It was only before the 2019 Emmys that I heard about Fleabag, reading that it was the favourite for a win. The same day of the ceremony, I decided to give it a shot.
By the next day, I was sure that was one of the worst decisions I had ever made.
Let's start with the positives: Phoebe Waller-Bridge (who before this I had only known for voicing a very funny droid in Solo) has much charisma, screen presence and conveys very well all the emotions her character goes through, giving a performance that is probably the greatest reason why I committed to watching this to the end. There's also an adorable guinea pig. Because otherwise, Waller-Bridge delivers "comedy drama" scripts that fail on both accounts, thinking vulgarity is automatically funny (the very first scene is an anal sex joke), and making it hard to care about a cast of characters either unlikable (starting with the show's "namesake" - she, like many others, doesn't even get a name - an oversexed woman that is constantly spewing quips either dirty or supposedly clever at the camera; though Olivia Colman's Godmother manages to be an even worse person) or flat. For every moment that worked (the very rare good jokes, a few good dramatic moments such as the "Fleabag"'s monologue in a retreat and her confession to The Priest), there were three that made me think "why am I still watching this?".
Ever since the displeasure of watching this show, I saw two others that made me think "this is Fleabag done right": Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 (the despicable protagonist manages to be endearing, and the whole thing is very funny, helped by a big contrast: instead of Fleabag's "relatable" approach with ordinary people, it embraces the farce and brings in weird situations and characters) and Russian Doll (an oversexed, obnoxious woman evolves into a good person). Because as is, it was just an overrated and unfunny waste of six hours. If you want a good comedy show on Amazon Prime Video, watch The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel instead.
Unworthy of all this praise
It was only before the 2019 Emmys that I heard about Fleabag, reading that it was the favourite for a win. The same day of the ceremony, I decided to give it a shot.
By the next day, I was sure that was one of the worst decisions I had ever made.
Let's start with the positives: Phoebe Waller-Bridge (who before this I had only known for voicing a very funny droid in Solo) has much charisma, screen presence and conveys very well all the emotions her character goes through, giving a performance that is probably the greatest reason why I committed to watching this to the end. There's also an adorable guinea pig. Because otherwise, Waller-Bridge delivers "comedy drama" scripts that fail on both accounts, thinking vulgarity is automatically funny (the very first scene is an anal sex joke), and making it hard to care about a cast of characters either unlikable (starting with the show's "namesake" - she, like many others, doesn't even get a name - an oversexed woman that is constantly spewing quips either dirty or supposedly clever at the camera; though Olivia Colman's Godmother manages to be an even worse person) or flat. For every moment that worked (the very rare good jokes, a few good dramatic moments such as the "Fleabag"'s monologue in a retreat and her confession to The Priest), there were three that made me think "why am I still watching this?".
Ever since the displeasure of watching this show, I saw two others that made me think "this is Fleabag done right": Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 (the despicable protagonist manages to be endearing, and the whole thing is very funny, helped by a big contrast: instead of Fleabag's "relatable" approach with ordinary people, it embraces the farce and brings in weird situations and characters) and Russian Doll (an oversexed, obnoxious woman evolves into a good person). Because as is, it was just an overrated and unfunny waste of six hours. If you want a good comedy show on Amazon Prime Video, watch The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel instead.