Fleabag: 10 Quotes That Made Us Fall In Love With The Priest

In the Season 2 premiere of Amazon’s Fleabag, she lets viewers know right away, “This is a love story.” Although considerably less morose than Season 1, Fleabag’s sophomore offering still rubs at sensitive areas until they’re raw. The show explores the complexity of human emotions and the trickiness of navigating them.

Fleabag’s (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) most arduous personal journey is learning to love herself, and she finds much-needed support from a completely unexpected source — “The Priest” (Andrew Scott). He isn’t an ordinary priest; he’s unapologetically flawed except for one thing — his love for God. Fleabag isn’t reduced to the allure of forbidden love. It’s a testament to how we have no control over who we love or even why, and how that love can change us irrevocably.

Here is Fleabag: 10 Quotes That Made Us Fall In Love With The Priest.

10 “And if you ever want to…uh, talk about stuff, I’m here. With a G&T, of course…”

“And if you ever want to…uh, talk about stuff, I’m here. With a G&T, of course. You can come whenever you want. I’d like you to come. If it helps.”

Even if Fleabag doesn’t admit she’s lonely and in desperate want of a real human connection, The Priest knows. He recognizes emotional pain as adeptly as a doctor can identify physical discomfort. He reaches out to help in the best way he knows how — offering her a chance to talk about something important. There’s nothing inappropriate or sexual about it.

At this point in their relationship, neither can be sure where the other’s head is at. It’s very much like dating in that respect. But while Fleabag’s like a school girl looking for the slightest indication he thinks she’s special, he suspects she’s someone who needs to believe in something a bit bigger than herself, and a woman who may feel very much alone.

9 “I believe God meant for me to love people in a…different way. I believe I’m supposed to love people as a father.”

Fleabag understands what it feels like to be pulled toward things that are either entirely pedestrian or self-destructive. It’s hard for her to grasp what would make The Priest relinquish so many things that bring pleasure — mostly sex and intimacy. The Priest’s explanation is beautiful in its simplicity. He’s capable of love and he has it to give, but not in a romantic way.

Fleabag’s attraction to The Priest isn’t just physical. She’s been there and done that. What she’s missing is the feeling of unconditional love. The allure to someone who’s willing and able to give it is something Fleabag lacks in her life. The closest she’s come is with Boo (Jenny Rainsford), and Fleabag sabotaged it.

8 “We’re not gonna have sex. I know that’s what you think you want from me, but it’s not. It won’t bring any good.”

There are many blanks when it comes to The Priest’s past and it’s up to Fleabag to fill them in . He sees through Fleabag’s flirting and transparent attempts at seduction because he’s been in this position before. Her curiosity is natural, especially as she tries to navigate a relationship with a man where sex isn’t a factor. So he tries to set boundaries, and we badly want her to respect them because she should, but we also know in so many ways they’re perfect for each other.

The Priest knows what motivates Fleabag, and this line he attempts to draw in the sand foreshadows a love story doomed to fail.

7 “I’m not being churchy, I’m trying to get to know you.”

The Priest is the first person to ever notice Fleabag’s asides to the audience. He doesn’t know what they mean, but he notices that she’s checking out, and this makes her incredibly uncomfortable. These private thoughts are off-limits, and nobody else has noticed before.

Fleabag has the chance to open herself up and let out all those dark feelings she usually covers with clever quips. She is still haunted by past mistakes and she can’t forgive herself. There are parts of her she doesn’t want him to see because she’s petrified he won’t love her as a result.

6 “Sometimes I worry I’m only in it for the outfits.”

As the season progresses, The Priest begins to come a bit undone as his yearning for Fleabag grows. He never lets her forget how much being a priest means to him. Even the pageantry and the ceremonial components appeal to him. His confession about his trip to Rome may seem to amount to little more than a punchline, but it reveals a man who has always felt so committed and secure in his choice, nothing could dissuade him. The Priest and Fleabag’s dynamic doesn’t work if we believe he’s not happy and fulfilled being a priest.

5 “Please don’t come to the church again. I mean that…with the greatest of compliments.”

As Fleabag Season 2 moves forward, The Priest’s faith is increasingly tested, and Fleabag reevaluates her belief systems or lack thereof. She opens up to him as anyone parishioner might, but it’s her raw vulnerability and a desperate plea for guidance that blurs the line for him between being a priest, friend and possible lover.

He’s not punishing her, which would be so devastating in the aftermath of her confession, but he’s faltering, and the only thing he knows to do is remove temptation. This request is incongruous with his vocation, but it’s an effort at self-preservation.

4 “I can’t have sex with you because I’ll fall in love with you. And if I fall in love with you, I won’t burst into flames but…my life will be f***ed.”

There isn’t anything about this proclamation that doesn’t make us weak in the knees. Maybe Fleabag is selfish for pursuing The Priest in the first place, but whatever her initial motivations, she’s in love.

The sexual chemistry between them is palpable from Episode 1, but for The Priest, forsaking his vows is never the focus. He’s surprisingly pragmatic about the act itself. The thing they’re both afraid of is the emotional fallout of it all. Fleabag doesn’t appear to quite grasp that as much as he does. She’s adept at compartmentalizing sex and love whereas he cannot.

3 “Love is awful. It’s awful…”

“Love is awful. It’s awful. It’s painful. It’s frightening. Makes you doubt yourself, judge yourself…It’s all any of us want, and it’s hell when we get there! So no wonder it’s something we don’t want to do on our own.”

As The Priest officiates Godmother (Olivia Colman) and Dad’s (Bill Paterson) wedding, there’s a lot to read between the lines. He’s struggling to reconcile the love he has for Fleabag with the love he has for God. There are unmistakable similarities between the two. He appears to be in the midst of a breakdown, weighing if the inevitable heartbreak of a possible life with Fleabag is worth the pain — a pain we know he’s already experienced.

But despite Fleabag’s cynical tone when it comes to love, the capacity to give and feel love is something unavoidable and it’s attainable. Maybe not in the traditional Hallmark way; it’s about who we connect with, whether by destiny or design.

2 “It takes strength to know what’s right. And love isn’t something that weak people do.”

We can see the wheels turning as he says these words. It’s as if the answer suddenly becomes completely clear to him. He knows he’s going to choose God, and he has the faith to know he’s doing the right thing. From the start, The Priest paints his relationship with God as one easier than his previous romantic entanglements. In that respect, he’s weak, and he admires Fleabag’s ability to do what he can’t.

1 “I love you, too.”

Usually, the words “I love you” signify the beginning of a relationship, but these two have nowhere to go. Their journey is about getting to this point, not what comes after. Both characters enter into this reckless, doomed relationship and knowing the outcome, they take the plunge anyway. Fleabag calls it a love story, but she doesn’t say they live happily ever after.

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