The Fleabag season two finale has already been met with acclaim by critics and viewers alike, who seem in equal parts devastated that Monday's episode was the series' last, and delighted with the outcome thanks to the heartwarming yet bittersweet moments in the last ever episode of the hugely popular tragicomedy. But what did the last few minutes of our time with Fleabag really mean?
© Photo: BBCSince Sian Clifford confirmed in an interview that Phoebe Waller-Bridge had no plans to make a third series of Fleabag, it is hardly surprising that the finale beautifully tied up some loose strings. Claire ends things with her terrible, alcoholic husband Martin, and rushes to the airport to confess her feelings to her one true love, hilariously named Klare. Fleabag and her father have a beautiful heart-to-heart and learn to understand each other better, and while the Godmother is still terrible, it's okay because Fleabag stole back her sculpture. Following the finale, some fans have suggested that Fleabag's opening line of season two: "This is a love story," relates to not just her romance with the Priest, but her relationship with her family; her love for her sister and father, and Claire finding love with… Klare.
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© Photo: BBCBut the ending has a less than perfect resolution for our hero after she speaks to the (sexy) Priest she is now in love with, who chooses to remain true to his faith rather than leave the church for her. It's the outcome both she and the audience expected, but it is still heartbreaking to hear them tell each other that they love one another before he walks away forever. After the Priest leaves, and Fleabag has a few moments of devastation, she notices that her bus has been cancelled, sighs, rolls her eyes and makes to walk home. As the camera follows, she smiles and shakes her head, and so we stay where we are, watching her walk away, as she turns and gives us a little wave.
© Photo: BBCBreaking down the fourth wall is a huge source of Fleabag's humour, as the protagonist lives her life giving her internal quips and inner monologue to the audience. However, in season two this trope is turned on its head as the Priest begins to notice that Fleabag keeps 'disappearing' when she speaks to the camera, opening up discussion about exactly who she is speaking to. As the series progresses, it becomes more evident that Fleabag is beginning to dislike the camera's attention in her life, running away from it at one point and pushing the camera away when she and the Priest finally have sex.
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In stopping it from following her in the final moments of season two, it could suggest that Fleabag is finally ready to share her whole self with the world, and so doesn't need an audience to share her real thoughts with. Some fans also believe that when she addresses the camera she is actually speaking to her dead friend, Boo, and that leaving her behind means she's finally ready to move on from the guilt of Boo's death, which is the main focus on season one, particularly since she has learned to love again.
