Red Flags

**Red Flags** is the second episode of the second season of *Our Flag Means Death*. It aired on October 5, 2023.

## Synopsis

Aboard Zheng's ship, Stede, Olu and Black Pete have surprising revelations while Blackbeard's crew plots their revenge.

## Plot

Stede Bonnet's crew are asleep aboard the Red Flag while Stede himself reminisces about Blackbeard. Aboard the Revenge Blackbeard plays with the cake toppers he looted from the wedding raid, reimagining them as Stede and himself.

Zheng Yi Sao explains to Stede and his crew the rules governing her ship and that she doesn't usually allow men on board, but is willing to make an exception for them due to their soft energy. They are then reunited with Lucius, who's been sailing with the Pirate Queen for some time. As they are all assigned specific duties, Auntie approaches Buttons, whom she believes to be a sea witch of great power.

Aboard the Revenge, Blackbeard seems to be doing much better, claiming to have given up drugs and alcohol. Frenchie assures him that following his orders he killed Izzy, while in fact the crew have been hiding the injured former first mate in a secret room. Weakened with pain from his gangrenous leg, Izzy asks the crew to kill him, but they refuse, deciding to try and help him instead as Jim amputates his leg.

Stede is folding towels with a few women from Zheng's crew, telling them about his time with Edward. Furious at Stede's blindness to his trauma, Lucius confronts him and reveals the truth to him - he didn't fall off the Revenge but was pushed by Ed. Auntie hands Buttons a spellbook that apparently allows its user to change between human and non-human forms.

Frenchie is assembling medical supplies to take back to Izzy when he is confronted by Blackbeard about Izzy's fate. He tries to lie and tells Edward he slit Izzy's throat, but the Captain sees through him right away. Jim and Archie finish cutting off Izzy's leg and share a tender moment, kissing each other when Blackbeard walks in on them. He asks everyone to leave him alone with Izzy, who at this point is unconscious from pain and loss of blood.

Oluwande is sorting Zheng's scrolls, which upsets Auntie, as she already has a system in place. Auntie then discovers that Olu moved the model ships from the tactical map which only angers her further. Zheng takes Olu to the side and confesses that she's keeping him close because she likes him. The crew enjoy some soup and Black Pete notices that Lucius now smokes, leading to the former scribe becoming very unpleasant and acting out due to his trauma.

Blackbeard gives Izzy smelling salts to wake him up and informs him he wants to say a proper goodbye to him, revealing he had a dream about Izzy shooting him in the head. He then hands Izzy a loaded gun and stands with his back to him, trying to provoke the former first mate to kill him. Izzy refuses and mocks Edward for being too much of a coward to kill himself. Blackbeard says his goodbye and leaves. Once he's on top of the stairs, he hears a gunshot and nods approvingly, saying that he loved Izzy best he could. Frenchie is expecting Ed to kill him for this betrayal, but Edward thanks him for the opportunity to have closure with Izzy and takes the steering wheel of the ship.

Stede confronts Lucius about his rude behavior towards Pete and urges him to talk to his lover. Lucius reveals some of the things he was forced to do while at sea, including being forced to catch rats with his teeth, which gained him the nickname Rat Boy.

Blackbeard's crew discusses Edward's state of mind, only to discover he steered the ship right into the storm before getting rid of the steering wheel. Blackbeard then loads a cannon and threatens to shoot it at the main mast, which would result in the deaths of everyone aboard. He orders Jim and Archie to fight to the death, claiming it's the only thing that would stop him from shooting the cannon. Jim is unwilling to do it, but Archie punches them in the face, seeing no other way.

Stede is trying to work out Edward's whereabouts when Lucius approaches him to tell him he's had a conversation with Pete about his experiences. He then warns Stede that Ed may not be the same man he fell in love with and points out the list of atrocities Blackbeard's committed since they parted ways.

On the Revenge, Jim has defeated Archie and both she and Edward are prompting them to kill her. Jim refuses, saying that there is no point in it, as Edward is going to shoot the cannon anyway, which Ed confirms. The storm hits the ship badly, but Edward is still about to shoot it to ensure the whole crew dies but before he can do it, Izzy appears on the deck and shoots him instead. A flashback shows Izzy attempting suicide after his last conversation with the Captain but missing, probably due to his weakened state. The crew all attack Edward. Zheng's people are pulling her fleet through a jungle to avoid a long sail around the land. Jim gets ready to smash Blackbeard's head with a cannonball and he smiles, satisfied that his death wish is finally about to get fulfilled.

**Post-Credits Scene:** Auntie expresses her dissatisfaction with Olu being allowed to be so close to Zheng just as Olu himself appears, claiming there is an urgent carrier bird message for Zheng as a way of getting her away from Auntie.

## 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
* Mark Mitchinson as Hornigold
* Anapela Polataivao as Auntie
* Amanda Grace Leo as Tiff