Review: Fleabag (season 1 and 2)

A masterpiece of television. A straight masterpiece. Inappropriately hilarious, delightfully charming, and gloriously magnificently agonizingly heartfelt. Y’all, this show made a vanilla glazed donut out of my feelings that I want to eat everyday. It deserves all the Emmys that it got this year.

I did not realize what I was getting myself into when I started watching “Fleabag,” the British comedy-drama written by and starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge and distributed through Amazon Prime as an Amazon Prime Original.

The sharp bitting humor and self destructive commentary is a hallmark of this show, but it is not what put me under its spell. Or maybe it is? Was this all part of her plan?

Fleabag won six Emmy’s this year including “Best Comedy of the Year” which is a testament to how gripping this story is of a protagonist who is quite rightly, a fleabag.

Fleabag says it best herself when she says: “I’m a greedy, perverted, selfish, apathetic, cynical, depraved, morally bankrupt woman who can’t even call herself a feminist.” Yes, yes, and yes. In fact, if you don’t believe her then watch her prove it to you many times over.

I think I was watching a review of something else on YouTube and the reviewer mentioned briefly this show called Fleabag that was so funny, was in its 2nd season, and deserved to be watched by everyone. I remember the reviewer mentioning “The Hot Priest” but not going into detail on it and just saying to watch it.

So, I saddled up and clicked play on season one that delivered a mess of a woman as I was instantly hit with a TV-MA show as we follow the life of our titular character Fleabag as she basically sleeps with anything that walks, makes raunchy jokes, steals, and talks to us, the viewer while doing it as she explains away her actions with humor and coquettish glances at the camera.

If you are wondering how much she sleeps around, in a previous weekly review of what we are watching, I think I mentioned that it was like the origin story of Samantha from Sex and the City. This woman was sleeping around that much.

But it was fun as she constantly broke the 4th wall and talked directly to the camera to tell us little quips or asides or try to predict the future as if we are her best friend who is in on this joke with her as she takes us through her life in London.

But we soon realize that she has two deep wounds that she really needs to heal from, one is the recent death of her best friend that Fleabag mentions in passing as something ridiculous that happened one day, and the other is the death of her mother that happened possibly several years ago.

They never go into specifics on that, but it is around because the father married their Godmother and the God mother is flipping hilarious and horribly uncomfortable to be around.

Season one shows us that her pattern to sleep with everyone has actually brought her the most pain in her current life which she started to find closure from by the end of the season, though not complete closure which beautifully opened up season two.

So, season two, okay, well, they left off season one in the loveliest way possible that I don’t want to ruin for anyone watching, but season two is the Crown jewel, the masterpiece, and the masterclass on writing a healing show that walks the line between humor and heart. It is the reason that you should watch Fleabag (But you must watch season 1 to get there NO SKIPPING AHEAD; in fact, just consider it all one season).

In season two we follow Fleabag around as she tries not to sleep with everyone and their mother and continues working on her business (a hamster themed cafe).

It is also the season that introduces The Hot Priest who makes the season so worth watching in his interactions with Fleabag.

I don’t want to give away any more than I have with season 2 because that is really the crowned jewel of this lovely series that I plan on rewatching with notes at the ready in order to understand how anyone could create something so perfect.

But you have to watch season one (also great) in order to get to season two. Y’all, season two is the kind of season that hits you right in that spot in your lungs were that ball of breath is sitting on all your feels and forcing you to take a deep breath to make it go inside.

Fleabag’s poise, charm, big eyed glances at that camera, dark-wit, make her a magnetically compelling protagonist that draws you into this story that is 100% hers. So many items in it related only to fleabag and are delivered with humor that makes you wonder, how did this show just deliver one of the most poignant moments of TV I have watched in years?

Definitely, definitely a recommend. It is my favorite surprise show of the year. Most likely my favorite show of the year. And possibly one of my favorite shows of all time. A delight.

There is no season 3 y’all, this is all we get and it is glorious.

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