Impossible Birds

**Impossible Birds** is the first episode of the second season of *Our Flag Means Death*. It aired on October 5, 2023.

## Synopsis

Stede reunites with his crew, and goes searching for Blackbeard and the Revenge. Jim does their best to escape their kidnappers, but the Revenge is in for a surprise.

## Plot

Stede Bonnet is fighting Izzy Hands on a beach and just when it seems like Izzy is about to win, Stede stabs him with a dagger before running him through with his sword. As Izzy dies, Blackbeard appears in the distance and the two men fall into each other's arms. The sound of farting interrupts the romantic reunion, waking Stede up from his dream and he finds himself surrounded by his crew at Spanish Jackie's.

Stede writes a letter to Edward, explaining that as he renounced his wealth, he was forced to take temporary residence at the Republic of Pirates where thanks to Oluwande's connections and Jackie's attraction to the Swede he and his crew found employment working for Spanish Jackie. While at work, Stede runs into Prince Ricky Banes,

At sea, the Revenge catches up to a private vessel, and Blackbeard orders Izzy to prepare to attack the ship. A wedding ceremony is being conducted on the ship, which Edward's crew interrupts, killing civilians and plundering the loot, with Edward himself stealing cake toppers. Back on their own ship, the crew of the Revenge expresses their concern over the excessive violence that took place during the raid as well as Edward's indifference to the death of their own, as Fang reveals that Ivan was killed in the attack.

In the Republic, Stede looks at Blackbeard's wanted poster and expresses his dislike of how it looks, while Oluwande points out that Edward has become terribly violent. The two visit Susan's soup kiosk and discuss their plans for the future, with both Oluwande and Susan prompting Stede to be more proactive.

At the Revenge, Izzy warns Blackbeard that the crew is getting tired, and Edward's response is to offer anyone interested rhino horn to sniff. Izzy conveys the Captain's orders to the crew, telling them they are to dump the treasure in the sea to be able to catch their next target. The crew gets concerned about Izzy's wellbeing and has an intervention for him. Izzy tries to pretend that he is fine, but eventually breaks down crying when Frenchie mentions Blackbeard having cut off two more of his toes.

Stede becomes concerned about the crew's savings which are meant to buy them a new ship. Jackie insists that they actually own money to her and - helped by the Swede - confiscates all their money. Thrown out, they move to live under a bridge. Stede looks at Blackbeard's wanted poster again, admitting that he's afraid Edward's life is better without him. His private moment is interrupted by Prince Ricky, who insists on being friends with Stede. He tells Stede of a Roman puzzle chest Jackie keeps at her bar, which is apparently very valuable. The crew then asks the Swede about the chest, and he confirms Ricky's story, agreeing to help them steal it as he owns a life debt to them.

Izzy informs Blackbeard that the crew refuses the orders to dump the treasure, to which Edward replies by wanting to cut off yet another of Izzy's toes. Izzy confronts Edward about their relationship, unsure of where he stands with his Captain but still worried about his well-being. During the conversation, Izzy expresses his concern about the atmosphere on the ship and inadvertently uses Stede's "talk it through as a crew" line, causing Blackbeard to storm out to the deck in anger. Threatening the crew with a loaded gun, Edward asks each crew member what they think about the vibes on the Revenge, and afraid for their lives, no one dares to speak up. It's only when Edward points the gun at his own head that Izzy confronts him, saying it's clear to everyone that Ed is still heartbroken over Stede. Hearing Stede's name, Blackbeard shoots Izzy in the leg and nominates Frenchie as his new first mate. He then orders Izzy killed and the treasure thrown overboard so that the Revenge may catch up its new target.

At Spanish Jackie's, the Swede is in bed with Jackie, distracting her as Roach and Black Pete sneak in and steal her treasure chest. The crew are about to escape with their loot, but Ricky delays them by insisting on leaving a calling card in the bar. Jackie catches him and cuts his nose off. At the docks, the crew discovers that the chest is full of indigo, which is worth a fortune. Jackie catches up to them and demands the chest to be returned to her. Susan intervenes, buying both the chest and Stede's crew from Jackie.

Blackbeard's crew are tidying the deck and cleaning Izzy's blood. Fang is so upset he can't stop crying, so Jim tells him their own rendition of *Pinocchio*. Frenchie approaches Blackbeard to ask about his plans and Edward reveals he wants to sail around forever, catching and robbing ships and never going to land again. Stede's crew moves to the Red Flag as Susan reveals her true identity: Zheng Yi Sao, Pirate Queen.

**Post-Credits Scene:** Jim continues to recount *Pinocchio* to Fang while Archie scrubs Izzy's blood off the deck of the Revenge.

## Cast

### Starring

* Rhys Darby as Stede Bonnet
* Ewen Bremner as Nathaniel Buttons
* Joel Fry as Frenchie
* Samson Kayo as Oluwande Boodhari
* Con O'Neill as Israel "Izzy" Hands
* Vico Ortiz as Jim Jimenez
* Matthew Maher as Black Pete
* Kristian Nairn as Wee John Feeney
* Guz Khan as Ivan
* Dave Fane as Fang
* Samba Schutte as Roach
* Taika Waititi as Edward Teach, Blackbeard

### Guest Starring

* Nat Faxon as The Swede
* Madeleine Sami as Archie
* Ruibo Qian as Zheng Yi Sao
* Anapela Polataivao as Auntie

### Co-Starring

* Geoff Dolan as Priest
* Erroll Shand as Prince Ricky Banes
* Leslie Jones as Spanish Jackie

## Trivia

* A set photo was published, proving that the intervention scene was originally longer and involved Frenchie holding Izzy's hand.
* In the scene with Spanish Jackie's husband, it is shown that two of them are trans. This was confirmed on Instagram by Finn Hunter who played one of them. The other was played by Hayden Bryant.
* Set decorator Lindsey Cantrell published a photo of the backside of Blackbeard's wanted poster, providing a full list of his crimes, which include climate change denial, wearing a wig as a hat, flashmobbing, imprisoning a cat, atheism, communism (some 130 years before the idea of communism was first created), witchcraft, plagiarism, improper citations in an academic document, and echidna trafficking.

## References

1. ↑ Still photo
2. ↑ Finn Hunter's Instagram
3. ↑ Instagram Reels screencap