The absence - permanent absence if the cast of the show are to be believed - of BBC Three's Fleabag from our chosen viewing devices is a national travesty, the only national travesty we should be discussing. Brexit what now?
8th April 2019. Mark the date, folks. Memorialise that in history, for upon that day, Series Two of the hit show Fleabag came to an end. A gloriously, riotous, heartbreakingly messy ending that nearly caused a Twitter meltdown as fans flooded their feeds with minute by minute analysis of the concluding scenes.
The aftermath has been just as well documented, with the show appearing as one of the top trending mentions on the site for days after the last episode aired.
The furore surrounding the ending was shaping up to reach fever pitch just like the other hit BBC show Bodyguard all over again. But instead of fretting over the death of Keeley Hawes's Home Secretary, it was over the death of a show that had captured the imagination of so many.
Yet the rumours were short lived, and quashed quickly. Sian Clifford, who plays Fleabag's sister Claire, all but confirmed the news when she appeared on BBC Breakfast to describe the series as "complete" much to the anguish of many people who had expected at least a glimmer of hope that it would return.
To say the show will be sorely missed seems to be a gross understatement.
In Fleabag Phoebe Waller-Bridge created something extraordinary; a multilayered show that manages to be in the same breath outrageous, relatable and also deeply moving. The writing is nothing short of miraculous; there's been great hype around the priest's wedding speech and rightly so, but it's even in the small exchanges, the brief second when Fleabag breaks the fourth wall to make a wry observation, that makes the script sing.
"I think you know how to love better than any of us, that's why you find it all so painful"- Quote from Fleabag's father.
There's moments when you cringe, moments when you laugh aloud or try to suppress a sneaky sob, often simultaneously. There's glimpses of beauty in the mayhem, and exposure to the raw and ugly. The whole plethora of human emotions are on display and that's one of the show's great charms, that it isn't always charming.
But the prospect of having a Fleabag-less future?
Obviously, people are lamenting the idea that such a revolutionary show could be over, with its flawed and sometimes unlikable characters, its frank exploration of mental health, and unapologetic depictions of women with, god forbid, sex drives.
Not to mention that it is a show driven by strong women both on screen and behind the scenes, which is still a novelty, even in 2019.
But look at the evidence; often shows that find success in their early life, cannot maintain the same level of excellence. The prospect - particularly in American TV shows - of quitting while you're ahead and leaving the audience wanting more, is often sadly neglected. How often have shows been described as being 'amazing for the first couple of seasons' but 'lost the plot' when characters start to depart, and storylines become clogged with cliche.
In music, it's the second album curse; that the next offering simply won't live up to the original success. Fleabag managed to buck the trend, and stay feeling fresh and different without falling into a similar format.
We have always been made to feel like a voyeur in Fleabag's life through her asides to camera. When she gave us that knowing look before walking away, it felt like a goodbye. We were no longer invited to be privy to her chaos; she went on, but our insight did not.
This felt like a visual metaphor for the show; it captured a snapshot of a life as opposed to feeling as though it had to take us from cradle to grave with the characters, and was made all the more poignant for it.
I'll say it; I'm happy that Fleabag is over. Not because I won't miss Waller-Bridge's beautiful, broken creation but because a third season might give her a chance to fix her flaws- and she's nearly perfect just the way she is.
Both seasons of Fleabag are available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
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