The Our Flag Means Death season 2 finale leaves our merry crew in a nice spot: Sure, there’s some British Navy to hunt, but that’s an evergreen truth for pirates everywhere. And in the meantime, Lucius (Nathan Foad) and Black Pete (Matthew Maher) got married, with Zheng (Ruibo Qian) and the crew sailing off into the sunset looking content (and surprisingly functional, all things considered). Izzy (Con O’Neill) dies [sob] but does get to finally share a sweet moment with Blackbeard (Taika Waititi). Stede (Rhys Darby) and Blackbeard stay behind, excitedly settling into their new home together just nearby where they buried Izzy. It’s all very tender and warm-hearted, complete with Ed and Stede running towards each other on the beach for their reunion and confession of love.
Of course, that’s not to say there couldn’t be a season 3 — there’s still room to grow, and maybe another wedding, who knows! Here’s everything we know about Our Flag Means Death and it’s possible upcoming season:
Will there be Our Flag Means Death season 3?
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Photo: Nicola Dove/Max
We don’t know yet! To be fair, it might be a while: The season 2 renewal came months after the first season ended, even with a very diligent fan campaign. There’s a sense that the show got renewed by the skin of its teeth, and season 3 might be no different. So far Max hasn’t announced a new season, but considering how long it took for season 2’s announcement, that’s not necessarily bad news.
At least it bodes well that — at least by some standards — Our Flag season 2 seems to be getting good ratings.
When would Our Flag Means Death season 3 release on Max?
Also unclear: It took more than a year for Our Flag Means Death to get a date announcement after the show was greenlit for a second season. With no official renewal and an ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, it’s possible that even if a season 3 is confirmed, we might not actually see it until 2025 at the earliest.
What would season 3 of Our Flag Means Death be about?
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Photo: Nicola Dove/Warner Media
It seems like season 3 would pick up where the second season leaves off: with Zhang and the crew hunting down Ricky Barnes (Erroll Shand) to get revenge for him blowing up all their ships, briefly imprisoning the pirates, and killing Izzy.
But this isn’t it for Stede and Ed’s tumultuous love story, either. Showrunner David Jenkins has told Polygon he envisions Our Flag as a three-season show. And he sees the arc of Stede and Ed’s relationship as a major guiding force for that:
The point of the first season to me is that these two people are learning what love is for them. In the last episode, Stede’s ex-wife tells him what love is, and then he’s like [perky Stede Bonnet impression] “Oh! Then I’m going back!” And then Blackbeard is like [Blackbeard impression, grumbling sulky noises]. In the last episode, he’s dealing with the fact that he even made himself vulnerable.
The second season to me is like, you have the kiss, you decide you’re gonna run away together, you decide not to do it, ultimately. So watching these two characters navigate each other — at the end of the first season, they’re 14-year-olds, emotionally. In this season, it’s more like they’re in their late 20s. They’re like, [Blackbeard impression] Oh, man, should we move in together? What would that be like? Whose home would we live in, yours or mine?
Watching those two characters deal with that, in this setting, is interesting to me. It’s about the work of a relationship — what does it mean to have a mature relationship? Do we want to do that? And can we do it? Do we have the equipment to do it? That’s an interesting story to follow the fairytale story of “We met each other and we kissed.”