If the beginning of this episode didn't set the alarms off, then you haven't been watching this show. Every time someone is having a gathering or a party, something goes terribly wrong. In the opening episode of this season, a dinner party turned into a very awkward situation that ended in violence, but also in two sisters reuniting. Now, Claire is having a big party to celebrate "Women in Business," and when you include our lead in that, this sounds like it could potentially either be glorious or disastrous; most likely both of them at once. It's difficult to impress someone or make them happy when they're constantly talking about how much they don't like everything about you, and that's the situation here. But, taking that as it is, it also seems like there might be some light shining through, and our lead seems like she's very much there to make this as good for Claire as she probably can. However, that is still a big ask and this is probably going to go wrong in some way or another. This third episode of the unfortunately short second season is another great example of the relationships in this show and why they're so messed up. Phoebe Waller-Bridge comes back again with another batch of great writing, this time dedicating a lot of her time to a great monologue about women being born with pain, in one of the most profound pieces of education that the show has dropped on its audience, showing its great genius.
It puts the tension to an 11 really quickly by putting our lead in a situation where she has to fix something that she did wrong, and then it just keeps that pace all throughout. Safe to say that Claire's party was never going to go over without a problem or two. It's hilarious to see Claire trying to navigate through the party and desperately making sure that her sister doesn't steal the thunder, which ultimately makes her steal the thunder. Claire is a wonderfully complex character, but she needs to do some soul-searching for herself and do it quickly.
The relentless fun of that is contrasted with our lead's realization that pain just seems to be a constant part of her life. Both in her conversation with Belinda (played expertly by Kristin Scott Thomas) and the priest, she realizes that there are things that she can't get away from, but also that certain aspects of pain are something that you make for yourself. It may help her realize that it's important to always be open to other people, and if this show has shown us anything, it's that moral lessons usually stick, both with her and with the audience.
The relationship between our lead and the priest also seems to be gaining steam in every episode. In this episode, the priest makes a fun observation that audiences will surely love, and it shows that there might be a deeper connection between these two characters than any of the other guys that she has met before. It's a fun dilemma that it turned out to be with someone who is a priest, which seems like the last person our lead would fall in love with. But again, the Lord works in mysterious ways, so why wouldn't he set this up?
The performances were all great this episode, again, with Kristin Scott Thomas' short guest stint being the clear standout. She's always a delight to see on screen, but her performance in this show was so surprising that it made it all so much better. She delivered that monologue with a lot of passion and shows why she is one of those great British actresses in the game. Sian Clifford also brought a lot to the table this week and served as a great foil to the outgoing lead character again, this time, revealing a little more of her insecurities.
"Fleabag" continues its strong run with "Episode 4," another great piece of writing with a lot of romp and moral lessons to take with you. It's as funny as it is profound, and the guest performance from Kristin Scott Thomas is one to remember, especially her monologue and the inherent irony there is in it.
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