Our Flag Means Death

2022 - 3 - 2

Rhys Darby

Post cover — Image courtesy of "Den of Geek"

Our Flag Means Death Makes a Gentleman Pirate of Rhys Darby ... (Den of Geek)

Our Flag Means Death star Rhys Darby discusses being a swashbuckler with mate Taika Waititi and his other, more paranormal interests.

To listen to more of Rhys Darby talking about pirates, pirate wardrobe, as well as aliens, and what might provoke “them” to make an appearance, watch the video interview on YouTube, and listen in on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. On the topic of the unexplained, Darby says he and his Cryptid crew have been discussing the “UFO crisis” quite a bit. And while Rhys Darby still records The Cryptid Factor, he’s also hoping for further seasons of Our Flag Means Death. I did ask him, ‘Have you listened to The Cryptid Factor?’ … I look at it as a sign for sure because I have that paranormal mind.” And the experience was a joy for them both, he says. And although the New Zealand actor says he isn’t fancy like the 18th-Century Stede was, he does think there is a relatability to the gentleman pirate.

'Our Flag Means Death': Taika Waititi pirate comedy triumphs (Los Angeles Times)

Fans of 'People of Earth,' 'What We Do in the Shadows' and 'Flight of the Conchords' will appreciate HBO Max's pirate comedy 'Our Flag Means Death.'

As in “People of Earth,” there is a lot going on, with a host of characters guarding secrets — as with Lucius (Nathan Foad), a sort of executive cabin boy, and Oluwande (Samson Kayo), protective of Jim (Vico Ortiz) — or engaging in pirate side hustles. Who’s with me?”) and not averse to violence, but they are also pictured as somewhat winsome, capable of embarrassment and not completely insensitive to the advantages of sailing with Stede. (They do like being read to, and the way he does the voices.) In spite of a little mayhem, and some purposeful confusion about where certain loyalties lie, it’s ultimately a story about friendship, and thus cheery at its core. That Stede reads to his crew from “Pinocchio” (“At last his wish had come true — he was a real boy”) is surely meant as self-reflexive, and no accident. (One hopes he will meet a better fate than his historical model.) But he will also win by bringing an element of decency into a rough world: “If I can help this crew grow as a people,” he declares, “then I’ve succeeded as a pirate captain.” “As many of you have noticed, we have run aground — a little bit” is the sort of line whose rhythms he was made for. It’s not a new sort of comedy — think of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” or “The Life of Brian,” Ben Elton’s “Upstart Crow,” with David Mitchell as William Shakespeare, or even Matt Groening’s “ Disenchantment” — but it’s a pretty reliable one.

HBO's Our Flag Means Death is Too Droll for Its Own Good | TV ... (Roger Ebert)

A review of the new pirate comedy series Our Flag Means Death, premiering on HBO on March 3.

Most of all, it’s a great example of how the series can create new comedy out of one of its easier targets—the ugliness of uptight Europeans. Based on a real figure from history, Bonnet is the kind of captain who is so out of touch with his surroundings that he as a library in his ship, not thinking about how the sea could easily knock his books off their shelves. It’s an intriguing notion that gives the story some dramatic weight, but also makes for one of its strongest episodes, when the two encounter a hoity-toity dinner party in episode five. He’s not the creator of “Our Flag Means Death”—David Jenkins is—but it’s certainly recognizable for Waititi’s pitch-black comic sensibility, and Waititi acts as executive producer, pilot director, and co-star. The captain of this series is a frilly, dimwit boss named Stede Bonnet, played by Rhys Darby. Later billing himself as “The Gentleman Pirate,” he works through the seas with his rag-tag group of pirates who are far more innocent than they are dopey. He’s previously taken on cop shows and the supernatural with “Wellington Paranormal,” and created a massive hit with vampire jokes, “ What We Do in the Shadows” into a franchise.

How to watch Rhys Darby and Taika Waititi in 'Our Flag Means ... (pennlive.com)

The historical comedy series is coming to HBO Max.

You can watch it on HBO Max ($14.99/month). With HBO Max you can stream all of HBO, plus your favorite series like “South Park” and “Friends,” as well as blockbuster movies and Max Originals. The comedy series shows the adventures the crew goes on, and what they can learn from one another along the way.” “Our Flag Means Death” premieres on HBO Max on Thursday, March 3, at 3 a.m. ET (midnight PT).

What Is 'Our Flag Means Death' Based on? Details About the New ... (Distractify)

Taika Waititi's newest venture, 'Our Flag Means Death,' comes to HBO on March 3. But what is the new series based on, if anything at all?

He was sentenced to hanging in Charles Town with a high bounty on his head, despite his pleas for clemency. But after he was pardoned by the North Carolina governor, he did his best not to lead a crew. In addition, Stede really does team up with Blackbeard. Probably the most infamous pirate of all time, Blackbeard and Stede worked together to loot more ships and treasure than ever before. This is a true story, which is pretty wild, considering the fact that most pirates are forced into lives of stealing and scavenging due to poverty — but Stede was cut from a different cloth. We’re in the age of historical television — from The Gilded Age to Inventing Anna, TV based on reality is definitely in vogue. With a hilariously absurd trailer and Taika Waititi’s morbidly goofy sensibilities, many fans are wondering if Our Flag Means Death is based on anything.

Infamously unorthodox pirate Stede Bonnet gets his due in HBO ... (StarNewsOnline.com)

Stede Bonnet leaves the good life to become a gentleman pirate in new HBO Max comedy, "Our Flag Means Death."

But in many ways, "Our Flag Means Death" is also a workplace comedy set on a pirate ship with the various side stories of a ragtag crew to fill the long journey. It’s the little notes of comedy and character that give Bonnet a voice he has never really had. He also paid the crew of his ship, the Revenge, a nice wage, an unheard of recruitment tactic in his trade. “There’s something about the way he is in this show, and the way Rhys plays him,” Jenkins said. It’s 1717 and the most feared pirate in the world is bored with his own legacy. Well, as the series and history hypothesize, he was bored with the monotony of married life and became intent on showing those who doubted him (including himself) that he could be something more.