I thought it would be fun to do a swap of Season 1’s OFMD poster with Blackbeard’s new crew. (And Ivan, both for balance and because I miss him!)

And here’s a version without makeup because I spent all that time drawing eight different faces just to cover seven of them in black grease paint.

When we first see them, they are introduced with Wild West style bad guys music, and go from being a looming threat in the distance to right out front, the threat getting closer as the episode goes on. We then see them all together on the beach and once again, they are framed like the old West bad guys.

Izzy is standing in front and the camera angle is low. This gives the group — and particularly Izzy — the appearance of power. It also makes Izzy look about the same height as Ivan and Fang because at this moment he is trying to use his first mate power status over Stede's crew.

Later in the episode, we see the same blocking but this time it shows Stede in power. Izzy and crew are blocked in the exact same way as earlier, but the camera angle and continued Western nods in the film making — shooting between Stede's legs is a classic beginning of a duel shot — shows the dichotomy of the situation. Stede in his heels and white stockings versus Izzy and crew in their black leather (also a nod to the color scheme of good vs. bad guys in Westerns), and holding onto weapons. But we know Stede will win because it's his legs we are shooting from.

The last shot is near the end of the season when Izzy has been "made" captain of the Revenge. We once again see the same blocking and camera angles as before. Izzy is standing so he is equal in height during his "captainship" and the camera is shooting up emphasizing the power dynamic. The white table cloth in front of him is an interesting choice because it also blocks that Izzy is standing on something to make him equal height with Ivan and Fang again. There can also be a reading on Izzy using a fancy tablecloth like Stede to emphasize him as captain — using fine things.

I love how this show is specific about its blocking and camera angles and what they can say about characters. We see this western style that shoots Izzy as trying to be in power and control but the choices show how the Revenge crew and Stede actually have the upper hand.