Before Pluribus, Samba Schutte Starred In A Pirate Show That Was Canceled Too Soon
"Our Flag Means Death" might be over, but the actors who portrayed its cherished band of sea-faring weirdos have carried on. You never know exactly where they'll pop up, either.
Take Samson Kayo, who played Oluwande Boodhari on creator David Jenkins' short-lived but treasured — no pun intended — pirate show (himself one of the few buccaneers on the series who's both competent and sane). He's since appeared in the "Game of Thrones" prequel show "House of the Dragon," along with the Brad Pitt-led racing blockbuster "F1." Or consider Matthew Maher. A prolific performer since 1999, he's followed up his turn as Black Pete (one of many marauders on Jenkins' series who talks a big game but is really a giant softie) with key roles in films varying from "Relay" (a taut thriller starring RIz Ahmed and Lily James) to director Kelly Reichardt's unconventional heist flick "The Mastermind."
This is where "Pluribus" comes in. Samba Schutte, who typically had a cleaver in his hand as the pirate cook Roach on "Our Flag Means Death," co-stars in the sci-fi series as Koumba Diabaté, one of a small handful of humans immune to an extraterrestrial virus that has ravaged Earth, turning the rest of humanity into an unnervingly compliant hive mind. Roach usually wasn't afforded the spotlight on Jenkins' HBO Max comedy, but Schutte made a meal out out of every moment the camera focused on him, whether he's slicing up watermelons with wide-eyed abandon or reacting with barely-hidden skepticism to the claim that one of his crewmates turned into a bird. (Don't ask.) So, unsurprisingly, he's just as noteworthy as Koumba, an outwardly happy go lucky chap who takes advantage of the hive mind's desire to make him happy, no matter what, to indulge in his most hedonistic fantasies.
Our Flag Means Death sailed into the sunset on its own terms
You've heard of queerbaiting (i.e. creatives teasing queer material without delivering it), but what about straightbaiting? That's basically what "Our Flag Means Death" did, and I mean that in a good way. Prior to its debut, the series was marketed as a (very loosely) true story based comedy about Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby), an 18th century Barbadian aristocrat who abruptly decides to become a pirate, only to unexpectedly encounter and befriend the ill-reputed Edward Teach, aka Blackbeard (Taika Waititi). It sounded like the kind of quirky entertainment one could comfortably watch with their straight parents.
More specifically, "Our Flag Means Death" was presented as a show centered on a mismatched platonic buddy duo. But in truth, it's a story about Ed and Stede falling in love and having to confront their flaws (Ed's toxic, macho behavior and Stede's privileged outlook) if they're going to thrive as a couple. "Our Flag Means Death" is also a queer work of art in a deeper sense; besides featuring several explicitly LGBTQ+ characters and relationships, it's wholly uninterested in conventional beauty standards and argues that queerness embodies more than sexual attraction. Roach, for example, is resoundingly queer in the show's eyes ... and not just because he's seemingly in love with his cleaver, either.
Ultimately, "Our Flag Means Death" made little effort to cater to mainstream tastes ... which was surely part of why it canceled after airing two seasons from 2022-2023, despite having amassed a passionate fanbase. Even major budget cuts in season 2 couldn't prevent the show from sailing into the sunset on its own terms, though, as it retained its off-kilter vibe and whimsical aesthetic to the end. No wonder fans love seeing its cast turn up elsewhere.