Our favorite queer pirates are back! The fraught love story between Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby) and Ed, a.k.a. Blackbeard (Taika Waititi), is getting most of the attention, but Stede and Ed are supported by an amazing cast of flawed and lovable pirates. Season 2 delves deeper into Izzy Hands (Con O’Neill) and introduces Zheng Yi Sao (Ruibo Qian), but let’s not forget about one of the show’s most underrated characters: Jim, played by Vico Ortiz.
Jim spent most of season 1 in disguise, keeping silent to hide their identity as the killer of Spanish Jackie’s (Leslie Jones) favorite husband. The reveal of Jim’s real identity led to a fun and thought-provoking moment, with Jim realizing that moving away from femininity, towards a more nonbinary identity, felt right. At the end of season 1, they ended up as part of Blackbeard’s crew aboard the Revenge.
To say Jim has a bad time between seasons 1 and 2 is a colossal understatement. Ed is angry, volatile, and abusive. Jim and the others finally can’t take it anymore, and leave him for dead.
However, Jim’s ordeal leads to some great moments. Ortiz gets to show off more of their comedic chops, blanching as they care for the injured Izzy and snapping under the pressure of Ed’s abuse. They even get sucked into a love triangle, falling for their crewmate Archie (Madeleine Sami) before being reunited with Oluwande (Samson Kayo), with whom they shared a brief romance in season 1.
Plus, that glow-up. Just look at this hot pirate!
The best moment in Jim’s story arc, so far, is the story they tell to Fang to cheer him up while they’re both under Blackbeard’s command. In a hilarious mashup of “Pinocchio” and “The Monkey’s Paw,” Jim tells the story of a puppet who asks a monkey’s paw to make him a real boy. To Fang’s delight, Jim even does the voices, throwing in lines like “I will make you the fleshy boy you desire” and “I’m turning into flesh! It’s so soft!” It’s a funny, heartwarming scene that shows us more facets of Jim’s personality.
And when you think about it, the “Pinocchio” mashup is the perfect story for Jim to tell. Jim has undergone a transformation of their own, from a fugitive on the run for murder to a gloriously nonbinary pirate. Here’s hoping that now that Stede is back on the Revenge, Jim will have a chance to take a breath, relax, and keep exploring their beautiful self.
(featured image: Max)
