You know how bar/restaurant bathrooms are often the place where you realize you're way more drunk than you thought you were, because something about seeing yourself in the mirror and giggling as you struggle to figure out how the tap works seems to sober you up (key word: seems)?
The first scene of Fleabag's season 2 premiere was a little like that, except our heroine had a bloody nose, a waitress sitting on the floor next to her, and some hand cream as well as hand sanitizer (it was a fancy bathroom, OK?).
Fleabag was one of 2016's brightest new shows, and I'm excited it's back. Between then and now, Phoebe Waller-Bridge has been involved (or will be) in approximately 346 projects that all sound equally appealing, and of course she's behind Killing Eve, one of 2018's best new shows. Not to mention, Olivia Colman has just won an Oscar and is back as the equal parts delightful and awful Godmother, and Kristin Scott Thomas and Fiona Show (a Killing Eve vet!) will guest star. What more could you want?
A year has gone by since we last saw Fleabag, after the reveal of what actually happened to Boo. Claire ended up taking the Sweden job and moved there with her husband, who remains the most disgusting human being this show has ever featured (and that includes the recruiter guy from season 1). They have also given up drinking (allegedly), and are trying for a child. We quickly learn this, as usual, is a façade since Martin ends up being his usual drunken douche self. He clearly hasn't forgiven Fleabag rejecting him and telling Claire he'd tried to kiss her, so why Claire took him back and believed him over her sister is baffling. But in these situations it's always easier to blame the other woman, rather than the one perpetrating adultery, I suppose.
Dad and Godmother are engaged to be married (hence the celebratory dinner and evening jumpsuit Fleabag is smartly sporting, as well as the priest who for some reason, has also been invited to dine), and a fur-wearig Godmother is being predictably smug about it, although while also being quite snippy with Dad, who seems unusually observant and doesn't let her get away with it, for once.
“Is that fur?”
“Yes, but it’s OK because it had a stroke.”
Godmother always has excellent comebacks, and this episode doesn't let down. I do wonder if they'll make it down the aisl. Most likely Godmother will decide it's a naked wedding to go with her Sexposition theme. I, for one, can't wait to see it unfold. Fleabag, not one to hide what she thinks, is being unusually silent. Maybe it's because her father forgot her birthday and tried to make it up to her with a coupon for a councelling session (seriously? This is even more insulting than when a relative gave me a quote of the day calendar from her company), or because she and Claire are ignoring each other. “No one’s asked me a question in 45mn” she informs us while looking straight into the camera, à la Jim Halpert, evoking a feeling we've all been through during awkward family dinners with relatives who either ignore you or put you through a thorough interrogation.
“This sauce is DISGUSTING!”
“Everything OK?”
“Delicious, thank you!!!”
Ah, Claire. You and I have the same politeness issues, I'm sure she also apologizes when someone steps on her foot. The priest seems a little unusual for a man of the cloth, in that he swears (and smokes) and quite frankly one wonders where on earth he heard the calling. Many smoke breaks later, Claire has disappeared to the bathroom for quite a while and we find out she's had a miscarriage but refuses to go to the hospital and instead breaks her no-drinking rule and becomes the life of the
“Was it the tooth man?" she enquires, with possibly my favorite quote from the episode.
The entire evening ends in a fight (thus explaining the injuries from the opening, although why the over-zealous waitress was on the floor remains a mystery to this day), but Claire and Fleabag reconcile, and that's really all that matters.
So are you all as glad as I am that Fleabag is back? Do you agree the priest was (inappropriately so) hot? Tune in for more next week!
