Fleabag finale episode SPOILERS thread

[HotPriest]

Crack open a can of and join your fellow iPlayer stalkers here for discussion of the final episode of Fleabag. Spoilers totally allowed so no peaking if you haven't see the episode.

Hoping it's as good as we all want it to be. Should be live on iPlayer tomorrow about 9.30am

It was awful, wasn’t it? Just pointlessly cruel.

I suppose one of the messages could have been that FB became graceful & grown up when no-one else was?

Is OC the Godmother to both girls?

Also wondering if I'm missing something re 'God' mother and the Father.

I've watched it. It's the first time I haven't wanted to rewatch it immediately but simply because I want to sob. I desperately wanted them to be happy together. I might have to write my own ending and pretend the bus stop never happened.

Just watched. Massive lump in my throat during the bus stop scene. Brilliant

I did want them to be together of course but I liked this ending too, bit more real.

In Paddington 1 the lost light goes out and found pops up. It's the other way round here
!

It takes six years to become a Catholic priest, with a LOT of prayer, soul-searching, and reflection along the way. Giving up his priesthood would have placed impossible pressure on the new relationship, not to mention the practicalities of building a life together. There are some situations where even the deepest, most sincere love isn’t enough on its own to sustain a relationship and in a programme which is resolutely honest and truthful it would have felt like a betrayal to pretend that they could have simply walked into the sunset together.

Personally i think they should have gone down the open 'Before Sunset' ending:

"Baby, you are gonna miss that bus plane."

"I know."

In fact if you love 'real' romantic films and you haven't seen the Before Sunrise trilogy (Richard Linklater) I highly recommend it. Might be the only thing that can pull me out my post-fleabag comedown.

Is FBs Dad another character who just wants someone to tell him what to do and what to wear and GM fills that role?

*HotPriest I think so yes. I've known men and women go from failing marriage with emotional neglect and lack of care to a new relationship with a total nutcase who controls everything. I think, oddly, it makes them feel wanted not neglected.

Maybe FBs mum was wrapped up in herself and neglected her bumbling emotionally stunted husband. Having a new wife who wants to know what he's doing every minute of the day and telling him what the plan is might be quite refreshing. She says he is the love of her life, and wants to practically sit on his lap if there is another woman around. He's probably comforted by that. I can't believe I've ended the series defending the evil Godmother!

and in a programme which is resolutely honest and truthful it would have felt like a betrayal to pretend that they could have simply walked into the sunset together.

Agree - but as much as anything it's sad if she has lost him as a friend.

Boo and her mum are still dead, she has improved relationships with her family, but Claire has just gone off to Finland and her relationship with her Dad is never going to be that close. She had a great connection with someone and now that seems to be lost.

Is the priest right to avoid romantic relationships (cynically they always go wrong and FB should follow his lead?) or has he just put a needless barrier in the way of a loving relationship. He seems fairly denomination fluid.
I still have so many questions! I know the sensible response is "it was a beautiful, perfect ending", but I just want to know more!

For anyone who will miss Andrew Scott/Olivia Colman - here they are having an affair in Pinter's "Betrayal" - it's fabulous, especially the part when he tells her he's in love with her. Such brilliant actors, great play. Hope the link works.

archive.org/details/BetrayalByHaroldPinter

Its because FB said to HP in the confession scene that is what she wanted made me think PWB put that in for a reason that would become apparent later.

I thought it was amazing. Watched it at 10am and been thinking about it all day.

If Fleabag and the priest had ended up together it would have all been instantly forgettable.

It was beautiful that she realised she could love and be loved, again, even if it was impossible.

"the only person I would run through an airport for is you" made me bawl

That painting was terrible. I'd have preferred to be FB than Claire though. At least FB only had the back of her head painted, Claire had to endure a badly painted portrait of her face! It was so ugly!

I loved it. And now I'm going to have to watch it with DP later, and pretend I haven't already seen it.

Seriously - it was the best possible outcome for her. They would never have made one another happy. God is a relationship that I imagine takes a long time to get over. Meanwhile she would have had to endure his 'break up' period with the church and the accompanying soul searching.

This FB who bravely declares her love - even though she knows it's not going to get her anywhere - is miles away from the cynical, manipulative person we meet in the very first episode. She's feeling things again, and she's down but not out. She will love again for sure. He probably won't.

It was fabulous tv.

It's too painful to watch again. Just watching snippets... Some HP lines that are helping to heal the pain in my aching heart:

Ep 1 "I'll always be there, I'm always there"

Ep 2 "The funeral liturgy says that life is changed not ended"

Ep 3 "it won't come to any good. I'd really like to be your friend though"

Ep 6 "..I was taught if we're born with love then life is about choosing the right place to put it....it takes strength to know what's right and love isn't something that weak people do. Being a romantic takes a hell of a lot of hope. I think what they mean is when you find somebody that you love .. it feels like hope.."

He gave her hope.

I'm not totally sure where I stand on the whole 'we're meant to be Boo' thing, but I do think it was significant that this was the first episode without any flashbacks to or interactions with Boo.

I think FB considered herself fundamentally unlovable or unworthy of love after what she did to Boo, so this series, which was 'a love story', was all about her falling genuinely in love with someone and realising that she in turn is genuinely loved: by Claire, by her dad and by HP. It felt like she had found forgiveness, reassurance and hope and was therefore finally able to say goodbye to Boo (us?) and move forward with her life.

I did wonder whether the step-mother's reference to her friend 'the surrogate' was loaded, given that she said earlier that she hadn't yet decided whether or not she wanted children - that would make interesting material for another series!

I'd also just like to take a moment and thank PWB for that shot of 'his beautiful neck' at the start of that episode!! *swoon!

It was nice she didn't question his faith.

Lots of comedians like to slot in how much belief is rubbish and nonsense etc etc but she didn't have much comment on it herself.

Her observations about hair and being ' invisible ' as you age were spot on though.

Is the priest right to avoid romantic relationships (cynically they always go wrong and FB should follow his lead?) or has he just put a needless barrier in the way of a loving relationship.

Er, he put the barrier in the way of their sparky but chaste friendship when he chose to pop over to the other side of the confessional and kiss her instead of absolving her.

I did wonder, after the Quaker scene and after her decision to go to the church to pray when she was remembering her mother’s funeral, if she was going to find some sort of solace in spirituality, almost in spite of her self. And in some ways it would have been fitting if she’d surprised herself that way, after knowingly hanging around the priest because she was lusting after him.

I’ve just watched it again. The final bus scene is interesting - he looks like he wants to kiss her at least once, then when he tells her not to come to the church he says it very differently than he did during the previous episode.

I have read The Thorn Birds, but not watched it

The priest's speech really made me think of Ralph in the book saying "What hell it is to be alive - thank god I haven't the courage to try more than the fringe of it".

I'm glad she talked to us. One of my predictions was no fourth wall in the finale.

Interesting to hear godmother's comment about looking after father in old age - she is 20 years younger?

He's crying when he tells her she's never allowed in his church again

What happens when they have the (ridiculously hot) kiss before the wedding? As he leaves she says 'fuck you then' and he kind of laughs. Is it because he said he didn't know if it was her or God that was giving him 'the feeling'? She wanted him to say it was her?

I also thought it reflected the scene in the first episode when he tries to talk to her, she leaves and he says 'fuck you then', but not sure what the relevance was?

I'm surprised people aren't making more of the god mother being unable to recall the name of the man she's about to marry.

How absolutely humiliating for him.

Does GM not even really see him as a real person, just what he represents? (Is she really after his money?).