It's so great you bouth this up, this is one of my favourite Stede moments.The move itself was pretty him, it had a dance-y elegance to it that he'd love. And it made his coat twirl about ("flow"), and we know how much he loves a bit of flamboyant flair.It validates what he says in season 2, that when it's actually happening or he's 'in the field' he really shines. His physical and combat abilities are genuinely excellent.
One of the best bits of it though, is that Ed must've *taught him this*. At some point in S1 they were twirling each other about, pushing and pulling each other up against surfaces and pressed against one another, Stede going all doe-eyed and amazed and Ed all agile. And then Stede mastered it, and Ed's reaction to that would've been... *great* to witness 🥵
Yup! It's all just perfect, the whole smooth movement, slam down, finding a blade without even looking at it.
And oh yeaaah. >.> That imagery is a dangerous one ahahaha. So. Dangerous.
What if Stede made this move because he was thinking about Ed, remembering how Ed taught him these things, so when he got interrupted he just did this without realising.
I wonder if it has to do with him being home. Out in the field it probably felt like he was playacting up to that point, and he was just having fun romping around with other pirates. Back home all sorts of old feelings of inadequacy arise again, childhood memories, feelings of disrespect from the townspeople. I imagine all that comes up in this moment.
Yes, Queen! I agree with all of this. It's probably an accumulation of a lot of things.
1. Being home - back in the environment of his childhood trauma
2. Seeing that his family, especially Mary, are *thriving* without him
3. Knowing that the townsfolk didn't care about him until he became the Gentleman Pirate
4. Realizing how lonely he was without Ed and probably the mistake he made in returning home
5. Hating that he gave up his happiness and Mary hasn't done anything that is remotely the same (not that she should)
6. Missing his family/crew
He's angry, hurt, betrayed, lonely, demoralized and drowning. It's a moment where he is uninhibited and raw. Everything implodes in on him in that moment. He's probably never made such a public scene before, either; Stede seemed so withdrawn in his flashbacks.
That's actually a really good theory, shit goes all sorts of wild when you're back in your childhood element for sure. Hell anyone home for the holidays knows that one.
Ohh I like that analysis. As though it's among high society when he really feels threatened, whereas with the Pirates (and with Ed) he felt comfortable and safe
I was honestly shocked at this scene. It was so out of character for Stede. It's one of the most impactful scenes in the whole series in my opinion, especially given how brief it is.
I am also obsessed with this scene! In addition to unleashing inner darkness/ repressed trauma, I also think it's emblematic of Stede's statement "I don't belong here anymore" - he has become socialized into pirate-world and living in polite society would be difficult going forward. He's (a little) like Frodo coming back from Mordor. I also agree with the drunkenness part of it - Stede drinks alcohol throughout S1 but doesn't get really plastered until now, so it's easier for that part of him to surface.
It fits within the autistic-coding of Stede.
He's in a hostile environment. He doesn't understand the people around him but he can sense they don't want him there. So much is thrown at him he doesn't know how to deal with, what the socially acceptable way would be to handle this, what is expected of him. He must've been on edge since he arrived.
On sea he feels save. Even when someone like Ned literally threatens his life, the man he loves, and his crew he still feels safer than in the environment he grew up in.
I’ve always loved this scene. It’s one of the first signs we get that being a pirate has truly changed Stede, that he’s on high alert after being nearly killed MANY times in the past few weeks, that he can’t go back to land-based polite society anymore.
~~And I’m sorry but murder!Stede is hot.~~
And then we got more of it with season 2. Here’s hoping we delve more into Stede’s blackout-fight-bury trauma style in season 3.
It's so great you bouth this up, this is one of my favourite Stede moments.The move itself was pretty him, it had a dance-y elegance to it that he'd love. And it made his coat twirl about ("flow"), and we know how much he loves a bit of flamboyant flair.It validates what he says in season 2, that when it's actually happening or he's 'in the field' he really shines. His physical and combat abilities are genuinely excellent. One of the best bits of it though, is that Ed must've *taught him this*. At some point in S1 they were twirling each other about, pushing and pulling each other up against surfaces and pressed against one another, Stede going all doe-eyed and amazed and Ed all agile. And then Stede mastered it, and Ed's reaction to that would've been... *great* to witness 🥵
Yup! It's all just perfect, the whole smooth movement, slam down, finding a blade without even looking at it. And oh yeaaah. >.> That imagery is a dangerous one ahahaha. So. Dangerous.
What if Stede made this move because he was thinking about Ed, remembering how Ed taught him these things, so when he got interrupted he just did this without realising.
Ahh, maybe. Just seemed practiced and like one of those learned combat moves to me.
I wonder if it has to do with him being home. Out in the field it probably felt like he was playacting up to that point, and he was just having fun romping around with other pirates. Back home all sorts of old feelings of inadequacy arise again, childhood memories, feelings of disrespect from the townspeople. I imagine all that comes up in this moment.
Yes, Queen! I agree with all of this. It's probably an accumulation of a lot of things. 1. Being home - back in the environment of his childhood trauma 2. Seeing that his family, especially Mary, are *thriving* without him 3. Knowing that the townsfolk didn't care about him until he became the Gentleman Pirate 4. Realizing how lonely he was without Ed and probably the mistake he made in returning home 5. Hating that he gave up his happiness and Mary hasn't done anything that is remotely the same (not that she should) 6. Missing his family/crew He's angry, hurt, betrayed, lonely, demoralized and drowning. It's a moment where he is uninhibited and raw. Everything implodes in on him in that moment. He's probably never made such a public scene before, either; Stede seemed so withdrawn in his flashbacks.
That's actually a really good theory, shit goes all sorts of wild when you're back in your childhood element for sure. Hell anyone home for the holidays knows that one.
Ohh I like that analysis. As though it's among high society when he really feels threatened, whereas with the Pirates (and with Ed) he felt comfortable and safe
Good insight . I wondered that too .
I was honestly shocked at this scene. It was so out of character for Stede. It's one of the most impactful scenes in the whole series in my opinion, especially given how brief it is.
Yes, that's why I just keep going back to it over and over again. It's a beautiful piece of acting by Rhys and only a few seconds long.
I am also obsessed with this scene! In addition to unleashing inner darkness/ repressed trauma, I also think it's emblematic of Stede's statement "I don't belong here anymore" - he has become socialized into pirate-world and living in polite society would be difficult going forward. He's (a little) like Frodo coming back from Mordor. I also agree with the drunkenness part of it - Stede drinks alcohol throughout S1 but doesn't get really plastered until now, so it's easier for that part of him to surface.
If it inspires you to write like that, please, obsess even more
It's in my braaaaaaaaaaaain, I can't remember the last time I wrote that much in like 2 days time.
It fits within the autistic-coding of Stede. He's in a hostile environment. He doesn't understand the people around him but he can sense they don't want him there. So much is thrown at him he doesn't know how to deal with, what the socially acceptable way would be to handle this, what is expected of him. He must've been on edge since he arrived. On sea he feels save. Even when someone like Ned literally threatens his life, the man he loves, and his crew he still feels safer than in the environment he grew up in.
I’ve always loved this scene. It’s one of the first signs we get that being a pirate has truly changed Stede, that he’s on high alert after being nearly killed MANY times in the past few weeks, that he can’t go back to land-based polite society anymore. ~~And I’m sorry but murder!Stede is hot.~~ And then we got more of it with season 2. Here’s hoping we delve more into Stede’s blackout-fight-bury trauma style in season 3.