Fleabag is a British comedy-drama television show created and written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Boo death timeline
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I’m on my fourth rewatch and my husband is watching it for the first time with me. We just finished season 2 episode 5, and my husband theorized that Boo was already dead at the mother’s funeral. In season one, Fleabag mentions that her mother died three years ago. I can’t recall if it’s ever specified how long ago Boo’s death was before the first episode. He believes that Fleabag is talking to/looking at Boo when she looks at the audience, and he pointed out that no one actually interacts with Boo during the funeral except for Fleabag. There’s a scene at the funeral with Boo, Fleabag, and Claire, and another one with the first two and Harry, but in both scenes nobody actually seems to acknowledge or interact with Boo. He thinks that this scene is showing us a glimpse of how Fleabag uses the thought of Boo as an emotional crutch. I think it’s more likely that Boo was alive and Fleabag’s decision to cheat with Boo’s boyfriend probably spun out from grief over her mother, but I do think it’s a really interesting theory.
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I'm with you on this, OP.
In the church at the funeral when Fleabag is "bemoaning" how good she looks, Boo says to Claire, "We're trying to mess her up." Claire replies, "Oh, God".
Later, when Fleabag tells Boo about Godmother moving in on Dad, they retire outside for "a ciggie" and Harry arrives. Eventually, there's a joke about Harry's trousers being in the dryer too long and then Boo says to HIM, "Aww, mate,"
Claire isn’t necessarily saying that in response to Boo, though, and Harry doesn’t respond to her. I’m not necessarily sold on the “Boo died before the mother” theory, but I do think it could be intentional that there are minimal/no interactions between Boo and anyone else in Fleabag’s life. It makes her more like a ghost (boo!) or inner voice.
I don’t think she was dead in those scenes. But there have been plenty of fans theorizing that the audience fleabag talks to is indeed her talking to boo
But at least once she talks about Boo to the camera—the “that’s why pencils have rubbers” scene.
Yeah I don’t actually believe that fan theory, but it was worth mentioning
I think that Boo must have died in the year previous to s1 just bc i can’t imagine that Fleabag kept the café afloat by herself for very long but this theory is so interesting i’ll have to rewatch with it in mind!!
The stepmother also mentioned how they've " all been really worried " about fleabag which to me implies it was a relatively recent loss
Very interesting theory. I haven’t done a rewatch in a while but I remember a scene where Fleabag is crying, I am pretty sure about her mother, and says that she has all of this love for her mom and doesn’t know what to do with it now. And Boo says something along the lines of “give it to me, I’ll take it, that sounds lovely” and it is very sweet and touching. That would imply that Boo died after Fleabag’s mom, but that could be in Fleabag’s mind again.
This is what I was thinking too.
I thought it was fairly obvious that Boo had died within the last year prior to S1
That’s how I’ve always interpreted it, the grief feels much more fresh. Apparently it is never actually spelled out, though.
Oh, man. I'm going to have to rewatch because I love his theory.
I thought she said at one point that Boo died the year before, as in the year before the first season takes place.
I am a big fan of digging into this a bit more. If memory serves, there is only one scene in the show where we see somehow interact with or acknowledge Boo at all. I could be wrong. Need to rewatch but keep an eye out. It almost never happens.
The only reason I don't like this.. is that it means Fleabag has been hurting for longer. But I will keep this in mind on my next re-watch. We only get two seasons, and I will re-watch 'til the end of my days so thank you for giving me a new perspective next time I watch!
It's an interesting theory, but Fleabag is talking to Boo when Claire walks in on them at the church (the "no matter what I do with my hair it keeps falling in this really chic way" part) so I think if Boo wasn't really there, Claire would have been like "who are you talking to?"
I have goosebumps
A bit late to this party but, Claire at the end of season 1 says 'how can i believe u after what u did to boo'..
Considering how serious that accusation is, and also Claire being the most logical person (imagined or otherwise), who took on Martin's side just based on that thought process AGAINST her own sister. That will mean, Boo IS a real person and Claire knew of her and why/how she died.
Yes Boo was real, so of course Claire met her, knew her. It's the time of when her death occured that is the question. Is she a recent memory that FB talks to in the 4th wall or one that happened years ago before her Mom passed?
I also think it was more recent, according to the Guinea Pig ( they don't live very long) so the fact that he was Boo's, means she died very recently. And the banker visiting the cafe about the loan, certainly reflects Boo's passing as pretty recent. Last 6 months to a year prior to the show start.
I just realized i didnt address the time of death part. I agree with you in that, she must have died recently (6 months to one year) and after Fleabag's mom passing.
I always thought that fleabag is a show which is trying to capture the effects of grief and how that affects/ changes a person deeply. The fact that she lost her mom, and then Boo (who was her rock during that period) and then Hot priest was the appeal to me - 'the fleabag'.
The reason i insisted that Boo was real is cause to me, Boo being there with Fleabag during her mom' s funeral was a very important part in describing the depth of her loss.