Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag
What are we going to watch now that Fleabag has ended? That is what I am asking all of my friends today. It made me laugh out loud more than any other TV show has, probably ever. On multiple occasions, I found myself re-telling Fleabag jokes to my coworkers (definitely not as well, or totally appropriate for the workplace).
As devastated as we are that Fleabag has ended, we are all eagerly waiting to see what Phoebe’s next project is. I’m hoping for more female rage.
[Vogue] Where did the concept for the show come from?
[Waller-Bridge] I think it was really inspired by the cynicism I was feeling in my twenties, and then also wanting to play a character I can really relate to, and also a touch of female rage.
[Vogue] How would you define female rage?
[Waller-Bridge] Uncontrollable, violent, female anger.
There has been so much written about both series one and two and so all I wanted to do was highlight some of my absolute favourite moments and themes.
Likeability
I love that Fleabag is not always a very likeable character. It’s something that is directly articulated by her dad in the last episode, ‘I mean, I’m sorry, I love you, but I’m not sure that I like you all the time.’ One of the first things we teach girls is that they must be likeable, must please, it’s almost synonymous with femininity. Yet it’s the first criticism of women in public life, ‘she’s not likeable enough.’ We cannot win that game, and so the best thing we can do is be ourselves in all our likeable and not so likeable ways.
Sisters
In one of the opening lines of the first series Fleabag tells us ‘this is a love story’, and it really is. A love story of two sisters, who are brutally honest (mean?) But do anything for each other; pretend to have had a miscarriage, steal things, shout at hairdressers. The most romantic line of the last episode is Claire to Fleabag, ‘the only person I’d run through an airport for is you.’ I don’t have a sister, but J does, so I asked her what it is like to have a sister and almost without a pause she said, ‘it’s infuriating’ a few seconds silence and she continued, ‘she copies everything you do and always takes all the limelight. You always want her to be happy and do well but not always as well as you, and then she always does better and you can’t be more proud of her.’ I think we can see who is Claire and who is Fleabag in that sister relationship. Joking aside, it’s pretty startling that J’s completely unthought through response mirrors the sisters in Fleabag so closely. I wasn’t surprised to learn that Phoebe’s own sister wrote the Fleabag theme music and Sian Clifford, who plays Claire, has been friends with Phoebe since drama school and the pair are described as ‘like sisters’.
The monologue on female pain
Kristin Scott Thomas’ cameo in episode three gives us a phenomenal monologue on female pain. This speaks for itself and deserves the be written out in full.
‘Women are born with pain built in. It’s our physical destiny – period pains, sore boobs, childbirth. We carry it within ourselves throughout our lives. Men don’t. They have to seek it out. They invent all these gods and demons so they can feel guilty about things, which is something we 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. 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. Yes, your entire pelvic floor crumbles and you get fucking hot and 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.’
The Priest
Kneel.