The recent show She-Hulk: Attorney at Law has been noticeable for bringing epic fourth wall breaks into the Marvel universe. This meta device has been used for over a century, from when playwright Bertolt Brecht was innovating the theater and arguably prior, but has rarely been perfected. Ironically, perhaps the most recent example of a perfect use of fourth wall breaks is a somewhat similar show to She-Hulk, following a woman attempting to discover herself while navigating her career, desires, relationships, and family.
The incredible British comedy series Fleabag came to a close in early 2019, and years after its conclusion, fans continue to rave about the show, which is based on Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s one-woman play for the 2013 Edinburgh Festival Fringe of the same name. Fleabag is one of the best-written television series of all time, featuring fantastic performances and an irresistibly charming personality in its titular character.
An energetic, snarky woman in her 30s living in London, Fleabag struggles to keep her life together. To be frank, she is a bit of a mess. She struggles to maintain her relationships with her peers. While she is a free spirit, Fleabag suffers from an inability to move herself (and her life) towards a position she is proud of. She is constantly running away from her problems by relying on alcohol and sexual encounters.
Updated October 22nd, 2022: If you’re a new viewer or an avowed fan, you’ll be happy to know that we’ve updated this article about the great show Fleabag with additional content and even better quality.
In 2020, Fleabag was the winner of the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series and Best Actress for Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Waller-Bridge also received the British Academy Television Award for Best Female Comedy Performance in the first season, and Outstanding Writing, Outstanding Comedy Series, and Outstanding Lead Actress for the second season. Here are six reasons why Fleabag is one of the greatest television shows of all time.
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6 Fleabag is Comedy at its Finest
BBC Studios
They say humor is used to cope and laugh your woes anyway. Well, Fleabag isn’t just a comedy, it is a tragicomedy that is full of dark humor. Fleabag deals with real human problems, such as infidelity and human insecurities, but presents them in a way that can be laughed at in a fictional setting.
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Fleabag has no filter. It is sarcastic, it is awkward, it is dark. It offers a unique brand of humor that is not commonly found in other shows. As soon as you meet the character of Fleabag, you instantly know what kind of show this is going to be. The series stands at an impressive 100% critics’ approval rating and 93% average audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
5 Fleabag’s Secret and Fourth Wall Breaks
Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s character Fleabag directly communicates with whoever is watching the show. This technique is part of what Brecht called Verfremdungseffekt, a distancing effect that is used to engage the audience while also alienating them from complacency. Rather than simply being a cute trick (as it has so often been reduced to), Fleabag utilizes the technique in a brilliant way to depict its protagonist’s secrets (including a death she feels responsible for and trauma she still has) and the way that she feels incapable of communicating with anyone about them.
The technique actually evolves throughout the series, as well. Once the audience knows Fleabag’s secret, her relationship to them changes in the fourth wall breaks. She is more subtle and guarded, and the audience suffers the fate of anyone she’s become close to — pushed away by her fear of vulnerability. Part of what’s beautiful about her relationship with the Priest in the second season is that he actually notices when she speaks to the audience; he sees her retreating, and cares. It’s an immensely clever way to use distancing techniques which have become so pat and dull in so many other shows.
4 Fleabag Offers an Honest Love Story
Season two opens with the line: “This is a love story.” Yes, Fleabag is a love story. But it is not a fairy-tale type of love story. Fleabag is rough, messy, chaotic, and hectic. It understands the complexity of human beings and the relationships they have with each other. Fleabag does feature its protagonist falling for another person, but ultimately focuses on Fleabag’s relationship with her own self. The concept of a cheesy message about loving yourself may inspire some to roll their eyes, but Fleabag is a series that delivers, telling a story with that theme incredibly effectively. Thanks to Waller-Bridge’s superb writing and acting, the relationships in Fleabag feel authentic.
An individual’s relationship with themselves significantly affects their behavior towards others, and their relationships with others. While it may seem like common sense, it is something that many still have to reflect upon. Fleabag tells the story of a journey of personal growth, one that its titular character experiences throughout the show’s hilarious two seasons. As Waller-Bridge tells The Hollywood Reporter:
3 Fleabag is One of the Most Unique Main Characters on TV
Two Brothers Entertainment
Her real name is never revealed, and she is simply known and referred to as “Fleabag.” The series is about her, and at its core is a simple story of a lost soul finding herself. Waller-Bridge describes Fleabag’s arc as a transition from a person lacking self-esteem to a more mature woman who allows herself to love herself — and, by extension, love others. She tells The Hollywood Reporter.
2 Fleabag Explores Grief in a Refreshingly Honest Way
Fleabag experiences major loss in her life. She loses some of the people closest to her and feels responsible for that loss, resulting in her aforementioned secrets. The guilt that she feels combined with her inability to process her guilt and confront her problems creates many issues for Fleabag. She clings on to anything and anyone she can use to distract herself from the problems that are in front of her. She may be funny, but Fleabag hides from the emptiness she herself claims to feel. The portrayal of mental health issues in Fleabag is refreshingly honest, while also commenting on the importance of therapy.
1 Phoebe Waller-Bridge Doesn’t Overstay Her Welcome
Unlike other television shows that stay past their prime, Fleabag is a series that stays consistently great from start to finish. When a show becomes popular, it’s not unusual for it to be renewed for as many seasons as possible. For example, The Walking Dead has lasted for eleven seasons despite a declining viewership and ratings, and losing most of its core cast including Rick Grimes. Another example is the weirdly endless Grey’s Anatomy, now in season 19. Fleabag on the other hand, is only two seasons long, bringing the episode count to only twelve episodes.
Viewers may be overwhelmed by all of their options on a multitude of streaming services. They may hesitate to begin investing their time in another series. But with Fleabag, viewers can rest assured they can finish the entire series after watching 12 episodes and then carry on with their lives, lives which will be more enriched (even if just briefly) by this show. Some viewers will even finish Fleabag in a single sitting. Becausethe show has already concluded, there is no need to worry about a series finale that taints the pleasurable viewing experience before it — the ending is perfect.
