TV #12 of 2021:
Fleabag, season 2
I’m aware that I’m joining the chorus here, but it’s frankly astonishing how much Fleabag has improved in its sophomore outing — possibly more than any program I’ve seen since Parks and Recreation. Although still relying slightly on cringe humor, now that the protagonist is no longer sabotaging herself with meaningless sex and blurting out awkward things seemingly just for the joy of that chaos, the show has turned into a really thoughtful character piece with relatable and grounded emotional stakes. Even the romantic attraction to her family’s priest is played honestly and respectfully throughout, when that sort of scenario would have been nothing but a sick punchline in season one.
That may all sound sanctimonious, but the writing never loses its comic instincts, and the scenes are even funnier coming from a place that understands these people so deeply. Over six short episodes nearly everyone in the cast goes through a significant personal plot arc, and the laughs in service to those storylines are genuinely hilarious. I’m almost tempted to recommend new audiences skip the first run altogether, but it probably does help to bring that background knowledge into the better stuff.
I don’t know if I’d say this works great as the conclusion to the overall series that creator / writer / star Phoebe Waller-Bridge later announced it would be, and there’s an intriguing development with the fourth-wall-breaking asides that feels particularly unfinished at the end. But as a somewhat open tragicomic exploration of love, it’s a remarkably strong viewing experience.
[Content warning for miscarriage.]
★★★★☆
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