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ferusaurelius · 2 years

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12 and 16 of the OFMD ask

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12: Pick one: Spanish Jackie’s wooden hand, Lucius’ whittled finger, Black Pete’s cleft lip and lisp, or Ed’s knee brace.

It's so hard to choose. I have reasons I love each. I think I'll go with Spanish Jackie's wooden hand (though the knee brace is a close second) because the show crafts her hand as such an integral part of her character.

Leslie Jones speaks in an interview about the importance of the props and costuming to her. She got to be (rather than typecast), focused on being an artist and developing her character. She got "Rick James boots, the ones that go up to the KNEE." And you know what?

The sheer JOY she expresses in these interviews is what I love about this show.

I mean LOOK at this hand:

Spanish Jackie's wooden hand is a work of art. Her nails are done, it's proportional and lifelike (not a hook), it's got a leather grip and full articulation. She wears rings on each finger. She smokes a cigar with it. The prosthetic is so natural to her character.

If you haven't read the polygon interview, do!

Spanish Jackie's hand represents what is right about this character, about the show, about the approach to setting a great artist free to do her best work, about giving Leslie Jones a space to learn and develop and hone her craft beyond what even she knew.

It's also about how her prosthetic isn't something to make fun of or a joke, it's an element of art and power and intimidation and style. Her story is about her 20 husbands, and her grudge against Jim, and ruling the underworld! She's a disabled character who isn't defined by her disability and (in the gif above), has a throughline and a conversation about the hardships of revenge.

Really she has such beautiful scenes and energy and Leslie Jones MUST return in Season Two as Spanish Jackie or I will be inconsolable.

16: Favorite gag? (I'll do gag here since I have another ask with same number, where I'll do joke).

For the purposes of this question, 'gag' is visual or sight for me. The setup.

I LOVE THE CLOTHES-SWAP SCENE in Episode 04: Discomfort in a Married State.

I love everything about it. The narrative punch of this entire framing and the very idea of it are handled with such sensitivity, specificity, and precision. At some point in the future I may do more detailed writing about how Ed can mostly portray roles in the "same" clothes, and the clothes-swap scene is him experimenting with Stede's style of dressing for a part ... or dressing "beyond" the part that Edward Teach usually plays. It's just a lovely visual gesture to see Edward still acting as a brilliant captain and sailor, the man with the plan, even while living it up in silk.

He's still the captain who, after learning that his plan to get to safety won't work, advises those who can swim to run off (so they don't die), and then goes down into the captain's quarters to get drunk on Stede's liquor (presumably?). EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT HIS SHIP. The whole framing of that shot with Edward in the fancy clothes throughout the entire back half of the episode? Lovely. Healing. He's the guy who wants to "do something weird" and has a chance to shrug off the visual mantle of Blackbeard while still being that person.

Remember how Black Pete runs downstairs and ruins the surprise?

"You're a genius, Blackbeard, I knew you'd save us!"

I think it's fascinating that it's First Mate Izzy Hands who has doubts from the beginning (and is horrified by the clothes-swap) and Black Pete who is instantly like YEAH DUDE GO FOR IT, I NEVER DOUBTED YOU.

It's such a commentary on ... just ... really every relationship that is about to unfold during the rest of the season. The way they developed this "gag" and sustained it as a character piece during the entire episode and had it frame multiple relationships and perspectives and add context WHILE being a visual argument just blows me away.

I love it more and more every time I rewatch the show. Episode 04 is the moment I fell in love with Our Flag Means Death and with Edward and Stede. For everyone who was saying "Idk it was going to be a romance or not." This is when I knew. The Lighthouse scene where Ed hugs Stede. I knew waaaaaaay in advance and I was holding my breath while they kept foreshadowing the rest of the relationship as the show released.

I stayed up until midnight to watch the finale drop ON RELEASE and I have not been the same since. And I blame the absolutely rock-solid, thematically brilliant, utter commitment to the clothes-swap bit that functions not just as a sight gag but also as character-driven commentary. I have seen vanishingly few things pulled off this well.

#our flag means death #ofmd #ofmd ask game #ferus answers #nicolasdrabbles #thanks for the ask!#ferus chats #ofmd spanish jackie #leslie jones #ofmd episode 04 discomfort in a married state

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