Our Flag Means Death aired in March of last year on HBO Max and has since been continuously growing in terms of popularity. This beloved, swashbuckling comedy series created by David Jenkins gave something unique and refreshing to the audiences, something that garnered new fans and overall praises from different critics. It's not every day that a show such as this would get immense recognition, but this one did — and for many good reasons, at that.
Loosely based on a true story, this series follows the life of Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby), a wealthy middle-aged man who's been dreaming of a life at sea. One night, an unhappy Stede decides to more or less leave his wife (Claudia O'Doherty) and two kids and builds a ship named The Revenge. Stede then hires a rather interesting crew who, at first, don't find him that worthy. Knowing this, he tries to learn how to be a great captain to everyone while still maintaining that not everything can be solved with violence. Later on, The Revenge's crew comes across the legendary Blackbeard (Taika Waititi) and his crew. Along the way, however, the two captains become close and eventually fall in love.
Jim and Oluwande Stand Out Among 'Our Flag Means Death's Many Pairings
Our Flag Means Death gave us a lot of adorable pairings. Of course, there's the thing between Stede and Blackbeard — or Ed — that surprised a lot of people. These two ultimately helped each other be better versions of themselves — with Stede helping Ed how to be an aristocrat and Ed helping Stede how to be a great captain. However, while their relationship is a beloved one, you can also see other duos that are just as cute such as Jim (Vico Ortiz) and Oluwande (Samson Kayo). And, honestly, they are the couple that many people cannot wait to see more of.
Oluwande is perhaps the most level-headed person in the crew and the one who is usually the voice of reason. At first, he does not really like Stede as a captain and finds him to be incapable of such responsibility. However, he never hated him and instead tries to help his captain be respected by the rest of the crew. Jim, on the other hand, is a skilled fighter with a rather mysterious and interesting past. We later learn that Jim is not actually mute and that they joined the crew because they're being hunted for killing one of Spanish Jackie's (Leslie Jones) husbands. No one really knows about Jim's story, except for Oluwande, who's the one who helped them join the crew. These two essentially joined The Revenge because they have no other choice. But through the episodes, we see them have this strong, unspoken bond as they try to survive the many crazy happenings on the ship.
Jim and Oluwande Deserve the Same Amount of Fan Hype
We all love Stede and Ed; their relationship is what mostly drives the whole plot. However, it's fair to say that Jim and Oluwande also deserve the same amount of hype. They may not be the main characters, but they definitely steal every scene they are in, thanks to their chemistry. We know that Oluwande has had a crush on Jim since the first episode, but is just too scared to ruin whatever they have going on already. Plus, he doesn't know what Jim feels because they're guarded and closed off, so he just goes with the flow. Along the way, the crew stops by the notorious Republic of Pirates, where Jim and Oluwande meet Spanish Jackie. The crew also travels to St. Augustine where Jim grew up. Here, Oluwande learns about Jim's tragic past and how they were raised by a badass nun. It is here where we see their relationship slowly turn into something more, specifically when they almost kiss. But Jim opts to stay on the island and continue their mission. Fast-forward, the crew leaves St. Augustine. Sometime later, Jim makes their way back into the ship, surprising Oluwande. The two then finally kiss.
What makes Jim and Oluwande's relationship great is that they were good friends before they became a couple, meaning that we get to see how well they just work together, and it gives us some time to appreciate what they have. More importantly, it's also heartwarming to see this relationship prosper because of its impact on representation in general. Both Jim and Oluwande are people of color, and while it's not explored as much, their characters have expressed their experiences as someone who isn't white. What's more, Jim is a beloved character by many because they are gender-fluid. It's just incredible and amazing to see this kind of representation on a pirate comedy of all possible shows. Moreover, while it is subtle, the crew refers to Jim by the right pronouns, and even Izzy Hands (Con O'Neill) respects it despite hating everyone on the ship. What's also great about it is that no one really makes a whole fuss about Jim and Oluwande as a couple. To them, they're just two people onboard The Revenge who are in love, and it's a great message to put out. Other than that, they're really just fun, chaotic characters who are in their own worlds. What's not to love about that?
Overall, Jim and Oluwande are just characters whose relationship becomes a huge part of the show's identity. Both of them are already awesome in their own ways, but getting them together after many episodes of pining — mostly on Oluwande's part, but that's understandable — feels as if you just won in life. With the highly-anticipated Season 2 being wrapped late last year, many fans are hoping for the two to have more screen time and a more expanded backstory. We need more of these two taking care of their dysfunctional crew. More importantly, we need these two to reunite! They really just deserve more recognition, and we're hoping their relationship gets even more time to shine in Our Flag Means Death's next season.
Season 1 of Our Flag Means Death can be streamed on HBO Max. It's also available on BBC Two for UK watchers. The release date for the second season is yet to be confirmed.