For an audience more often used to queerbaiting or sometimes no inclusion at all, the shock that this show really was going to commit to that romance seems to have come with much elation, not to mention a viewership which tripled somewhere between its debut and its finale. Not so much as a longing glance between Stede and Ed. Those initial trailers, teasers, and handful of episodes focused on the comedy hijinks of Stede Bonnet and his inept band of pirates. Perhaps some of the infatuation stems from how Our Flag Means Death marketed its romance story - namely, it didn’t.

Even as queer representation has improved over the decades, with several ongoing shows featuring queer characters and subplots, it’s still rare for a series to focus squarely on queer romance, especially in genre shows. That’s in no small part thanks to its centering a romance between two men, Stede Bonnet and Edward “Blackbeard” Teach, which captured the hearts of many, especially among queer viewers starved of on-screen representation. The show skyrocketed in popularity for weeks after its debut, both in terms of streaming metrics and the outpouring of fan art. Our Flag Means Death has become a bit of a sensation, to put it mildly.