Fleabag is coming back! series 2

[HoraceCope]

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

For me, what moved the Clare hair thing on was the rant at the hairdresser and his retort about 'if you want to change your life, change it'. It would be so easy to tumble roll into the everyone panicking about a bad hair cut, that never seems to get resolved that is such a tired old trope. It was more about how you muddle yourself with your feeling sometimes and cling to one thing in the hopes it will make everything better.

I think everyone has been there and I think FB recognised that and its what took this past the tired old bad haircut thing.

The idea that the priest is abusive panders to the thinking that a woman couldn't possibly be pushing for sex.

FB knows the priest likes her. We know she really wants to have sex with him. She's been purposely seeking him out hoping so something. He distinctively said it can't happen and admits celibacy is difficult. Yet know hes vulnerable she still seeks him out

Good points practical!

It might be abusive if fleabag was one of his vulnerable churchgoers, but she's not, she doesn't give a shit about his position and she's actively pursued him. Honestly I think it's pretty patronising to call him abusive.

He's not bloody abusive FFS.
He's got his issues - haven't we all. Even those of us with terrible families, complicated backgrounds and bad communication skills are capable of love and being loved. And what a joy it is when someone accepts you despite all of your faults.

Thank you practical!

We also know that HP is nostalgic, he loves Piglet, he reads lots of books, he doesn't particularly get on with his mother, he went to Rome to buy the plum robe 2 years before he could wear it because he couldn't wait. He finds celibacy much less complicated than romantic relationships and he's lonely and could really do with a friend.

And the first time he met her, after they'd all gone home in the restaurant, he said to her "if you ever need someone, to talk to or er...you know.., I'll always be there. I'm always there."

Abusive, no, but I think his actions are somewhat ethically problematic. She went to that church in episode 4 looking for some kind of comfort, but not him, hence the 9.45 line, and she was in a bad place. And yes of course the lawyer is worse.

Also there goes my theory about Klare being the father of Claire's baby.

his actions are somewhat ethically problematic

True, but so are Fleabag’s.

I think that while the show completely acknowledges and uses the hot sexy priest trope, it’s more interested in the fact that he is using celibacy to avoid confronting his issues (mirroring FB’s use of meaningless sex) than the ethics of whether a priest should have sex.

I think he's been very cagey about talking about why he doesn't get on with his parents - whereas with Fb the family dynamic is quite obvious - to hp as well as to us. If he was genuinely interested in fb as a friend i think he would have opened up a little bit in the cafe rather than immediately stonwalling and pulling the priest card.

Then again he probably was trying to talk about it when 9 orgasms guy kept buzzing.

Hilarious that people think the priest is abusive

Merrymouse...nailed it!

Aren't they stonewalling each other? Her family are clearly dysfunctional, but it's underlined through all the flashbacks (particularly in the cafe scene) that the thing she is concealing is Boo.

Again, really don't know how they are going to explain everything in 25 minutes. At least we know the Boo story, so it doesn't need to be explained at length again - but why did he become a priest?

Why is it 'hilarious' veronica?

It's not as if the concept of an abusive priest is entirely without precedent

“Hilarious that people think the priest is abusive“

Why?

The unreliable narrator thing comes in with regard to fbs judgement about the lawyer, i think . I mean she's sitting there with her sister and the guy is sprawled across the desk with food all over his face. I was thinking 'this guy can't even eat properly, how is he going to be any use in a court of law?' And yet they both go on about how hot he is and how fb is going to have to restrain herself from sleeping with him. And then in the bar "I've got to take a shit...actually, let's have sex instead" (not envy, he's just repulsive)

I think he's been very cagey about talking about why he doesn't get on with his parents - whereas with Fb the family dynamic is quite obvious - to hp as well as to us. If he was genuinely interested in fb as a friend i think he would have opened up a little bit in the cafe rather than immediately stonwalling and pulling the priest card.

I don't think he is being cagey - he has spoken openly about his dysfunctional family and from what he says they are VERY dysfunctional. We are still to see why FB's family are so dysfunctional and so HP along with us, are wondering why FB is the way she is (and Claire)

Because he soo isn't. It's ludicrous to even think that. She's not even Catholic. She's not even religious. He's like a friend who happens to be a priest. And she's a grown woman, not an infant! If she wants to bang someone, she can.

pp mentioning "the hot sexy priest trope"

clearly I have missed a huge amount of TV because I've never seen this before!

Um, capable adults can be victims of abuse too. It's not always sexual and consenting to sex doesn't mean that person can't abuse you. Personally I'm not saying i think he is abusive but i'm not ruling it out either. FWIW i'm hoping for a happy ending.

Pressed post too soon. Lots of adults lose a parent in their late 20's/30's. Lots are left with pretty emotionally unavailable parent's. They don't all become sex addicts who act impulsively. They don't all marry alcoholic, abusive arseholes. So HP is probably looking at FB and thinking "what the fuck happened".

If you look at the individuals in this in the context of childhood ACES - it is HP who is most damaged and vulnerable and perhaps the dog collar was his way of protecting himself from further damage.

We are still to see why FB's family are so dysfunctional and so HP along with us, are wondering why FB is the way she is (and Claire)

I think the dynamics in FB's family are exaggerated for comic and dramatic effect, but not really that unusual. Plenty of people struggle to maintain an adult relationship with a parent if they don't get on with their partner. You don't need to have a traumatic back story to marry the wrong person or squabble with your sibling.

On the other hand it is unusual to have a best friend who committed suicide and killed 3 people because you slept with her boyfriend.

Yes of course she can bang anyone she wants to. But adults can be abused. Friends can be abusive. And a damaged person looking for guidance, for someone to “tell her what to do”, could be very vulnerable indeed to a charismatic person wearing cultural trappings of authority. Even if she is not remotely religious.

On the other hand it is unusual to have a best friend who committed suicide and killed 3 people because you slept with her boyfriend.

Yes it is. BUT wasn't sleeping with her best friend's boyfriend evidence of an already dysfunctional personality. As was her telling her therapist that she has spent her life using sex to fill a massive void?