/7. Also smoking was probably considered medicinal.
Speaking of hard drugs, apparently Ed's been snorting rhino horn, which is an aphrodisiac. Is he just giving himself constant blue balls over Stede as self-punishment? No wonder his brain finally was like, fine, if you're not gonna get a therapist I guess I'll just have to make one myself. And Ed repaid this with a Looney Tunes sequence of repeatedly killing his hallucination.
Which leads me to ask...how did he get in that state, anyway? Auntie said that a man had his head bashed in, but the cannonball that Jim dropped would have caved in Ed's face, no takesy-backsies. Izzy's failed suicide attempt I get; 17th century pistols were notoriously unreliable and misfired all the time. You can't just lightly bounce a cannonball off someone's head.
ETA: You know what, I'll accept Ed surviving a cannonball to the face the same way that the show itself shrugs off all the various major character stabbings, hangings, and drownings in an era when the most effective medical care was catgut, laudanum, and hope. If Stede can survive being gut-stabbed AND hanged at the same time, not to mention Izzy getting shot minutes after losing a leg, sure Ed can deflect a fatal head wound. Why not.
Is it me or were there a LOT of suicide attempts, particularly on Ed's part? Like, I get that he's long past spiraled into insanity, but it's unnerving to watch someone repeatedly hold a gun barrel under their chin. I knew a guy (not well) who did kill himself this way, and in front of his kid no less. She was 18 months old and has no memory of it, thank god, but it was horribly traumatic for his wife and older sons, who were in the next room. So yeah. A trigger warning specifically for suicide attempts would have been nice.
They seem to be leaning hard into Buttons's mysticism. Now he can not only talk to birds, but he's being treated as some sort of sea god who can maybe turn into a bird? I hope they don't veer too far into fantasy; I like that it's more grounded with just a hint of theatricality.
Ed puts 'orgasms' as a priority on his list of three reasons to live. Oooooh, they gonna fuck nasty this season.
...they never did explain exactly how Stede got the crew off that island in a dinghy. Did he row them to land one by one? There's no way he piled them all in...the boat wouldn't support their combined weight.
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three--rings · 2 years
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If you don't mind me asking, can I ask your top favorite characters from OFMD? And your top 5 (or top 3) moments from the series? Sorry if you've answered this question before....Thanks....
Okay, so...
Top character is Ed/Blackbeard. From literally the first moment he appeared I went....ooooohhh? Like, both in a damn that man is attractive way, but also...OH. He is me and I am him and I GET him. I'm not above identifying with the person in all black acting tough but secretly wanting soft, pretty things and someone to love him for who he is and not the mask.
And, like second favorite character is....literally everyone else? IDK I guess I have to put Stede because he's Stede, but I have much less of a personal connection to his character.
I do really love Mary Bonnet because I love what they did with her in episode 10 and how they let her be her own person who has really blossomed and created a new life for herself once freed of society's constraints of marriage. And I still say that is Not a straight woman.
But honestly I love all the characters of the Revenge, with maybe special mention for Jim and Lucius and Olu. I really want to see more of the others, like Frenchie and Buttons and Wee John. (Also I just really love the representation of Wee John for us "I'm fucking tall and my back fucking hurts so I'm sitting down" folks. We can spot our own.) (Also yes I know the actor has back issues. As one of my doctors once said of my own back issues "well, giraffes have neck problems...")
Top 3-5 Moments from the Series
-- Ep 4, like all of Ed's expressions as he watched Stede. Like, the "it's so hard to find someone doing something original" scene. The closet scene. At the end, the way he looks at Stede during the marmelaide scene. That was when I was IN this show. Because Taika is playing Love At First Sight so well in his eyes. Or at least infatuation. Fascination. And as someone else said, the fact that it's BLACKBEARD who falls first. That's something.
--Ep 5, the "you wear fine things well" scene. Poetic cinema. Again with Taika's eyes in that scene.
--"The Chain" scene. Epic, funny, sweet. It's the essence of the show in like a minute. Also the foot touches, omg.
--The kiss scene. Not so much for the kiss, which honestly is awkward in a way I think is realistic, but for Ed's whole everything in how he presents his case. And then Stede, and the way he is happy but also doubting quietly in the background. Not willing yet to trust in this good thing he's presented with. Not sure he's on board with Ed's impetuous plan. And that's all in the expressions on Rhys's part, so kudos.
--Can I say all of ep 10? Like, I ADORE the entire episode from the Mary parts in the beginning to the Sad Breakup Ed in the Emotion Robe. Stede not fitting in back in civilized life and taking a fucking knife to Doug's throat. Mary trying to murder him with a skewer. The "his name is Ed" scene, which...no words.
And then, and then, Ed's descent into darkness and The Kraken/Blackbeard with Avalanche in the background. I can't. Screaming, crying, throwing up.
Episode 10 is what took me from a casual fan of the show to fucking OBSESSED because it's everything I want from a narrative.
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#fondness intensifies
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orionsangel86 · 2 years
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Regarding your post on queerbaiting trauma and ofmd: the thing that’s hardest for me to wrap my head around isn’t even just that it’s gay, but that the gay relationship at the center of the story is between middle-aged men who don’t look like they’re on steroids. I don’t think I’ve ever seen two middle aged men, and particularly not of their body types, depicted together before. I’m so grateful to Taika Waititi for bringing us this
Our Flag Means Death is such a healing experience in so many ways. You're exactly right. It's shining the spotlight on people of all ages, body types, sexualities, backgrounds, etc. It's wonderful to see.
There has never been a show before that has deviated from the "Hollywood Standard" in SO. MANY. WAYS. and I cannot thank the creators enough for this. Because it's not even just that the A plot central storyline is a romance between two middle aged men who aren't conventionally gorgeous hunks (yes I am aware that Taika Waititi is an attractive man but he is not Hollywood hunk gorgeous no matter how lovely we may think he is - same with Rhys.) It's also about letting people with larger bodies, bald men with lisps, as well as non binary people, experience romance, love, and be sexual with each other in ways that I don't think any other show or movie has ever actually allowed.
The whole experience is one of being seen. Of being allowed to be seen. Even in minor characters, do you know how refreshing it is as a plus size queer woman in her mid thirties to watch a show where every single female character is older, at least somewhat plus size, and not obviously hollywood beautiful? Its AMAZING and each one of those actresses is far MORE beautiful because of it. Because they aren't all bloody clones of each other.
I can't even imagine what the experience of watching this show must be like for middle aged gay men, or for trans or non binary people, or just for black and brown people to see these characters and know that they are all so fully fleshed out and interesting and NOT stereotypes.
It's about being SEEN. FINALLY. and not in some niche show hidden away in the LGBTQ section of a streaming site that never gets any mainstream attention. This is a mainstream GENRE SHOW.
I can't even express just how much it means to me.
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