Reddit reviews Fleabag: The Special Edition

I'll give a brief synopsis from what I recall, but it's better to see it yourself. There's still some encore simulcasts of National Theater Live, so check your local theaters. That's how I saw it, and it's totally worth it. You can also buy the book and read the play yourself.

But if you really, really want to know right now, this is what I recall from seeing it six weeks ago:

Series 1 is basically an adaptation of the one-woman play, and adds quite a bit. Godmother doesn't really figure into the story at all, the dad only shows up briefly once (when Fleabag comes home drunk, like in the show), there's no statue to steal, Claire shows up only twice and her husband is Scottish (and he doesn't try to get with Fleabag, though he's still a drunk dick who makes inappropriate jokes). There is, however, a character in the play that doesn't show up in the first series -- an older man named Joe, who's a regular customer at the cafe named, and is always enthusiastic to talk to Fleabag, even when she isn't.

Generally, the plot is the same: it opens with Fleabag trying to get a loan, she accidentally lifts her shirt, and the banker asks her to leave. She tells him to leave, and he does. She then looks to the audience and tells her story. She has the cafe, her best friend Boo is dead, and she needs the money to stay open. She goes to the feminist conference with her sister (like in the show), who eventually says she'll give her the money, leave her husband and take the job in Finland. But later on she finds out that Claire isn't going to take the job, isn't leaving her husband, and won't give her the money. We, of course, find out the circumstances surrounding Boo's death (identical to the show). She tells various anecdotes about her sexcapades, and we learn about Harry, Arse man, and Subway Rodent (instead of Bus Rodent, as in the TV series). A lot of the jokes are the same, but there are some new ones too.

The climax is different. After Fleabag finds out Claire won't help her, she basically comes despondent and tries to seek comfort in sex. She takes the Subway Rodent to her cafe, and (SPOILER ALERT, this is the climax, it hits hard when you watch it live) >!he thinks the guinea pig is a rat, and kicks it. He leaves. The guinea pig is not in a good condition, making a wheezing sound, and Fleabag is too stunned and depressed to know what to do about it. She sits there until morning, when Joe stops by, looking to have a chat again. Fleabag locks the door, undresses, and basically offers herself to him, presuming that he was just an old lech. But Joe looks away, and tells her to put her clothes back on, and "it's not like that." Joe just knew about what happened to her friend, and was checking in every day out of his good nature. IIRC correctly, I think she tells him to leave, which he does. She picks up the guinea pig, who is still wheezing and clearly not well,!< (again, SPOILERS, you've been warned!) >!and holds it close to her chest... and then basically squeezes until she hears a crack, and it's no longer breathing. Yes, Fleabag goes there. She's hit rock bottom and her last vestige of Boo is now dead. There were audible gasps in my audience.!<

It goes back to her in the banker's office, rehashing the dialogue from the beginning, except this time, instead of leaving, she asks the banker if he's ever fucked up before, and that just needs a second chance. He sighs and speaks about how he's currently separated from his wife because he got drunk at a few work parties and felt up some colleagues (again, like the show). He talks about how he's trying to rebuild his life, and sympathizes with Fleabag's situation. He sits down again, takes out the loan, and says "let's start fresh." They reintroduce themselves to each other, and start anew.

The end.

It's been about six weeks since I saw it, and I only saw it the one time. I might have some details confused. Anyone else, feel free to correct me where prudent. In any case, the entire second series is completely new. Though a certain chatty character that was absent in the first series does briefly show up!

The script for the stage version is already available as well