Katie McGrath as QueenSabrantheNinthofTheHouseofBerethnet | The priory of the orange tree
Nothing in my life was real. Even the attempts to take my life were staged, designed to influence and manipulate me. But you, Ead— I believed you were different.
I made a handful of posts that dealt with this subject pre-Hollow Mind and the like, but at this point in time I feel it bears reiterating: I love the idea of Caleb being a bit of an asshole as well. I am not enjoying the “Pure Good and Pure Evil” idea I see tossed around and embraced by some of the fandom regarding the Brothers Wittebane. I feel it gives a much needed-layer of depth to Caleb’s character, which has thus far existed solely as a pure, kind-hearted martyr. Placing him on a pedestal like this makes such an important character who, despite his death hundreds of years before the start of the series, feel extremely flat.
I’m partial to the idea that Caleb was selfish. We don’t know the exact timeline or sequence of events before the fateful fight, but based on Belos’ memories, a good deal of time had passed between Caleb meeting the Clawthorne, Philip arriving on the Isles, and his brother subsequently finding him, enough time to transition from scrappy suspenders-wearing lad to the bearded, knife-wielding menace Philip became.
What if this is indicative of Caleb leaving? He was so enchanted by the Isles, by magic, by this fantastic woman he met, caught up in the whirlwind of the new world he had discovered that he never looked back. He was eager to leave Gravesfield, maybe he felt stifled by the barebones future of a carpenter he saw laid out before him, but he left with her for the Boiling Isles and never looked back. He never looked back at the gray little town he grew up in, and he never looked back for his brother. Caleb, so caught up in his own newfound happiness, never once thought that abandoning the human world would have any unintended consequences. He thought only of himself and the new life he could see laid out before him, where his carvings sprang to life and his bride could do miracles with a wave of her hand.
The Brothers Wittebane were each selfish. And it destroyed both of them.
do mainstream authors know that they can make their heroes cry? like, they don’t have to just feel these overwhelming emotions dry-eyed?? and tears don’t make them weak??? it’s literally a natural bodily function that happens when you feel Strong Emotions????? and it’s lovely???????? and I just want more men in fiction crying pls it’s literally all I need????????? I swear it’s like I get blue balls waiting for these men to cry and they NEVER DO IT’S INHUMANE
I honestly think if Izzy had been at the French party his view of Stede would have significantly shifted enough for him to calm down about the bloke for 5 minutes and the duel might never have happened.
Izzy hates Stede. There are a wide variety of reasons for this that have been much discussed by the fandom. ‘Jealousy’ is probably the main one, but honestly, Izzy hates Stede LONG before Stede even meets Ed in episode 4. By the end of episode 2 there’s already a very clear rivalry set up between these two independent of Edward: This isn’t over Mr Bonnet.
There are some wonderful posts by others that go into this in way more detail than I will do here but overall, Izzy’s hatred of Stede is in part due to Stede’s aristocratic status, his piracy and the fact that he didn’t ‘earn’ any of it. What kind of fucking idiot runs their ship aground? Izzy asks the moment we meet him. And he gets his answer: an aristocrat playing dress up, pretending to be a pirate. What a perverse misuse of space he comments about the ship. When they have their confrontation in the Jackie’s Bar Stede is wearing the most ridicious outfit ever and just introduced himself as ‘landed gentry’. He can’t even fight! He knocks over the damn nose jar! He’s not a real pirate, he’splayingat being a pirate and it drives Izzy round the twist because it’s going to get them all killed. And then, on top of that, Stede doesn’t have to work for Edward’s affections. Izzy has. Izzy has been Ed’s right hand man, has managed his ‘erratic moods’, has soothed the moods of the crew. He’s been doing that for yearsand then this entitled rich guy comes along who feels just as entitled to Ed’s life as he is to being a pirate, and Ed lets it happen.
So. Not the wholepicture, but if this is part of the main fuel in the fire so to speak when it comes to Izzy’s hatred of Stede, then going to the French Party would have allowed Izzy to see a bit of a different side.
Because at the French Party Stede is a) uncomfortable, mocked by his own peers, clearly a bit of an outcast in the social circle which Izzy believes he’s supposed to exist in and b) is willing to let a ship burn down around him. He’s also competent at the party. He knows that shooting everyone isn’t the way to go, and instead puts on a bit of trickery and passive aggression. The French Party shows us another part of why Stede wanted to run away from high society despite liking various aspects of it (like the fine clothes). The French Party shows us that Stede is happy to be violent in his own way and while not trained in a sword is trained in the sort of passive aggression that can take down nobles and is even competent in it. The French Party shows Stede willing to work with those who society deems ‘lesser’ in order to make this happen (the servants who give him the information to use against the rich prats).
And it’s absolutely tragic because Izzy isn’t there. He’s not there to see any of this. If Ed talks about it afterwards, Izzy is going to think he’s exaggerating because he’s ‘being seduced’. What’s Izzy doing instead? Establishing a rivalry with the otherperson on the ship who seems closest to Stede in mannerisms and social class. Lucius probably wasn’t an aristocrat, but he also seems to have come from a well off background. He knows how to read and write, and his accent is that of an upper middle class modern boy. He’s also the most resistant to doing any sort of work on the ship and yet is one of the most liked crew members; a lesser form of Stede’s entitlement.
SoEd’sgotten to see this side of Stede, and we as an audience have, but Izzy is never shown it. Stede remains the guy from episode 2 who runs his ship aground for Izzy for the whole season. He remains entitled to a romantised pirate life he didn’t work for, and for Ed’s affections which (in Izzy’s mind) he didn’t work for. Izzy wasn’t there when Stede and Ed came up with the lighthouse idea together, he wasn’t at the party. Any and all competence Stede exhibits throughout the season Izzy is either unaware of or can attribute entirely to Edward. Stede is just some idiot imbecele who is going to get Edward killed.
