“He Just Wants To Fix Blackbeard”: Izzy Hands Actor On Key Our Flag Means Death Season 2 Relationship

Warning: SPOILERS for Our Flag Means Death season 2

Our Flag Means Death season 2 expanded the world of the pirate series in nearly every way, introducing new characters, deepening relationships, and injecting a healthy dose of the surreal into the swashbuckling series. The end of the season sees a reunited Stede Bonnet and Edward Teach, a.k.a. Blackbeard, choosing to forgo the pirate life and settle down on land. How long that will last in a potential season 3 is up for debate, but for now, the two captains have found happiness.

Blackbeard’s decision to settle down came on the heels of a tragedy in the death of his longtime first mate Izzy Hands. Hands’ journey in Our Flag Means Death season 2 was one of the season’s most compelling; the character went from a season 1 villain to one of the show’s most relatable characters, even showing his softer side with beautiful renditions of “La vie en rose” in episode 6. Still, it was an emotionally torturous journey for Izzy. Con O’Neill, the actor behind the character, spoke to the crux of Izzy’s season-long arc in a recent interview with Screen Rant:

Con O’Neill: He just wants to fix Blackbeard. That’s why he takes his life in his hands by confronting Blackbeard; he just wants Blackbeard to be fixed, to find his soul again, [and] to find his heart again. Whether he’s involved in that is not relevant. What’s relevant is, he loves Blackbeard so much that he wants him to find himself again. So, it’s never Izzy’s version of Blackbeard that Izzy’s looking for. He’s looking for Blackbeard to find himself again, and that’s only through Stede.

Why Izzy Hands Is Season 2’s Most Tragic Character

Our Flag Means Death creator David Jenkins responded to Izzy Hands’ death, making it clear that doing the character justice was at the top of everyone’s mind. As dramatically effective as Hands’ death was, however, it came at a moment when Hands had mostly repaired his relationship with Blackbeard and helped to steer him into the arms of his love. Con O’Neill spoke on the subject, stating that the mere fact Hands was such a pivotal figure meant he was probably on the way out:

Con O’Neill: …to be honest, I felt it was going that way. I’ve been around a long time, and when a character starts this kind of arc, especially in something as interesting as our show is… When David took me out for dinner, I kind of thought this was where it was going, and, partly, I was relieved. I’m not an actor who likes to just repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat. And I knew that Ed and Stede were going to end up together at the end of this season, so Izzy, as he stands, wouldn’t make any sense to still be there.

Going by O’Neill’s words, Izzy Hands’ death can be seen as something like collateral damage; in a show about the relationship between Stede Bonnet and Edward Teach, Izzy Hands’ close ties with Blackbeard risk distracting viewers from the heart of the series’ story. In spite of how central the character was to Our Flag Means Death season 2, Izzy Hands had to die because he had fulfilled his dramatic purpose. It’s good for the show, but bad for Izzy, whose own story potential was sacrificed in favor of a larger purpose.

The way Izzy Hands’ growth was shown in Our Flag Means Death season 2 is what makes his story even more tragic. Izzy’s arc threatened to steal the show on multiple occasions, with the characters’ embrace of a paternal role, song, and even a drag look highlighting a surprising transformation that fueled some of the season’s most memorable moments. Of course, it’s the fact that Izzy was going to die that likely led to the highs the character experienced, so as much as Izzy Hands’ death in Our Flag Means Death season 2 was a sad necessity, it cemented the character as one of the season’s—and show’s—best elements.