Izzy Hands, Our Flag Means Death
First introduced as Blackbeard’s surly right-hand man, suspicious of any new relationships that might distract his captain from their ruthless way of life, Israel “Izzy” Hands (played by the excellent Con O’Neill) revealed himself to be a man of surprising depth. Our Flag Means Death’s second season showed him working through mountains of emotional and physical pain, peeling back those tough-guy layers to show the beating heart lurking inside the pirate. His death was a gut-punch, but at least we got to hear his rendition of “La Vie en rose” before he departed.
