Our Flag Means Death Season 2 Is Leaning Into the Ed/Stede/Izzy Triangle

It’s undeniable that in HBO Max’s pirate comedy Our Flag Means Death, Edward Teach (Taika Waititi) and Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby) are in love with each other. But in season two, David Jenkins is giving jilted first mate Izzy Hands (Con O’Neill) a chance to compete for the hearts of the two captains. Or at least, mess with the dynamic a little bit.

“I think the three of them are on an arc together that’s pretty inseparable,” Jenkins said in an interview with io9. “And to watch Izzy try to process what’s happened [in season one]… to watch him kind of grow and figure out what’s his own story, if he can separate himself from this kind of toxic relationship, is interesting to me and I think gives him a lot of room for growth.”

In the first season Izzy had a very antagonistic relationship with Stede and was, more or less, coerced into staying with Ed across the episodes. This seasons sees him trying to not only help Stede but take control of his life from Ed. In two moments of desperation during the first few episodes, Ed and Izzy admitted they loved each other, but they’re obviously still figuring shit out.

After io9 mentioning that Con O’Neill was great this season, Jenkins offered a quick correction: “He’s great every season.” He added, “I love that character and I love what [Con] brings to it. A large part of the reason I love that character is just Con’s take on him so interesting.” Jenkins later explained, “I love all my kids equally, but I love Izzy Hands.”

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