Sitcom 2: The Last Scene in Fleabag

*SPOILER ALERT*

I am not sure if Fleabag can be called a sitcom, because it is so much more than that. Award-winning shows and movies cause me to expect more from them, though more often than not, it leads to disappointment. I am not here to complain about award-winning shows, we will do that some later time. We are here to talk about Fleabag, the Emmy-winning masterpiece. Specifically, the last scene in fleabag.

The ending might come off as unexpected and shocking to some. It did to me, when Fleabag asked, "It is God, then?" In hindsight though, the entire episode was foretelling that it was not going to happen, that they had chosen the perfect setting for the scene.

The last episode came full circle to milestones in their relationships.

The setting in the last shot, is the bus stand. This is the same setting as the first time when the priest left fleabag never to see her again. The first thing she says is, "It is God, then?" The priest's speech was about how love makes you awful, but gives you hope. He said it needs strength to know what's right. For the viewer, myself atleast, it appeared as if he is referring to fleabag. Or maybe I wanted him to. But, it was clearly directed towards his faith.

He said, love makes you awful, he is too broken from his past experiences. He says, that it is not easy to choose the right entity to love. This refers to the scene, where he said that loving God is not complicated, and celibacy is easier than falling in love with a person. Fleabag has caused this confusion, and this is where he made his decision. Their last kiss was during a family meeting, against a wall with one of them smoking a cigarette just prior. The same setting as where their first interaction had taken place.

His speech ends with him preaching about hope, and the viewer can see Fleabag visibly confused.

Back to the scene, Fleabag tells him she loves him, just like the first scene when she said she liked him. Then, he had not confronted her. This time, he looks away and she looks towards him. He says he will walk, but then turns around to tell her he loves her too before finally walking away. The fox follows him. What is the fox, you ask? I thought it is his faith, that always jumps in his life at odd times. Reddit says it is his trauma that follows him everywhere. Stephen Colbert thinks it is the hound of the heaven. This is a discussion for another time, because honestly, I don't know yet.

She buries her head again. When she looks up, she smiles at us. Again, a scene that confused me as a viewer.

Let's go back to the counselling scene, where the counselor asks Fleabag is she wants to f*** God, which is punny because this means she is personifying God through the priest. Fleabag feels so deprived of love, and is someone who has given up on the idea of an omnipresent being who will save her. I believe it is her subconscious still trying to cope, which has found some hope through this priest. Of course, his personality is a big part of it. She realises they both have had rough pasts, and can see each other's trauma and pain.

It is when he walks away, the realisation dawns on her. We, the viewers, condone her behaviour and sins. We are her "friend" who accept her as she is, a replacement of Boo, her lost best friend. We are also her pain and trauma, and we follow her around. The departure of the priest can be symbolized as her accepting her sins and also the passing away of loved ones. This is her moving on from the pain and grief. She smiles because she knows this now.

She waves us Goodbye, and honestly this is the best ending the viewers could have asked for.