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Fleabag
An outrageously funny but poignant look at responsibility and sexuality in today's young people.
The Fleabag bites back. A rip-roaring account of some sort of a female living her sort of life, this comic monologue for a female performer won a Fringe First at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2013.
'Sucker-punch funny... I've never seen a play quite like it' "Scotsman"
'A sharp-edged gem of a solo show' "Whatsonstage.com"
'Bitingly funny and genuinely moving... clever and tender and true' "A Younger Theatre"
The Fleabag bites back. A rip-roaring account of some sort of a female living her sort of life, this comic monologue for a female performer won a Fringe First at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2013.
'Sucker-punch funny... I've never seen a play quite like it' "Scotsman"
'A sharp-edged gem of a solo show' "Whatsonstage.com"
'Bitingly funny and genuinely moving... clever and tender and true' "A Younger Theatre"
63 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
189 people are currently reading
7596 people want to read
About the author
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
5 books1,480 followersPhoebe Mary Waller-Bridge (born 14 July 1985) is an English actress and writer. She is best known for creating, writing and starring in the comedy-drama series Crashing (2016) and Fleabag (2016–19), for which she won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Female Comedy Performance, and for developing and writing the first season of BBC America drama Killing Eve, based on novels by Luke Jennings.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 951 reviews
November 3, 2022
oh hell yeah.
i'm more of a show-girl (lol) than a play-girl (haha) when it comes to fleabag, because i'm unapologetically basic, and because goddamn the play is incredibly dark, and because the second season (naturally not present in the play) is absolutely what just makes it, and finally because i have spent most of my life dying on the hill of Refusing To Be A Theater Person even as i often find myself surrounded by them.
but this is still very excellent. one hell of a cover buy.
bottom line: fleabag forever!
i'm more of a show-girl (lol) than a play-girl (haha) when it comes to fleabag, because i'm unapologetically basic, and because goddamn the play is incredibly dark, and because the second season (naturally not present in the play) is absolutely what just makes it, and finally because i have spent most of my life dying on the hill of Refusing To Be A Theater Person even as i often find myself surrounded by them.
but this is still very excellent. one hell of a cover buy.
bottom line: fleabag forever!
January 14, 2020
People often assume that a book is the best gift for a booklover. But it’s usually the worst gift - unless it was specifically asked for. Either I’ll force myself to read it instead of something else, or I’ll feel guilty for not reading it.
Joy! This was an unexpected but well-chosen Christmas gift.
Image: Books tied with ribbon (Source.)
I loved the two TV series of Fleabag, and a few months ago saw the original one-woman stage show. This book is the script of that monologue (so no “hot priest”). It’s stream of consciousness ramblings that are primarily about characters, rather than plot. The script is preceded by 40 pages of interviews, photos, and articles with and about Waller-Bridge and some of her team.
It’s better to watch it in some form before reading this.
The F words
Fleabag is the nickname of the central character, written and performed by Waller-Bridge: a young woman, with no filter, no taboos, and no shame, who is also dealing with grief, failure, and rejection. It’s outrageously funny - or merely outrageous to those of a more prudish bent.
“I’m not obsessed with sex. I just can’t stop thinking about it.”
“I masturbate a lot these days. Especially when I’m bored or angry or upset or happy.”
She talks a lot aboutfucking sex; even her pizza is “slutty”. In some ways, she has a stereotypically male attitude to sex, especially of the casual kind. The shock value is heightened by her being so obviously middle-class. She’s woke enough to be conscious of the importance of consent, but alarmingly old-fashioned/female enough to move her boundaries when “I’m drunk and I owe him a ‘thank you’ for being nice to me”.
“I have a horrible feeling I’m a greedy, perverted, selfish, cynical, depraved, mannish-looking, morally bankrupt woman who can’t even call herself a feminist.”
At a feminist lecture, the speaker asks:
“Would you trade five years of your life for the so-called ‘perfect body’?””
Fleabag immediately raises her hand, then realises the must be a bad feminist, if she’s one at all. (As for me, I’d want to know which five years I’d have to trade.)
Image: Phoebe Waller-Bridge in the original one-woman stage show (Source.)
Three walls
The stage show is narrated with a mix of direct quotes from the incidents she’s describing and her often bitchy inner monologue. On the page, it’s not always so clear which is which.
When Fleabag made the surprising and successful transition from one-woman show to TV sitcom, her commentary and asides became looks, winks, and words, direct to the viewers. No fourth wall.
Hilary
Fleabag and her best friend, Boo, opened a guinea pig themed café. However, if you adore guinea pigs, this may not be for you.
Image: Hilary (left) with Fleabag (right) in the TV sitcom (Source.)
Accolades
Fleabag, in all its incarnations, has won numerous awards. In 2019, those included Golden Globes and Emmys for best TV comedy, and best actress and writer for Waller-Bridge herself, plus featuring in Obama’s shows of the year. In an Emmys acceptance speech, Waller-Bridge said:
“Personally, I’d like to also thank Obama for putting us on his list. As some of you may know, he’s always been on mine.”
If you don’t get that joke, you need to acquaint yourself with Fleabag!
Good Omens
When you know each other as well as Crowley and Aziraphale, you can probably give each other books:
Frame 1, Crowley asks, "What would you like for Christmas, angel? And please don't say 'a book'."
Frame 3, Aziraphale replies, "Two books!"
Joy! This was an unexpected but well-chosen Christmas gift.
Image: Books tied with ribbon (Source.)
I loved the two TV series of Fleabag, and a few months ago saw the original one-woman stage show. This book is the script of that monologue (so no “hot priest”). It’s stream of consciousness ramblings that are primarily about characters, rather than plot. The script is preceded by 40 pages of interviews, photos, and articles with and about Waller-Bridge and some of her team.
It’s better to watch it in some form before reading this.
The F words
Fleabag is the nickname of the central character, written and performed by Waller-Bridge: a young woman, with no filter, no taboos, and no shame, who is also dealing with grief, failure, and rejection. It’s outrageously funny - or merely outrageous to those of a more prudish bent.
“I’m not obsessed with sex. I just can’t stop thinking about it.”
“I masturbate a lot these days. Especially when I’m bored or angry or upset or happy.”
She talks a lot about
“I have a horrible feeling I’m a greedy, perverted, selfish, cynical, depraved, mannish-looking, morally bankrupt woman who can’t even call herself a feminist.”
At a feminist lecture, the speaker asks:
“Would you trade five years of your life for the so-called ‘perfect body’?””
Fleabag immediately raises her hand, then realises the must be a bad feminist, if she’s one at all. (As for me, I’d want to know which five years I’d have to trade.)
Image: Phoebe Waller-Bridge in the original one-woman stage show (Source.)
Three walls
The stage show is narrated with a mix of direct quotes from the incidents she’s describing and her often bitchy inner monologue. On the page, it’s not always so clear which is which.
When Fleabag made the surprising and successful transition from one-woman show to TV sitcom, her commentary and asides became looks, winks, and words, direct to the viewers. No fourth wall.
Hilary
Fleabag and her best friend, Boo, opened a guinea pig themed café. However, if you adore guinea pigs, this may not be for you.
Image: Hilary (left) with Fleabag (right) in the TV sitcom (Source.)
Accolades
Fleabag, in all its incarnations, has won numerous awards. In 2019, those included Golden Globes and Emmys for best TV comedy, and best actress and writer for Waller-Bridge herself, plus featuring in Obama’s shows of the year. In an Emmys acceptance speech, Waller-Bridge said:
“Personally, I’d like to also thank Obama for putting us on his list. As some of you may know, he’s always been on mine.”
If you don’t get that joke, you need to acquaint yourself with Fleabag!
Good Omens
When you know each other as well as Crowley and Aziraphale, you can probably give each other books:
Frame 1, Crowley asks, "What would you like for Christmas, angel? And please don't say 'a book'."
Frame 3, Aziraphale replies, "Two books!"
June 15, 2019
The monologue that started it all. Almost exhaustingly funny and refreshingly debauched. It cannot be denied that the television adaptation of Fleabag has helped define an era, so it's interesting to see how it began. The monologue is essentially the first series of the show, but incredibly pared down to roughly an hour of dialogue. Fleabag's approach to life is chaotic but also wincingly relatable. Waller-Bridge really read us all for filth.
June 4, 2019
If you're not aware of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, you should check her out. In the past few years Waller-Bridge has become a phenomenon, not only taking her award-winning Edinburgh Fringe Festival show to the London stage and then to the BBC for two wildly successful seasons, but she's also been employed as a writer for major tv productions, most recently the 25th James Bond film. I'm currently binge-watching Season 1 of Fleabag and can't wait to get on to Season 2.
Who is Fleabag for? For one, it's a certificate 15 in the UK (18 in France), so you're not going to be able to watch it with the little ones. Fleabag includes lots of adult themes, such as female masturbation, but interestingly very little nudity, if at all. The main character, also played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, is a thirty-something living in London: attractive, vulnerable, obsessed about sex in general and casual sexual encounters in particular, close to her anorexic sister (but how can one be close to a person who organises their own surprise birthday party and describes it as a business meeting?), and coming to terms with a close friend's suicide.
But if you haven't seen (or read) Fleabag, this won't tell you very much because Fleabag flies in the face of viewers'/readers' expectations. Phoebe is sexually liberated but not in the 60s or 70s sense of liberation (what we associate with sexual liberation typical of those years). She's actively on the look-out for sexual encounters, yet she does not particularly enjoy sex (she much prefers masturbation), and her male partners are immature, socially inept fellas, who don't give a damn about her gratification. In addition, Phoebe has this knack of turning to the camera and making the viewer privy to her thoughts about these men (or indeed herself) - a technique revived by Miranda Hart in her own sitcom about 10 years ago, but used far more extensively by Waller-Bridge.
Fleabag is herself an emotionally immature, gaffe-prone, often selfish young woman who steals a statuette from her stepmother (just because she can), and sends selfies of her intimate parts to boyfrieds (hasn't she heard of revenge porn for f's sake?). She's also brutally honest, insecure, and totally relatable. I dropped one star because I thought that some of the jokes were a bit cheesy, but overall Fleabag is fresh, relentless and innovative, esp. with regard to womens' sexuality. I'm looking forward to watching more episodes!
Who is Fleabag for? For one, it's a certificate 15 in the UK (18 in France), so you're not going to be able to watch it with the little ones. Fleabag includes lots of adult themes, such as female masturbation, but interestingly very little nudity, if at all. The main character, also played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, is a thirty-something living in London: attractive, vulnerable, obsessed about sex in general and casual sexual encounters in particular, close to her anorexic sister (but how can one be close to a person who organises their own surprise birthday party and describes it as a business meeting?), and coming to terms with a close friend's suicide.
But if you haven't seen (or read) Fleabag, this won't tell you very much because Fleabag flies in the face of viewers'/readers' expectations. Phoebe is sexually liberated but not in the 60s or 70s sense of liberation (what we associate with sexual liberation typical of those years). She's actively on the look-out for sexual encounters, yet she does not particularly enjoy sex (she much prefers masturbation), and her male partners are immature, socially inept fellas, who don't give a damn about her gratification. In addition, Phoebe has this knack of turning to the camera and making the viewer privy to her thoughts about these men (or indeed herself) - a technique revived by Miranda Hart in her own sitcom about 10 years ago, but used far more extensively by Waller-Bridge.
Fleabag is herself an emotionally immature, gaffe-prone, often selfish young woman who steals a statuette from her stepmother (just because she can), and sends selfies of her intimate parts to boyfrieds (hasn't she heard of revenge porn for f's sake?). She's also brutally honest, insecure, and totally relatable. I dropped one star because I thought that some of the jokes were a bit cheesy, but overall Fleabag is fresh, relentless and innovative, esp. with regard to womens' sexuality. I'm looking forward to watching more episodes!
October 18, 2022
i love phoebe waller-bridge and her mind
October 12, 2019
I wasn’t able to catch the play at a theatre obviously because I live in faraway lands. There were no screenings near me either but I managed to find a copy somewhere; and fortunately a bookshop near me sold the play in print. Other than visiting another country for vacation last May I think watching Fleabag is the only other good decision I made this year. And this year has been rough. I saw the series twice but the play itself is still an experience. Whilst it only covers the first season, with parts rearranged and altered to fit the theatrical structure in minimalist fashion, it also hits very hard. It made me laugh and cry that afterwards I knew I just have to read it again. It would be an understatement to say Phoebe Waller-Bridge is brilliant both as a writer and an artist. We all know that. She created perhaps one of the most complex and resonating female characters out there. We all know that too.
What makes Fleabag unforgettably exceptional and wonderfully painful is how it does not brush off female angst, which it vividly captures, as mere mood swings nor as a “millennial, post-hysteria syndrome.” Indeed it is a persistent condition that ails women—accompanied by delightful period jokes brought by Fleabag—that stems from a lot of societal norms and expectations smeared with bias and bigotry.
With all the passive-aggressive exchange, draining stoicism, and emotional restraint, all done in delightful British accents, Fleabag portrays trauma and guilt at its most bare levelled by humour raw enough it stings like tequila without a chaser down your throat (and you’ll take another shot then another and another…) But most of all, here is a flawed character that doubts herself, does not really value herself but also has confidence. Here is someone who does not allow herself to swing through the crutches of bereavement nor create meaningful relationships with people but also has empathy and kindness. And someone who deflects and copes, shuts down and walls up, through momentary pleasures, in this instance the use of sex and masturbation, either without a flick of an emotion or to numb an emotion ("I masturbate a lot these days. especially when I'm bored. Or angry. Or upset. Or happy"). She then is further embraced by a dysfunctional family kept together mostly for show each with their own personal issues. And a dead best friend, her only friend, who intermittently shows herself in dreams and memories. It is deliciously catastrophic yet surprisingly loving. But most of all, there is a desperate plea for validation and attention; Fleabag, our protagonist, accepts them in any form to alleviate a certain kind of loneliness. And I think for most of us who also feel like this, do it like this, we end up trying to get that from the wrong people. We think we only deserve that when we deserve better.
Despite this write-up making it sound like a house haunted with miseries, Fleabag is ingenious without preventing itself to have fun. At the end of both the play and the first season, hope is glimpsed through admittance and willing one’s self to finally feel. A theme much more explored in season two where a particular human connection appears without being searched for, Fleabag The Play, together with the series, will definitely be something I will revisit from time to time as life goes on; not only because I see myself out there but it can somehow be a source of comfort as well. It makes you want to keep going and makes you less frightened of being vulnerable. Sometimes it's all that matters.
"People make mistakes."
"Yes they do."
"That's why they put rubbers on the ends of pencils."
"Is that a joke?"
“I don’t know.”
I believe there is a Fleabag in all of us. And at the end of the day, we all just want to be loved. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s the most logical inclination in fact.
What makes Fleabag unforgettably exceptional and wonderfully painful is how it does not brush off female angst, which it vividly captures, as mere mood swings nor as a “millennial, post-hysteria syndrome.” Indeed it is a persistent condition that ails women—accompanied by delightful period jokes brought by Fleabag—that stems from a lot of societal norms and expectations smeared with bias and bigotry.
With all the passive-aggressive exchange, draining stoicism, and emotional restraint, all done in delightful British accents, Fleabag portrays trauma and guilt at its most bare levelled by humour raw enough it stings like tequila without a chaser down your throat (and you’ll take another shot then another and another…) But most of all, here is a flawed character that doubts herself, does not really value herself but also has confidence. Here is someone who does not allow herself to swing through the crutches of bereavement nor create meaningful relationships with people but also has empathy and kindness. And someone who deflects and copes, shuts down and walls up, through momentary pleasures, in this instance the use of sex and masturbation, either without a flick of an emotion or to numb an emotion ("I masturbate a lot these days. especially when I'm bored. Or angry. Or upset. Or happy"). She then is further embraced by a dysfunctional family kept together mostly for show each with their own personal issues. And a dead best friend, her only friend, who intermittently shows herself in dreams and memories. It is deliciously catastrophic yet surprisingly loving. But most of all, there is a desperate plea for validation and attention; Fleabag, our protagonist, accepts them in any form to alleviate a certain kind of loneliness. And I think for most of us who also feel like this, do it like this, we end up trying to get that from the wrong people. We think we only deserve that when we deserve better.
Despite this write-up making it sound like a house haunted with miseries, Fleabag is ingenious without preventing itself to have fun. At the end of both the play and the first season, hope is glimpsed through admittance and willing one’s self to finally feel. A theme much more explored in season two where a particular human connection appears without being searched for, Fleabag The Play, together with the series, will definitely be something I will revisit from time to time as life goes on; not only because I see myself out there but it can somehow be a source of comfort as well. It makes you want to keep going and makes you less frightened of being vulnerable. Sometimes it's all that matters.
"People make mistakes."
"Yes they do."
"That's why they put rubbers on the ends of pencils."
"Is that a joke?"
“I don’t know.”
I believe there is a Fleabag in all of us. And at the end of the day, we all just want to be loved. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s the most logical inclination in fact.
February 27, 2020
Heartbreakingly relatable, hilarious and the perfect thing to pick up after seeing the show.
I love the concept of Fleabag letting the audience peek into her world as she speaks to them throughout different scenarios in her life until she realizes they’re seeing too much into the ugliness of both her personality and current situation. There’s something endearing about seeing woman’s trials and tribulations, her glaring faults, and the obnoxious aspects of her personality which make her all the more real in this dark comedy that one can’t help but enjoy.
The play ended too abruptly, for me, but again, you can simply see the phenomenal show to see what else happens in Fleabag’s life.
I love the concept of Fleabag letting the audience peek into her world as she speaks to them throughout different scenarios in her life until she realizes they’re seeing too much into the ugliness of both her personality and current situation. There’s something endearing about seeing woman’s trials and tribulations, her glaring faults, and the obnoxious aspects of her personality which make her all the more real in this dark comedy that one can’t help but enjoy.
The play ended too abruptly, for me, but again, you can simply see the phenomenal show to see what else happens in Fleabag’s life.
Read
March 29, 2020
December 6, 2021
If you're a pet or a guinea pig lover, umm, this might not be your cup of tea. This one scene could make you really uncomfortable
Also I'm pissed that I miss the live performance of this play even though it was in 2013, and I had no inkling of Fleabag' s existence.
Also I'm pissed that I miss the live performance of this play even though it was in 2013, and I had no inkling of Fleabag' s existence.
Read
December 1, 2023I knew I wanted to write about a young, sex-obsessed, angry, dry-witted woman,
but the main focus of the process was her direct relationship with her audience
and how she tries to manipulate and amuse and shock them, moment to moment,
until she eventually bares her soul.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge na introdução a este volume.
Fleabag é um monólogo absolutamente fora da caixa para uma atriz. A forma como aborda o tabu e quebra as expectativas de género sem qualquer timidez é refrescante, mas a sordidez (talvez a palavra seja forte, mas é a que me ocorre com maior propriedade) nunca me agradou - venha ela no masculino ou no feminino -, motivo pelo qual, apesar de o humor negro não me incomodar nada, e de acabar por ignorar (ou aceitar) um pouco da hipersexualidade da personagem, ainda assim sentir que a tentativa de inversão de papéis resulta aqui demasiado hiperbólica.
DAD. Okay?
FLEABAG (drunkenly). Okay... I don't... yeah... I... uh... um... It's a... hm... ah, fuck it.
I have a horrible feeling I'm a greedy, perverted, selfish, apathetic, cynical, depraved, mannish-looking, morally bankrupt woman who can't even call herself a feminist.
He looks at me.
DAD. Well... You get all that from your mother.
Apesar disso, esta é uma peça que vive da força e da capacidade empática da atriz que a sustenta ao longo de sessenta e qualquer coisa minutos, e creio que, com a interpretação de Phoebe Waller-Bridge, a situação melhore... e muito.
Fora isso, a construção da peça e as suas dinâmicas são qualquer coisa de muito original - com a autora a colocar constantemente em causa as barreiras entre monólogo, diálogo e solilóquio. A sua inventividade, e a capacidade de deitar abaixo as convenções dramáticas (ex.quarta parede) são atributos valiosos para quem, como a autora, virá a fazer parte do panorama teatral do futuro.
Fleabag foi escrita, interpretada e levada à cena por Phoebe Waller-Bridge em 2013, no festival Fringe de Edimburgo. Três anos depois, a autora escreve e protagoniza a série com o mesmo nome para a emissora BBC.
Como a peça não chega às nossas paragens, vou dar a hipótese a esta última.
FLEABAG. What's... wrong, Joe?
JOE (sighs). Ah my girl, I just... I love people. I love people. But... they get me down.
FLEABAG. Yeah. People are... shit.
He turns and I can see into every deep line on his face.
JOE. Oh no, darlin'. People are amazing, but... when will people realise... that people are all we got?
FLEABAG. He smiles, but I feel a bit ambushed. I pretend I have to wash the cappuccino machine, go inside and wipe the nozzle a bit.
but the main focus of the process was her direct relationship with her audience
and how she tries to manipulate and amuse and shock them, moment to moment,
until she eventually bares her soul.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge na introdução a este volume.
Fleabag é um monólogo absolutamente fora da caixa para uma atriz. A forma como aborda o tabu e quebra as expectativas de género sem qualquer timidez é refrescante, mas a sordidez (talvez a palavra seja forte, mas é a que me ocorre com maior propriedade) nunca me agradou - venha ela no masculino ou no feminino -, motivo pelo qual, apesar de o humor negro não me incomodar nada, e de acabar por ignorar (ou aceitar) um pouco da hipersexualidade da personagem, ainda assim sentir que a tentativa de inversão de papéis resulta aqui demasiado hiperbólica.
DAD. Okay?
FLEABAG (drunkenly). Okay... I don't... yeah... I... uh... um... It's a... hm... ah, fuck it.
I have a horrible feeling I'm a greedy, perverted, selfish, apathetic, cynical, depraved, mannish-looking, morally bankrupt woman who can't even call herself a feminist.
He looks at me.
DAD. Well... You get all that from your mother.
Apesar disso, esta é uma peça que vive da força e da capacidade empática da atriz que a sustenta ao longo de sessenta e qualquer coisa minutos, e creio que, com a interpretação de Phoebe Waller-Bridge, a situação melhore... e muito.
Fora isso, a construção da peça e as suas dinâmicas são qualquer coisa de muito original - com a autora a colocar constantemente em causa as barreiras entre monólogo, diálogo e solilóquio. A sua inventividade, e a capacidade de deitar abaixo as convenções dramáticas (ex.quarta parede) são atributos valiosos para quem, como a autora, virá a fazer parte do panorama teatral do futuro.
Fleabag foi escrita, interpretada e levada à cena por Phoebe Waller-Bridge em 2013, no festival Fringe de Edimburgo. Três anos depois, a autora escreve e protagoniza a série com o mesmo nome para a emissora BBC.
Como a peça não chega às nossas paragens, vou dar a hipótese a esta última.
FLEABAG. What's... wrong, Joe?
JOE (sighs). Ah my girl, I just... I love people. I love people. But... they get me down.
FLEABAG. Yeah. People are... shit.
He turns and I can see into every deep line on his face.
JOE. Oh no, darlin'. People are amazing, but... when will people realise... that people are all we got?
FLEABAG. He smiles, but I feel a bit ambushed. I pretend I have to wash the cappuccino machine, go inside and wipe the nozzle a bit.
not-to-read
December 17, 2024
Thank you, Goodreads Recommendation Engine! I'm, uh, what's the opposite of sold?
December 28, 2019
4.5 rounded down
Phoebe can do no wrong - insert cliched sentence here about how I preferred the tv series but they’re not comparable, really (and I’m just bitter I never saw her perform this live). The additional bits in this special edition were fun as well.
(ETA: Managed to catch the National Theatre Live showing of the play in my local theatre - 10 out of 10, would recommend.)
Phoebe can do no wrong - insert cliched sentence here about how I preferred the tv series but they’re not comparable, really (and I’m just bitter I never saw her perform this live). The additional bits in this special edition were fun as well.
(ETA: Managed to catch the National Theatre Live showing of the play in my local theatre - 10 out of 10, would recommend.)
April 19, 2019
“I stood staring at a handprint on my wall from when I had a threesome on my period. Harry and I break up every twelve to eighteen months and when we do, well...
I wish I could tell you that my threesome story was sticky and awkward and everyone went home a little bit sad and empty, but...it was lovely.
Sorry.”
I wish I could tell you that my threesome story was sticky and awkward and everyone went home a little bit sad and empty, but...it was lovely.
Sorry.”
January 22, 2025
სრულყოფილია ეს შობელძაღლი!
August 13, 2019
Okay this is an intense review so be forewarned and it is mainly about fleabag season 2. Ok.
Fleabag season two came to my house, took out a cartoon sized mallet, chased me around and cornered me and hammered me until I disintegrated into a mist of meat, bone and eyeball pulp. Or it stabbed me like when you pry open an oyster and pulled out the center meat which in this case is like a helpless baby panda with every single thought and feeling on the outside in neon. I have since been recklessly reading anything on twitter about it, rewatching it endlessly and joined Reddit for the first time in desperation to discuss it to a depth that I’ll be honest is 70% the level I would like, I want someone to write a 12 lb book. I do not understand my reaction but it is confusing and caused the kind of bizarre overwhelming vulnerability that I could not stop myself from having my true reaction to my dearest friend telling me over the phone to “engage in some self care.” Which is burst into frustration rage tears in front of 6 confused adults in the Charlotte airport. Normally I could understand what she meant beneath her words, the baseline relationship “I love you” background. But all self care in my opinion boils down to “buy something and be alone.” Fleabag season 2 is a six episode nuclear bomb to the lie that that’s all you need. That we can all just jerk it and quip away on social media, basically, and I mean this sincerely, that life is a meaningless carousel of input and output, gestalt free living, mechanical feces production. As it stands this fucking show is the single most moving piece of art I have ever seen in my entire life. Thank Christ I have watched it enough times that I can have some distance and pick out continuity errors and maybe in a year it will bore me (lie). Whatever pain you have buried, no matter how deep, she will rip it out.
Anyway, today I read the pilot script and it’s great and then got the play which is miles better than season one on amazon. Darker, sadder, funnier, braver and scarier in many ways and beautifully structured and honest.
Hats off phoebe. She deserves every single good thing coming her way, because she’s doing extremely meaningful work and not being some automaton vomiting out “best day ever!!!” or “fuck trump” And other bullshit to make it clear they’re likeable fuckable approved worthwhile and fine but are ultimately hiding L I K E M E
(This is a capper in a year that includes the incredible Beyoncé’s Homecoming and pen15. I don’t know what’s happening but it’s incredible)
(Also I hadn’t seen Sherlock or killing eve before this tidal wave emotional disintegration shitshow)
Fleabag season two came to my house, took out a cartoon sized mallet, chased me around and cornered me and hammered me until I disintegrated into a mist of meat, bone and eyeball pulp. Or it stabbed me like when you pry open an oyster and pulled out the center meat which in this case is like a helpless baby panda with every single thought and feeling on the outside in neon. I have since been recklessly reading anything on twitter about it, rewatching it endlessly and joined Reddit for the first time in desperation to discuss it to a depth that I’ll be honest is 70% the level I would like, I want someone to write a 12 lb book. I do not understand my reaction but it is confusing and caused the kind of bizarre overwhelming vulnerability that I could not stop myself from having my true reaction to my dearest friend telling me over the phone to “engage in some self care.” Which is burst into frustration rage tears in front of 6 confused adults in the Charlotte airport. Normally I could understand what she meant beneath her words, the baseline relationship “I love you” background. But all self care in my opinion boils down to “buy something and be alone.” Fleabag season 2 is a six episode nuclear bomb to the lie that that’s all you need. That we can all just jerk it and quip away on social media, basically, and I mean this sincerely, that life is a meaningless carousel of input and output, gestalt free living, mechanical feces production. As it stands this fucking show is the single most moving piece of art I have ever seen in my entire life. Thank Christ I have watched it enough times that I can have some distance and pick out continuity errors and maybe in a year it will bore me (lie). Whatever pain you have buried, no matter how deep, she will rip it out.
Anyway, today I read the pilot script and it’s great and then got the play which is miles better than season one on amazon. Darker, sadder, funnier, braver and scarier in many ways and beautifully structured and honest.
Hats off phoebe. She deserves every single good thing coming her way, because she’s doing extremely meaningful work and not being some automaton vomiting out “best day ever!!!” or “fuck trump” And other bullshit to make it clear they’re likeable fuckable approved worthwhile and fine but are ultimately hiding L I K E M E
(This is a capper in a year that includes the incredible Beyoncé’s Homecoming and pen15. I don’t know what’s happening but it’s incredible)
(Also I hadn’t seen Sherlock or killing eve before this tidal wave emotional disintegration shitshow)
November 22, 2023
i watched fleabag a summer ago and it’s become part of me. i feel you, Fleabag. i love you you’re not alone that won’t pass. 💖🫶🤲
"i love you/it'll pass" and "i don't know what to do with it/with what?/all the love i have for her, i don't know where to put it now" and "don't make me an optimist, you'll ruin my life" and "love is awful, it's painful, it's frightening, it's all any of us want and it's hell when we get there, so no wonder it's something we don't want to do on our own" and "i want someone to tell me how to live my life, Father, because so far i think i've been getting it wrong" and "women are born with pain built in, we carry it within ourselves throughout our lives" and "i think you know how to love better than any of us, that's why you find it all so painful" and "people make mistakes, that's why they put rubbers at the end of pencils" and "don't make me hate you, loving you is painful enough"
☃️❄️😮💨🤎
"i love you/it'll pass" and "i don't know what to do with it/with what?/all the love i have for her, i don't know where to put it now" and "don't make me an optimist, you'll ruin my life" and "love is awful, it's painful, it's frightening, it's all any of us want and it's hell when we get there, so no wonder it's something we don't want to do on our own" and "i want someone to tell me how to live my life, Father, because so far i think i've been getting it wrong" and "women are born with pain built in, we carry it within ourselves throughout our lives" and "i think you know how to love better than any of us, that's why you find it all so painful" and "people make mistakes, that's why they put rubbers at the end of pencils" and "don't make me hate you, loving you is painful enough"
☃️❄️😮💨🤎
January 2, 2023
4.25
fleabag >>>>>🫶 🫶🧎♀️ 🧎♀️
fleabag >>>>>🫶 🫶🧎♀️ 🧎♀️
April 22, 2017
I haven't seen more than a couple minutes online of the TV series based on this, and although I enjoyed what I saw, I think its success owes more to the author's performance as the lead character, than to the writing, per se. Of course, much has been made of the raunchy aspects, which didn't really bother me, and a lot of it IS quite funny. But there is also lots of mucky bits including fat shaming and a particularly disturbing sequence of animal abuse and murder that mitigates any joy that precedes or follows that. And the attempted pathos of the final moments falls completely flat.
November 21, 2019
3.5, rounded up.
I'd read just the script previously, but wanted to see if this special edition's features, and a re-read, made it rise in my estimation any (I gave it 3 stars initially). As a director, I DID appreciate the additions detailing the creation of the production, and a re-read made me begrudgingly raise it slightly, but it still suffers from the points I made in my first review - it plays much better than it reads, due to the author's acting prowess, and I still detest the fate of poor Hillary, the guinea pig. But one can't argue with international success, so...
I'd read just the script previously, but wanted to see if this special edition's features, and a re-read, made it rise in my estimation any (I gave it 3 stars initially). As a director, I DID appreciate the additions detailing the creation of the production, and a re-read made me begrudgingly raise it slightly, but it still suffers from the points I made in my first review - it plays much better than it reads, due to the author's acting prowess, and I still detest the fate of poor Hillary, the guinea pig. But one can't argue with international success, so...
March 24, 2022
I <3 fleabag
this was more of a keepsake than something I was felt I needed to read lol BUT STILL reading the text proves just how much of a genius Phoebe Waller-Bridge is.
this was more of a keepsake than something I was felt I needed to read lol BUT STILL reading the text proves just how much of a genius Phoebe Waller-Bridge is.
August 5, 2019
A short play, easily read in half an hour, but one that feels like a kick to the chest that will stay with you for a while. Having come to Fleabag though the BBC adaption (watch it!) I wanted to see how it was adapted from stage to screen. The TV adaptation is padded out, but almost all the strongest moments are from the play themselves. I feel like I am easily able to recognise aspects of myself from some parts of my life in Fleabag and I imagine that's not unique to me. Maybe one day I'll manage to watch it on stage, but I'm sure until then I'll be revisiting the play and adaptation many times.
February 20, 2025
„Either everyone feels like this a little bit and they‘re just not talking about it, or I’m completely fucking alone. Which isn’t fucking funny.“
( can‘t wait to write a term paper about this )
* I am now writing my term paper about it 😎
( can‘t wait to write a term paper about this )
* I am now writing my term paper about it 😎
January 11, 2023
that poor guinea pig
July 29, 2023
words can’t describe the love I have for Phoebe.
absolutely brilliant.
absolutely brilliant.
March 3, 2025
Am I allowed to be a woman now
November 24, 2024
Glorious. Turned theatre on its head. Changed lives.
September 11, 2024
Fun, quick and easy! - something someone that slept with Fleabag would say.
The script of the original one woman show that launched the series we all know and love is the same snappy tale of the first season - I had my doubts about it being similar enough since there's so many characters in the show and I had no idea how they would shine on the stage, but the dialogues are amazing, and I can definitely imagine Phoebe Waller-Bridge bodying them no problem.
As with every play I read and review here, I wish I had seen it live.
The script of the original one woman show that launched the series we all know and love is the same snappy tale of the first season - I had my doubts about it being similar enough since there's so many characters in the show and I had no idea how they would shine on the stage, but the dialogues are amazing, and I can definitely imagine Phoebe Waller-Bridge bodying them no problem.
As with every play I read and review here, I wish I had seen it live.
September 6, 2021
This is an incredible experience. That is the best way to describe the journey of reading this book. Fleabag is a story about a flawed woman who makes mistakes but also reminds us that we all do.
She has such great strength even when you realize how damaged and self-destructive she is. She is also honest about so many things that women don't say out loud.
I can't wait to see more of this incredible writer.
She has such great strength even when you realize how damaged and self-destructive she is. She is also honest about so many things that women don't say out loud.
I can't wait to see more of this incredible writer.
August 21, 2019
If you're a fan of the show, the script for the one-woman show is excellent and a great exercise in thinking about different mediums.
March 27, 2020
tag yourself i'm the guinea pig that could die of loneliness
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