Given all the buzz that Fleabag has been getting lately, Mrs. Wheelz and I decided to check it out.
We’re three episodes in, and, well… I don’t hate it, but I also don’t quite get all the over-the-top praise I’ve been seeing. There’ve been a few laughs, and the scenes with her dead friend actually feel emotionally true. Other than that, there just isn’t much there for me. While Phoebe Waller-Bridge does have some appealing qualities, this seems kind of like a self-indulgent vanity project to me (sort of a similar reaction as I had to Girls, though I absolutely can’t stand Lena Dunham and couldn’t even make it through a full episode of that).
So my question is: Should I see it through? Is there some sort of character growth arc coming that gives a point to it all, or is it just 9 more episodes of a woman behaving badly and making snarky comments to the camera?
I did also find it hilarious , especially from the 2nd or 3rd episode on but I love darker comedies. I do think there is definitely a great character developing arc but it is a slow build in season 1. It is much more prominent in Season 2. I particularly liked the family dynamics with her father, sister and stepmother so if you enjoy those parts at least, I feel that only gets better.
If anything, even if you aren’t awed by Season 1, Season 2 is wonderful and emotionally shattering.
As the show goes on, the scenes with her dead friend prove to be far more important than anything else you’ve seen so far, and the tone of those scenes starts to dominate.
You’re seeing the story of a woman who uses sex and filthy humor and outrageous behavior as defense mechanisms. The first episode, that’s almost all you get; but as the show continues, you’ll get to see past those defenses, and that’s when it really starts to shine.
My wife and I watched the first episode and then dropped it for months. When we picked it back up, we were amazed by how good it got.
Fleabag comes across in the first episode as an antihero. She’s abrasive and crude and self-destructive and alienating. And if you think it’s just another prestige show, you might think she’s gonna stay that way through the entire series: she’s another Tony Soprano or Walter White or whoever.
But she’s not. This is a very minor spoiler, but I’ll spoilerbox it anyway:
A major theme in the show is how she’s coming to grips with her grief and her other shit, and how she is, through it all, genuinely trying to be a better person.
If you’re thinking the first episode represent how she’ll be by the end, it ain’t that kind of story.
I’ve dropped it after one episode partly because I found her too annoying but mainly because I could see the “jokes” coming a mile off and regardless of whether the character develops it is unlikely that that factor was going to improve. The writer is unlikely to change their style.
I thought it was a funny series, but my opinion is that life is too short to watch comedies I don’t find funny. So if you don’t think it’s funny, find something else to watch.
I think it would have to have a different writer altogtether to be my cup of tea.
At this point there is far too much good stuff making demands on my time so if it can’t at least interest me then I’m not going to invest any more time in it.
Thats pretty much me. The entire first season really operates a lot as character development for what comes later, IMO. It’s passable on it’s own. I didn’t really start to love the show till they were building on top of that very extensively built up base.
I mean, obviously that’s fine. But the change in style is what surprised me and drew me in. If you’re not up for giving it another chance, no skin off my nose :).
I just rewatched season 1 with my wife. I enjoy the humor and I find Fleabag to be a sympathetic character but the first season seems like a bunch of vignettes loosely tied together with the story about her friend Boo. It does all come together at the end but I can see how people would give up before that if they don’t like the humor or they don’t like Fleabag herself.
That said, season 2 is one of the best seasons of television I’ve seen. It has compelling story lines and Priest is a great character. I will spoiler the next part because it gives away a key part of what makes season 2 so good.
It becomes clear in season 2 that when Fleabag breaks the fourth wall she isn’t doing it in the same way as they did on The Office or other shows where characters addressed the camera. She is turning to us as if she is actually aware of us watching her. There was a hint toward the end of season 1 when she recoiled as she turned to the camera after doing something awful. She realized that we saw it too and she was ashamed. We’re part of the show.