Discomfort in a Married State

Discomfort in a Married State
Season	1
Episode	4
Air date	March 10, 2022
Writer(s)	Eliza Jiménez Cossio
Director	Nacho Vigalondo
Episode guide
Previous	A Gentleman Pirate
Next	The Best Revenge is Dressing Well

Discomfort in a Married State is the fourth episode of the first season of Our Flag Means Death. It aired on March 10, 2022.

Synopsis

As the threat of attack looms, Blackbeard and Stede finally meet. Jim fields questions from an overly curious crew.

Plot

Stede and the other pirates have safely evaded danger after Stede was stabbed the previous episode; they are aboard the Revenge, but Stede is injured and dreams about his life before piracy. Before he became a pirate, he was married to a woman named Mary, but neither loved one another. Their marriage was a poltical and economic alliance and an arranged marriage. From their marriage, Mary bore two children and they continued to accumulate wealth but led a rather sheltered life.

As Stede begins to recover from his sustained injuries, the Revenge comes under duress as it is chased once more by Spanish naval ships. Blackbeard and Stede decide they must form an alliance in order to survive — Stede will teach Blackbeard to be a gentleman, and Blackbeard will teach Stede the in and outs of being a pirate. Stede notices Blackbeard's appreciation for his fabrics (purchased via his huge wealth) and as a result, offers that the two share clothes. Thus, Blackbeard will look more the part of a gentleman.

The morale of the crew soon degrades when they believe that they will be killed by the Spanish naval forces, and Blackbeard jokes about the crew jumping overboard before they are killed. As Blackbeard goes to drink in the captain's quarters, he is joined by Stede who looks at a painting of a lighthouse. When Blackbeard mentions avoiding lighthouses in fear of crashing, the two suddenly have an idea: they must make the Spanish think they are close to a lighthouse. This eventually pays off and the Revenge is safely able to evade the Spanish forces.

As the episode draws to a close, Blackbeard reveals his true intentions to Izzy. He is tired of piracy and plans to retire, handing over his crew to Izzy. First, however, he must make the governments of the world believe that he is dead, this is where he plans to use Stede and why he has been getting so close with him.

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
• Nathan Foad as Lucius Spriggs
• Vico Ortiz as Jim Jimenez
• Matthew Maher as Black Pete
• Kristian Nairn as Wee John Feeney
• Guz Khan as Ivan
• David Fane as Fang
• Taika Waititi as Edward Teach/Blackbeard

Guest Starring

• Nat Faxon as The Swede
• Samba Schutte as Roach
• Boris McGiver as Father Bonnet (Flashback)
• Claudia O'Doherty as Mary Bonnet (Flashback)

Co-Starring

• Eden Grace Redfield as Alma Bonnet
• William Barber-Holler as Louis Bonnet
• Ros Gentle as Mother Bonnet
• Cerris Morgan-Moyer as Victoria Archer
• Benton Jennings as Priest
• Nico Galan as Spanish First Mate
• Sergio Lanza as Spanish Captain
• Carlos Arellano as El Otro

Featured Music

• This episode features the first instance of Gnossiene 5 by Eric Satie as Ed touches the cashmere to his cheek. This leitmotif goes on to be played throughout the show when Stede and Ed have romantic moments.
• The Empty Boat by Caetano Veloso plays through the end credits.

Quotes

Stede: Do you fancy a fine fabric?

Ed: Do you ever feel like you're just treading water, waiting to drown?

Trivia

Behind the scenes

• The title of this episode, "Discomfort in a Married State," comes from a line Stede says to his imagining of Mary: "It's not you, it's me! I was just uncomfortable in a married state." This is a reference to [a famous book on pirates written in 1724], in which the author says of the historical Stede Bonnet, "This humor of going a-pyrating proceeded from a disorder in his mind [according to his former neighbors in Barbados], which had been but too visible in him from time before this wicked undertaking, and which is said to have been occasioned by some discomforts he found in a married state."
• Stand in Stef Nico posted a behind the scenes video of Ed approaching Izzy from the end of this episode to his tiktok, and later to his youtube.

Historical inaccuracies

• Despite being immediately rejected as an unhelpful idea, Stede's suggestion that the Spanish may know ecclesiastical Latin isn't that farfetched. As a Catholic nation, the Spanish had their Mass conducted in Latin and in the era of colonization, it wouldn't be very implausible for them to have missionaries on board.
• It being a leap year is an important plot point. As the action of the show takes place in 1717, this is factually inaccurate, with the closest leap years being 1716 and 1720.
• The couple standing with Stede at his wedding are his parents, so presumably the couple standing with Mary are her parents. The woman is credited as "Victoria Archer," implying that "Archer" is Mary's maiden name, though the historical figure Mary Bonnet's maiden name was "Allamby."
• The date of Stede's birth on his tombstone July 29, 1688, is the date of historical figure Stede Bonnet's baptism according to records from the time. Mary's baptism date is not recorded, though her year of birth was record as 1690, which corresponds with the date in the show of March 15, 1690.
• Similarly, the historical figures of Mary and Stede had four children: Edward, Allamby, Stede, and Mary, while in the show, the two children are named Alma and Louis, presumably for clarity's sake. Though he's just referred to as "Father Bonnet" in the show, historically, Stede's father was also named Edward. (Talk about daddy issues.)

Gallery