‘Our Flag Means Death’ Is the Ultimate Friends-to-Lovers Valentine’s Day Stream

There’s a special place in rom-com heaven for friends-to-lovers stories. Isn’t that what we all secretly want out of life: to not only love our partners but to like them as well? No two characters exemplify this particular trope better than Ed (Taika Waititi) and Stede (Rhys Darby) in Our Flag Means Death.

When you think of TV friends becoming lovers, the usual suspects come to mind: Jim and Pam from The Office; Ross and Rachel on Friends; Janine and Gregory from Abbott Elementary if you’re into newer comedies. The simultaneous joy and frustration of all of these romances and romances like them is that they unfold in the background. Take The Office, for example. Greg Daniels’ 2000s-era mockmentary was always first and foremost about Michael Scott’s (Steve Carell) incompetency and the frustration of working a dead-end office job. But between the eye rolls and mockery there was always Pam (Jenna Fischer) laughing just a bit too hard at her friend’s joke and Jim’s (John Krasinski) lingering looks at reception. Though they eventually became vital to the success of this comedy, Jim and Pam started as a subplot.

Conversely, Stede and Ed’s evolving relationship is the entire plot of Our Flag Means Death. When the audience first meet Stede and Blackbeard, aka Ed, they’re both messes in their own way. Stede is a pirate captain who’s more concerned with workers’ rights than pillaging, and he has a distaste for violence and gore. Though Ed’s flaws are better kept secret if you haven’t watched the show, they become just as crucial to the plot as Stede’s as the series unfolds. Ed’s a man who has fought and clawed his way to the top only to find success as dull as it is lonely. Stede needs a mentor, and Ed needs a friend who won’t defer to him.

As soon as Ed is properly introduced in Episode 4, the focus of Our Flag Means Death shifts entirely to show how these two men need each other. Full episodes are dedicated to Stede and Ed teaching each other new ways to exist in the world. As Stede learns how to sword fight, take a stabbing, and stand up for himself, Ed learns how to survive in polite society and honestly ask himself what kind of man he wants to be.

As they grow together, becoming new people they could never otherwise become without the other, the gaps between these big, transformational scenes are filled with laugher and hushed conversations. There’s a real sense that these are two people who simply enjoy each other’s company. Showrunner David Jenkins takes care never to make light of these smaller moments. Instead, just like in real friendship, these asides become the core of their relationship and the show as a whole. The actual plot points of the show — those high society parties, encounters with the British, and reunions with old friends — become the subplots to the far more interesting story of Stede and Ed’s friendship.

And so when Ed finally kisses Stede in Episode 9, it feels inevitable. By the point, we had already seen Ed defend Stede against his oldest friends and collaborators and give up his greatest love — piracy — to save his friend’s life. Through his actions, Ed has proven that Stede is the most important person in his life. Of course there was going to be a kiss. That’s the only way this beautiful relationship could be further elevated.

Oddly enough, it’s Stede’s widow who cements that this is a love story. After his escape with Ed goes awry, Stede returns to his family, including his wife who has fallen in love with another man. When asked what being in love is like, Mary unknowingly summarizes the relationship we’ve seen all season.

“It feels easy. It’s just like breathing,” Mary says. “He understands my idiosyncrasies, finds them charming even. We expose each other to new things, new ideas. And we laugh a lot. We just pass the time so well. I’d call those things love.”

How beautiful is that? How absolutely swoon-worthy? How heart-achingly rare?

So often the relationships we see on TV are difficult. They’re defined by dramatic fights, lies, and drifting eyes. That’s why it’s so nice to have Our Flag Means Death, a show that center around a positive, respectful relationship. Stede and Ed don’t just love each other; they like each other. Even though Season 1 ends on a forced breakup, you can’t find a better relationship than that this Valentine’s Day.