Fleabag: Season Two (All Episodes)
May 24, 2019 1:27 PM - Season 2 (Full Season) - Subscribe
Phoebe Waller Bridge's Fleabag is back. She's still at odds with her sister and her awful brother-in-law. She's still struggling to be cordial to her father's godawful fiance (Olivia Colman). But instead of losing herself in a string of spiritually depleting sexual encounters, she finds herself wrestling with spirituality. Or maybe just trying to fuck a hot priest.
The ending, where she accepts what has happened and that she needs to move on--even from us--and leaves those of us behind the fourth wall behind, is heartbreaking and truly special.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:33 PM on May 24, 2019 [36 favorites]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:33 PM on May 24, 2019 [36 favorites]
It's really annoying when the BBC comes up with a show that is genuinely really good and also fullfils it's primary purpose as a posh kids career development program.
It's well worth watching but the world it's set in might as well be Middle Earth as far as what living in the UK is like for practically anyone there. Would an equivalent show written by a teacher in Bradford have ever got made?
posted by thatwhichfalls at 1:47 PM on May 24, 2019 [6 favorites]
It's well worth watching but the world it's set in might as well be Middle Earth as far as what living in the UK is like for practically anyone there. Would an equivalent show written by a teacher in Bradford have ever got made?
posted by thatwhichfalls at 1:47 PM on May 24, 2019 [6 favorites]
God, I don't know. I get it, she grew up rich and privileged. But I mean, here in the US, that gave us...Lena Dunham. That's not fair. The UK is definitely winning this one.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 1:52 PM on May 24, 2019 [13 favorites]
posted by kittens for breakfast at 1:52 PM on May 24, 2019 [13 favorites]
Bloody brilliant. Yeah, that pretty much covers it. I think Pheobe can do no wrong. What's next, please?
posted by Stanczyk at 5:38 PM on May 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Stanczyk at 5:38 PM on May 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
I'm having a hard time with this season because as much as I want to I don't understand anything Fleabag or her family says or thinks or does; everything that happens on the show and everything anyone says is a weird, unpleasant surprise. (Except for the best friend, who I love) I'm only saying this because I liked the first season a lot and I don't know why this season I'm so out of sync with everyone else.
posted by bleep at 6:29 PM on May 24, 2019
posted by bleep at 6:29 PM on May 24, 2019
I didn't hate season two but I definitely thought it was a come down from season one. I'm not responding to the Killing Eve bait.
posted by jeather at 6:59 PM on May 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by jeather at 6:59 PM on May 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
On the ending, the ending was pretty sweet.
I now believe that when she was looking at the camera she was talking to & looking at the ghost of Boo. The priest sensed Boo's presence (what are you looking at?) and that's why he was the One for Her, and her giving him up is a sacrifice she's making to Boo so she can stop being haunted. Plus her name is Boo!
And the statue represented her mother's position as queen of the family. By giving it she bestowed it, and by stealing it (both times) she's saying godmother doesn't have it, a desperate attempt to try to put something back where they should be after the severe mental chaos of Boo's death.
posted by bleep at 7:29 PM on May 24, 2019 [21 favorites]
I now believe that when she was looking at the camera she was talking to & looking at the ghost of Boo. The priest sensed Boo's presence (what are you looking at?) and that's why he was the One for Her, and her giving him up is a sacrifice she's making to Boo so she can stop being haunted. Plus her name is Boo!
And the statue represented her mother's position as queen of the family. By giving it she bestowed it, and by stealing it (both times) she's saying godmother doesn't have it, a desperate attempt to try to put something back where they should be after the severe mental chaos of Boo's death.
posted by bleep at 7:29 PM on May 24, 2019 [21 favorites]
Have we done Crashing here on FF? It's the least of her work by a wide margin, but it still has plenty of charm.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:31 PM on May 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:31 PM on May 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
The speech that Kristin Scott-Thomas gives about pain and femininity... Wow. That speech is the kind of thing that has actors calling PWB up and begging her to write for them.
Y'all know what her new gig is, right?
Bond 25.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:34 PM on May 24, 2019 [12 favorites]
Y'all know what her new gig is, right?
Bond 25.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:34 PM on May 24, 2019 [12 favorites]
It was good. It was okay.
I suppose I didn't connect with it as much because compared to season one it traded mental illness for flirting with religion, so basically much less inherently interesting to me. (Also I just don't like Andrew Scott much, and a lot of times he looked kind of distractingly scruffy and strung out, while at the same time Fleabag is like, "Oh his beautiful neck!")
I did like his fourth wall breaking, and many little things, and of course PWB's ridiculously expressive face. Dropping the trophy elicited a long sigh, though.......
posted by fleacircus at 2:32 AM on May 25, 2019
I suppose I didn't connect with it as much because compared to season one it traded mental illness for flirting with religion, so basically much less inherently interesting to me. (Also I just don't like Andrew Scott much, and a lot of times he looked kind of distractingly scruffy and strung out, while at the same time Fleabag is like, "Oh his beautiful neck!")
I did like his fourth wall breaking, and many little things, and of course PWB's ridiculously expressive face. Dropping the trophy elicited a long sigh, though.......
posted by fleacircus at 2:32 AM on May 25, 2019
PWB's ridiculously expressive face
I love watching her face. I'm not sure I could watch another actor break the fourth wall like that and be as charmed as I am when she does it.
The priest romance was fine, but I still love Fleabag for the family stuff -- the sister drama most of all. I don't think there's been another piece of fiction that feels as genuine to me about the relationship between adult sisters as this one does. When Claire said that the only person she would run through an airport for is Fleabag, well, that's a love story too.
Crashing is streaming on Netflix, and I've never seen it. I'm adding it to my list.
posted by gladly at 8:47 PM on May 25, 2019 [2 favorites]
I love watching her face. I'm not sure I could watch another actor break the fourth wall like that and be as charmed as I am when she does it.
The priest romance was fine, but I still love Fleabag for the family stuff -- the sister drama most of all. I don't think there's been another piece of fiction that feels as genuine to me about the relationship between adult sisters as this one does. When Claire said that the only person she would run through an airport for is Fleabag, well, that's a love story too.
Crashing is streaming on Netflix, and I've never seen it. I'm adding it to my list.
posted by gladly at 8:47 PM on May 25, 2019 [2 favorites]
I want a movie about a team of foxes conspiring to drive a Catholic priest mad. I would pitch it myself but I suspect that I would find that Wes Anderson is already several steps ahead of me.
posted by Parasite Unseen at 10:24 PM on May 25, 2019 [20 favorites]
posted by Parasite Unseen at 10:24 PM on May 25, 2019 [20 favorites]
Oh yeah the sister stuff was strong, and the father did better too. I'd forgotten how he talked so elliptically lol. Even the evil (but not guinea pig killing evil) brother in law had a brief moment, a decent speech to Claire about how he used to be funny and she said she loved that to maybe humanize him as someone who'd watched the love with his wife wither/be sterile.
The most interesting part about the romance to me was that in the confession Fleabag didn't talk about Boo, which I think can read as either healthy or unhealthy.
Left over in box of random observations: I feel like Fleabag basically escapes consequences for everything this season. Also the cafe is extremely unconvincing; defiantly cursory.
posted by fleacircus at 12:14 AM on May 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
The most interesting part about the romance to me was that in the confession Fleabag didn't talk about Boo, which I think can read as either healthy or unhealthy.
Left over in box of random observations: I feel like Fleabag basically escapes consequences for everything this season. Also the cafe is extremely unconvincing; defiantly cursory.
posted by fleacircus at 12:14 AM on May 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
I've watched this season twice and I loved it more the second time and had a better grasp of the story she was telling. She tells you it's a love story in the first episode -- and it is, but it's not a love story in the way we expect.
It's not just about romantic love, although there's some of that. But I feel like I interpret her relationship with the Hot Priest in a different way than a lot of other people have. He loved her, no doubt, but I see his choice to have a physical relationship with her as just a way to connect with her. Like with the confession scene -- she crossed a boundary so he did, if that makes sense. It was just that physical intimacy was something Fleabag understood.
I feel like in these two seasons, she was looking for a way to say "I love you" to someone -- to get to that intimate point where she could love again -- and just because the Hot Priest couldn't love her in the way she wanted no longer mattered. She stopped being afraid of love and connecting emotionally with someone. She no longer needed to disconnect and narrate her life to an invisible audience.
I think all the family stuff was great. Her resolution with Claire was wonderful and her ... well, not really "peace" with her godmother but understanding that her mom was still a part of her (the statue!) was amazing. I also liked her moment with her father in the attic.
Anyway, I think Phoebe Waller-Bridge should make everything now. She's impossibly gifted and I love her. I love how imperfect and messy all of her work is while also being so wonderful.
(I also loved Brett Gelman's Martin's whole speech at the end with the "I'm not a bad guy; I just have a bad personality" stuff. He picked up his kid! He did some chores! He used to be funny! Wasn't that enough to be a good partner? Because ... no man would ever say that stuff so it was so great one did. I have said that having a sense of humor is like the baseline of something I want from a man I'm going to date. I love that Waller-Bridge wrote into this show that a woman realized none of those things were enough to be satisfying. Claire deserved more and I'm glad she got that, in the end.)
posted by darksong at 4:54 PM on May 27, 2019 [19 favorites]
It's not just about romantic love, although there's some of that. But I feel like I interpret her relationship with the Hot Priest in a different way than a lot of other people have. He loved her, no doubt, but I see his choice to have a physical relationship with her as just a way to connect with her. Like with the confession scene -- she crossed a boundary so he did, if that makes sense. It was just that physical intimacy was something Fleabag understood.
I feel like in these two seasons, she was looking for a way to say "I love you" to someone -- to get to that intimate point where she could love again -- and just because the Hot Priest couldn't love her in the way she wanted no longer mattered. She stopped being afraid of love and connecting emotionally with someone. She no longer needed to disconnect and narrate her life to an invisible audience.
I think all the family stuff was great. Her resolution with Claire was wonderful and her ... well, not really "peace" with her godmother but understanding that her mom was still a part of her (the statue!) was amazing. I also liked her moment with her father in the attic.
Anyway, I think Phoebe Waller-Bridge should make everything now. She's impossibly gifted and I love her. I love how imperfect and messy all of her work is while also being so wonderful.
(I also loved Brett Gelman's Martin's whole speech at the end with the "I'm not a bad guy; I just have a bad personality" stuff. He picked up his kid! He did some chores! He used to be funny! Wasn't that enough to be a good partner? Because ... no man would ever say that stuff so it was so great one did. I have said that having a sense of humor is like the baseline of something I want from a man I'm going to date. I love that Waller-Bridge wrote into this show that a woman realized none of those things were enough to be satisfying. Claire deserved more and I'm glad she got that, in the end.)
posted by darksong at 4:54 PM on May 27, 2019 [19 favorites]
Does anyone remember which episode Fleabag mentions LinkedIn? I remember her pronouncing it like "Linky-din"...but maybe I was hearing things. Also, if that was the case, is that the way people say it in the UK? Because that would rule.
posted by mullacc at 10:35 AM on May 30, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by mullacc at 10:35 AM on May 30, 2019 [1 favorite]
I think it was "Link-Ed-In," which does sound extremely British.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 8:26 PM on May 30, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by kittens for breakfast at 8:26 PM on May 30, 2019 [2 favorites]
FWIW it was actually Claire that said it when she tried to introduce Sylvia to hand out the Women in Business award.
posted by mullacc at 9:18 PM on May 30, 2019
posted by mullacc at 9:18 PM on May 30, 2019
I legit gasped the first time The Priest looked at the camera. Brilliant moment and so easy to miss the first time. Perfect analogy translated amazingly into filmmaking.
posted by supercres at 6:10 AM on May 31, 2019 [7 favorites]
posted by supercres at 6:10 AM on May 31, 2019 [7 favorites]
We had to rewind and watch that moment again because it was just so perfectly done and funny.
posted by Flashman at 9:15 AM on May 31, 2019
posted by Flashman at 9:15 AM on May 31, 2019
I loved this. It captured that mix of longing, exhaustion, thrill, and sadness when you momentarily give into someone you know will be bad for you but whom you love.
Fantastic acting from everyone involved but I really wish we got a Claire & Claire spin-off! The haircut - I had to pause it because I was bent over laughing.
posted by sallybrown at 8:18 PM on May 31, 2019
Fantastic acting from everyone involved but I really wish we got a Claire & Claire spin-off! The haircut - I had to pause it because I was bent over laughing.
posted by sallybrown at 8:18 PM on May 31, 2019
Okay so now (thanks to Gladly) I'm 51 seconds into the pilot for "Crashing" and already I'm so sad because *she won't look at us*. We're right here watching you! You looked right past us!
posted by mabelstreet at 3:36 PM on June 2, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by mabelstreet at 3:36 PM on June 2, 2019 [1 favorite]
The ending, where she accepts what has happened and that she needs to move on--even from us--and leaves those of us behind the fourth wall behind, is heartbreaking and truly special.
Oh god I binge watched the whole thing and I ugly cried at the end.
posted by nikaspark at 3:19 PM on June 3, 2019 [4 favorites]
Oh god I binge watched the whole thing and I ugly cried at the end.
posted by nikaspark at 3:19 PM on June 3, 2019 [4 favorites]
Really loved this series, the complexity of her family and their intertwined relationships was very acted by everyone involved. It was KILLING ME that her dad couldn't complete a damn sentence. And her connection with the priest and the impossibility of their relationship... ugh! Such good writing!
posted by Snacks at 4:17 PM on June 18, 2019
posted by Snacks at 4:17 PM on June 18, 2019
The intimacy that PWB created between Fleabag and the audience was precious to me. I've never felt so much like we were along for the ride with a close friend and I loved every minute of it. It was also an ingenious way of making the awkwardness of so many moments tolerable-to-fun for those of us who usually can't stand that type of humour (I learned to tolerate the US version of "The Office" but won't even go near the UK version).
I agree with what was said about the priest helping her become capable of genuinely connecting with people again, but I also appreciated that he helped her feel like she had worth has a person in the world again.
posted by dry white toast at 8:34 PM on June 20, 2019
I agree with what was said about the priest helping her become capable of genuinely connecting with people again, but I also appreciated that he helped her feel like she had worth has a person in the world again.
posted by dry white toast at 8:34 PM on June 20, 2019
I just finished this and I came to echo the praise. So many laughs, so many feels. Such incredible writing. Just. wow.
posted by OHenryPacey at 8:54 PM on June 22, 2019
posted by OHenryPacey at 8:54 PM on June 22, 2019
I loved this as much as I hated Crashing (and I really hated Crashing). I didn't realize she was the writer behind Crashing which is a good thing because I wouldn't have given this a chance. I loved the breaking of the fourth wall, Boo, Olivia Colman was awesome and cruel.
I continue to wonder about whether the priest (love Andrew Scott) was actually being pursued by foxes and if so, is it for punishment or reward? Also what is the significance of Claire falling in love with someone with such the same name (well spelled slightly different). Or was there none at all and it was just one of life's weird quirks. Is the creepy stepson going to become a serial killer? Maybe not as long as he knows where Claire is.
posted by Julnyes at 10:41 AM on July 1, 2019
I continue to wonder about whether the priest (love Andrew Scott) was actually being pursued by foxes and if so, is it for punishment or reward? Also what is the significance of Claire falling in love with someone with such the same name (well spelled slightly different). Or was there none at all and it was just one of life's weird quirks. Is the creepy stepson going to become a serial killer? Maybe not as long as he knows where Claire is.
posted by Julnyes at 10:41 AM on July 1, 2019
Good lord I love this show. I binged S2 last night and....now I can't wait to watch the whole thing again. I thought this season was even better than S1. I am sorry it's over, but it ended so perfectly, I loved that little wave to us as she walked away. We're all going to be ok.
The Kristin Scott-Thomas bar scene was breathtaking. So intelligently-written and thoughtful and deeply understanding and perfectly acted and hopeful.
The Hot Priest storyline was just heartbreaking and uplifting and intelligent and respectful and...so very hot.
THE HAIRCUT! Sian Clifford OWNED that character. Just so English.
I also LOVE the fact that Olivia Colman is such a masterful actress AND clearly such a nice person that you want to like her even when she's playing a total monster (the part at their WEDDING where she realises she doesn't know "darling's" actual name). The way her laser-guided, pinpoint-accuracy awfulness is written and acted so perfectly.
As someone who also lost her best friend to sudden death (although not because I slept with his boyfriend), the widespread effect Boo's death had on Fleabag's daily life was just the truth.
The part where she's running to steal the statue (again) after breaking the Award, but has time to stop and admire a Hot Guy (and tip us a raised eyebrow). Genius.
I usually find breaking the fourth wall a bit of a silly and cheap conceit that doesn't work well (unless it's Ryan Reynolds doing it in Deadpool). But it was used so brilliantly. PW-B is truly an impressive actress.
There's nothing I didn't love about this show. It's amazing to me that a show so full of uncomfortable scenes and sex and pain and awkwardness and truth ends up leaving an overall impression of just...elegance. It deserves all the awards, it really is that good.
posted by biscotti at 5:49 AM on July 5, 2019 [7 favorites]
The Kristin Scott-Thomas bar scene was breathtaking. So intelligently-written and thoughtful and deeply understanding and perfectly acted and hopeful.
The Hot Priest storyline was just heartbreaking and uplifting and intelligent and respectful and...so very hot.
THE HAIRCUT! Sian Clifford OWNED that character. Just so English.
I also LOVE the fact that Olivia Colman is such a masterful actress AND clearly such a nice person that you want to like her even when she's playing a total monster (the part at their WEDDING where she realises she doesn't know "darling's" actual name). The way her laser-guided, pinpoint-accuracy awfulness is written and acted so perfectly.
As someone who also lost her best friend to sudden death (although not because I slept with his boyfriend), the widespread effect Boo's death had on Fleabag's daily life was just the truth.
The part where she's running to steal the statue (again) after breaking the Award, but has time to stop and admire a Hot Guy (and tip us a raised eyebrow). Genius.
I usually find breaking the fourth wall a bit of a silly and cheap conceit that doesn't work well (unless it's Ryan Reynolds doing it in Deadpool). But it was used so brilliantly. PW-B is truly an impressive actress.
There's nothing I didn't love about this show. It's amazing to me that a show so full of uncomfortable scenes and sex and pain and awkwardness and truth ends up leaving an overall impression of just...elegance. It deserves all the awards, it really is that good.
posted by biscotti at 5:49 AM on July 5, 2019 [7 favorites]
PWB nerds: please enjoy this collection of her facial expressions from the stands at Wimbledon.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:14 AM on July 5, 2019
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:14 AM on July 5, 2019
When the hot priest asked Flea "where did you go" when she went fourth wall, my wife and I both about fell over. I am just endlessly impressed with both seasons and with FWB's immense talents.
posted by Ber at 11:22 AM on December 2, 2019
posted by Ber at 11:22 AM on December 2, 2019
Hard to believe Hot Priest and Moriarty from Sherlock are the same actor. Can someone help me figure out why Fleabag's confession led to H.P. breaking his vows? Not sure I get that.
posted by BeBoth at 1:03 PM on December 16, 2019
posted by BeBoth at 1:03 PM on December 16, 2019
Woah. I put off watching this show because I hated the name and her smeared makeup (I also choose my books by their cover and my wines by their label). I guess the time was right in my life. I loved this so much I am acutely grieving its end. I echo the ugly cry from above. I feel like I’m losing a friend.
posted by gryphonlover at 10:58 PM on January 15, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by gryphonlover at 10:58 PM on January 15, 2020 [3 favorites]
Just watched season 2 and I love love loved it, more than season 1. The show is just so funny.
posted by medusa at 5:42 PM on February 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by medusa at 5:42 PM on February 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
So well written - the bit about being pursued by foxes! HotPriest really really kept the character on his toes and in front of us: what was his reason for joining the priesthood in the first place? Soooo many questions. Wonderfully acted. And that 'neck' line: on the one hand I thought about how... maybe... that's how women sometimes think about men - similar to how I've thought about women I've been in love with. Fixated on one body part...
A real treat. I was resistant, because of the promo - because I imagined I knew already all the ins and outs, but the truth of it was so so so much better.
posted by From Bklyn at 5:55 AM on June 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
A real treat. I was resistant, because of the promo - because I imagined I knew already all the ins and outs, but the truth of it was so so so much better.
posted by From Bklyn at 5:55 AM on June 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
"Can someone help me figure out why Fleabag's confession led to H.P. breaking his vows?"
My hot (priest) take is that she finally stopped resisting and had a bit of a breakthrough, and therefore he was able to witness her pain and vulnerability. Through that he saw what she needed and the way he needed to connect with her to lead her out of that pain. He could literally give her what he was asking for (being told what to do in the most divine way, i.e., God's command that she kneel and worship) and also give her what she wanted (being submissive and to give into her desires without fear that it will result in shame and death).
Plus, being able to fulfill both roles (as a servant of God and as a carnal vessel) is a super hot double win for him.
posted by iamkimiam at 5:04 PM on August 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
My hot (priest) take is that she finally stopped resisting and had a bit of a breakthrough, and therefore he was able to witness her pain and vulnerability. Through that he saw what she needed and the way he needed to connect with her to lead her out of that pain. He could literally give her what he was asking for (being told what to do in the most divine way, i.e., God's command that she kneel and worship) and also give her what she wanted (being submissive and to give into her desires without fear that it will result in shame and death).
Plus, being able to fulfill both roles (as a servant of God and as a carnal vessel) is a super hot double win for him.
posted by iamkimiam at 5:04 PM on August 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
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posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:30 PM on May 24, 2019 [8 favorites]