Summary
“Mermen” is a truly joyous finale from the series, combining the show’s hilarious comedy stylings with its more tender, touching ones. There are some exciting fight sequences here too and many feel-good, stand-out moments to be enjoyed.
If you are reading this article, then just like me, you probably didn’t want the second season of Our Flag Means Death to ever end. But here we are with the eagerly anticipated Season 2 finale of the beloved Max original series. In Episode 8, “Mermen,” the whole motley crew is reunited as they battle the evil Prince Ricky Banes, who has plans of ending piracy for good.
The finale opens with Edward “Blackbeard” Teach peacefully fishing on a tranquil lake. Since ditching the pirate life, he has found his true self and become one with nature. This happiness is short-lived though, as Ed argues and fights with his co-workers, who quickly banish the lazy worker.
Ed returns to his homeland a failure, only to find the Republic of Pirates in ruins, it has been utterly decimated. Prince Ricky Banes’ despicable plan has worked perfectly, eliminating Zheng’s entire fleet and destroying the Republic of Pirates in one fell swoop.
As he rows through the wreckage of Zheng’s ships, Ed is attacked by a couple of British soldiers. He kills these attackers with ease and then reclaims his leathers. Blackbeard is back baby, ready to save his lover Stede from whatever enemies he may face.
What happened to Stede’s crew after Ricky’s attack?
Meanwhile, the Brits have taken over Jackie’s bar. Spanish Jackie is forced to serve Ricky, whom she so violently maimed not too long ago. Ricky even asks for Jackie to hand him back his severed nose. Pete is forced to serve drinks and the Swede is made to taste test all of the Brits’ drinks in case of poisoning. The rest of Stede’s crew are locked away underground.
Stede and Zheng are the only survivors who have managed to avoid capture. They regroup to plan a counterattack. Zheng is feeling suicidal though after losing her entire army. Stede tries to comfort her and motivates the pirate Queen to instigate a comeback mission.
Ed makes it to dry land. He soon comes across more Brits, who happen to be reading one of Stede’s love letters that he sent to Ed as a message in a bottle. Ed kills the Brits and reads the love letter for himself. He is touched by Stede’s romantic words and motivated to find his lover.
As he travels across the empty beaches, Ed and Stede are quickly reunited. Stede and Zheng battle a group of British soldiers adjacent to Ed, who is doing likewise. In an epic moment from the series, the two lovers spot one another through the fray and run toward each other, embracing and kissing one another, having been cinematically reunited.
At the same time, Ricky speaks with Izzy in private, whilst Stede’s crew attempt to escape their prison cell downstairs. Ricky and Izzy talk about Blackbeard’s legacy and the true purpose of pirating. Izzy talks fondly of the tradition, speaking from the heart about his crew’s undying camaraderie.
Zheng, Ed, and Stede fend off the remaining soldiers and head to Jackie’s bar together. The trio enter the bar to fight their rivals but quickly discover just how outnumbered they are. It doesn’t matter though; Jackie has poisoned all of the soldiers anyway. The enemies all collapse in front of Stede as Jackie laughs hysterically.
Gaining the upper hand, Stede formulates a plan to end this battle once and for all. He suggests that they dress as the Brits, going undercover and returning to Ricky’s army, to call the whole thing off. The crew all agree that this is a suicide mission but follow their naive leader anyway.
The crew changes into the British soldiers’ gear and takes Ricky hostage. Ricky then tells his soldiers that the operation is over, and they will be returning to Britain right away. Of course, the cowardly Ricky fights back though, shooting at Izzy as he escapes, before running away.
The two armies then fight one another. Stede’s crew have the element of surprise on their side and ambush the Brits, easily defeating most of them straight away. The gang then heads to Ricky’s ship, dragging an injured Izzy towards the shoreline.
Who kills Izzy Hands?
The gang manages to escape, but Izzy is bleeding out after Ricky had shot him. Stede and Ed endeavor to fix him, but it is too late, Izzy is a goner. Izzy says his goodbyes to Ed, telling the captain that he is ready now. It’s an emotional goodbye, as Ed cries by Izzy’s side. Izzy is then buried on dry land. Zheng and Auntie speak with Stede and Ed after the funeral. They offer to join forces, to team up to defeat Ricky, their common enemy, together.
As Our Flag Means Death Season 2 comes to an end, Pete and Lucius are wedded. The new crew, featuring the additional members, then set sail for new adventures. Stede and Ed decide to stay behind though.
Ed always wanted to be an innkeeper, and now he has the chance to make his dreams come true. With Stede’s help, the couple plans on opening their own inn, although their new home is in need of a hell of a lot of fixing up.
The season concludes with one final shot, as a seagull lands on Izzy’s grave. It’s implied that this is the very same seagull that Buttons magically transformed into earlier in the season.
