Will There Be a ‘Fleabag’ Season 3? A Case For & Against More Episodes
Opinion
If you’re anything like me, then you recently watched the second season of Phoebe Waller-Bridge‘s (Killing Eve) fantastic series Fleabag. If not, then proceed at your own risk because some major spoilers are about to be dropped… like a tray of crystal glasses.
The British playwright, screenwriter and actress brought what was originally supposed to be a one-season show — Fleabag — back for round two in May of this year, almost three years after the first season. And just like the first six episodes, Season 2 entertained throughout, but that may not be enough to see it return.
Like the first season, Waller-Bridge, who also birthed the original stage play that inspired the series, has claimed that Season 3 isn’t going to happen. But some comments she made in February, shared by The Hollywood Reporter, suggest she may be open to the idea. “I decided to not to do a second season… and I had real pride in my artistic integrity,” she said about her initial stance following Season 1.
But after all that time away from the project and character, Waller-Bridge found herself drawn to the show again. “I needed to take space from Fleabag after that first series and the play,” she said. “[The character’s] a different person now. She’s in a different stage of her life. It’s not the immediate next chapter,” Waller-Bridge said about Season 2. “You can delve into a whole new level of psychology and really depart from the first series.”
(Credit: Amazon Prime Video)
Perhaps the same could be said about a third? “I may be surprised again,” she said about the possibility. Later on in March, though, in a different interview with BBC, Waller-Bridge spoke to that idea that she had gone back on her word about doing a second season, she did say that the most recent chapter will be the show’s last.
“I have thought about it and there isn’t going to be one,” she said. “This is it – this is the final curtain,” she continued before saying, “And yes, I did say that last time.” But if fans are caught up on the latest in their titular character’s life, they’d know that Season 2’s end was fitting, if it is in fact her final curtain call.
(Credit: Amazon Prime Video)
Season 2 saw the guilt-ridden (over her best friend’s death) and sex-crazed Fleabag fall in love with the worst possible romantic prospect… a priest (played by Andrew Scott). Like Waller-Bridge’s character, he didn’t have an official name, referred to only as “The Priest,” and the pair played out their forbidden romance before a melancholic but promising farewell.
Since the show’s 11 Emmy nominations were revealed, Waller-Bridge has spoken out once more about the possibility of another season in another interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “I feel like it’s done, but I do have a fantasy of bringing her back when I’m, like, 45 or 50,” she said.
“She went on the biggest journey over the past two seasons, and she started as someone who sort of hated herself and ended up as someone believing that she could love again and forgive herself,” Waller-Bridge continued. “I have to respect that arc and let her go and live for a bit.”
While there are a few good reasons why the show should continue, there are just as many that suggest Season 2 should be Fleabag‘s last. Below, we weigh arguments for both.
Against
It’s hard to improve upon perfection, and Season 2 was pretty darn close to that, so we understand why Waller-Bridge would be apprehensive about opening Fleabag up for a third season. Unlike Season 1, there was a sense of finality to the ending. Despite the open-ended nature of the last scene, we know that Fleabag’s going to be okay — something we weren’t so certain of at the end of Season 1.
(Credit: Amazon Prime Video)
She may not have gotten “the happy ending,” but her relationships with her family are better than in Season 1, her grief and guilt over best friend Boo’s (Jenny Rainsford) death has also seemed to have lifted a bit. And in all honesty, we don’t know what a third season would look like now that Fleabag’s character has changed so much.
For
The show, which consists of two six-episode seasons, only clocks in at around six hours, and we’re willing to bet Waller-Bridge could muster at least another three with a third season that could serve as a final resolving chapter. Considering where we left most of the characters, it would be interesting to see where they are in a third season, particularly Fleabag’s uptight sister Claire (Sian Clifford).
(Credit: Amazon Prime Video)
She was last seen running out of their father’s (Bill Paterson) and godmother’s (the hilarious Olivia Colman) wedding to catch a coworker she fancied. And with their parting declarations of love, we wonder where Fleabag and the priest would stand if a third season came to be. Plus, there’s never enough breaking of the fourth wall on TV, and Fleabag is the remedy.
Let us know what you think about whether the show should have another season or not in the comments below.
Fleabag, Seasons 1 and 2, Streaming now, Amazon Prime Video
