“Do I have a massive asshole?!”
If the answer to the above question is ‘yes’, then you really need to sort your life out and go watch Fleabag.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 12 hours or so, you’ll be more than well aware that the stunning comedy (and its creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge) absolutely cleaned up at this year’s Emmys.
And deservedly so, too.
There she is now, delighted with herself.
Fleabag is funny, it’s touching, it’s expertly written, and it deserves all of the awards in the world. And all of the rewatches too.
Here’s why.
1. It’s hysterical
Do you like jokes?
Do you like jokes that are relevant to everyday life?
Do you like jokes that are relevant to everyday life delivered by a hilarious woman who should have been telling gas stories from the second she left the womb?
Good. In that case then, you should go watch Fleabag – because it’s got all of the above coupled with tragedy, shame, and shocks that are sure to leave you reeling for days.
And as well as that…
2. It’s incredibly dark
As in, it’s a dark comedy. But it’s also probably one of the darkest comedies you’ll ever watch.
Within the first few minutes of the first episode, you’ll have learned of Fleabag’s best friend’s death, her financial crisis, and her father’s decision to start fucking her godmother after her mother passed away following a double mastectomy.
It’s heavy, shit.
Enjoy it.
3. Waller-Bridge’s comedic timing is second-to-none
If you think you’ve watched the perfect comedy, think again.
Waller-Bridge won a load of Emmys last night and not all of them were for acting.
In fact, only one of them was and the rest were for her incredible writing abilities and her creation of the show in general.
Originally written for the stage, Fleabag has the stings of a sitcom that’ll go down in history alongside the crushing existential weight of a drama that is far too close to the bone.
It’s absurd, yet totally possible. It’s a million miles away from where you are now, but also not that foreign.
It’s entirely unknown, and yet so, so real.
4. Bus Rodent is all of us
Or rather, he is none of us at all.
Way back when during the first ever episode of Fleabag, Fleabag meets a man on the bus. He is henceforth known as Bus Rodent, due to his large teeth and small mouth.
Long story short, Fleabag and Bus Rodent enter into somewhat of a sexual relationship, despite the fact that she literally cannot stand him and thinks he’s a disgusting waste of human being.
And although Bus Rodent may be repellent, he is also one of us. He is kind. He is misdirected. Fucking him is like fucking a protractor and really, who among us hasn’t been described as similar?
5. Andrew Scott is the Hot Priest
Enough said, really.
Season two of Fleabag kicks off with a bang as it kicks off with Andrew Scott’s introduction as Hot Priest.
We meet Hot Priest (he is very hot) during Fleabag’s dad and Fleabag’s godmother’s engagement announcement. He’s smoking, he’s drinking, he’s saying “fuck” a lot.
Basically, he’s throwing down some serious non-priest vibes and Fleabag is, naturally, all over it.
And you should be too.
He’s very hot.
6. There’s lots of guinea pig action
No like, a lot.
Fleabag doesn’t really have that much of an opinion on guinea pigs, but Boo (her best friend who accidentally killed herself by walking into oncoming traffic when she found out that her boyfriend fucked somebody else) loves them.
Or rather, she started to love them when Fleabag got her one as a present because she needed “something to love.”
What followed was Boo deciding that their entire business should be guinea pig themed, meaning that there’s a lot of guinea pig memorabilia, guinea pig photos, and actual guinea pigs.
However, you might want to not watch Fleabag: Live if you actually like guinea pigs yourself.
Just a word of warning.
7. Olivia Colman is a joy
Even though she’s a total asshole.
Colman, who has only gone and solidified herself as one of the greats over these past few years, plays Fleabag’s godmother and, by extension, her stepmother.
Not very much else needs to be said about that other than that the character is simultaneously instantly unlikeable and also an incredible watch.
More of her, please. In the upcoming seasons that definitely aren’t ever going to happen.
Fleabag is available to watch in Ireland on the iTune store or Amazon Prime (if you’ve got the correct region setting, that is).
