Fleabag: The Worst Thing Each Main Character Has Done

In its short two-season run, Fleabaghas become one of the most acclaimed television shows in recent years. From the brilliant mind of creator and star Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the show explores the struggles of a troubled young woman dealing with past mistakes and current relationship issues while living in London.

The show is filled with razor-sharp wit and hilarious dialogue, but it is also not afraid to make its viewers uncomfortable from time to time. Its characters are complex and real, which means they are capable of making mistakes and doing bad things. Some worse than others. Here are the worst things each main character on Fleabag has done.

8 Dad – Ignored Problems

Fleabag and Claire’s father is a hilariously closed-off character. It’s clear that he was deeply affected by the death of his wife and the girls’ mother, but when it came time for him to step up and be their sole parent, he was not up for the challenge.

He is a man who has an extremely difficult time sharing his emotions and offering fatherly words of advice and warmth to his daughters. He does love them, but can’t seem to say it out loud. His awkwardness can be endearing at times, but it is also troubling what he’s willing to overlook. It’s surely no secret to him that his daughters and his new partner, the Godmother, do not get along, but during one particularly heated exchange, Godmother slaps Fleabag. Dad sees it and everyone knows he sees it, but he’s willing to pretend he didn’t so to avoid the unpleasant conversation.

7 Harry – Being Overbearing

To be honest, it’s a bit hard to find things that Harry did wrong. He is one of the first men in Fleabag’s life who we are introduced to and the two of them could not appear to be more opposite. Harry is an awkward yet kind person who seems to think he and Fleabag have something very special, despite the fact that they keep breaking up and getting back together.

Whenever the two do break up, it’s hard to say he is ever at fault. However, their final break up comes after Harry asks that Fleabag stop pleasuring herself. While he presents it as something they will do as a couple, it’s clear that he’s uncomfortable with her sexuality. Fleabag is certainly not the perfect romantic partner, but that’s no excuse for Harry to attempt to suppress her.

6 Bank Manager – Assaulting Co-Worker

One of the most unexpected relationships that forms over the course of the series is between Fleabag and the unnamed Bank Manager. We meet him in the first episode of the show when he and Fleabag have an awkward encounter while she is applying for a bank loan. They meet again while they are at separate therapeutic retreats and he reveals he is there for grabbing a co-worker’s breast at an office party.

Luckily, he has the sense to feel complete remorse about his wrongdoing. He laments how his actions put him in this position and he takes responsibility for them, which is a lot better than other people on the show. Despite being an inexcusable offense, he does become a guardian angel of sorts for Fleabag.

5 Martin – Kissing Fleabag

While it’s hard to find transgressions for some of these characters, for Martin, it is way too easy. He is a vile and offensive man who is totally unwilling to admit to his own faults and, in fact, throws the blame on other people. He is known for saying horrible things and not feeling bad about it, but his actions can be just as deplorable.

While drunk at Claire’s birthday party, Martin awkwardly and disgustingly forces a kiss on Fleabag, as she pushes him away. Kissing your wife’s sister is awful. Doing it at your wife’s birthday horrendous. To then blame it on your wife’s sister is just evil.

4 Godmother – Passive Aggression

Godmother is one of the most entertaining yet infuriating characters on the show. She presents herself as an extremely positive and warm person, but she can be horribly mean through her passive-aggressive ways. She is especially mean to Fleabag in this manner, making comments and putting her in situations, knowing full well how insulting she is being.

From ridiculing Fleabag’s love life to making her serve drinks at her art exhibition, Godmother may put on a smiling face, but she is incredibly cruel when she wants to be.

3 Claire – Taking Martin’s Side

The family relationships in Fleabag are certainly complicated and that definitely includes Fleabag’s relationship with her sister, Claire. The two sisters love each other very much but have an extremely hard time seeing eye to eye and are prone to getting into massive arguments before one of them finally comes to their senses.

The sisters are always trying to help one another, but sometimes it’s hard for them to recognize that. When Fleabag told Claire that Martin tried to kiss her, it was so Claire would realize how terrible her husband is. But Claire accepts Martin’s assertion that it was Fleabag who tried to kiss him. What’s worse, she doesn’t even believe it — it’s just the easier path to take. To then use Fleabag’s darkest secret to sell the story is really awful on Claire’s part.

2 The Priest – Sleeping With Fleabag

The Priest was a great addition to Season 2 of the show and gave Fleabag her most intense relationship. The attractive priest is very unconventional, but incredibly caring and wants to genuinely help. Though he obviously has a darker past of his own, he is strong support for Fleabag when she needs it and sees something in her no one else does.

Fleabag is hopelessly attracted to the priest and he feels the same way but tries desperately to stay true to his vows. He ultimately surrenders, and while he is only human, sleeping with Fleabag after knowing everything she struggles with was selfish. He took away the one person who could provide solid support — himself.

1 Fleabag – Sleeping With Boo’s Boyfriend

It’s pretty fascinating to see such a funny show play out over the course of an entire season before revealing that the main character held a very disturbing secret. Throughout the first season, we see Fleabag’s best friend Boo, someone who wholly loves Fleabag and vice versa. We learn that Boo died after stepping into traffic, but the truth behind that is very dark.

Fleabag slept with Boo’s boyfriend and the pain of him cheating on her led her to step into traffic and kill herself. It is something that has haunted Fleabag ever since and something she will likely never forgive herself for.

About The Author

Colin McCormick
(2030 Articles Published)

Colin McCormick is a Senior Writer with Screen Rant and has been a proud member of the team since 2019. In addition to his work as Screen Rant, Colin is also a writer of News, Feature and Review pieces at Game Rant. Colin has had a long passion and obsession with movies going back to the first time he saw The Lion King in theaters. Along with movies, Colin stays up-to-date on the latest must-see TV shows. While he loves to find interesting projects in any kind of genre, he has a special movie of crime stories that are infused with a little dark humor much like the work of his favorite author, Elmore Leonard.

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