Fleabag 2x4 & 5 | Full Length Reaction
Added 2024-11-18 23:26:47 +0000 UTCComments
I am SO LATE with this (way too long) comment, but you know sometimes you appreciate a scene within a story/character arc, but also you can hardly stand to watch it? This is me with the “kneel” scene and I think I slightly put off watching this video to avoid it, which is why it’s December. When I watched season 2 the first time it came so intensely from left-field that I didn't know how to feel! You do expect them to get together, and you do have the sense that one of the ways Fleabag and Hot Priest are kindred spirits is that the whole time offscreen he is going through his own emotional torment that pushes him towards bad choices… but it feels like a very bleak way for their sexual tension to break. On rewatching, my interpretation is that in Fleabag's moment of emotional vulnerability, where she has just linked religion with a vaguely sexual desire for dominance, he (drunk, also going through a crisis) wants to be with her and to help her with her sadness while also being subconsciously angry at her for the feelings she brings out in him. These feelings are antithetical to his way of life. Sex is inherently linked with damnation and failure and in his mind because of the Catholic celibacy of it all. She’s every misogynistic temptress stereotype that Christianity likes to blame men’s failing on! This cocktail of seemingly contradictory feelings merges into playing into her expressed desire for someone to tell her what to do and her signals that she desires him in a dark and controlling way. And thank goodness that painting falls because it would have been such a bad idea! But braced for it, it felt much more in character than I expected. Basically this rewatch helped me process my unresolved feelings about the “kneel” scene, so thank you for that. I totally agree that Hot Priest owed her an apology for it though. I think he’s too busy trying to preserve his own celibacy and faith from his feelings for her to really consider her, but having a reason doesn’t excuse him from being a dick! He’s prioritising himself over her, which is not what you expect from a man of god, and basically the fragility of his faith is undermining his ability to do his job. I LOVE the character names on Fleabag, and I will die on that hill. No one is going to remember if Hot Misogynist is called Ben or Alan or whatever because his name doesn’t matter. He’s the hot misogynist! That’s his role! It reminds me of the Friends episodes titles, but more sustainable. It’s also, I think, meaningful who gets names. Her sister, her best friend, her ex Harry. And ugh, her sister’s husband. They aren’t necessarily all people she loves, but they are all long-term, important people, and Martin only gets his name through his link to Clare. What it means in this context that Fleabag has no name in her own story is a whole other thing to unpack…. Now probably the essence of this is very obvious, but I'm from the UK and I just wanted to give my take on the cultural context of how Fleabag's dad never finishes any of his sentences. There is a particular type of British person who is too posh to finish their sentences. My personal theory is that it's a mix of habitual false self-deprecation and genuine emotional repression, with the proportions of those things varying between people. Fleabag's dad doesn't exactly fit the mould because the actor's accent is middle-class Scottish and the quintessential version is posh English (think Hugh Grant when flustered in a romcom) but I very much see him as a version of that archetype, which is often played for humour and charm in films, but also represents the deep and frustrating emotional repression of most of the older generations.
Leticia
2024-12-12 12:19:38 +0000 UTCSame same. It's almost like Phoebe constructed the whole season around that monologue. It's beautiful
Franklin
2024-11-26 02:10:19 +0000 UTCYou definitely explained it well Mariam. I like that
Franklin
2024-11-26 02:09:08 +0000 UTCThat's just broke my heart for real
Franklin
2024-11-26 02:08:25 +0000 UTCSorry about your whole comment being banished😭
Franklin
2024-11-26 02:07:54 +0000 UTCI love the point you made about having sex at that moment being a regression of her coping with sex
Franklin
2024-11-26 02:06:53 +0000 UTCI love how you think Katie. I felt that same way, they use of the confessional booth was Chef kiss. The way it was used as a device for exploring with our characters are dealing with. But yes Jacob Anderson ouuu. I got goosebumps thinking about that scene I'm glad that phrase stayed with you. It's such a powerful one. And I've never heard anything I like it. It Paints the picture so well. I agree
Franklin
2024-11-26 02:05:43 +0000 UTCI feel your point of view for sure. And we could see that he regretted it after, and walked away
Franklin
2024-11-26 02:02:33 +0000 UTCOn the "kneel" scene. My take on it is that he's very clearly struggling with his feelings towards her throughout the show. Even when she comes in when he's listening to the music, he says she was already in his head but now she's here too. You say he knows that she wants him, but he clearly wants her just as much and I think she knows that too. And in that scene he's definitely had a few drinks as well. I don't find that scene as problematic as others. I interpreted it as her finally opening up and being intimate with him really turned him on and that's understandable. It's not ideal given how raw she was being but it's very realistic I think. The priest is a character that I think is clearly grappling with his past and doesn't seem to really know what he's doing either. I love them both so much.
Kim D
2024-11-24 21:09:27 +0000 UTChaha waste of brain memory😂
Franklin
2024-11-22 22:38:26 +0000 UTCi truly love that you never remember claire's husband's name lmao
aura aurify
2024-11-22 20:52:18 +0000 UTC🧡
Franklin
2024-11-20 19:35:39 +0000 UTCI feel you. I knew he was drunk but, as a man, I didn't want to be the one bringing that to the conversation because it just sounds like an excuse. It's fucked up. I think we're supposed to feel similar to how we felt when we discovered that fleabag slept with Boo's boyfriend. It's a very low moment for the character. Finally giving in to all his impulses. Pretty messed up but pretty realistic
Franklin
2024-11-20 19:35:23 +0000 UTCI get you 100%. physical attraction is minor. What kind of heart you got in there? What kind of brain you got in there? That's what pulls me in
Franklin
2024-11-20 19:30:26 +0000 UTCNo offense taken at all. I like when some of you guys follow along and watch the show for the first time. Yeah some people just have that beautiful ability to strip all the life and joy away from my face the moment I see them
Franklin
2024-11-20 19:27:31 +0000 UTCI like that. And it took me back to the reveal that Fleabag slept with Boo's boyfriend. Everybody is messy. People can do things that no one would ever expect from them. I have done things that most of you wouldn't expect based on how I'm perceived here. So yeah that's real.
Franklin
2024-11-20 19:25:01 +0000 UTCExactly. If that had happened in a regular fun conversation, it wouldnt have been that bad. But right after that Heart wrenching moment. ooof
Franklin
2024-11-20 19:20:49 +0000 UTCYeah I hated the "kneel" scene....it was kind of just gross to me. She had confessed everything she felt and it was heart wrenching and here comes this man...saying "kneel"? I hated it.
Akaash Sidhu
2024-11-20 16:27:12 +0000 UTCIt’s funny because the priest make out scene is a polarizing one, and I get why, but after seeing it a few times I wonder if it’s meant to to show that no one knows what the hell they are doing, including the priest, who Fleabag kind of looks up to. To me I read it like everyone is out here in life trying to figure it out, we are messy, we make mistakes that we’re ashamed of, but it’s the way we perceive others vs ourselves that makes us think that someone like the priest can’t possibly be as messy as the rest of us (in reality we all know that’s not true). At least that was my take on that scene
Gabriela Popescu
2024-11-20 03:46:04 +0000 UTCinsofar as the shows...I am a first time watcher as are you..so I don't always pay attention to your reactions (don't be mad)....BUT...your face when Fleebag walked into the cafe and saw Claire's husband..was everything! No need for words...i completely understood your facial expression!
mark
2024-11-19 13:00:04 +0000 UTCagreed...initially totally agreed...but then I got very confused on my feelings about that scene. Just beeing honest.
mark
2024-11-19 12:57:06 +0000 UTCI am at the 9 minute mark and I had to pause...I loved your comment about how more attractive the priest is after we know him. I am the same way! I see people who I recognize as very attractive...and then...they talk, and it changes. As well, it happens it reverse too. You get me!
mark
2024-11-19 11:26:06 +0000 UTCI really did not enjoy the "scene" after the confession. The moment was so emotionally raw, and she was so vulnerable, that the "kneel" moment feel not only inappropriate but also borderline creepy. He knows she likes him in that way, she is crying, opening up (and he knows how utterly difficult this is for her, like you said even with the "audience" she has difficult talking about things that are hurtful or that she feels guilty about). She was genuinely looking for guidance, support, contact, empathy, and then "kneel". Honestly I know he was probably very drunk (he already seemed drunk when she went into the church) but still. If I am being honest that is the last episode I watched of fleabag I watched originally (before I started again with this channel). If I am being honest I was not enjoying season 2 as much so far, and that scene did it for me. But this time I'll stick until the end ^^.
Coca Inn
2024-11-19 08:38:23 +0000 UTCMust be 😳
Valaree
2024-11-19 02:36:51 +0000 UTCThis got posted while I was at work and I couldn’t wait to get off to come rewatch with you
Nawal
2024-11-19 02:06:18 +0000 UTCForgot that I also wanted to comment on the line "I don't know what to do with it...With all the love I have for her." Honestly in the years since I've watched the series this is the line that always hits me in the gut; such an intensely accurate way of verbalizing grief that I've thought about a lot this year personally, and within the context of the show it's even MORE heartbreaking because we know Boo is gone now too. The episode is such a masterpiece.
Katie Pfahler
2024-11-19 02:02:39 +0000 UTCI've never liked the kneel scene :/ I find it really disconcerting and weird. Maybe it's a sort of BDSM thing you have to be into? :P
William Russell
2024-11-19 01:47:06 +0000 UTCThe confessional scene in 2x4 is one of the greatest TV moments of all time, in my opinion. I think it's honestly the peak of what Phoebe Waller-Bridge was able to do with this show. Just excellent acting and writing and such a deeply human sentiment as well; feeling so low and lonely and tired that you want something, anything, to give you direction and purpose. I don't think it's something you see shown so honestly on TV. This was also (in my opinion) the best use of a confessional booth on television until Jacob Anderson blew it out of the water in IWTV episode one.
Katie Pfahler
2024-11-19 01:37:48 +0000 UTCI think you’re the first person I’ve seen who didn’t find the “kneel” scene incredibly hot 😅. You explained it well though, you were hoping for something better for our girl. She came in and took the priest at his word and was honestly asking for help… and he was too busy thinking with his dick. It’s probably for the best that painting fell down because having sex in that moment probably would have been a regression for her into bad old habits of using sex to cope with negative emotions.
Valaree
2024-11-19 01:03:02 +0000 UTCnot my whole essay of a comment not posting. all ill say is, the church scene is kinda dodgy for multiple reaasons but i don't think it was intentional and hb is also a very flawed character even in his morally "elevated" position of power
Zaria Middleton
2024-11-19 00:54:35 +0000 UTCI think we're Boo. I think that when she talks to the camera, she's talking to her memory of Boo, as if she were still here, wishing she was, unable to move on and replace her with anyone else.
William Russell
2024-11-19 00:49:20 +0000 UTCI’ve always interpreted it as dissociation as well!
Amanda Hill
2024-11-19 00:46:56 +0000 UTCI've always taken the 4th wall break as a kind of dissociation. She kinda dissociates for a few seconds into her head, comfort zone, as a coping mechanism, and no one can tell, except for the priest, who's the only one who sees her clearly. I don't know if I explained this clearly, it's just how I've interpreted the 4th wall break things.
Mariam Ortiz
2024-11-18 23:58:13 +0000 UTCPerfect timing, my guy! So pumped. These are my favorite two episodes. I’m sure I will edit my comment after watching. Fleabag’s monologue in the confessional is my favorite moment in the entire series. It’s so relatable and so well-put.
Amanda Hill
2024-11-18 23:27:57 +0000 UTC
