Fleabag is coming back! series 2

[HoraceCope]

And with Andrew Scott,
he is great
as is Olivia Colman

I watched it with the subtitles on as well so was firmly of the “kneel” persuasion until I read this thread. Now I’m tending towards Neil... it’s a bit of a dilemma for the people doing the subtitles even if they do know, isn’t it? FB obviously understands “kneel” so that’s what the subtitles reflect at this point, they can’t really get across the ambiguity of the spoken word and “resolving” it in the subtitles would be a big spoiler.

I’m enjoying this so much, pure genius.

You can tell it’s a good drama as there is so much debate. If it was kneel, I lean to bertrand’s succinct conclusion...

it’s a bit of a dilemma for the people doing the subtitles even if they do know, isn’t it? FB obviously understands “kneel” so that’s what the subtitles reflect at this point, they can’t really get across the ambiguity of the spoken word and “resolving” it in the subtitles would be a big spoiler.

Exactly!

True! Probably best to ignore the subtitles then. How on earth are we going to wait til next week?!

Bertrand glad someone is with me on this!

I'm quite curious about confession now

Just rewatched. Completely convinced it's "Neil". It seems to me that faced with her raw honesty, which massively hits a nerve as theyre such birds of a feather, he wants to face her as himself and says "Neil. Just Neil" before showing her who he really is and what he really wants

I wonder what happened to the woman who the priest shares the digs with - she must have been out for him to be so loud! Maybe she was out!

Maybe Pam is in the HPs imagination but FB can see her too.

Every priest has a Pam.

I guess if you were sitting you might be asked to kneel to pray/make an act of contrition, but usually you'd be kneeling facing the priest, not the door IYKWIM. It did feel really abusive when he opened the door, though better when she stood up. It show how good a writer PWB is that you can be half hoping for something to happen, but then she portrays it in a way that makes you realise it is a bad thing for both of them.

I'm not decided on his bastardness yet? I think we are too quick to jump to bastardy conclusions about him because we love FB even though FB has done her fair share of being bastardy.

It is interesting how people see what he did differently. I just thought it was the most erotic thing I'd ever seen - but thinking about it and reading this thread I suppose it was a massive breach of his position, not just a bit "naughty".

Proper soul-deep desire for someone, as opposed to a crush is incredibly powerful and other-worldly - I've experienced it before and its a force of nature. The episode totally nailed the madness of it.

I’m not in agreement that he’s a bastard either.
I just think he’s really confused and probably just as lost as she is but in
A different way. We seem to have forgiven fleabag for the despicable thing she did to her best friend, I’m ready to forgive priest too

I think it’s my age. I don’t think damaged and tortured is sexy any more. And I don’t think people ought to use their professional position to further their own ends. And I don’t think being in love is an excuse for crap behaviour.

I’m ready to forgive priest too

I'm not, not yet. He hasn't been fair in his treatment of Fleabag, not at all. The images Fleabag noticed of Christ on the church walls, with adoring women looking up at him. That's the position he's put himself in - literally so in the last scene. but also he basically invites her to worship him, not god in the vestry scene. That's not a meeting of equals. That's an abuse of power.

When she asked him about his past in the cafe, he used his position as "helping her" to deflect her enquiries, and that's when she - rightly - got pissed off with him. He wasn't genuinely being a friend.

If he wants to be friends with Fleabag, he needs to treat her as an equal - if she's opening up about her difficult past, he needs to also. He's putting himself in the "white knight" position of rescuing her (or, he was, till he fucked it up). But Fleabag doesn't need a white knight. She needs friends.

Agree with your post biscuits. But we’ve forgiven fleabag because we know and understand her dysfunctional family situation (although do we know why she always used sex as validation prior to her mum and boo dying?) so I’m ready to forgive priest as I think he is just as messed up. That is, if he is sorry, which I’m hoping he will be.

The difference is that the priest is in a position of power. I can forgive him being screwed up, but not his abuse of power.

Well yes I do see that of course. There’s clearly a story with him though, which I hope we see.
Everyone’s fallible and make mistakes, even people in positions of power. It’s just that people without power make mistakes that aren’t necessarily as public or affecting of others.

I once knew of a vicar who had an affair and as a result had to leave the church. Everyone was shocked as they expected more of him in his position but he was just a human at the end of the day. And not the right fit for a vicar, which I think is the same for priest

I know of vicars who had affairs and are just moved to another parish sadly. :(

Having watched again I think it is 'Neil' and that the subtitles say what Fleabag hears. The intonation makes more sense with 'Neil' and also it would be funny.

I don't think they will get to a 'happily ever after' situation by the last episode - and can see why others are concerned by abuse of power... but also think it would be great if the nasty step mother's wedding is disrupted by sexual tension/actual mad passionate sex between Fleabag and the priest, particularly given all the 'sexhibition' nonsense.

Sorry 'godmother' - not yet step mother.

But is he in a position of power over her. He is not her priest. She is an atheist. He can not use his position as a gate keeper to heaven as she doesn't believe in it.

You may be proven right all ye bastard callers. I am with you Bertrand in that drunk and tortured should are not attractive to me anymore.

Rabbit I don't think he's using his position to have power over her

just mean it was a power play in that "this person really fancies me, ooh I have power over them because of it" IYSWIM.

Bertrand I don't think it's age related - I never thought that the tortured thing was sexy, just boring and a note to run for the hills!

I think the absolute genius of PWB’s writing is that this whole conversation feels deeply familiar after many many late nights with my friends throughout our twenties, unpicking and analysing the behaviour of another toxic boy.

I’m also not convinced that the priest is a total bastard, but there’s no way that this can end well.

It’s interesting, if the tortured priest were a thread on here we’d all be yelling ‘red flag’ and ‘run for the hills’ but in the drama some of us are rooting for a happy ending for both of them. The lesson of fleabag so far hasn’t been that love conquers all, but that love is hard to find, and damaged people do more damage, so fairly realistic.