Fleabag - Series 2 [split topic]

[gloria]

I've enjoyed both series a lot. People attacking it for being middle class - sorry, why is that a bad thing? Are you unable to care about a character from a different socieconomic group?

[chocolate teapot]

I find it difficult to care for middle class and upper class people yeah.

I found the last two episodes disappointing. At the end I honestly thought she would be stepping into traffic.

[Dr Sanchez]

I've enjoyed both series a lot. People attacking it for being middle class - sorry, why is that a bad thing? Are you unable to care about a character from a different socieconomic group?

It's not about class. It's the smugness of being in that class that shines through.

[gloria]

It's not about class. It's the smugness of being in that class that shines through.

How can you dislike someone's smugness at being middle class but then claim it's not about class?
I'm fascinated by the way some people withhold empathy from those in different socioeconomic classes. As if people are responsible for the lives they are born into. If you see someone collapse in the street do you try to find out where they went to school and whether they say napkin or serviette before you phone an ambulance? Cor - imagine if you wasted a big dollop of compassion on someone who earns more money than you do!

[BlodwynPig]

If you see someone collapse in the street do you try to find out where they went to school and whether they say napkin or serviette before you phone an ambulance?

Of course not, I load them on my pick-up and take them home for the frying pan.

[chocolate teapot]

If you see someone collapse in the street do you try to find out where they went to school and whether they say napkin or serviette before you phone an ambulance?

Yes, I would watch the middle class and upper class die. Also napkin and serviette are two different things.

[Dr Sanchez]

How can you dislike someone's smugness at being middle class but then claim it's not about class?
I'm fascinated by the way some people withhold empathy from those in different socioeconomic classes. As if people are responsible for the lives they are born into. If you see someone collapse in the street do you try to find out where they went to school and whether they say napkin or serviette before you phone an ambulance? Cor - imagine if you wasted a big dollop of compassion on someone who earns more money than you do!

Middle class people aren't inherently smug though and most people who don't like it aren't just showing disdain because she's well off.

It's a rather reductive viewpoint you're taking.

[arpster]

hated this by the end, not because of the actual show but the spew-inducing wanking over it by the Guardian every other day - and pains in the arse like Zoe Ball and Lauren Laverne gushing over it like they'd never seen a TV before.....thank fuck its finished

[Icehaven]

hated this by the end, not because of the actual show but the spew-inducing wanking over it by the Guardian every other day - and pains in the arse like Zoe Ball and Lauren Laverne gushing over it like they'd never seen a TV before.....thank fuck its finished

Yeah I've never seen it but some of the headlines on the Guardian and BBC site over the last few days have made me think I must have missed the bona fide number 1 TV event of the century, so naturally I turned to the CaB thread for a bit balance and...yeah, might give it a go but I'm not in a hurry.
Also making a massive assumption here as I haven't seen it but the description of the twist-on-4th-wall-breaking ending sounds just like a Secret Escapes advert from a few years back.

[BlodwynPig]

Yeah I've never seen it but some of the headlines on the Guardian and BBC site over the last few days have made me think I must have missed the bona fide number 1 TV event of the century, so naturally I turned to the CaB thread for a bit balance and...yeah, might give it a go but I'm not in a hurry.
Also making a massive assumption here as I haven't seen it but the description of the twist-on-4th-wall-breaking ending sounds just like a Secret Escapes advert from a few years back.

Might have been better to do something with the conceit, but it only happened in the one episode. I suppose that and the final scene with the bus cancellation was meant to have a deeper spiritual meaning. The priest speech and the search for God/Love was achingly trite.

[Dr Sanchez]

I'd like to think that some fleabag fans think it's so great, so utterly everything and essential that they often look at an imaginary camera whenever they feel the urge and then their families get them sectioned because of it.

[Alternative Carpark]

Is she even all that well off though, the central character?

She runs a small cafe, however, given that one of the plot points of the first series was that it was in danger of going under and she was desperate to get a loan from somewhere to keep it going, that would suggest it isn't exactly bringing in a fortune, and she obviously didn't have sufficient assets of her own to subsidise it.  There's also the overheads of running it, and if she's renting, which probably won't be cheap if she lives in London, that'll eat into any money she makes.  All of that implies that she hasn't got tons of disposable income to play with then.

Her sister's in a well paid job, and her dad seems to have a comfortable enough house, but it seems unlikely that she's in the same sort of financial league as them - well she definitely isn't, as the first series establishes that she's sometimes dependent on her sister helping her out financially.

[BritishHobo]

It also seems a bit forced to act like the show has no idea that its middle-classness isn't universal. Olivia Colman's entire character is basically one big swipe at posh, trendy, vocally-liberal arty types.

[gloria]

hated this by the end, not because of the actual show but the spew-inducing wanking over it by the Guardian every other day - and pains in the arse like Zoe Ball and Lauren Laverne gushing over it like they'd never seen a TV before.....thank fuck its finished

That reminds me of not liking the Smiths when I was in the 6th form because someone I didn't like was into them  - and missing out on a lot of great music until I eventually realised it doesn't matter what other people like or dislike. Wah! I can't like this show because Zoe Ball does and she's not cool!

[gloria]

Also napkin and serviette are two different things.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U_and_non-U_English

[chocolate teapot]

a napkin is made of cloth and a serviette is made of paper.

[arpster]

That reminds me of not liking the Smiths when I was in the 6th form because someone I didn't like was into them  - and missing out on a lot of great music until I eventually realised it doesn't matter what other people like or dislike. Wah! I can't like this show because Zoe Ball does and she's not cool!

I'm missing out on fuckall....i've watched both series..I enjoyed series 1 but by the midpoint of series 2 it had turned into irritating, overrated, middle-class-angst shit....or as I like to call it, Zoe Ball TV

[chocolate teapot]

I love Gloria, they're such a troll. It's perfect.

It's kind of weird the whole priest being able to see Fleabag talk to the fourth wall thing didn't go anywhere? I guess it meant not much? We the audience don't find out who we are, we're just left standing at the bus stop.

[Bronzy]

Yes, I would watch the middle class and upper class die. Also napkin and serviette are two different things.

So is pissing out the window and shitting out the window

[shh]

I've enjoyed both series a lot. People attacking it for being middle class - sorry, why is that a bad thing? Are you unable to care about a character from a different socieconomic group?

The graun ran an article recently explaining how Fleabag made it OK to 'fail' in life...yes, failure must be rather fun when your parents live in that Victorian mansion.

Anyway, my main gripe about this series is the lack of 'fun' compared to the first one, I had a similar reaction to the second series of Flowers. One of my favourite moments in the first series was Wills's reaction to being 'attacked' in the shower, I don't think there was anything as silly in this one. There was also a bit of gratuitous speechifying on occasion - felt like Bafta-bait, or like those rants in Coupling for the instagram generation.

[phes]

I really liked the bald cunts speech but let's be honest if this was actually a comic tragedy his wife would never have left him and we'd get a spin-off about their awful lives.

I enjoyed season 1. This was all a bit wet and unnecessary

[chocolate teapot]

So is pissing out the window and shitting out the window

I wish this forum had laugh face emojis

[Bronzy]

I wish this forum had laugh face emojis

Not my own work, I must admit.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=lJrV8sJ3e1o

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

The Guardian have today published an article entitled "How to survive after Fleabag"., with a welterweight of writers all advising us to listen to St. Vincent and Liz Phair and read Edith Frome, in order to get through these post-mildly interesting sitcom written by a posh bird times.
That was jolly nice of The Guardian, wasn't it?

[Clownbaby]

The graun ran an article recently explaining how Fleabag made it OK to 'fail' in life...yes, failure must be rather fun when your parents live in that Victorian mansion.

Anyway, my main gripe about this series is the lack of 'fun' compared to the first one, I had a similar reaction to the second series of Flowers. One of my favourite moments in the first series was Wills's reaction to being 'attacked' in the shower, I don't think there was anything as silly in this one. There was also a bit of gratuitous speechifying on occasion - felt like Bafta-bait, or like those rants in Coupling for the instagram generation.

I agree about Flowers. I was so disappointed with series 2. It turned into some other thing by the second series. The daughter had been perfectly fine in the second series and I liked the character, but by the second the focus had completely skewed onto her and her tedious band. Flowers shot its wad in the first series and like a lot of short running UK strange comedies threw as much bollocks at the writing as possible.

[BlodwynPig]

The Guardian have today published an article entitled "How to survive after Fleabag"., with a welterweight of writers all advising us to listen to St. Vincent and Liz Phair and read Edith Frome, in order to get through these post-mildly interesting sitcom written by a posh bird times.
That was jolly nice of The Guardian, wasn't it?

ALL THAT IS WRONG WITH LIBERAL BRITAIN

[Chollis]

One of my favourite moments in the first series was Wills's reaction to being 'attacked' in the shower

Contrary to my earlier resolution to never watch this show I actually did watch a few episodes of S1 after the bonkers hype this seemed to be getting. This was the funniest moment. Proper laughed. It's already very pleased with itself already though and it sounds like it just gets worse.

[studpuppet]

I really liked the bald cunts speech but let's be honest if this was actually a comic tragedy his wife would never have left him and we'd get a spin-off about their awful lives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQhhUxSBXwM

[rectorofstiffkey]

hated this by the end, not because of the actual show but the spew-inducing wanking over it by the Guardian every other day - and pains in the arse like Zoe Ball and Lauren Laverne gushing over it like they'd never seen a TV before.....thank fuck its finished

You read my mind....every so often there's a programme which is selected by the media (or a vocal small section of it, anyway) to be heralded as THE best thing ever.  The last one I can remember being so gushed over was Nighty Night.  It's actually counter-productive for the programmes involved; when you watch them, even if they're good, they don't quite live up to the hype because nothing could.  I enjoyed both Fleabag and Nighty Night (first series anyway) but to have them spoken about in hushed tones as the birth of a new dawn for comedy....erm, no.

[Dr Sanchez]

You read my mind....every so often there's a programme which is selected by the media (or a vocal small section of it, anyway) to be heralded as THE best thing ever.  The last one I can remember being so gushed over was Nighty Night.  It's actually counter-productive for the programmes involved; when you watch them, even if they're good, they don't quite live up to the hype because nothing could.  I enjoyed both Fleabag and Nighty Night (first series anyway) but to have them spoken about in hushed tones as the birth of a new dawn for comedy....erm, no.

Nighty night was a bit mental but I laughed at it a lot which is something I can't say for Fleabag. But you're right, neither deserve the status they received.