Favorite Scenes Between...Jim & Oluwande
I debated how I wanted to cover Garlic Soup for Favorite Scenes Between… Ultimately, I decided to look at each individual pairing in its own list: Jim/Oluwande, Archie/Jim, Oluwande/Zheng, and so on. So there will be some season 2 scenes that I’ll be revisiting from multiple angles to wring out every last bit of relationship goodness! And where better to start, of course, than with Oluwande and Jim?
When Jim and Oluwande contemplate how to spend their vacation in 1x02
Samson’s delivery on, “Should we hit the beach?” just delights me
Ooh, the stammery talking-over-each-other bit when Olu accidentally offers to “watch” Jim bathe is so good! Classic rom-com awkwardness over an innuendo grenade that just got accidentally lobbed into the conversation
Then, after that painful silence between them, we get Jim coming in with, “Um, maybe we do our own things today?” and Oluwande tripping over himself to agree. They’re so cute!!!
When Olu tells the tribal elder he can’t stay in 1x02
Not much directly between Oluwande and Jim here, but I adore the way Olu’s feelings are peeking out all over during his conversation with the elder. The gentleman doth protest too much!
“It's just my friend.” Cut to that lovely shot of Jim across the beach, with the romantic strings playing in the background—“It's just my friend…” Gaaaahhhhhh! Loverboy Olu, he’s too perfect
When Oluwande warns Jim that they can’t go back to the Republic of Pirates in 1x03
The dynamic between them in this whole scene is so great. I love concerned/fretting Olu and laidback/irreverent Jim—just topnotch
“You mean for the thing with her husband?” “The thi... Yes, the thing where you killed him!” Ha! Love it, perfect, no notes
Jim smug little smile when they say, “Besides, she's got, like, 20 husbands. …Well, 19 now.” I really appreciate the fact that they can be both a highly-trained killer with a tragic backstory and an annoying little shit. That’s so important to me
I like how affronted Jim is by the notion that they couldn’t fool Lucius, how immediately they retort, “Mmm, that's different. Ese bastardito caught me unawares”
Despite Olu’s exasperation with Jim throughout this entire thing, I like that he manages to keep leading with logic. There are multiple instances in this episode where he can’t talk Jim down, but at least it works with Lucius. When Jim’s ready to throw him overboard, Oluwande’s able to get them to back down with, “I don't think that's a good idea, us being on the same team and all!” As stubborn and strongwilled as they can be, their soft spot for Olu is one of the few things that can change their mind
When Jim sees their wanted poster in 1x03
First off, I just enjoy Jim’s swagger as they walk through the Republic of Pirates
“I told you Jackie was still pissed!” I like that Oluwande’s primary response here is still his concern. More so than giving an I told you so or expressing anger that Jim didn’t listen to him the first time, you can feel his wariness at being here—it comes through in his tense stance and his lowered voice
When Jim freaks out that their reward is only 50 doubloons, I love that Olu just says, “I think you're getting the wrong message, Jim,” hee!
“But I-I wasted her husband! That's worth 1000 doubloons at least!” lol, Jackie knew exactly how to get under Jim’s skin, they’re so mad about this! Meanwhile, Oluwande is left trying to shut them up as they loudly yell in a public place about the murder they’re wanted for, I love it
When Jim sneaks off to look for their dagger in 1x03
Oh man, this entire thing has Oluwande sooooooo stressed. Being friends with Jim is taking years off his life
And Jim annoying the little shit strikes again! All my love for them distracting Olu by knocking a glass off the table like a cat
When Lucius gives Jim their dagger back in 1x03
Oh my god, the look Jim gives Oluwande after they kiss Lucius!!!
When the crew asks if Jim is a mermaid in 1x04
Even before Wee John asks the question, Olu is already smiling, and I love his little “told you.” His bemusement pairs so well with Jim’s scowl
When Oluwande & Jim take a moment together at the end of 1x04
This is a short exchange, but the whole thing is so sweet and cute! Obviously, 1x04 is primarily about Stede and Ed meeting and developing their instant connection, with subplots on the Ed-Izzy dynamic and the crew wondering about Jim’s gender. I like that, in an episode where we get a lot of focus on Jim but not Jim/Olu specifically, we still get this nice moment between them, right before we catch up with Stede and Ed in the crow’s nest. It highlights their importance to the ongoing narrative, both as individual characters and within their relationship
“Looks like we're gonna live after all.” “For a little while longer, at least.” Such a great summation of their dynamic in season 1. Oluwande is practical but tends toward hope/optimism where it’s warranted, while Jim is spiky and suspicious, not daring to allow much possibility for good things to happen to them. But Olu can coax them around sometimes, however reluctantly
I love when Jim asks, “Do you think...I can go back to being mute?” Their apprehensive pout, Oluwande’s lovely smile, squeeeeeee!!!
When Stede brings back the treasure map in 1x07
1x07 is of course the mother of all Jim/Oluwande episodes. Here, these two only have a few interactions within the larger ensemble scene, but they still get us off to an excellent start
I don’t know why unconventional sitting arrangements always make me so happy, but they do! I like Oluwande sort of lounging on a cannon with his arm resting on the railing, while Jim sits on the deck flipping their dagger with one leg tucked under them
There’s something I love about Olu giving Jim a little kick with his foot when they won’t look at him
I really like Vico’s derisive delivery on, “I'm not scared of St. Augustine!” Also, Jim’s petulant, “No, I didn’t!” when Oluwande notes that they had a strong reaction to hearing about it
“I never said that!” “Yeah, you don't say a lot”—Subtly Snippy Olu for the win! He’s 100% over Jim’s evasiveness, and I’m here for it
When Olu asks about Jim’s favorite color in 1x07
When everybody is walking through St. Augustine and Jim just…stops while the others walk by them? Oof, man, I feel that! They can’t open up to anyone about their experiences, but they can. Just. Stop. Moving
“I don't know because you don't tell me anything! Because you're weirdly and freakishly secretive, Jim.” “No, I'm not! I'm normal secretive.” Oh my god, I love both of them so much!
Everything about Jim’s favorite color is perfect. I love that that’s something Oluwande wants to know, of course Jim thinks it’s dumb, and I adore how much sincerity Samson injects into, “Everything!” when Jim asks what their favorite color has to do with anything
Look, Jim is having a rough time here. They’re surrounded by their trauma, they can’t bring themself to tell their best friend about it, and they hate that Olu is poking at the things they can’t talk about. But when Oluwande explains why he needs to know Jim’s favorite color, they tell him. They recognize how important it is to him, and they think, This is a part of myself that I can give
And Olu immediately responds with an incredulous, “Who are you?” Hee!!!
When Pete tries to take Nana’s oranges in 1x07
“This is fucking fascinating. That's your nan? Jesus!” Every moment of Samson’s delivery here lives rent-free in my head. Sooooooooo good!
omg, I adore Jim’s annoyed wince with Olu calls, “Coming, Nana!” in That Voice (you know the one!)
When Oluwande and Jim have cake with Nana in 1x07
I love the look Olu shoots Jim when Nana is laughing about the priest who got crushed by a tree. “Wow, dark humor over here!”
Aaaahhhhhhh, Jim’s soft little smile when Oluwande is laughing with Nana about Pete getting paid in oranges. Squeeeeeee!!!
When Jim tells Olu about their family being murdered in 1x07
“I don't remember the rest. Must've blacked it out.” Great delivery here—Vico’s voice is so cold and numb, but when we cut away from the flashback and return to Jim, there’s this subtle but unmistakable hurt on their face
“Look, for what it's worth, you're surprisingly well-adjusted for a…orphan raised by a nun to be a killing machine.” Awwwww!
“Well, look, if you wanted...I could be family.” I love it! I love it so much! The way Oluwande kind rocks from side to side as he builds up the nerve to say it, Samson’s gentle delivery, the way they both look into each other’s eyes at the end. So good!!
And then…the lean! The almost kiss! How wonderful is it that “This is Happening” gives us a “this is happening” moment with both the main ships in season 1???
I love the whole exchange of, “Be careful,” “You know me,” “Yeah, that's why I'm saying be careful.” Jim’s little head tilt, Oluwande taking a step closer to emphasize his words, Jim’s wistful smile? Yes!!!
Oh god, when he flicks the brim of their hat before walking away!!! I think that’s my “Darcy helps Elizabeth into the carriage” moment. The tone and sentiment of the two scenes are quite different, but both convey intimacy more strongly than a more overt gesture would’ve
When Jim comes back in 1x10
Oh wowie, both of their smiles on, “You’re back,” “Looks that way.” I love how, throughout most of this scene, Olu and Jim are both acting pretty subdued/casual (downplaying their feelings a bit,) but in this moment, they just radiate with happiness and relief to see each other again
Oluwande’s shy little, “Erm…I-I missed you,” just kills me. So sweet! And Jim’s smile upon hearing that is gorgeous
The kissing is so cute: the way Jim just grabs Oluwande’s face and goes for it, Olu’s wide-eyed look, the way both of them fall out of frame onto the bed. Awwwww!
When Lucius walks in on Olu & Jim in 1x10
The main interactions here are all with Lucius, but I like Jim and Oluwande’s body language with each other in this scene. Jim being the big spoon is everything to me, and I like that they keep their arm around Olu the whole time they’re shouting at Lucius
When Jim & Oluwande reunite in 2x03
I love how affected Jim is by the eucalyptus scent of the towel. They and the rest of the Kraken crew have already been fed, getting soup as physical nourishment/comfort, but their reaction here—“Fuuuuck, that is refreshing”—shows how much this little luxury of a scented towel is nourishing/comforting to them as well
Gaaaahhhhhh, Olu’s little shoulder bump when he sits down next to Jim and softly tells them, “Missed you”
I know that feelings are mixed on how this scene is handled: whether it’s too dismissive of Jim and Oluwande’s season 1 relationship, the confusion over whether this is a breakup or not, etc. I’m not 100% satisfied with it either, but I think something the scene gets right is how much these two mean to each other, regardless of the exact nature of their relationship. I love Vico’s delivery on, “It felt weird not telling you,” and Jim’s sweet smile on, “You're kind of the best friend I tell things to”
How adorable is Olu doing his doofy little this is what you sound like imitation of Jim? And Jim’s self-conscious, “Aaaahhhhhh…” is perfect
When Oluwande is all, “Okay, that’s enough,” after Jim tells him they saw both of Archie’s boobs, their bemused smile is the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen
When the two crews are in a standoff in 2x04
Both characters are in peak form here. Of course Jim is clinging onto Wee John’s back with a knife at his throat, and of course Oluwande is being the voice of reason trying to get everyone to calm down
Even though Oluwande is mostly using logic to appeal to the crew, asking them to come to a truce and “solve this as fucking adults,” Jim sees the comfort in that logic. “You're saying this is like a space that is…safe?” And yeah, their wariness and confusion is amusing because we know the term “safe space,” but it’s also reflective of how edgy and traumatized they are, that it takes them a second to process the idea of the Revenge being a safe place for them again
Which in turn gives us Olu’s beautiful, “Yeah, babe.” Oh, how I love, “Yeah, babe”!!! Regardless of whatever implications it has toward hinting at Garlic Soup, I love it because it’s so gently reassuring. It’s immediate, given without a second thought. Auntie’s right—Oluwande is soft, but that’s one of his greatest strengths
When Olu, Jim, and Archie hide from the “curse” in 2x05
omg, all three of them sitting on the bed behind the salt line, holding hands and wearing garlic necklaces??? Help, they’re so cute!
I love the little look and nod Jim exchanges with Oluwande when they say, “All right, as long as no one breaks the salt line, we should be safe”
Hee, the way they all make their fingers into crosses when Stede walks in! Oluwande’s yell tickles me, and Jim spitting is too funny
I just adore Oluwande petulantly shouting, “Shut the door!!!” while Jim cries, “Cierra la puerta!”
Generally, it’s interesting that Ou is so caught up in all this. Given the Catholic angle with all the dead priests, I can buy Jim believing in the curse, and that sort of thing feels right up Archie’s alley. But Oluwande is one of the crew members that I’d have voted least likely to worry about curses. I suppose this could be reflective of his closeness with Jim and Archie, that their superstitions are rubbing off on him
When the crew gives the cursed suit away in 2x05
Awwwww, Jim and Olu’s secret handshake? Love it!!! I especially like Oluwande wiggling his tongue
When Jim, Oluwande, and Archie dance in 2x06
Jim spinning Olu, so sweet!
When Archie joins in, I like that Oluwande is just holding Jim from behind in a bear hug. Everyone’s body language/interactions throughout this tiny little snippet are just so warm!
When the crew gets to the Republic of Pirates in 2x07
The way Jim smiles at Oluwande when they say, “All right, we get it, your queen's a genius,” is soooooo cute! Jim saves all their best smiles for Olu, I swear
When Jim arranges for Oluwande to talk to Zheng in 2x07
“Que valga la pena”—I love the soft little touches between these two and the looks they share before Olu goes off to see Zheng
When Olu tells Jim and Archie that he’s leaving with Zheng in 2x07
“Look at you, you got all four limbs!” Hee! I love them
Oof, Olu’s hesitant confession that he’s leaving, with that awkward smile. Meanwhile, Jim still has this lovely grin, but if you watch their eyes, you can see the exact moment it hits Jim that Oluwande is going
By the same token, you can see the hope reignite in Jim’s eyes when Olu says, “As I understand it, there might be a bit of room on the ship,” awwwww!
When Olu realizes Auntie is still alive in 2x08
As Oluwande sees how injured Auntie is, I like that he immediately calls to Jim for help
The dynamic between them here is nice, with Olu being gentle and concerned while Jim is calm and matter-of-fact. Even when they pull the shrapnel out of Auntie’s shoulder and the bleeding gets worse, Jim says, “Oh, shit,” but doesn’t panic—they just quickly staunch the blood with a towel
I just love the way Oluwande looks at Jim when Auntie asks, “Did they get Zheng?” and they calmly reply, “I’m sure she’s fine.” The emotion in his eyes is everything!
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