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CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION | ||
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Positive:
23
Mixed:
8
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews
ColliderMar 3, 2022
Season 1 Review:
With a series so well-anchored by these two men, the range of the ensemble in place to support them also happens to be a wealth of comedic riches. ... Here, too, lies an example of something that Our Flag Means Death pulls off so well: the blending of comedy and sincerity, especially between the type of people who are still trying to discover the truest versions of themselves.
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Sep 28, 2023
Season 2 Review:
It’s hard not to feel like Season 2 is the Empire Strikes Back of Our Flag Means Death. It brings emotional, romantic, and comedic depth that never would have been possible without the foundation of Season 1, and it uses that advantage to reach heights both die-hard fans and skeptical viewers won’t see coming.
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ColliderSep 28, 2023
Season 2 Review:
With this new installment, Jenkins and the rest of the writing team — Alyssa Lane, Alex Sherman, Adam Stein, Eliza Jiménez Cossio, John Mahone, Simone Nathan, Zayre Ferrer, Jes Tom, and Natalie Torres — still manage to strike the balance between lighter and darker elements, which all contribute to a perfect tenor that sings throughout every episode.
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Oct 5, 2023
Season 2 Review:
Episode three, “The Innkeeper,” makes us wait a hell of a long time to learn the truth of Blackbeard’s fate. .... The episode ends in a true gift for Stede/Ed shippers that’s also in keeping with Our Flag’s gorgeous earnestness.
[The score is the average of grades for the first three episodes.]
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RogerEbert.comOct 3, 2023
Season 2 Review:
Though it takes a couple of episodes to find the equilibrium that made Season One a breakout hit, “Our Flag Means Death"'s second installment elevates the show's ensemble comedy to new heights by shifting its tender queer romance front and center. With its unorthodox approach to comedy and romance, “Our Flag Means Death” continues to be a delightful surprise.
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The TelegraphJan 4, 2023
Season 1 Review:
We recommend you stay for the voyage, because once the easy gags about a progressive pirate captain several fathoms out of his depth have all been used up, Our Flag Means Death charts a slightly different course. ... The relationship between Stede, the gentle man who wants to be a tough guy, and Blackbeard, the tough guy who wants to be a gentler man, is developed with surprising tenderness. There’s even an element of Mad Men’s fixation on how everyone wants something in their life.
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The Daily BeastMar 4, 2022
Season 1 Review:
None of these characters proves an immediate standout, but they each become more amusing as we get to know them better, which bodes well for their voyage’s future. ... Darby and Waititi’s bonkers rapport is the mirthful wind in Our Flag Means Death’s sails, propelling it into ludicrous mismatched-buddy-comedy territory.
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Mar 3, 2022
Season 1 Review:
Jenkins embraces a mishmash of genres for his ruminations on self-discovery, and what it means to find happiness through the unexpected. Season 1 doesn’t quite unearth buried treasure, but by the affecting finale, Our Flag Means Death charts its course in the right direction.
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IndieWireFeb 24, 2022
Season 1 Review:
Cast dynamics have yet to coalesce, though the supporting players — especially Samson Kayo, Joel Fry, and Vico Ortiz — establish distinct, enticing personalities. For an ensemble workplace comedy, the HBO Max original comes out of the gate with a confidence befitting a much more seasoned series.
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Oct 5, 2023
Season 2 Review:
The prevailing emphasis on Stede and Ed also creates an irregular pace that does a disservice to the supporting characters by first meandering and then sprinting through story lines involving them; a cliffhanger ending for seventh episode “Man on Fire,” the last one provided for review, probably would have had more impact if the crew drama leading up to it felt less abrupt.
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The PlaylistFeb 25, 2022
Season 1 Review:
Every time “Our Flag Means Death” threatens in its first five episodes to really find its voice, it feels like a kid distracted by a new, different two in the next chapter. Ultimately, it’s got enough amusing moments and talented performers to offer some comedic escapism once a week, but anyone looking for another “Shadows” or “Flight of the Conchords,” should sail to other waters.
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Oct 4, 2023
Season 2 Review:
While that undercooked romance is still played for laughs in minor ways, we are now asked to care about it in a way that’s ruinous for the comedy. Darby, a talented comedian, and Waititi, who as a performer has charisma but not a lot of range, work hard but can’t bring much genuine feeling to a relationship that functioned better in cardboard form. The shift in focus also takes time and impact away from the rest of the very capable cast of regulars.
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Oct 4, 2023
Season 2 Review:
It’s not so much that a rom-com can’t or shouldn’t be built around these two men, but that it so clearly prefers to look away from their inconvenient truths. The show’s initial outing at least offered a few comedic jabs in the direction of colonialism, but it was only willing to go so far. The new season doesn’t even bother. Instead, “Our Flag Means Death” erases this moral atrocity [slave owning] altogether.
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Feb 24, 2022
Season 1 Review:
Halfway through its first season, Our Flag Means Death is basically a more violent version of Aardman’s delightful stop-motion cartoon The Pirates! Band Of Misfits, only the gags aren’t as consistent and the action choreography isn’t as inventive. Darby and many other talented performers have been set adrift in a sea of good intentions.
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RogerEbert.comMar 2, 2022
Season 1 Review:
“Our Flag Means Death” is always stuck feeling like it’s either trying too hard, or not trying enough; it plays out like the kind of comic experiment that must have been fun for its actors and filmmakers, while we struggle to get on board with its freewheeling dopiness.
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