Our Flag Means Death

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.

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.

Fine, funny, oddly sweet and surprisingly fact-based period comedy.

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.

In “Our Flag Means Death,” the farcical humor is more of the subtle, knowing variety than it is playing for big belly laughs.

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.

Although Our Flag Means Death isn’t laugh-a-minute, it’s got a good-enough story to set up a unique workplace comedy. It may take a few episodes, but the funny stuff will come once the ensemble is well-established.

The most interesting thing about “Our Flag Means Death” — if also what might disappoint fans hoping for something more patently ridiculous — becomes how it ends up more gently introspective than outright funny in its hunt for comic treasure.

It is the chemistry between the two leads, who are old friends from New Zealand, that keeps this lark afloat.

Our Flag Means Death might be too laid-back to actually be funny, but it drifts towards somewhere good.

Things perk up when Blackbeard (Waititi) and his crew show up, providing a necessary contrast between actual pirates and the ragtag bunch we start with, but their stronger personalities only underline the fact that the original crew is undersketched.

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.

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.