What I’m Watching: Fleabag

Fleabag: Season 1, Episode 4 (B+)

The thought of Fleabag attending a weekend retreat which required her to be silent the entire time is pretty out there, but she actually went in with a positive attitude, even if her excitement and energy was meant to be sarcastic and to mock the whole thing. Claire, on the other hand, was hyper-stressed and not at all into it, angrily reacting to the news that there was no wi-fi, no newspapers, and no outlets. Fleabag asking her “What’s that?” repeatedly while smiling at the camera was great, and I like that, after she gave her a hard time and even took it, Claire thanked her for the very thoughtful gift of the vibrator. Fleabag certainly didn’t mean to hurt her sister when she blurted out that Claire’s thoughtless husband kissed her at her birthday party, but it didn’t come out well. This show does a remarkable job of weaving in its dramatic content, showing Fleabag remembering a truly happy moment with Boo and then culminating in a surprisingly powerful exchange with the man who was at the other retreat for sexual harassment. Fleabag didn’t seem like such a terrible person in this episode, and she even managed to show concern for her sister and sympathy for a man she should have no reason to like who was expressing some rather cruel and crude things about women. Like her, however, there is plenty about his life that explains his behavior, and, deep down, he’s not such a bad person and actually has some sweetness in him.