Fleabag Recap

This is an old post I just had sitting in my drafts from this spring – never got around to posting it, so I guess now is better than ever!

Just a quick blog post dedicated to Fleabag. After countless TikToks popping up on my FYP thirsting over the Hot Priest (Andrew Scott), I decided to pop open my laptop and take a look to see what the hype was about. I finished binging all 12 episodes at 1:30 in the morning, and wow — what a fantastic show. Maybe I’m so fixated on Fleabag because of its open-ended, heart wrenching finale, or because I’m upset that I can’t binge more, but I think Phoebe Waller-Bridge did such a fantastic job with the writing, casting, script, etc. Fleabag touches on the intricacies of womanhood, relationships, family, intimacy, self-awareness, trauma, grief, and more. And it does it in a funny, witty, sad, painful, and awkward manner that only our titular character Fleabag (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) pulls off perfectly, and that I thoroughly enjoyed watching.

I’m no Film + TV student nor do I have any complex knowledge of how technically good the show was, but given the fact that it's won four Emmys, I’m not surprised by the sensational and cult following this show has. If I really get into a show or movie, I’ll spend the next few minutes or hours following the ending researching plot/series analysis, and I immediately did that after watching the final episode. There are so many little plot choices, so many little cinematic choices, and so many little details that really make this show special. Something that I particularly enjoyed about Fleabag was its focus on presenting slightly different feminist views and topics. Here’s an excerpt from Fleabag’s cafe monologue that deals with sexuality, self-image, and internal emotional/mental struggle:

“And I know that my body, as it is now, really is the only thing I have left, and when that gets old and unfuckable I may as well just kill it. And somehow there isn't anything worse than someone who doesn't want to fuck me. I fuck everything… You know, either everyone feels like this a little bit, and they're just not talking about it, or I'm completely fucking alone. Which isn't fucking funny.”

Maybe this is also because I’ve been reading Not That Bad by Roxanne Gay, which is a book that deals with rape culture and sexuality, but this scene made me cry. Which I suppose seems a little ironic given I have absolutely nothing in common with Fleabag on a personality level – but that's the point. Isn’t it terrible that a woman as young as myself can relate to this struggle that a 33-year-old Fleabag is breaking down over? Phoebe Waller-Bridgers shows hypersexualitynot in the empowering way that we might be conditioned to see, but as a product of insecurity and trauma. This inherently positive idea of sexual liberation and freedom gets convoluted, showing how women get trapped to subjugate themselves to the whims of men rather than their own satisfaction and contentment. The show doesn't say hookup culture or sex is a bad thing, but it shows how problematic it can be when women are putting themselves in danger or using sex as a means to detach and avoid dealing with internal anxiety, loneliness, etc.

Another nice quote that had me paying extra attention to Fleabag comes when Fleabag is having a conversation with a highly successful businesswoman who dislikes her “Women in Business” award that she’s just won:

'Women are born with pain built-in. It's our physical destiny. Period pains, sore boobs, childbirth, you know. We carry it within ourselves throughout our lives. Men don't. They have to seek it out. They invent all these gods and demons and things just so they can feel guilty about things, which is something we also do very well on our own. And then they create wars, so they can feel things and touch each other, and when there aren't any wars they can play rugby. And we have it all going on in here, inside. We have pain on a cycle for years and years and years and then, just when you feel you are making peace with it all, what happens? The menopause comes. The fucking menopause comes and it is the most wonderful fucking thing in the world... no one cares, but then you're free. No longer a slave, no longer a machine, with parts. You're just a person in business.”

So again, another really good example of insightful commentary about women's struggles and pain in a contemporary setting. The physical suffering of women is such a universal experience; yet, it is something that is rarely publicly spoken about. This scene also reminded me of my mom, who has expressed to me that she didn’t really have a desire to emphasize/gain pity for the fact she was a woman in a highly-male dominated field. She didn’t want her successes to be tied solely to her gender; rather, she wanted to be recognized for her objective hard work and discipline. Yet, there is still a danger and damage that comes from strengthening capitalistic, patriarchal institutions. I think it's still critical to realize that there are barriers to success for women, especially women of color – so, how do we balance these two ideas? I personally have this thing where I don’t want people to overly fixate on things like my race or gender, but I also deeply recognize and want others to understand how these two things have affected my life and persona in public/professional settings. There’s a bit of conflict there, and I’m still not really sure what the best approach to that is.

Finally, another huge selling point of this show is the beloved Hot Priest. Talk about a male character written by a woman, my God — I can’t even describe his character or relationship dynamic and do it justice, you just gotta watch it yourself.

In general, this show made me laugh and shed tears, as evidenced by my numerous text message threads with JP as I was working my way through Season 2. I can't stop thinking about it. So, there you have it: a quick little summary and two enthusiastic thumbs up for Fleabag. It’s a fantastic and quick show with a unique main character and amazing plot. The next time someone asks me that icebreaker of who I would want to have dinner with, Phoebe baby, you’re invited to the table.