#ricky character growth

[strawberryscare]

i just finished watching tuc chapter 2 and in the beginning i was slightly put off by esther calling ricky “honey” and “sweetie” and “sweetheart” almost exclusively to the point where i was like “is this kinda ooc?” bc previously she was this very punk/alt character who was sharp and smart and a little no-nonsense and yeah they’re dating but it’s a little much (i could see “babe” more for generational/age reasons but the names she was using were very soft)

but then i realized she does it bc she finally CAN. she couldn’t say how much she liked ricky for so long and how much he meant to her and all the ways he made her day better bc of the curse and now for the past three years she’s making up for lost time. she calls him these little pet names because she loves him and gets to finally SAY IT!! SHE GETS TO CALL HIM WHAT HE MEANS TO HER ALL THE TIME NOW!! SO SHE WILL GODDAMNIT!!

they’re too cute and i love them very much.

#dimension 20 #d20 #the unsleeping city #tuc #esther sinclair #ricky matsui #ricky is the same in tuc 2 bc duh. he liked her soooo much even before he knew if the feelings were reciprocated #also to be clear u can be tough AND loving #it was just smth not seen before from esther!! #WHICH IS CHARACTER GROWTH!! #your honor i love them

[daphnebowen]

day five of twelve days of rina: favorite episodes 🤩

I’m doing one from each season because I’m like that and can’t choose

season one: episode five - homecoming

homecoming is obviously one of the most important and essential episodes to rina’s storyline. This is where they all got started, this is when they really started to shine, and obviously without this episode there really wouldn’t be a rina. their chemistry was off the charts in this episode and honestly going back and seeing how genuine they are with each other and how they can be so fresh and just honest with each other; man it really is something else. rini never held a candle to rina, looking back on it. They never stood a chance. “I thought we sort of, like, got each other” and “You know I meant what I said. at the skate park, about you having your own style. I don't even think I knew how much I meant it when I said it.” like dude. monumental. Already these two characters are having such a profound effect on each other and it’s been only a couple of months. AND THE CHEEK KISS. THE FREAKING CHEEK KISS. because for me, rina was never really a thought in my mind until that kiss. Until Gina showed me that she was opening up her hard heart to the brown curly haired boy with the great voice and sass for days. until Ricky showed me he wasn’t opposed to it. until their chemistry was so off the charts I was blown away.

season two: episode four - the quincenero

okay, hear me out, this episode is actually pretty important to rina. There’s a ton of character growth from Gina specifically. obviously there are other moments but I really do like the moment where Ricky comes to Gina for advice about nini and she says that maybe they shouldn’t give advice to each other and she’s not nini. which I think is a beautiful parallel, looking back on it, to when Ricky didn’t try and convince Gina to stay in slc and not do the movie because he’d already had an experience with nini where he did tell her that and she completely fumbled and freaked out. which, understandable, whatever. That’s her. But the thing is, that’s what gina wants. Gina wants to be set apart from nini, Gina is completely different from nini and in this episode she’s trying to tell him that (which she’s right, bc nini did not like it at all when Ricky revealed he’d talked to miss Jenn about getting nini in the show, but the fact remains is that Gina said she’d be flattered but said “I’m not nini and we’re not dating” to try and tell Ricky that maybe that’s not what nini wants). Gina is telling him that the things that work for her are not going to work for nini because they are two different people and their relationships - both romantic and platonic, current and future - are entirely different. which is so profound and beautiful when you compare that to Ricky’s aversion of change and you see how nini and Ricky’s relationship began to fail because Ricky was using things Gina had told him all along. which is kind of emotional cheating but wtv. anyways, the fact that Ricky was dating the person he was “most comfortable with” but using the girl who represents change’s advice is something I just love. And I’m sure I’m not explaining it well, so if anyone sees this and wants to add/explain better pls do.

season three: episode five - the real campers of shallow lake

okay I absolutely love this episode and not just because of the rina content. everything about the drama between Maddox and jet to portwell drama to Ashlyn and Val and obviously Ricky angst and feisty gina makes this episode so 💋 but obviously, I’m here to talk about the what do you know about love duet. Which Ricky/josh and Gina/sofia ABSOLUTELY SLAPPED and I gave them a standing ovation as soon as it was finished. because this was EVERYTHING. Kourtney’s clear approval, Val’s interpretation of the whole thing, their freaking history, Carlos’s encouragement, ej’s uncomfortableness, it’s all perfection. their playful banter, their voices, this being their first duet, ugh it does things to me. And the fact that it really does represent gina as anna and Ricky as Kristoff seeing that Gina is in a brand new relationship and thinks everything is rainbows and butterflies while Ricky, who has only experienced love where he has to work for the other person and strive to make things work instead of it being more effortless and easy (as rina are later) is amazing and beautiful. I could explain this more later but I don’t want to run out of room so if you want to know more, lmk. and also the “rebound” afterwards where RICKY APOLOGIZES FOR HIS INTENSITY KNOWING GI WAS EQUALLY AS INTENSE because he knows something is up with ej. but he wants to be there for gi. He wants her first relationship to go well, and he defends her to ej as well telling him that she’s just tired and coming down from the rehearsal. watch out world, Ricky Bowen will defend Gina Porter with his entire being.

season four: episode five - admissions

AGHHHHHHHHHH this episode lowkey might be my favorite of the entire series. but then again I loved every moment of every episode so I won’t say that. But this episode is MONUMENTAL for both Gina and Ricky and especially in their relationship. Gina finally opens up to her mom abt her and Ricky, Ricky opens up to ej about his fears and confronts his tendency to hide when things go wrong, and it all culminates in a beautiful second chance confession rain kiss spin hug. UGH, Tim, my FRICKIN HEART! I really do love the conversation between ej and Ricky because they truly are brothers and besties. ej truly helps Ricky so so much. And I could have a whole conversation about their conversation and all the ways it is beautiful but I won’t. Gina, meanwhile, is coming to the realization that Ricky is her inspiration and Ricky is the reason why she is happy. Ricky Bowen makes her the happiest she has ever been and it physically hurts her that her mother does not know this (it hurt me, as a viewer!) and the beautiful second chance playing as Ricky sees Mack and Gina and turns away~ it really shows that 02x12 really was about Gina all along, it was never about lilly. it was always Gina. nobody else ever stood a chance.

#12daysofrina #I have no idea if any of this makes sense #I think there’s some coherent thoughts in here #but I truly have no idea #a lot of rina's important character growth happens towards the middle of the season im realizing #which is I guess how it should be #but writing down my favorite rina episode for season 2 was hard #because that drought was rough #once I got over rini I needed rina and man there was none #thanks for reading!! #ricky bowen #gina porter #gina x ricky #ricky x gina #hsmtmts #rina #day five #already omg #I’m not ready for it to be over ☹️

[thenickelportrust]

Ever since you said Ricky wears his hair slicked back, I just want to tousle it all up so bad

As you should.

#answers #ricky dempsey #character growth is going from Corporate Casual to embracing his inner Tired Suitman aesthetic #hair tousling is part of the deal

[frostluvrs]

the reason the “ricky would go back to nini it’s always been her” argument annoys me so much is because there’s no evidence for it but so much for the exact opposite which is ricky regretting even getting back together with her at the end of s1 in the first place. and it’s CANONICAL evidence like genuinely what do you think he meant by regretting letting her ever slip through his fingers? if he never let her slip through his fingers him and nini would have never gotten back together people do realize that right ….

all because y’all insist he “chose her over gina” when that didn’t happen either like gina left and told him to stop contacting her and then they had their goodbye scene RIGHT AFTER he had just gotten back together with nini when they both thought it was the last time they would ever see each other. do you just wish he was going to dump nini on the spot after confessing his love to her when he 1.) started regressing as a character already and wanted to be with her bc of his fear of change so he wasn’t breaking up with her regardless; he needed to grow as a character first. and 2.) he thought he was never seeing gina again. they never not the chance to start something and neither of them even made a move before she was told she’s moving and told him they didn’t need to talk anymore (which is what pushed him to nini - not gina’s fault it was understandable she felt as though she should give up on continuing their connection but it still pushed him to nini).

#to be honest we should be glad s3 ricky is the ricky dating gina #the ricky with character growth #potentially controversial opinion but even if it were the case he ‘didn’t choose her’ the first time who tf cares sometimes u make the #before you make the right one. y’all love lives must SUCK with way you view romance and love no offense #esp if ur shipping r*ni when they only got back together bc of ricky’s fear of change and nini felt smothered by him by the end of their #and he didn’t like who he when he was with her by the end of their relationship #they were MISERABLE why would ricky ever go back to that #hsmtmts #rina #ricky x gina #ricky and gina #gina porter #ricky bowen #b speaks

[rinadotcom]

I have seen many and I mean MANY tv shows and have enjoyed seeing many ships play out, but very few have been written with such care and love like Ricky and Gina from HSMTMTS.

#the amount of parallels? #the amount of callbacks to season 1 and 2 #all the foreshadowing #the growth both characters have been through BEFORE getting together #the mutual understanding #how they’re literally that missing part the other needs #the pining #the right person wrong time #the chemistry #the slowburn #it’s all so perfect????? #i could writes ESSAYS about their story #they’re just such an easy couple to root for! #and not all will get it the first time #but i’m glad i did :) #rina #rina hsmtmts #hsmtmts #ricky x gina #ricky bowen #gina porter

[twnpeak]

I think the main issue about EJ not telling Gina about the letter right away will be that he spoke with Val about it comfortably but didn’t know how to tell Gina - which, fair, he didn’t want to put a damper on her excitement and also was building up to tell her.

BUT I wonder if it could be significant to Gina in that she’s like ‘why didn’t he feel like he could tell me? his girlfriend?’ - and make her think about all the times she and Ricky were there for each other, and GOT each other, and she starts wondering if she’s not that person to EJ and that maybe Val is. Gina already has some insecurity about not having much dating experience, so I think this could put more salt in the wound. Val even said to EJ that HE HAS A GF HE CAN TALK TO. But EJ came to Val instead. And of course, the people in our lives each meet different needs of ours, and it’s okay for EJ to confide in Val. I just think this could still open Gina’s eyes that she wants that kind of relationship with EJ, and it also acts as a reminder that Gina had that kind of relationship with Ricky

#hsmtmts #rina #ricky x gina #also I know that people hate that it’s another love triangle BUT LIKE it doesn’t mean none of them have had any growth #or that their growth and character is being thrown away #if anything it’s emphasizing who they are in this season #ej is not a bad guy at all and he’s trying to be a good boyfriend #but everyone has their own insecurities that don’t get resolved in school year - or some habits they might not be able to completely break #ej is comfortable with going to Val #he’s more comfortable waiting to tell Gina about the letter - which like I can understand cause I tend to avoid things too #but I can also why Gina would be upset about it #***doesnt mean that they haven’t had any growth

[lalalands-girlie]

Season 2 PW pacing:

I heavily disagree with the Portwell not being a rushed story line i feel they needed to show more in the beginning of the season EJ seeking out Gina. Maybe looking for advice from her when he struggling with the future earlier on, that would show their ability to be deep with each other and have a connection platonic or not.

The start of the PW friednship in s2 just felt weird and somewhat out of character for Gina. n I would have loved to just see little moments of them together, it would show more then just forced on screen important moments. (i guess a more friendly and joking scene of just being natural and friends.) It would have been such better paced for viewer because you need to see the development of the relationship. It doesn’t matter how much time passes in there universe, it matters how much they show on screen.

Rini relationship / Ricky character growth:

Nini and Ricky definitely had a toxic relationship, but it was more mutually toxic. It really shows with the lack of communication and understanding the others needs or wants. For example, when Nini doesn’t want to tell Ricky what the rose song is about. Or when Ricky has trouble opening up on needing Nini to be home to support him through a rough time. But the main issue is Ricky’s fear of change and current lack stability but by the end of s2 he is able to change that. He was able to let go even when Nini wanted to stay.

He made they decision for the both of them and it turned out for the best of the two.

It shows by ricky being a flawed character in the beginning of s1 being a the antagonist at times. But by the beginning of s3 being able to be finally free from the constraints he put himself under and trying to be a better person. Showing true growth.

PW season 3 arc:

EJ has a fear of growing up, but he did not in the beginning of season 2. He was accepting it actually growing a beard and looking forward to Duke! What EJ is scared of is the unkown and not having a planned laid out for him. We know that because the way he described his relationship to his father, saying something along the lines “he always had a plan for me but i want to choose my own.” So in result of his father not having the control of his life he once had its manifested in the fear of growing up and not knowing whats in store. He trying to keep with what he knowns which is inevitably his own downfall. Projecting that fear in relationship only comes off as closed off and clingy.

Producing the letter debacle.

Rina Season 3 arc:

I disagree with Ricky needing Gina by the growth i explained before. He learned he needed to puts someone wants and goals before his own (“For gina” scene in 305.) He learned it’s best to stay back and do not try to sabotage Gina’s relation ship and standing back. (ex: everytime he left the room when he began to get frustrated or jealous.) He keeps trying to prove to himself he is just friends with Gina knowing she is happy now. But truly they could never be friends without the romantic tension being there. He is only now trying to understand how he feels instead of blocking them out (“for Gina” scene in 305) Like he did in s2 and s1. What most i see is ricky doesn’t want to expect his feeling for Gina in the seasons proir due to the unknownness of liking her. It was scary to like someone other then Nini and every time Gina denied (what i believe were small advances by Ricky) he began to understand it was purely platonic and she these feelings were not romantic. now he has to tackle they may nit be has platonic as he onced belived. I do not feel like Gina needs to fix him because he is beginning to change for himself.

Whatever happens to these two the growth by both charaters were truly incomparable.

#Rina #hsmtmts #ricky x gina #ricky and gina #character growth #show analysis #ricky bowen #gina porter #portwell #season 2

[ohginas]

just gotta say I love that the pillow hit was actually a full on pillow fight between Ricky and Ej because our boys are in fact friends (not enemies) …. or lovers?? 🎥👀

#ej caswell #ricky bowen #love that for all of us #that’s the growth and maturity we need in these characters!!! #caswen

[retvenkos]

EVIDENCE OF ELTON JOHN CASWELL I AM CRYING

HONEST TO GOD?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!??! I READ THIS AND SCREAMED!!!!!! DANIZA, THE WAY WE MANIFESTED THIS!!!!!!!! i think the writers of hsmtmts owe you a little uhh,,,,,,,, financial compensation for coming up with the funniest, sweetest, and most spot-on character beats because clearly you got there first asdfghjhgfdsdghjjhgfd.

and omg,,,,, i need to watch the new season soon! it's on my watchlist and i am most DEFINITELY going to get there but i just,,,,,,, haven't done it yet and honestly, i think this is a direct call to action. clearly the show is trying to appeal to my better nature to get me to view it once more (and finish my ej fic series that is sitting in my drafts half written and entirely planned out oop—)

#asks #mutuals #BUT ALSO WHAT IS THIS 'another thing i didn't know' COMMENT???? #i told the writers PERSONALLY that the ONLY miscommunication arc for gina and ej had to be about his name #there should be no 'another' #ooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhh no i feel like there's some portwell angst on the horizon (that you've already met asdghgfd) #let me guess (and you can tell me if i'm right/wrong): they're pushing the rina agenda?? #honestly ricky just needs some me time. rina is cute and i think it had so much potential but these love triangles are tired #character growth first love triangle second #that's what i think needs to happen in popular media

[laylakeating]

can we talk about how much Ricky has grown and how people are trying to discredit his character development

ricky has one of the most well written and consistent arcs in the show. he’s the main character so he SHOULD. his development is genuinely so wonderful and incredible to see. so yeah we should talk abt how people (pws) try to discredit his growth in the name of a fucking ship. 

#he's been on such a journey but they want him to regress and get back together with nini OR they shit on him in the name of pw #looking at ricky's growth vs ej's is so interesting bc one has had genuine growth and the other has had shallow growth #ultimately ej still has the same faults he had in s1 (he's just no longer fun lmao) but ricky has GROWN #it just makes me realise that some people do not understand the characters and are really just here for ships #and that's not a bad thing but don't spread things that can literally be proven factually incorrect ?? #asked and answered #anonymous #hsmtmts

[between-two-fandoms]

I dont know if I posted this yet or if I dreamed doing it but I'm determined to stay happy and positive during this season (even though I still dont like Olivia Rodrigo) which means I wont be engaging in fandom drama. After JatP I dont think I'd survive another one.

#fanfiction #fandom positivity #i refuse to be angry at the world anymore #character growth or just the Advil PM talking #we'll never know #hsmtmts #ej caswell #ricky bowen #gina porter #nini salazar roberts #nini who this woman was just pulling a Corbin Bleu

[joysmercer]

pls why does gina look MISERABLE when explaining her first time meeting ricky. yes they’re all sad about the show but she’s acting like her being the reason joined hsm in the first place is the worst revelation ever or something

#shes so sad telling that story #as if she’s about to leave #which is stupid because she doesn’t even have the rj offer yet #also FOREVER bitter she never corrects ricky when he says she must be ashamed of him #negative character growth tbh #s4 fic prep

[blakbonnet]

I do wanna be clear that Stede was fucked after that first kill and we see from Izzy and Ed's reactions that you have to be a true maniac (Ned, the English) to enjoy it but the second one comes a lot more naturally to him, and that is partly tied with the applause he gets and partly with the last few months having shown him that killing is a necessary part of the world of piracy he so idealises. It's not ooc for stede to kill and to kinda be swept up in the fame of it all - it's how Ricky got inside his circle too. Stede is very prone to flattery, it doesn't even have to be the good kind. It's his growth as a character, the next stage for him to know to pick his enemies, and what he's wanted all along is to be taken seriously in this world. This man has never had a kind word spoken to him most of his life, of course he wants the infamy and the emotional riches of people patting him on the back and having his face tattooed on their bodies. Of course he wants to be a proper pirate, he's always said that, we've always known that.

#Now we need to see whether the emotional high he gets from this is something he'll chase or if being at the top and tasting that is enough #ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd s2 spoilers #meow speaks

[frostluvrs]

i’m sorry that some of you don’t understand gina’s character enough or their relationship to understand why she was the one to admit her feelings first. genuinely that’s all there is to say at this point you just don’t get it.

#other than the fact gina needed to be the one to say it for reasons involving her character #ricky also wasn’t going to say it first BECAUSE of his growth and love for her #him initiating the kiss was bc she made it known she wants him #he feels as though he’s allowed to now #to make any type of move #anyways ricky will be saying i love you first in s4 #hsmtmts #rina #ricky x gina #b speaks

[bobsyourdylan]

Okay, so – a few thoughts on Izzy’s death. I’m sure other people have also laid this out, but I haven’t stumbled across it yet, so this is partially for me to get my thoughts organized. For the record, I love Izzy – he fascinated me (in a horrified sort of way) in season 1, and then he grew on me significantly in season 2. What a weird little guy. But also – I’m fine with them killing him off, and also with how they did it, because I think it makes sense for the story. But I know that a lot of people are super upset about his death, and also about the way he died. So, a few semi-coherent thoughts on that: 

Why not a sacrifice play?

This writer’s room is so self-aware, so deliberate about engaging with tropes – there is no possible way that they sat around breaking the story of Izzy’s death and no one said “woah, wouldn’t it be symbolic and gut-wrenching if he sacrificed himself for Ed? Or Stede?” No way. So why didn’t they go that route? 

Izzy’s arc in season 2 has been all about becoming his own man, separate from Ed/Blackbeard. Like – that’s what he’s worked towards, this whole season. That is his growth. It would be insulting to take that away from him at the last minute, and make his death purely about Ed and Stede.

Listen, I love a sacrifice arc as much as the next person. But Izzy’s life isn’t about sacrifice anymore – that’s the whole point of his season 2 arc. He has spent decades sacrificing both himself and Ed to the altar of Blackbeard. No more. 

It also means that Ed and Stede’s mourning doesn’t have to be tinged with the guilt of “he sacrificed himself to save me/my partner.” They can mourn Izzy purely for himself, because he is worth mourning. This, I would argue, is the send-off that Izzy’s character deserves.

Izzy’s death wasn’t accidental on Ricky’s part – it wasn’t a stray bullet.

We see from the scene when the crew is locked up in Spanish Jackie’s that Ricky recognizes Izzy. We know from their conversation that, for Ricky, Izzy is the epitome of piracy – Izzy, not Blackbeard, is the legend.

The thing is – Ed and Stede are both in the scene where Izzy dies (I’m not sure if you can see Stede on screen, but the bts photos show Rhys’ position, on what would be the far right of the shot). Arguably, Stede would have been the easier shot – Ricky wouldn’t have had to complete a full 180-degree turn before he could pull the trigger. So why doesn’t he go for Stede, who abandoned him to the tender mercies of Spanish Jackie in the first place? Or Blackbeard, arguably the greatest/most famous pirate alive, with the possible exception of Zheng, who he’s already targeted? Sure, you could argue that he’d going for Ed here… but I don’t think he is. The shot’s too low to be accidentally aimed for Izzy – it would hit Ed’s knee or something, probably. I think that yes, it’s a panicked shot, not well-aimed at all. But if it’s aimed at anyone, I think it has to be Izzy. And at the very least, the symbolism of it is very much not accidental.

For probably the first time since they created Blackbeard, Izzy isn’t just a stand-in for Ed. His significance is his own in this scene – in all of his interactions with Ricky. He’s not targeted because he’s Blackbeard’s first mate (why go for the first mate when you could go for Blackbeard?). He’s targeted because he’s Izzy Hands – because he is significant, powerful, famous, respected in and of himself.

And more than that – this is an arc about the end of piracy. And Izzy Hands is piracy – the show has been telling us from the beginning that piracy is a mixed bag, full of the good and the bad, and Izzy represents that  – represents both the toxic, violent side of piracy, and the side of piracy that he grows into, that he explains to Ricky – piracy as family, home, belonging. Izzy dies, and it hurts, because not only is he a great character, but he represents in one person all of the complicated, hilarious, heartbreakin, violent, loving aspects of piracy – and of the show. But it is so, so important that Izzy dies as himself – not as a symbol or shield of Ed, or Stede, or Blackbeard. Not even as a symbol of piracy, but instead as the active embodiment of piracy – as something/someone who grows, changes, ends. Not as static or passive, but as better than when we first met him, as transformed as Buttons in his own way. 

Izzy’s death sets up a possible revenge arc:

We know that everything in this show ties back to the main relationship between Ed and Stede. Izzy’s death is, I think, significant on its own, for him as a character – but it is also, by necessity, significant to Ed and Stede’s relationship. Namely – it sets up an interesting conflict for season 3 re: a potential revenge arc for Ed. 

Now, clearly they’ve carefully ended season 2 on a relatively high note in case we don’t get a season 3. But we know they’re gonna be terrible at running an inn, and we know there’s unfinished business with Ricky. Ed’s current strategy of dealing with everything that’s happened seems to be “I don’t want to be a pirate, get me out of here” – which, while fair enough, won’t last, because that’s the nature of unfinished business. So, at some point, Ed and Stede are going to need to confront Ricky again. And, if the writers decide to lean into the revenge arc, I’d say the odds are pretty high that, when Ed lays eyes on Ricky again, we get a flashback to Izzy’s death. 

And this sets us up for a pivotal, and necessary, moment in Ed’s character arc: when confronted with pain, loss, negative emotion in general – can Ed deal with it without losing himself? Ed needs a balance between the Kraken, Blackbeard, and Edward, and we see at the end of season 1 and beginning of season 2 how challenging that balance is for him to find, especially when confronted with loss or pain. We can see Ed working towards that balance when he’s interacting with Low – Low’s taunts don’t push Ed to violence, but instead get to Stede. But comparatively, Izzy’s loss is a much greater blow, and at some point, Ed is going to need to confront that.

Plus – we know the writing team are thinking of Izzy’s death at least partially in terms of the mentor/mentee arc, which often confronts the question of revenge – after the mentor’s death, the mentee is required to choose on their own how to go on, what kind of person they want to be. And this often requires a confrontation with both the mentor’s loss and a decision about how far they want to take their desire for revenge.

Why not a cooler death?

Okay — I get this criticism. I do. Izzy is an amazing fighter, we all love that about him. And you can keep most of the above symbolism and still have him die fighting two dozen British soldiers. 

But — again — we are back to the root of this show: Ed and Stede. 

Izzy has two deaths this season: one in the premiere, one in the finale. The first is Stede’s fantasy. Cool swordfight, and Stede triumphs, obviously — but the premise of the fight is that Izzy’s a great swordsman and Stede bests him because now Stede’s a great pirate. This is Stede’s ideal pirate fantasy. 

But Izzy’s actual death is not like this. It is messy and inelegant and painful and no one gets any glory from it at all and Ed is crying with Izzy dying in his arms, and Stede wants to help, goes for bandages, but he doesn’t know what to do and it’s not enough anyways — And this is not a fantasy anymore. This is piracy, and this is the piracy that Ed wants to escape. And it’s important that Stede sees this, sees what Ed is done with. 

And it’s also important that Stede tries to save Izzy. Izzy isn’t just a symbolic barrier between Stede and Ed anymore, to be sacrificed to Stede’s reunion fantasy. He’s his own person, with his own death, and Izzy has grown, yes, but so has Stede.

And by using Izzy’s death to make this point, we both get Stede learning the reality of piracy and growing beyond his fantasy, and the glorious fantasy fight kiss i love you reunion between Ed and Stede (if Ed and Stede had reunited by fighting off dozens of British soldiers, but Izzy had died doing the same, the dissonance would have messed with both the death and the reunion, because we the audience wouldn’t be able to distinguish between the fantasy and reality worlds). And getting both of these is the premise of the show — fantasy and reality both. 

And sure — you can be mad that the show used Izzy in this way. But that is the show’s premise — everything is in service of the protagonists and their relationship. This is not a surprise— it’s been openly talked about since day 1. 

You don’t have to like what the writers did. You don’t have to agree that it was the correct choice. But they have proven to us, time and time again over the last year, that they are self-aware and careful with this show that they know we love so much. So we absolutely owe it, to them and to ourselves, to ask why they made a choice that not everyone may agree with. What is the payoff? Why did they decide to do this thing that they knew would upset fans? Because we know it’s not that they hate us. So what is it? You don’t have to agree that the payoff is worth it. But do the writers, and the show, and yourself the favor of recognizing that there is a payoff here.

#screaming into the void #as someone who studies and teaches literary analysis for a living #i am begging everyone to please at least try to think through the reasons for this arc #ofmd #ofmd s2 #ofmd s2 spoilers #the izcourse #ofmd s2 meta #ofmd meta #our flag means death #our flag means death s2 #i’m gonna regret getting involved and i know it #but i just had to get this off my chest

[amuseoffyre]

Since insomnia is kicking my arse of late, I naturally tilted into the thoughts about the nature of the 3-act structure and why S2 of OFMD may have felt off and incomplete to a lot of people.

I am fully in agreement that we lost a lot of valuable time with only 8 episodes and a lot of it did feel rushed, but for the amount of story and set-up and growth and development they needed to fit into 4 hours of television, they did astonishing things.

DJenks has said from the very start that this is a story that has been planned out to take 3 seasons. It's literally a 3-act play and we are currently right in the middle of the worst part of that timeline according to every traditional 3-act structure.

Act one/season one is self-explanatory. Like New Hope in the Star Wars Trilogy or Fellowship of the Ring, this is the set-up. We're introduced to our protagonists and antagonists, the relationships are given a foundation.

The beginning is Stede's journey to becoming a real boy. The inciting incident, the one that actually pushes his change beyond "playing pirates" is meeting Ed. The second thoughts come together in episode 8/9 after his confrontations with Jack and Chauncey and episode 10 is the climax.

Act 2/season 2 is never going to be as smooth and simple as act 1/s1. A big part of the A2/S2 job is set up for A3/S3 and this is what we're seeing and why a lot of story threads seem to have been left dangling.

Again, to call back to Empire Strikes Back and The Two Towers, the structure is much the same: the original batch of people are divided and scattered, the big enemy from A1/S1 is looming, new allies make themselves known. In SW, this meant the introduction of Lando and Yoda as allies plus the hint of the Emperor lurking in the background. In LotR, we have the Rohirrim, Gondor and the Ents as allies and the expansion of Sauron's forces in Helm's Deep, Osgiliath and the winged wraiths.

There's a clear trajectory following the A2/S2 structure:

obstacle 1 - the crews separated and struggling

obstacle 2 - the end of episode 2 and the repercussions of his actions

twist - just when things start to settle, the Ned Low situation happen and Stede kills for the first time

obstacle 3 - Ed's struggle with his identity leading to him leaving

disaster - Ricky's assault on the Republic

crisis - do-or-die battle because they have no other choice

climax - the last 15 minutes of ep. 8 live here.

As with SW and LotR, there's an ending, but weighted with the knowledge of a story that is meant to continue. Each of those act 2 films end with the heroes still aware of the looming threat, some of them heading out on new missions, and some of them resting and healing. There's brief pause, brief respite, a moment to take a breath.

We have all the characters in place now and the battle-lines have been drawn. Luke still needs to confront Vader (I see you, impending Ed and Hornigold confrontation), Frodo still needs to destroy the ring, Aragorn still needs to lead the army against the Black Gate, the second Death Star is still hanging in the sky.

I'm so excited to see what S3 brings because we have so many arcs ready to go: Zheng's vengeance trip, the inevitable enforced out-of-retirement arc for Ed and Stede, Hornigold, Ricky trying to maintain his tenuous control of the republic given how many of his people were killed when the crew escaped, the pirate rebellion gathering forces.

Also how often do we get shows/films where the supporting cast are given this much storyline? We have a named/speaking-role cast of upwards of 15 central characters. That is a staggering amount of people to work with, when most shows would only focus on the leads and a couple of their friends. Six is the average for most TV shows, while comedies can inch higher because ensembles, but most ensembles don't get as much as our crew did.

I know a lot of people aren't happy about Izzy's death. I know I would have liked to see him a lot more, because he's such a grumpy old bitch and I love him and him affectionately roasting Ed and Stede would have made my entire month. But I'm also aware that narratively, as a figurehead of the old ways of piracy and "we were Blackbeard", it was a symbolic death as well - a sign of the death of the old ways of piracy and of Blackbeard as was.

(Also, they Obi-Wanned him. I'm not over that. Gave him the "if you strike me down I will become more powerful" speech. I'm just... guys, your star wars nerdery is showing XD)

So while it was flawed in places and pacing, given the scale of the story they're telling, the number of pieces and characters they had in play, and the arcs they have been setting up while also still keeping the humour, I am giving a standing ovation for a remarkable piece of work.

#ofmd #ofmd s2 #ofmd meta