I finally watched Fleabag
A Love Letter to...
One of the reasons it took me so long to watch Fleabag was because I started it several months ago (when season two really took off on the internet) and stopped it that same day. Let's just get it out there. Season one is a lot, and the show's entire tone, including the dark premise, left me with an anxious feeling. After months of internet chatter about Andrew Scott and Phoebe Waller-Bridge's post-Emmy bliss, I finally gave into societal pressure, sat down on my couch and binged the full series (two seasons, 12 episodes total, 25 minutes each) on a Saturday. I'm a changed woman. In case you're not caught up on the world of Fleabag (no shame!), the series tells the story of woman coping with tragedy. Her best friend and her mother have both died within the last few years; she has a strained relationship with her sister; her father is dating her godmother; and Fleabag (the title character played by Phoebe) uses alcohol, sex and the secret relationship she has with us (the unnamed but always present audience) to cope with it all. Throughout both seasons, Fleabag turns to the camera to give a witty remark, eye roll or piece of narration. In the first season, this goes largely unexplained, but in the second season, it's twisted in a beautiful way to give more depth to the character and her way of processing things. The first season remains tonally similar to the first episode, kind of cring-y and dark mixed with a sense of impending doom and plenty of wit, and if the show had stopped there, as Phoebe originally intended, I wouldn't have been satisfied with the ending. Within moments of starting season two, something fully clicks together in the show. Without the dark beginning, you couldn't get to season two, which breathes more. It's sharper, funnier and the character relationships grow in brand new ways. In fact the first episode of season two is one of the most perfect episodes of television I've ever seen. I've rewatched it twice now just to really soak in the each line and look. There are many memorable moments throughout the six-episode arc, including every moment Andrew Scott is on the screen. His chemistry with Phoebe is off the charts and the way these two characters understand each other and care for one another gives the show new dimension. In fact, all the relationships have wonderful moments of depth, especially between Fleabag and Claire and Fleabag and her father. Olivia Coleman does wonders as the awful godmother. There's a running gag about a naked, headless statue that continues in a wonderful way. A monologue about the importance of hair that all women will understand. And a bit of dialogue about the importance of valuing people that has repeated in my head over-and-over for days. It's pitch perfect, and I cannot wait to revisit it again and again. In the meantime, because I love reading scripts, I've purchased Fleabag: The Scriptures, which contains the shooting scripts for all 12 episodes, along with some character notes from Phoebe, and it's keeping me entertained as I debate the next show to binge.
As Seen on Screen
Released in the summer of 2017, The Big Sick paved the way for the resurgence of the smart romcom in popular culture. Based on the real-life relationship between Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani (the film's writers), it's a girl heckles boy; girl and boy casually date; girl and boy seriously date; girl and boy break-up because boy's family might not accept her; girl gets sick and is in a coma; boy hangs out with girl's parents-kind of story. The premise sounds a bit dark, but The Big Sick is hilarious, while still packing emotional punches at just the right times. Kumail also stars in the film, so he's able to marry his comedic timing with the actual experience of having lived through this emotional journey himself. The always delightful Zoe Kazan takes on the character of Emily, and despite spending part of the movie unconscious still does plenty to make sure the female half of the equation is as fleshed out as she can be, given the circumstances. For the rest of the movie (when he's not with his comedy friends), Kumail is playing opposite two sets of parents: his own, who are pushing him to have an arranged marriage like their relationship, and Emily's, who are confused as to why their daughter's ex won't stop hanging around. The emotional arcs of both of these relationships actually drive the heart of the story, as Kumail struggles to tell his own family the truth about what he wants and struggles to find a boundary in voicing his opinion to Emily's parents. It's a complicated, emotional and funny look at messy relationships, from parent and child, girlfriend and boyfriend, ex and ex and parent and child's ex.
Required Reading
A couple articles for your enjoyment this week! The first is about a new take on the Meals on Wheels program via the creation of a diner that plays Frank Sinatra music in Vancouver, Washington. Next up are two more articles that have popped up about Little Women, where Greta Gerwig breaks down a page of the script and the filming of a scene. Finally, the Huffington Post put together a list of Culture Shifters to keep an eye out for in 2020. If you're looking to be inspired, look no further.
