Circe

I know the correct answer is, "It's complicated," but if you could only choose one answer, why is Ed crying in his final scene in S1 ep. 10?

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His S1 plan failed & he's back being Blackbeard
45.6%
He misses Stede
54.4%
Poll ended at .
Jul 9, 2023 at 4:05pmWeb
Show threadSwevJul 9, 2023
@Circe ohhhhh I'm genuinely torn about this huh
Show threadSwevJul 9, 2023
@Circe bc obviously both, but in that scene the grief would be overwhelming and intermingling
Show threadTreesJul 9, 2023
@sweveris @Circe for the first time I'm wondering if he's specifically regretting not going through with the plan to take stede's life and place (like he is having many thoughts about many things. But maybe that is one of them.)
Show threadSwevJul 9, 2023
@treesofgreen @Circe ohhh yesssss. I ended up voting for the first one bc while Stede was fun and great and made Ed happy, the cut from *that *euphoria to the immediate devastation of being back to square one again in a life he didn't want, and deeply, *deeply* unhappy- ow.
And the weight of *that* combined with the failure of Stede not wanting him could absolutely make him wish for him to never have deviated from the plan 
Show threadBiffo3Jul 9, 2023
@Circe baby is so, so, tired of life in general fucking him over.
Show threadโœจ๐•Š๐•ก๐•–๐•”๐•œโœจJul 9, 2023
@IzzyCanyon @Circe I chose โ€™s1 plan failedโ€™ bc I think โ€˜misses Stedeโ€™ oversimplifies the profound devastation Ed must've feeling in that moment. He spent years cultivating this terrifying alter-ego so that he could never be hurt, never have to be that scared, vulnerable kid in the corner ever again; then he met Stede and thought he was safe to let his guard down around this man, who encouraged him to think maybe he was worthy after all of the beautiful, soft things his mother said people (1/2)
Show threadโœจ๐•Š๐•ก๐•–๐•”๐•œโœจJul 9, 2023
@Circe @IzzyCanyon like them couldn't have... only to cast Ed aside as soon as he stopped being interesting, just like they'd done to him at the party. This was about a man at the top of his game failing at the one thing that really mattered to him for the first time in years. That shit wouldโ€™ve made anyone sob :( (2/2)
Show threadCirceJul 9, 2023
@specktacles @IzzyCanyon
You're right about Stede. I should probably have worded that option, 'He thinks Stede rejected him bc he wasn't worthy.' I'm sure that's what's going through Ed's head, given Stede's horrified reaction at seeing his beardless, 'domesticated' face. So far as my poll is concerned, I think option #1 is the primary reason he's so crushed, but losing Stede - or the man he thought Stede was - is also devastating to him.
Show threadCalJul 9, 2023

@specktacles @Circe

I was def happy the show went to lengths to like, detach Ed's character arc about being about one dude he just met.

Shooting the two identical Stede + Izzy scenes is vital to me, Ed happy cleaning -> each abandoning him.

And having the bender be about wearing an expensive robe and eating only marmalade rich guy style b4 letting go of the "fine things" square. His dreams have been devastated.

Show threadCirceJul 9, 2023
@jellyfishsynthesis @specktacles You're right that both Stede and Izzy abandoned Ed, and for the same reason: Ed was no longer Blackbleard. I know that Stede was important to Ed, but I think Ed's S1 story arc was about him reaching for the sky and failing, not just meeting and falling in love with Stede. He failed to transform himself into a storybook gentleman right from the start, so his arc was as doomed as Stede's attempt to run away and turn into a storybook pirate.
Show threadCalJul 9, 2023

@Circe @specktacles

That's a lovely way to think about it and partly new for me! They both had all their fantasies of escape from unfulfilling lives equally shattered. I hadn't thought about the truly utter unachievableness of the particular way they each romanticized those ideals from the start.

(It makes sense Stede was the one given some emotional resolution because he had to get back out on the ocean, regardless, for a S2 to happen!)

Show threadโœจ๐•Š๐•ก๐•–๐•”๐•œโœจJul 10, 2023
@jellyfishsynthesis @Circe @IzzyCanyon it just hammers home the fact that Edโ€™s emotional resolution is gonna have to go through Izzy, same as Stedeโ€™s went through his family.
Show threadSeraJul 9, 2023
@Circe I don't think you can really separate those two things, but I voted the second option because if he'd gone through with the plan and killed Stede, s1 would have still ended with him curled up in Stede's bed and sobbing.
Show threadSeraJul 9, 2023
@Circe Whereas in episode 7 we see how he acts after the plan has failed but he still has Stede around and he's just... tired and cranky. Struggling, but not actively having a breakdown. So yeah, I think having the one person he loved abandon him is what did it.
Show threadCirceJul 9, 2023
@seraphknights If he (or Izzy) had killed Stede by ep. 6, I think he would have have gone ahead with his plan to kill Stede and steal his identity. After ep 7 he wanted to keep Stede in his life, but he had no time to figure out his next steps. Stede abandoning him shipwrecked him back in his old life. I think losing Stede just reinforced how badly his gamble to escape from piracy failed, but he was definitely upset just about Stede ditching him, too.