The Unicorn Scale: Fleabag

By Jennie Roberson

May 21, 2019

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Photo credit: BBC Studios

Well hey there, Unicorns! I hope everyone is hydrated and getting enough sleep. I worry like a mother sometimes, you know.

This may sound like a champagne problem, but probably once a week someone has a show/movie with a bi character that I simply must see for this column. Which, I grant you, is awesome and I am so grateful. Compared to even five years ago when we were mostly going for queer revisionist readings and of bi representation, there is a new wave of bi characters out there for all of us to watch (and for me to review)!

But a girl must rest. Sometimes I just want to veg out. And, hey, I’m human. If you cut me, I will bleed. If you tickle me, I will laugh. If you put Instagram in front of me, I will occasionally watch their ads as I scroll. And that’s how I came across this jolt of a preview for a second Amazon Prime series:

Well, I definitely sat up. I hadn’t seen anything like this in TV for a while, especially with the cinematic choice of “breaking the fourth wall” (AKA talking to the audience by looking at the camera, Ferris Bueller style). The preview noted the new series was starting soon and the first series only had six episodes, so I thought I’d give it a go. I decided to take a break from Unicorn columns and binge this British show, Fleabag. My friends visiting from out of town remarked on its brilliance and noted in passing it may be a good fit for the column. But it didn’t give any bi indication from the preview, so it seemed like a good respite. But was it? Read on.

Before I go any further, I should note that anything I write after this column will contain SPOILERS for both seasons of Fleabag. HOWEVER. I want to note each series only has six episodes which run about twenty minutes apiece, so it’s a quick binge. Also, if we’re covering all the disclaimers here: if this is your first time reading the Unicorn Scale or you just need a refresher on the metric, you can find that at the original article riiiiiiiiight oveeeeeeer here.

Image/BBC Studios

Fleabag follows the adventures of the eponymous young woman (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) and failing café owner, as she navigates through family, recent tragedy, and modern London’s dating scene. Strange first name? Possibly — none of the characters ever refer to the character by her actual name. Waller-Bridge invented the character from a writing prompt for a ten-minute character sketch for a storytelling night. She then developed the character into a one-woman show, which went on to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and got tapped for development into a series

And that’s where we, the viewers, come in. Sound good? Brilliant. Let’s dive right in.

What I Liked:

So, yeah, this ended up being fodder for a Unicorn scale. The main character, Fleabag, has multiple points of flirting with men and women in the pilot. At first I thought it was just some queerbaiting, playing Fleabag’s sexual voracity as undiscerning and reckless. But these flirtations bear fruit in the second season as well, so the passes weren’t made for laughs. The key thing with Fleabag’s search for sex is that she uses it as a tool of avoidance for the greater tragedies that have recently happened in her life (sometimes propelled by her own actions). And honestly, I’ve seen that coping mechanism spread across the representation of multiple spectrums.

Image/BBC Studios

Fleabag never uses the word “bisexual” to describe herself, but the show does use the word to introduce a character — in the series finale. Sure, better late than never, but that felt rushed.

But the thing is this is an extremely well-realized female character that we rarely get to see, even in this golden age of modern television. Since all of her asides are directly to the camera coupled with Jim Halpert-like glances, we always know exactly what is on her mind. Fleabag is fiercely funny, smart, and very perceptive of the goings-on of the people around her, despite how centered we are on her own viewpoint. 

The series goes beyond fears, dreams, and hopes that we normally look for in this article and shows the nuance of emotional processing and self-awareness. Fleabag is a fantastically, fully-realized character who also happens to be queer without that aspect being a point of conflict. It’s a high-wire act that is astonishingly well executed.

What I Didn't Like:

Would I have liked to have seen more discussion about her bisexuality? Or use the term “bisexual” herself? Sure. I mean even her awful Godmother (Olivia Colman) has no problem using the term for introducing a male wedding guest. I guess I can be happy that it turned up, but I’m grumpy and would have loved to see Fleabag use the term. But this feels like I am applying a microscope to look for chinks in the armor.

The Rating:

Fleabag is perhaps one of the best depictions of a messy bi I have ever seen on television. She is not a stereotype, and she has miles more personality than most female characters I see showing up on my boob tube. Is she a perfect specimen, a woman we can champion? I think that may depend on what we want to lift up. But I can say this: I have seen literal days (and probably weeks) of modern bi representation in the past few years, and this is one of the best (bi) shows I have seen in quite a while.

Image/BBC Studios

Catch the show if you can. Even if she is not the “best” bi out there, the series is phenomenal enough to merit a viewing. For once, an Instagram ad was dead-on.

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