Fleabag - Review
A review on Fleabag - British comedy-drama television series.
My Role
Research, Writing
Type
Freelance
Year
2022
I watched this series too late and am writing about it after watching it so long ago. I am upset about it, but here’s the problem: from the sheer skill with which Fleabag is crafted, it's hard to convey in words. However, I will try my best. Before reading this blog, I recommend you watch this series, as I couldn’t avoid certain spoilers.
Fleabag is seriocomic television series created and written by Pheobe Waller-Bridge, based on her one-woman show first performed in 2013 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The creator takes the viewer on a deep dive into the character's psychology (Fleabag).
The show is about a woman living in London trying her best to pick up the disintegrated pieces of her life and relationships. As a viewer and her crutch, I saw her struggling with her life in Season 1, where she managed to curtain her real emotion with a filter of scintillating humour until the end. Throughout the series, Fleabag communicated with us directly by breaking the fourth wall. I also felt she did that out of guilt and seeking a sense of relief by confiding in us. She knew they would respond if she talked to anyone around her, which might be agonising. Whereas, as the audience, we were a support that let her be and share whenever she wanted to. (Hence, I called myself a crutch earlier). I believe that’s what she referred to when she said, “I have friends”, who she speaks to in her therapy session in Season 2.
The writer shared that it was never her intention to make season 2. But I am glad they made another one. Even though it was believed that 1st season was the end of it all, the second season felt like a needful sequel to the story. Season 2 opens with Fleabag looking straight at the camera and delivering the season's theme: “This is a love story”, creating predictability around how the story will unfold. However, to the viewer’s surprise, it did not end as expected (spoiler alert).
The Priest
“The (hot) priest” was the most potent character after Fleabag (of course) in Season 2. Priest, played by Andrew Scott (great casting), was a charismatic and layered character in many ways. First, he was the only one who could see through Fleabag. He was the only one who noticed Fleabag’s inveterate escape from her reality while she talked to the audience. This initially threatened Fleabag but eventually made her fall in love with the priest.
Fleabag struck a chord with many different audiences, but fans of the hot priest seem to make up the majority. I wondered what exactly about this character that had so many ready to sin (another spoiler)? I realised that almost all of us continuously seek someone who can see through us, find us in our deep and darkest places, and bring us back into reality. Moreover, the forbidden (love) relationship between Fleabag and the Priest touched upon the known aspect of Love as Longing. We're wired to equate love with longing, which means that the only time we feel in love and certain is when our partner isn't fully available. We chase. We long. And then we think we're in love(1). That’s what happened with Fleabag. She never showed it upfront but wanted to be loved and finally found someone who saw her the way she saw herself or tried to see herself. Nonetheless, she could not have it.
Fleabag and The Priest
My favourite scene from the series was the last scene from Season 2, where Fleabag is left heartbroken and asks the viewers not to follow her. That was the most empowering scene that showed Fleabag’s budding emotional independence. I related to this. I am sure all the heartbreak bearers would find the ending incredibly liberating.
Moreover, all the characters in the series have given a spellbinding performance. Fleabag is obviously the essential character; however, the characters around her aid it. Pheobe has done an excellent job at writing other characters that only complement one another in indispensable ways. The series overall is packed with an exact sense of where to leave a story and the wisdom of how much importance should be given to each character. As a viewer, I still ache for more even though I realise it might be extraneous and needless.
It would be selfish to ask for more of Fleabag, but I still imagine what it would be like to see Fleabag in her 40’s,50’s or 60’s, dealing with other phases of life like marriage, parenthood, or death. This is the best part about a great story. It leaves the viewers with endless possibilities and hopes to see more.
In conclusion, This series fits nicely into the “hero’s journey”. It was not a typical one, though. In a traditional story, in the end, Fleabag would have gotten the man of her dreams. Instead, Fleabag’s love story was about loving herself, being emotionally librated and learning to love others, no matter what pain that may bring, and this made this series stand out the most for me.
Credits:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/what-is-love_b_3729505
Google (Image Credits)
