Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for Our Flag Means Death's season 1 finale.
Our Flag Means Death season 1 ending stopped on a major cliffhanger, with Blackbeard stealing Stede Bonnet's ship and leaving his crew for dead. This was true to the real world history between Blackbeard (Taika Waititi) and Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby), who sailed together for a time before Blackbeard ran off with their swag. However, Our Flag Means Death depicts the split as the result of a tragic misunderstanding, with Blackbeard playing the jilted lover after Stede seemingly refused to him in going AWOL from the British Navy.
Loosely based on the real-life Gentleman Pirate Stede Bonnet, Our Flag Means Death has grown into a cult hit for HBO Max. The series is largely anachronistic, with much of the show's humor being based around modern viewpoints being introduced into the surprisingly progressive world of 18th century sailors. This has won the series a huge following in the LGBTQ+ community, given how the show tries to accurately portray gay romances. At the same time, the show has been praised for its historical accuracy and being largely true to the fine details of the lives of the real pirates portrayed.
The final two episodes of Our Flag Means Death took the series in a new direction, affirming a friendship between Stede Bonnet and Blackbeard that blossomed into true love. Sadly, bad timing prevented the two from running off together and a panicked Stede returned to his wife as Blackbeard fell into a deep depression and ultimately resolved to return to his old life as the most fearsome pirate captain ever. This seems likely to be the central conflict of Our Flag Means Death season 2, should HBO Max renew the series.
Our Flag Means Death's Season 1 Finale Dooms Multiple Romances
While Our Flag Means Death is a comedy, romance has been a recurring theme throughout the first season. Beyond the friendship between Stede Bonnet and Blackbeard that grows into something more, the series also established an odd-couple relationship between Stede Bonnet's loyal scribe Lucius (Nathan Foad) and his biggest critic, Black Pete (Matthew Maher). The season finale also found the cross-dressing Bonifacia "Jim" Jiminez (Vico Ortiz) and Oluwande (Samson Kayo) expressing their love for one another physically, much to the embarrassment of Lucius after he walked in on them in the act.
Sadly, all of these relationships were imperiled by the finale's final scenes. Brokenhearted and inspired by a pep-talk from his treacherous first mate, Izzy Hands (Con O'Neill), Blackbeard threw Lucius overboard and set about ridding the Revenge of anything that reminded him of Stede Bonnet. This included the original crew of the Revenge, most of whom were left marooned on a desert island. The only exceptions to this were the bard Frenchie (Joel Fry) and Jim, who was determined to be too useful a fighter to be left behind. While Stede rescued his stranded followers, this still left Jim and Oluwande separated and Lucius' fate uncertain, in addition to the strain between Blackbeard and the Gentleman Pirate.
Blackbeard's Flag Change In Our Flag Means Death Explained
The flag of Blackbeard in Our Flag Means Death was one of the more intriguing changes in the show. Ignoring that the pirate flag commonly known as Blackbeard's flag was never used by the real Blackbeard, the flag Blackbeard flew in Our Flag Means Death only showed a horned skeleton wielding a spear and an hourglass, without the distinctive bleeding heart that decorated the famous flag of Blackbeard. This was explained in the finale of Our Flag Means Death season 1, where Frenchie was forced to raise Blackbeard's new flag, which was modified to have the skeleton attacking a bleeding heart - a symbol of Blackbeard's newfound rejection of love in any form.
Our Flag Means Death Ending: Biggest True Story Changes
While Our Flag Means Death made many changes from the real history of Stede Bonnet and Blackbeard, the final two episodes of season 1 steered the series into uncharted waters. In reality, the two captains sailed together for a time, with Blackbeard abandoning Bonnet and stealing his ship after both of them sought a pardon for their crimes. Our Flag Means Death explains why Blackbeard would treat the self-proclaimed Gentleman Pirate as an equal rather than simply killing him, revealing that Blackbeard and Stede had fallen in love, but were prevented from running off together by a twist of fate.
Our Flag Means Death season 2 will have to diverge wildly from the real-world history, given that Bonnet and Blackbeard never met again after parting ways in the summer of 1718 and both died later that year. Stede Bonnet was hung for his crimes after returning to piracy and Waititi's many movies and television projects.
How Our Flag Means Death's Ending Sets Up Season 2's Story
Presuming that all of the original ensemble of Our Flag Means Death are available for a second season, the story will likely center around our heroes trying to catch up to Blackbeard and a confrontation with Izzy Hands, who turned Blackbeard against Stede Bonnet and his crew. Black Pete will be ready for a fight, whether or not Lucius survived being thrown into the sea. Oluwande, while one of the more peace-minded of the crew, will likewise want an explanation for why Jim seemingly abandoned the crew, even though they were hardly a willing participant in the plot against the marooned sailors. The biggest question, however, will be if Stede Bonnet can win back the love of his life or if circumstances will keep him from finding his Revenge, as they did in real life.