Fleabag - General Discussion

[HaaCHOO]

On 5/25/2019 at 10:15 AM, scrb said:

Think maybe it's getting renewed buzz because of the creator's involvement with Killing Eve Season 1?

I don't think so.  She has a fairly extensive resume`as an actress, writer, producer. She's popular and well known in the UK.  Check IMDb.

[scrb]

4 hours ago, HaaCHOO said:

I don't think so.  She has a fairly extensive resume`as an actress, writer, producer. She's popular and well known in the UK.  Check IMDb.

I was referring more to the buzz in the US, where her work isn't that well known.

[tratatat]

Can I get people's opinion on something please?

In the first episode of season one at the end when fleabag's in a taxi explaining Boo's suicide to the taxi driver, I found it really funny, especially when she said "she's such a dick". The person i was with found it very unfunny though. I've got a pretty dark sense of humour but I was sure the humour was intentional in this scene. Did you laugh at it? If not do you think it's a bit much for me to have found it so funny?

[kieyra]

1 hour ago, tratatat said:

Can I get people's opinion on something please?

In the first episode of season one at the end when fleabag's in a taxi explaining Boo's suicide to the taxi driver, I found it really funny, especially when she said "she's such a dick". The person i was with found it very unfunny though. I've got a pretty dark sense of humour but I was sure the humour was intentional in this scene. Did you laugh at it? If not do you think it's a bit much for me to have found it so funny?

I mean, it was extremely dark humor, but still humor. She obviously didn't think Boo was really a dick, but she was still making some level of commentary on the fact that Boo's plan to hurt herself and get attention from her BF actually caused other people to die too in the resulting accident.

It could be argued that just planning to step out in front of a cyclist knowing you'll both likely be injured is, in itself, a dick move. 

So ... the 'joke' was freighted with a lot of layers/nuance, and some people use that kind of humor to cope. But yes, it was supposed to be funny, or at least a very dry, satirical take on the situation. 

But the bigger picture is ... it doesn't matter if other people think something is or isn't funny, we all get to enjoy art however we want to. 🙂

[nachomama]

I think it was meant to be funny, very dark, but funny. She was trying to lighten the mood to the cab driver. I did very much the same thing for the first year after my mother died. I would only refer to her as having "kicked the bucket" because then people wouldn't try to hug you and make you feel better.

I want to know if Boo knew who he cheated with. As in Boo wouldn't have told her best friend Fleabag "I'm going to step into bicycle traffic to try and get attention" to the person who he cheated with. So did she make up the idea that Boo didn't truly try to kill herself? or was she going to ride out Boo's pain and not tell her?

[Kid]

I stumbled on the first season of the show. I watched the first episode and thought it was so odd but, I liked it. I liked it so much, I ended up watching season one twice!!   And I kept checking to see when season two was going to drop. When it did, binged watched that in two evenings.

I have a Master’s degree in theater and, usually, I don’t like plays or television that uses theatrical devices such as breaking the fourth wall convention. And I think that is what put me off initially.  However, it really works here.

I thought the show was brilliant. What I thought was a comedy, turned out to be a tragedy,  in many ways. And what I loved about that fact was that it sneaks up on you.  What you think is a funny show about a quirky  character slowly but surely becomes quite serious.  And I just loved Fleabag.  I started out viewing her as a flake and I ended up liking her and empathizing with her vulnerability.  I was very sorry to see that there would only be the two seasons.  I want to know where she goes from here.

[jeansheridan]

43 minutes ago, Kid said:

 I was very sorry to see that there would only be the two seasons.  I want to know where she goes from here.

While I understand wanting more, I hope PWB resists. In my opinion the problem with television is that there is a temptation over a long series to make a character likeable. So, sure, there can be a redemption arc but after that is complete? Where do you go? The character spins her wheels either growing bland or not making sense any more. With two and done you can have her father say Fleabag is the only one who can really feel everything and it feels like a lovely summary of this character. And I like imagining Claire running through the airport, but I don't need to see Klare again. Sure, Phoebe can write something but do I need to see it? Would it make me love Claire more? Nope. 

It's a very different show but if you are longing for a small, short gem, try Spaced by Simon Pegg. It is mostly geeky but also oddly romantic. It's his first show. He's very young. It has elements of Crashing in it.

[kieyra]

10 hours ago, jeansheridan said:

While I understand wanting more, I hope PWB resists. In my opinion the problem with television is that there is a temptation over a long series to make a character likeable.

Based on television’s current trope of “there are no villains, just people with sad flashbacks”*, they’d probably try to make us like Stepmother if the show were forced to run on too long.

By the way, Spaced was one of my very first UK shows, brought over on DVD by a friend who came to visit in the early 2000s. This was before it was possible to easily bootleg, much less stream, TV shows from other countries. I think all I’d seen up till that point was Monty Python and Red Dwarf. I remember feeling a weird sort of outrage that the US didn’t have shows like Spaced. (Quirky, sharp, nerdy, smart, and of the moment in a gen-x sort of way.)

*I’m looking at you, Handmaid’s Tale

Edited July 12, 2019 by kieyra

[kieyra]

Fleabag has picked up several Emmy noms, including best comedy, best actress, and best supporting actress (Sian).

Edited July 17, 2019 by kieyra

[Irlandesa]

48 minutes ago, kieyra said:

Fleabag has picked up several Emmy noms, including best comedy, best actress, and best supporting actress (Sian).

Yep. She'll be up against Olivia Colman (Fleabag), Sarah Goldberg (Barry), Alex Bornstein and Marin Hinkle (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Kate McKinnon (SNL) and Anna Chlumsky (Veep).

Some articles are putting actresses in wrong categories.  I was reading them as the nominees came out and I found a lot of mistakes.  For instance, in one article, I saw Fiona Shaw was nominated as Best Supporting Actress in a Drama for Fleabag when it was clearly for Killing Eve.

Edited July 17, 2019 by Irlandesa

[kieyra]

27 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

For instance, in one article, I saw Fiona Shaw was nominated as Best Supporting Actress in a Drama for Fleabag when it was clearly for Killing Eve.

1) You must have caught my error in the few minutes before I deleted it. 🙂

2) Fiona Shaw does appear in season two of Fleabag. Although maybe you saw an error of guest vs supporting. (Edit: oh, and Drama, yep.) 

I give up, my brain stopped working when I saw the Kit Harrington nom in any case. At least Fleabag and Schitt’s Creek are two very nice surprises.

Edited July 17, 2019 by kieyra

[Irlandesa]

1 minute ago, kieyra said:

2) Fiona Shaw does appear in season two of Fleabag.

1.  Yes.  I will edit in some way where this exchange still makes sense but gets rid of the error.

2.  Yes she does and she was nominated for a guest appearance in a comedy for Fleabag but she got the supporting actress in a drama nomination for Killing Eve.

[kieyra]

8 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

1.  Yes.  I will edit in some way where this exchange still makes sense but gets rid of the error.

2.  Yes she does and she was nominated for a guest appearance in a comedy for Fleabag but she got the supporting actress in a drama nomination for Killing Eve.

Hah, but my subsequent edit is still going to make it look like one of us is mildly incoherent.

Okay, it’s me.

Still blame Kit Harrington.

Edited July 17, 2019 by kieyra

[SeeMyDaintyPaws]

I blame it on the fact that Andrew Scott did not get nominated for supporting actor! 

[festivus]

Well it only took me a day to binge this wonderful show. It was about darn near perfect. As much as I love it though I think the ending was perfect and I'm fine with it not coming back although I certainly wouldn't complain if it did. I cannot call the main character Fleabag though so I decided her name is Felicity. I shall just refer to her as F.

I wouldn't call this a really laugh out loud type of show although it certainly had some moments for that. When KST opened that award and it was the sculpture I had to pause the TV for a good long while because I couldn't stop laughing. I really should have seen that coming but I did not. I'm glad that F stole it back at the end even though I thought Godmother was sincere with her thanks that F brought it back. Godmother was horrible but she laid out some truth when she told the girls that it was better that she took care of dad and they wouldn't have to.

I think my favorite thing was F's relationship with her sister. I don't have a sister but all parts of that just rang true for me. I'm already an Andrew Scott fan but hot holy damn. His and F's chemistry was off the charts. I like the way it ended for them, it was sad and true. Another thing I really liked was Kristin Scott Thomas's character really not wanting to hook up with F. As a woman about to turn 53 I could relate to the things she was saying about your feelings as you get older and how freeing it can be. A younger person and their issues would just be exhausting to me at this age.

I have no interest in Killing Eve but I will check out that other show y'all have mentioned if it's still on Netflix.

[ZuluQueenOfDwarves]

For what it’s worth, I think Fleabag is the actress’ real life family nickname due to a sibling mispronouncing Phoebe. It’s not meant to be mean or gross. 

[Milburn Stone]

34 minutes ago, ZuluQueenOfDwarves said:

For what it’s worth, I think Fleabag is the actress’ real life family nickname due to a sibling mispronouncing Phoebe. It’s not meant to be mean or gross. 

I never made the connection between the similar sounds of "Phoebe" and "Fleabag"! Even without the story that it originates from a real-life family nickname, it's clearly an intentional signaling by PWB that the character is semi-autobiographical.

[politichick]

On 7/20/2019 at 7:53 AM, Milburn Stone said:

I never made the connection between the similar sounds of "Phoebe" and "Fleabag"! Even without the story that it originates from a real-life family nickname, it's clearly an intentional signaling by PWB that the character is semi-autobiographical.

I believe she's said the show and the characters are absolutely not autobiographical or any way related to  her family, although people have been speculating like mad that it was and asking all sorts of awkward questions.

I understand people not wanting more seasons but I could do with just one more, even though series two was perfection. I wonder how many times in my life I will rewatch!

Sorry to hear that The Priest didn't get an Emmy nod. He was brilliant and I fell in love with him, too.

[WAnglais1]

A lot of comedy folks who I respect raved about this. I tuned it in and thought it was okay, until S1Ep5 and the visit to her father's house. The whole thing with step mom was okay, until FB released the pet into the wild. I loathe when any show does a disservice to animals, so I'm out. I don't care how lonely you really are.

And do that many people really take cell phone photos of their junk? I'm so old. 

[braziliangirl]

it's a shame that Jenny Rainsford didn't get a Emmy nomination. Her performance as Boo is such a treat, so well acted. 

[scrb]

4 hours ago, braziliangirl said:

it's a shame that Jenny Rainsford didn't get a Emmy nomination. Her performance as Boo is such a treat, so well acted. 

Do non-US shows get Emmy nominations or awards?

[Irlandesa]

14 minutes ago, scrb said:

Do non-US shows get Emmy nominations or awards?

If it airs on a US channel, they can be nominated.  Fleabag got quite a few nominations this year. 

[pasdetrois]

I binged two seasons this past week. What a phenomenal show. I especially love the writing, and the actors are remarkable. The priest and stepmonster portrayals were brilliant. I've loved Bill Paterson since "Comfort and Joy," and it's good to see him again.

A teeny complaint is the brother-in-law's portrayal. Gelman seems to play the same obnoxious, loud character in all of his shows. While I understand his BIL character is meant to be loathsome, there were times when I had to FF briefly to get past his scenes.

It took me a few episodes to realize Phoebe's voice and asides to the camera reminded me of "Gentleman Jack's" lead actor. Also, I went down a rabbit hole trying to determine if Phoebe is related to Anna Chancellor. Apparently not.

The fox. The satisfying punch in the face. The priest's "wedding dress." Two Clares. The cupcake situation. Kristin Scott Thomas' diatribe - preach, sister. "Everybody always knows what they are going to do." The tiny moments of life wisdom. As a previous poster said, "I miss art in TV."

The last scene felt like a goodbye.

Edited August 5, 2019 by pasdetrois

[Slovenly Muse]

Public Service Announcement:

I was delighted to discover today that Phoebe Waller-Bridge has revived her one-woman play "Fleabag" (that the show is based on) for a very limited run in London, AND that National Theatre Live will be broadcasting it to cinemas! So if you live somewhere where your local movie theatre sometimes broadcasts the Metropolitan opera or other live events, you might have the chance to see the original play performed by PWB herself in London's West End! I checked, and it's playing in my town for one screening only later in September, and I live in a small town in Canada, so chances are good it's coming to your town too! Don't miss out!

The link to NTL is here, and may have more information about where you can see the show!

Edited August 5, 2019 by Slovenly Muse
Found a better link!

[nachomama]

Holy shitballs! I have a theater. Now I have to find someone to suck into my web

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Fleabag won two Emmys!

Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series

Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series

[Capricasix]

I am a big fan of Sherlock and thought Andrew Scott was brilliant as Moriarty (“I will burn the *heart* out of you!”). He was also excellent in Black Mirror. However, I never thought he was hot until he was the Priest. Lordy! 

Edited September 18, 2019 by Capricasix

[festivus]

1 hour ago, Capricasix said:

I am a big fan of Sherlock and thought Andrew Scott was brilliant as Moriarty (“I will burn the *heart* out of you!”. He was also excellent in Black Mirror. However, I never thought he was hot until he was the Priest. Lordy! 

Indeed. He's one of those actors that just has 'IT', he just bleeds charisma, but I never really saw him as hot either until this show.

[heatherchandler]

Just binged this -I’m so angry it’s over! Does anyone know where I can watch Crashing?

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

Just binged this -I’m so angry it’s over! Does anyone know where I can watch Crashing?

In the US, it's on Netflix.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Fleabag is cleaning up at the Emmys! So far the show has won:

• Writing for a Comedy Series (Episode 1)
• Directing for a Comedy Series (Episode 1)
• Outstanding Comedy Actress: Phoebe Waller-Bridge

[ichbin]

Quote

Such well deserved wins!  

[Cranberry]

It ended up winning Best Comedy, too! Very well-deserved. I binged this show recently and enjoyed every minute. Every character was perfect, and I always enjoy meta moments, so this was up my alley.

[scrb]

Ewww, it won the Emmy.

Either that means it wasn't really all that or Hollywood poseurs wanted to look cool.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

[OldButHappy]

Our girl did it!  How fun was it to watch her acceptance speeches??? 

My current strategy to stave off feelings of helplessness and depression -  "avoidance-of-all-news-media" - precluded me even knowing about the Emmys.  But on Mondays, I check headlines at the big outlets to make sure someone hasn't started a war over the weekend.  

What a happy surprise to see Phoebe and the cast all over front pages!  Her speeches were hilarious, and you can see the genuine bond that the cast and producers feel.  I'm glad that she's not wavering on a Season 3 and understands the benefit of going out on a high note.  I'd be bummed to see the Fleabag equivalent to Season 2 of Big Little Lies.  

Can you imagine the kind of meetings that she'll have to sit through, now that execs see her monetization potential?  Ha!  I kept wondering who the "unknown guy with the Emmy behind her" was...turns out it was the guy who championed her for Amazon.  Can you imagine the bonus this guy will get?  Good for him - I would never have seen this without him.

[Guest]

I initially avoided this show because I thought having female sex addiction as a premise would be used for cheap shock value, Fleabag is easily one of my favorite shows of all time. What a delightful gem. It really struck a nerve with me, given that 30 is around the corner and I also struggle with issues of self-worth and desirability. And hey, any show that features a guinea pig-themed restaurant is a hit in my book.

I will never not be devastated that The Priest dumped her with mere minutes to go. But Jesus, that role made me see Andrew Scott in a whole new light. So effortlessly sexy.

Her relationship with her sister was the heart of the show for me. 

[Guest]

Also...the confessional (kneel) scene. Holy shit. I've been thinking about that for days. The tension. The taboo. The vulnerability. The sheer eroticism of all the charged silences. The unmistakable dom/sub subtext. That superb monologue by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. One of the best scenes of anything I've seen, ever.

Poor Andrew Scott has unwittingly subjected himself to years of being the object of everyone's lust - tons of women have openly tweeted about how horny that scene makes them in graphic detail (tweets that Graham Norton read aloud when Andrew was a guest on his show). He blushed his way through the other guest on the show casually admitting that she masturbated to that scene, a confession that apparently delighted PWB as she took it as a huge compliment to her writing, lol.

Quote

More on his interpretation of that scene (he clearly doesn't like watching himself!):

Quote

[MV713]

Sobbed myself to sleep when the last episode credits rolled.

What a brilliant show - I need a recovery group now.

[Charlesman]

On 8/5/2019 at 12:03 AM, Slovenly Muse said:

Public Service Announcement:

I was delighted to discover today that Phoebe Waller-Bridge has revived her one-woman play "Fleabag" (that the show is based on) for a very limited run in London, AND that National Theatre Live will be broadcasting it to cinemas! So if you live somewhere where your local movie theatre sometimes broadcasts the Metropolitan opera or other live events, you might have the chance to see the original play performed by PWB herself in London's West End! I checked, and it's playing in my town for one screening only later in September, and I live in a small town in Canada, so chances are good it's coming to your town too! Don't miss out!

The link to NTL is here, and may have more information about where you can see the show!

Just found out that the places it's screening have expanded considerably. Now it appears to be in most of the AMC Theaters in my area for a day in November. I'm guessing the Emmys (near) sweep had an impact.

Link: http://ntlive.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/ntlout37-fleabag

Edited October 4, 2019 by Charlesman
unhiding the link

[Milburn Stone]

On 10/4/2019 at 2:31 PM, Charlesman said:

Just found out that the places it's screening have expanded considerably. Now it appears to be in most of the AMC Theaters in my area for a day in November. I'm guessing the Emmys (near) sweep had an impact.

Link: http://ntlive.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/ntlout37-fleabag

Great info. I was hoping/thinking something like this would happen. All the first screenings in Chicago sold out quickly.

[SWLinPHX]

On 9/29/2019 at 2:07 PM, SnarkEnthusiast said:

Also...the confessional (kneel) scene. Holy shit. I've been thinking about that for days. The tension. The taboo. The vulnerability. The sheer eroticism of all the charged silences. The unmistakable dom/sub subtext. That superb monologue by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. One of the best scenes of anything I've seen, ever.

Poor Andrew Scott has unwittingly subjected himself to years of being the object of everyone's lust - tons of women have openly tweeted about how horny that scene makes them in graphic detail (tweets that Graham Norton read aloud when Andrew was a guest on his show). He blushed his way through the other guest on the show casually admitting that she masturbated to that scene, a confession that apparently delighted PWB as she took it as a huge compliment to her writing, lol.

More on his interpretation of that scene (he clearly doesn't like watching himself!):

Do most people know that Scott is gay in real life?  It isn't mentioned as much as it has been for openly gay actors.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, SWLinPHX said:

Do most people know that Scott is gay in real life?  It isn't mentioned as much as it has been for openly gay actors.

I didn't know he was gay until after I watched Fleabag and read some interviews, actually! It sounds like that while he's proud to be gay, he also doesn't want to be artistically limited by that label. Which makes sense - the whole point of acting is to take on identities different from your own! I've always found the whole "gay men can't convincingly play straight" idea to be ridiculous, especially when the media fawns all over straight men for being "brave" and "secure enough in their sexuality" to play gay (...questionable if they need heaps of praise for doing it). Look at the self-congratulatory press tour for Call Me By Your Name just last year. I think it's great that Scott doesn't allow everyone else's assumptions about his sexuality to dictate or impact his performances. The Priest is hot as fuck, and Scott being gay in real life is irrelevant to that. Now, if you're asking whether women being so horny for him as a result of Fleabag would be impacted if more of them knew he was gay...I doubt realism factors into masturbating to a fictional character/actor, lol. Hey, I might not have a chance with Scott, but The Priest is always available. 😉

[JanetSnakehole]

On 9/18/2019 at 8:24 AM, Capricasix said:

I am a big fan of Sherlock and thought Andrew Scott was brilliant as Moriarty (“I will burn the *heart* out of you!”). He was also excellent in Black Mirror. However, I never thought he was hot until he was the Priest. Lordy! 

This is my favorite Moriarty line, and that scene was terrifying. AS was master-class delivering that line. His face transformed with so much hatred, I was holding my breath! I was riveted and couldn't look away. 

[SoMuchTV]

11 hours ago, SWLinPHX said:

Do most people know that Scott is gay in real life?  It isn't mentioned as much as it has been for openly gay actors.

Am I reading this right?  If he's not "openly gay" I'm not surprised that most people don't know that!  His business?

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

Am I reading this right?  If he's not "openly gay" I'm not surprised that most people don't know that!  His business?

He's openly gay.  I read that as the his sexuality isn't as discussed as other out actors. 

But I think some of that might be because he's not as known in the US as a leading man.  I think I ve mostly seen him in supporting roles. And he's British. 

[humbleopinion]

Wowza..what a great show to binge on a transatlantic flight.

From soup to nuts it was fantastic.

[snarktini]

So many thoughts!

I resisted seeing the show earlier. It didn't seem like my kind of thing, and I'm resistant to anything I'm told I MUST watch. Glad I did, though! 

How in the world did she suddenly have such a thriving cafe? Kinda liked that weird side plot with the bank guy. 

I was disappointed in their Dad. How could he ignore the backhanded remarks and the way Stepmom cut down his daughters and minimized his wife? Things like saying they split up when actually the mother died. Painting a portrait but only showing the back of one's head. Leaving Claire's flowers for their mother outside. Not saying anything about her slapping his daughter. I do get what the relationship gave him and that he wanted to move on, but he was so frustratingly avoidant.

Also disappointed in the priest in the church-making-out scene. I know it's what they both wanted, but in that moment she was so, so vulnerable and considering he was an advisor/priest person it felt icky, like he was taking advantage. Very sexy and very human, but icky. Despite him choosing the church, I'm glad they were both able to say and hear ILY. They both needed to experience that.

I was relieved that Claire believed her all along about who tried to kiss whom. But disappointed that she stayed with that tool anyway. So much fear in her. SUCH a low blow bringing up Boo. 

I was disappointed in everyone on some level, I guess! Which sounds about right for a story about deeply flawed people. None of their lives or family dynamics were remotely familiar to me -- like, at all -- but I felt for all of them. That's great writing.

That said, I wasn't disappointed in Fleabag herself. She did a lot of stupid, stupid things so yeah that was hard to watch at times. But I appreciate her arc and how she seems to be growing. I feel like she's going to do better now.

[HaaCHOO]

Hmmm...so many disappointments.  Not from me; I LOVED this series!!!

[snarktini]

1 hour ago, HaaCHOO said:

Hmmm...so many disappointments.  Not from me; I LOVED this series!!!

My disappointments were in the characters and their flaws, not the show! That I was so caught up in the characters and wanted better for them is due to it being a great series.