Ep 3. Episode 3

Fleabag season 1 episode 3 continues the series' dark, witty, and heartbreaking exploration of the life of the eponymous protagonist. In this episode, Fleabag navigates a series of particularly difficult and awkward encounters, from a Holocaust memorial service to a surprise visit from her estranged father.

The episode opens with Fleabag sitting in a synagogue, wracked with guilt and anxiety over her recent sexual exploits with her sister's husband. As prayers and hymns fill the space around her, Fleabag flashes back to the scene of her infidelity, and the guilt and shame she feels threaten to overwhelm her. It's a raw and vulnerable moment for the character, and one that sets the tone for the rest of the episode.

From there, Fleabag embarks on a series of misadventures and cringe-worthy moments, from trying (and failing) to pick up men in a bar to being forced to confront her troubled relationship with her father. In one standout sequence, she tries to convince her sister Claire to come out with her, only to have her sister reveal a painful secret that illuminates their family history and the trauma they have both experienced.

But it's the surprise arrival of Fleabag's father that really sets this episode apart. Played brilliantly by Bill Paterson, Fleabag's dad is a complex, conflicted figure, and his uneasy reunion with his daughter is fraught with tension and unspoken emotions. Over dinner, they dance around the elephant in the room (Fleabag's mother's death) and struggle to connect in any meaningful way. But in a quiet moment at the end of the episode, they share a tender, heartbreaking exchange that hints at the deep love they share, despite their myriad issues.

As always, the episode is shot through with Fleabag's signature wit and humor, but there's a darker edge to this entry in the series that sets it apart from the previous two. It's a moment of reckoning for the character, and one that hints at the complicated, contradictory nature of her identity and her relationships with those around her. Ultimately, Fleabag season 1 episode 3 is a melancholy but beautiful meditation on the human condition, and one that will resonate with anyone who has ever struggled to find their place in the world.