Drinker's Chasers - The Phoebe Waller-Bridge Problem

[@redrave404]

It's funny that Hugh Laurie worked by not being British. There's a story how the showrunner of House didn't know who Laurie was, saw his audition tape, and said "that's what I want an American."

[@r0bw00d]

You're close. Joss Whedon was looking for an American to play the role of House because he didn't think a Brit could pull it off. Then he hired Hugh and found out afterward who the guy was.

[@goldengrill769]

I feel like Brian Cox in Succession could fit right in to Britain. There are some crossovers that can happen.

[@Crimson28]

@@r0bw00dJoss Whedon didn’t create House, maybe you mixed it up with Dollhouse. David Shore created House.

[@darthdaddy3071]

I think the dry, wry, biting humor of House fits right in with the dry, wry, biting humor that British comedies frequently have. House could've easily been a British-made show, just given the type of comedy.

[@r0bw00d]

@@Crimson28 I was wrong. It was Bryan Singer who wanted an American as House for that reason.

[@liamphibia]

The "It's called capitalism." Line will never not be cringe-worthy.

[@arghjayem]

Nah. Capitalism is Amazon paying Waller-Bridge a reported $80 million dollars for doing or producing absolutely nothing!

[@Jadty]

Imagine how fat and weak the people that wrote that line are.

[@harrydubois6619]

Billion dollar companies taking every chance they can to criticize the concept of making and spending money will never make sense to me

[@davidjacobs8558]

She is of the British Elite, privileged class. Yet some how she is against Capitalism? I guess she wants Feudalism back. I heard same for Daisey Ridley. And that is why John Boyega was upset when Daisey Ridley said she had to struggle for her position. in Boyega's eye, Ridley had everything provided to her on a silver platter.

[@docsavage8640]

Not to mention stealing is the opposite of capitalism. It's actually Socialism.

[@EnsignRedshirtRicky]

She is as funny as a tax audit, at least in IJ5. Them claiming she is a femme fatale made me cringe so hard I had to see a chiropractor.

[@Zontar82]

Fatale in the sense that She could kill us with that oversized chin

[@Dr.Z73]

Not much appeal physically. And her character's personality even less so.

[@markiangooley]

She’s tall and has an interesting face. But she’s so bloody annoying!

[@rbu2136]

What Disney needs is more Karen’s producing writing acting and making films. The majority male audience really wants that.

[@jhoughjr1]

@@Dr.Z73 The thing is, if the writing and acting were up to par, personality would color her physical attractiveness. Thats actually how it works.

[@John-uh5et]

The funny thing is that Fleabag provides a pretty vivid portrait of a feminist who has been failed by feminism. Her romantic life at the beginning of the show is shallow and only revolves around hooking up. Fleabag’s impulsive, sex-driven actions directly lead to her best friend’s death. Only through falling in love, with a priest of all people, does she begin to heal the wounds that her lifestyle have caused her. And at the end the priest recognizes that his path is not with her, but with the commitment that he made to God, and so the two go their separate ways. I mean, you’d be hard pressed to find such a well done condemnation of modern feminism, and yet I get the feeling that was not PWB’s intention at all.

[@docsavage8640]

The funniest thing about Fleabag is is shows why feminism is bad for women and nonw of the feminists involved even sees the irony.

[@neemnoa303]

Why would you think it wasn't her intention? There are tons of positive male characters in Fleabag: her ex-boyfriend is shown to be super caring and reliable guy who shows no malice whatsoever. The man at the bank she gets in a row with at the start turns out to be a relatable, well-meaning person who's just going through some shit and they become friends. Big-tooth guy is just awkward but he is also really kind. Her father who seems distant at the start is revealed to be still suffering immensely from the death of his wife and that in his own way he loves Fleabag incredibly. He has a hard time with her because she is so much like her late mother. And then of course you have The Priest, who's just a fucking great dude. On the other hand both Fleabag and her sister are complete messes, not to mention the stepmom who's manipulative, vindictive and brutally passive-aggressive. There's of course one bad male character too, the sister's husband but he's shown more to be pathetic than evil. I don't think Fleabag has much to say about feminism at all. It's not the theme of the series. It's more a reflection on nihilistic behavior in modern society. Fleabag loses her mom and her behavior gets more and more destructive. She's drinking, smoking, hooking-up with strangers. She's slowly destroying her own life (and even others' life) until he meets The Priest. And he shows her that even if you're a bit depressed and your life is a bit shit, you can still have hope and be positive about the future. And it's all about spending time with the people you love. Fleabag doesn't find love by the end of the series but she repairs her relationship with her father, with her sister even somewhat with her step mom. And she kind of repairs her relationship with herself. It's not a commentary about feminism at all. It's about how endless cynicism and hedonism leads to hell, and family and friends are what can save you.

[@lowhp_comic]

I'd describe Fleabag as a "traditional" feminism compared to modern. Modern femnism seems to want to tip the scale in their favour, to shame the men for being men and belittle problems they have while overdramatising even small scale issues, while the traditional feminism I saw in Fleabag shows problems that women experience WITHOUT bashing men at all, hell a lot of problems women experience are due to OTHER women or their own self reflection. With the exception of one guy (who's an arsehole anyways) none of the men in the show are presented as villains nor stupid and naive, most of them actually have their heads on straight and become either inspiration to the titular character or a reminder of what she is like compared to them. She's a character with a lot of flaws compared to others and it's a muuuuuuuch more interesting and entertaining flair than a modern day "GIRL POWER, MEN ARE SHIT BECAUSE WOMAN ARE THE BEST" drivel. Absolutely loved Fleabag and happy to see Drinker acknowledge that it's probably a good show despite not watching it himself

[@hayleylongster4698]

I actually thought this was the whole point of Fleabag, until I watched an interview with PWB and she basically said that it wasn't at all :D But hey..... that's what I got when I watched it (as a former feminist). It was funny because it was sad, and vice versa.

[@charleshowarth9944]

Also note that the central conflict is between a desire for the sexual freedoms that men enjoy and the desire to submit to male authority as embodied by the Priest (there is no greater symbol of traditional male authority). Hence the very kinky confession scene. It's feminist in the same way that 50 Shades of Grey was.

[@Pyrate_Of_Las_Vegas]

The problem is that someone in Hollywood thought it was a good idea to make Phoebe Waller-Bridge a movie star

[@abcdefbcdefg8352]

buts shes such a strong female lead...

[@hayleylongster4698]

Exactly. She is a modern comedic writer- and a good one, I think- at least in her niche genre (witty observational comitragedy). This couldn't be more UN suited to Hollywood lol

[@jdraven0890]

As noted in the video, Hollywood keeps finding niche auteur types and thinking they can be elevated to do anything. If anything, wouldn't you assume the opposite? If you're doing something really mainstream, you keep people like that away from it. See also: Lord and Miller getting canned from Solo and replaced with Ron Howard -- terrible decision and a disservice to those two talented comedic writers.

[@fattiger6957]

@@jdraven0890 Which is really weird since Hollywood studio movies are dumber than ever now. Back in the day, auteurs like Kubrick and Hitchcock became huge successes because Hollywood could actually put out intelligent, well-made films. Now the only filmmaker in Hollywood who even comes close is Christopher Nolan. Hollywood should be looking for filmmakers who can make dumb, yet stylish movies. The Paul WS Anderson, Roland Emmerich and Michael Bay types are much more suited to modern Hollywood than these weirdo filmmakers the studios are trying to elevate.

[@EXG21]

She has the face and chin of a radio personality but is trying to be an actor.

[@gabrielcoelho19]

When i hear the term "femme fatale" i think about Monica Bellucci and Eva Green.

[@thetallestdwarf7041]

PWB did prove fatal for the Indy franchise though

[@docsavage8640]

Lauren Bacall is more like it.

[@lowhp_comic]

​@@thetallestdwarf7041it wouldn't just be her, it would be all of the writers involved

[@GayFrogsTho]

Stand aside plebs. Sharon Stone wishes to pass. No matter how hard I try I cannot summon the thought of PWB fucking my brains out then killing me me with an ice pick and still dying with a grin on my face.

[@Trollificusv2]

@@docsavage8640 "Lauren Bacall is more like it." +1, exactly what I was gonna post. She was so sexy it was like a jolt when she entered a scene. Never crude, never nasty...but man was she hot.

[@stevedockter4581]

The Critical Doggo is spot on with his commentary as always.

[@juanpablosaenz9037]

The Doggo is showing the general public's reaction to Phoebe Waller Bridge.

[@dirtyfunkymonkey]

At least his camera is on... pretty shite when the majority of people can't be bothered to turn their camera's on

[@Britephartt]

The Brits say doggy.

[@alphacause]

Baggage Claim's channel does the best job of using Phoebe Waller-Bridge's increasing prominence as an example of all the problems that ail modern Hollywood.

[@christophertaylor9100]

She doesn't post very often but its always great

[@alphacause]

@@christophertaylor9100 Yes. She doesn't upload very often, but she does quality work.

[@EddyA1337]

When I read this my first thought was I wish she posted more haha

[@Dash277]

came in here to say this. Her video did a great job of helping me understand why she got popular, and why that backfired.

[@SteveEdwardCooper]

Watching Baggage Claim's video about Fleabag made me want to never, ever watch Fleabag.

[@muhammadalikhan7244]

Hayley Atwell's Grace character is million times better written female character than PWB's Helena tbh.

[@docsavage8640]

A million times more attractive as well. And she's well past her prime.

[@iBuyFeetPix]

Atwell was such a treasure in that movie. Grace was so goddamn adorable and a treat to watch.

[@Theonewithnoname85]

Couldn’t agree more! Actually, that film had FOUR supporting ladies & they all killed it! Grace in particular wasn’t a bad ass that outshone Ethan & knew everything & did everything better than Ethan & showed real moments of vulnerability & fear but still knew how to hold her own. It just goes to show what can be achieved when you have actually talented writers, producers & directors versus activists

[@RobinDale50]

1000%. Hayley Atwell knows how to play a role properly, and like the above commenter, she (and her character) knew when to be "Grace, Master Thief" and when to be "Grace, a woman way in over her head," and act accordingly. It doesn't hurt that Hayley is fantastically gorgeous and knows the difference between when to vamp things up and when to play more real.

[@From-North-Jersey]

Why does anyone value this atwell chick? Ben Shapiros face on kate beckinsales body? No Thank you, I will take Kate Beckinsale without the man face.

[@DerpRulesAll]

I'll be honest, I think the Waller-Bridge problem, which is really the Helena Shaw character problem, is that they don't allow her to be humiliated into realizing that what she's doing is wrong, so that she can turn to the light.

[@BiggieTrismegistus]

The strange thing is that's exactly what happens to her character in Fleabag, the show that's gotten her all these opportunities.

[@DerpRulesAll]

@@BiggieTrismegistus It's an old trope. That's what has to happen, the character gets brought down a few notches, then they're redeemed. But it never happens here. And, ultimately, I'm just not interested in her character because of it. It's the opposite of the problem I had with Marion Ravenwood from 'Raiders.'

[@Trollificusv2]

@@BiggieTrismegistus Ah, but Fleabag wasn't produced by Kathleen Kennedy. If it had been, by the end she'd have super powers and wealth.

[@andystegall7407]

Well she was always intended to be the real hero and the one to steal the mantle from Indy so of course she wasn't allowed to be an actual character. She's the idealized self-insert of Kathleen Kennedy so naturally she's perfect in every way.

[@DerpRulesAll]

@@andystegall7407 That's why no one's interested. When she grabbed Indy's hat, some dude in the front actually said "bullsh¡t!" 🤣

[@bcdside]

2:56 “Every so often, America seems to fall in love with a certain British writer or British comedian…” As an American, drinker, I never asked for Fleabag. Take her back, please! And take back James Corden, too, while you’re at it!

[@AmitSingh-gd3fj]

It's not America seems to fall in love....no, Hollywood falls in love

[@liamh9814]

Craig Ferguson went down well in the US I gather.

[@toms7114]

​@@liamh9814 Craig Ferguson didn't go down all that well until he had a late night show and then he went down great, because the people up late when the show was on were people who were earlier on the path of self destructive drug use than Craig was and he was aspirational for them that they too could succeed like Craig has.

[@docsavage8640]

Craig Ferguson was pretty damn funny.

[@rpcheesman]

Nah, we're good. You can keep James Corden.

[@RogueFox2185]

Phoebe is the grim reaper of franchises, she’s like a younger version of Kathleen Kennedy except she chose the path of being an actress.

[@EXG21]

The Chin of Death.

[@pauljames1807]

The difference is Phoebe Waller Bridge is actually talented, she just doesn't really make a good movie star. I think it's more that the likes of Kathleen Kennedy are behind the movies that she's been put in recently.

[@lowhp_comic]

Naaah don't compare Phoebe to Kathleen, Phoebe in her own work is actually funny and can create feminist material that doesn't bash men in the slightest, meanwhile Kathleen treats a character with a penis like a criminal and must kill them off or emasculate them for the new girls to shine

[@EXG21]

@@lowhp_comic But was she the only one writing for Flea Bag? Collaboration disguised the lack of imagination of some writers that only shows when she writes on her own.

[@lowhp_comic]

​@@EXG21I mean the fact Killing Eve finale was considered a flop around the time PWB left would show you how valued her skills as a writer are. + PWB came up with the blueprints of the show as a one woman stage performance before it was even conceived into a TV show, so she was definitely pulling all the reigns together

[@carlrood4457]

From the standpoint of observational comedy in a fantasy setting, I'd point to Galaxy Quest. There's nothing in that movie that hadn't been observed joked about by Star Trek fans for decades. You can tell the creators were fans and everything they made fun of in the first half was turned into a "Wouldn't it be great if..." moment in the second half (e.g. fanboy encyclopedic knowledge actually saves the crew). You can't really do comedy well unless you know the subject you're making fun of and have some appreciation for it.

[@GoldenCroc]

Yeah galaxy quest is just a great example of succeding fully in what it set out to do. The well known memes of Shatners ego and Nimoy being fed up with doing the "live long and prosper" hand sign are well represented, as well as a tons of other stuff as you say...

[@SheldonAdama17]

Naked Gun and Airplane! are also great examples

[@Lanninsterlion216]

THIS, this is why the best Abridged series creators always seem to know more about the thing they are parodying than the very autors.

[@Zapp__Brannigan]

Galaxy Quest works because the jokes at Star Trek's expense are delivered in a gentle way. They clearly come from a place of love, written by people who adore the source material and know all its quirks. Also, the fictional show's stars are actually given depth, which allows the audience to care about them and their struggle. Their character arcs give you something to root for and make them more than just flat images on a screen delivering some snarky line written by a 20 year-old hipster with problem glasses who couldn't give less of a shit about some 1960's era TV show.

[@HerculesBallsInc]

@@Zapp__Brannigan This exactly. The best comedy comes from a place of love. You may be chiding someone, but it's because you want them to do better or perhaps because you appreciate even their flaws. When comedy comes from a place of hate, it's not comedy so much as an attack. And people can tell the difference. This is why comedy is largely dead nowadays - you are only allowed to publicly mock one political side because you despise them.

[@meddlingmage23]

I had to explain to my 50-something yr old spinster cousin that: "dudes only put up with wahmen being conts to get laid. Dudes don't actually like annoying conts. So you have to be young and good looking for that to work." She was shocked. Back to my point... Hence, this does not work with PWB.

[@davidjacobs8558]

parents should NOT call their daughters princess, and tell them they are pretty, because they grow up believing that. PWB is a good example.

[@docsavage8640]

Very few women can face reality. The wall remains undefeated. 50% of young women will end up alone after wasting their prime years.

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

It is called hitting the Wall. Also women fundamentally do not understand how men work. Enough to exploit them for money by wavering pooniti in their faces but that is about it. And that only works until they hit the Wall. And the Wall is undefeated!

[@goldengrill769]

You should never say cunt to a woman she was probably shocked you said that bro but everything you said was true. Edit: OK I am speaking from American POV but I can't believe its nice to say in UK or Aus

[@Simon-xc5oy]

Heheheheh. That pretty much nails it for me. I am still single after my divorce, and have stayed that way for the last ten years. No "hook ups..." or anything, simply because I am sick to death of all the games that women play, the attitude and the cheating and lies etc. I used to put up with it simply for sex. But as I got older and the been there done that reality set in, I realized that sex is often over rated. That there is no such thing as "The One" and true love etc. There is only hormones and lust. And as I got a bit older it became less important to me. Ten years have gone by in a flash, with me enjoying life and doing things for me that I enjoy and not putting up with crap (like soap operas) just to keep a female happy. Its just been so much easier and less stressful. Some years back a girl I was with at the time, complained to me that she knew lots of her friends stayed with their boyfriends just for the sex, and that they drove each other mad otherwise....so its true for the females as well as males....One things for sure with all this hardcore feminist garbage and anti male sentiment from modern women, the two sexes are further apart than they have ever been.....

[@E36ist]

She’s the result of being told “oh my god you’re SOOO talented” by hacks, when she clearly isn’t.

[@pauljames1807]

Idk. Fleabag is pretty successful

[@noylj1]

Hey, she's a brunette with Britishy accent--what's not to love. All the best people are British brunettes

[@HerculesBallsInc]

@@pauljames1807 That makes her a one-hit wonder. There are LOTS of people who stumble on success and then cannot duplicate it because they simply lack the talent. Their success was a MISTAKE. All evidence points to this being the case with PWB.

[@E36ist]

@@pauljames1807It’s a little bit meh for me but I see your point.

[@E36ist]

@@HerculesBallsIncThat Killing Eve show wasn’t great either.

[@jaredfoss5668]

Putting Phoebe Waller Bridge in an Indiana Jones movie makes about as much sense as putting Richard Pryor into a Superman movie.

[@aldunlop4622]

Cmon, Supes 3 was funny, terrible but funny and the lady being eaten by the computer was great.

[@blackpranther]

Except they weren’t trying to set up Richard Pryor to be the new Superman in some hypothetical sequel…

[@kri249]

@@aldunlop4622 that scene freaked the shit out of me as a kid. But like all things that scared me as a kid I got a kick out of them as an adult.

[@Bwarock]

No, she was a good fit for it.

[@jamesmaybrick2001]

@@kri249 Fuck, I had forgot that scene for decades. Traumatised me, lol. Pryor was great in that film. Going down the Grand Canyon (IIRC) on that Donkey was genius.

[@Falconlibrary]

Phoebe Waller-Bridge is the daughter of two English aristocrats, her father is a billionaire, one of her grandfathers was a noted actor and BBC personality. Nepobaby.

[@dashman36]

Oh! So thats the reason she have that jaw.

[@carlrood4457]

I think with Hugh Laurie is that he's an actor and House was a role. It wasn't an attempt do the comedic stuff he did on "A Bit of Fry & Laurie", "Jeeves & Wooster" or "Blackadder". He wasn't the creator nor was the show created around him. He auditioned. His natural charm and wit were then written within the context of this brilliant, morose, and anti-social character. Also, the asshole protagonist is much more a British thing than an American thing, anyway.

[@docsavage8640]

Except Ameircans created it so...

[@Trollificusv2]

It was a good role, and a very substantial character. I was shocked when I found his old British comedic work. I went "Oh hell no! That ain't House...oooh, _acting_ , right."

[@sarahb.7175]

I think a lost art with the butthole protagonist is they have to have some redeeming qualities. I'm not a House expert, but from the bits I've seen, he's clearly smart, thoughtful, and determined. He cares about his work and his patients, even if he comes off as callous. If the protagonist has *no* good qualities and is just a jerk, it doesn't work. The fact that House is a competent adult, compared to an age where it's vogue to have "disaster" protagonists who are not competent adults and just sit around talking about how much of a mess they are, is another important bit.

[@ConceptJunkie]

@@Trollificusv2 I was familiar with "Jeeves and Wooster" before I ever saw "House". I didn't discover "Blackadder" and "A Bit of Fry and Laurie" until later, but I have all 3 shows on DVD and watch them regularly. Hugh Laurie also had a bit part in "The Young Ones" back in 1984.

[@CatsOverdrive]

@@sarahb.7175 "-it's vogue to have "disaster" protagonists who are not competent adults and just sit around talking about how much of a mess they are..." It's worse. Those characters get to blame their incompetence to the people around them. And the world the story that character inhabits, somehow, bends itself as to paint them "in the right". I am so tired of watching/reading/playing through the now trite trope of, terrible characters, treating the people around them like sh!t. The people that actively mitigates the damage their stupidity affects. And somehow, those are the ones who are "in the wrong", those are the ones who are holding them back, those are not fun, those are the problem. And that the world(read: the writers) somehow agree with the terrible character.

[@SonOfTheOne111]

Her style is to be insufferable as a character flaw. But Hollywood doesn’t allow flawed female characters, so in these films she’s still insufferable, but thats portrayed as a good thing.

[@ViewtifulJoe86]

I don't think anyone wants to give Phoebe Waller-Bridge any kind of bone

[@KaneK1234]

It’s such a joke that she’s meant to be a “Femme-Fatale” type but she just looks like such a goober.

[@Jadty]

I mean, at least she’s not fat. She can get it if there isn’t any better option around.

[@grandmufftwerkin9037]

She looks like a mime.

[@yamnayaseed356]

I think Kathleen would, a rubber one but still

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

As has been said, she is not fat, and alcohol does work wonders in that regard too. But she looks like how Family Guy portrays British people and even the hottest woman starts looking mighty ugly spewing intersectional feminist bullshit.

[@williamsn411]

The only reason Hollywood has tried to make PWB a thing is because she has the right politics. If she was conservative, she’d be working as a waitress in the UK.

[@marbellaotaiza801]

#QuitTryingToMakeFleabagHappen!

[@riatorex8722]

Wait, she's not a Tory? I thought she came from a family of aristocrats

[@manwiththeredface7821]

If Hollywood shoves a certain actor in everything that seriously drives me up the wall, talented or not. Pedro Pascal was the last one I felt that with, couldn't escape the guy for a day.

[@PolarizedMechs]

Which is a shame, because he's actually a good actor. He can play a guy you genuinely like, a villain you want to see extremely dead, and an antihero.

[@docsavage8640]

The only upside is they all crash and disappear after being forced on us for a brief window, once it becomes apparent they can't put asses in seats

[@jneilson7568]

I still hate that Pascal was Joel in TLOU, over so many better choices. I'm sure he's fine in it but from what I've seen he's not especially great either.

[@ellisrain1354]

Craig Ferguson would perhaps be the best example of a Brit making it in Amercia, but he's almost always overlooked.

[@Alexanderiii]

Agreed.

[@r0bw00d]

Craig is Scottish. EDIT: Never mind. I thought you said English.

[@Flession]

​@r0bw00d Craig Ferguson played an Englishman, though!

[@ruthsaunders9507]

His interviews were a hoot, especially when he was talking to old friends from the UK.

[@marinesinspace6253]

Man brought all the Rizz in Scotland with him.

[@Timbot2002]

There actually was a show callled "Episodes" where the main characters, a British comedy writing couple are hired by a Hollywood studio to recreate their British show in the US, with disastrous results.

[@oc8824]

Great show. Loved the opening credits. Both for the theme and the excellent visuals.

[@davidhache3642]

The big crossover in the 90s was Jaxkie Chan. The biggest star in China for decades crossing to Hollywood and making it. A true international star. Now he's back in China because Hollywood sucks.

[@irresponsiblyblue1411]

That and because he transitioned to being a CCP shill. Funny how the Chinese movie scene has mirrored Hollywood in government-approved garbage right on the tails of a golden age.

[@thefairybug40]

Which is really saying something, given that. . . well. . . [gestures at all of China]

[@biffbutowski2447]

I thought Bruce Lee was, even before chan

[@PolarizedMechs]

He's also too old now to do those stunts, and wants to do more serious roles. They tried it, and audiences didn't like it. They want to see him jumping off of buildings, and Jackie just can't do that anymore.

[@PolarizedMechs]

@@biffbutowski2447 Bruce Lee was in a different time. He couldn't get roles that didn't require him to be a sidekick. Had Bruce lived longer, I think he would have worked his way back into Hollywood, because by the mid-1970s, attitudes had changed from "Chinese guys can only be Kato" to "Holy crap, this guy can hold a movie on his own."

[@Goldhawk7]

One of the issues with Hollywood is that when they find a comedian or actor that people like, they offer that person numerous deals and opportunities in multiple roles whether they fit or not. This saturation of that one actor/actress leads to audience burnout. Example, Tiffany Haddish. She was in like EVERYTHING for a year and a half, and the audience numbers just dwindled downward

[@r0bw00d]

Never heard of her.

[@jdraven0890]

Tessa Thompson, as well.

[@biffbutowski2447]

Gold hawk, I think that is how Hollywood works, strike when I iron is hot, the have take as many roles and high paying deals before they lose their relevance

[@HerculesBallsInc]

In this case, it just underscores PWBs foolishness. Certainly 'Fleabag' was popular among certain audiences. She was getting offers. GREAT! But she took them ALL. If she thought she could do them all well, she was very obviously and painfully wrong. She might have worked her 'Fleabag' fame into a fantastic career as a writer, actress, or both. Now her name is an anathema to almost everyone... she is the OPPOSITE of a box-office draw. She destroyed herself.

[@HerculesBallsInc]

@@jdraven0890 Honestly, I never saw anything that would justify Tessa Thompson's fame, so I just assumed she was sexing everyone. From what I hear of the lastest Thor fiasco, my assumption was totally true.

[@majorhavik395]

The Critical Doggo is doing a terrific imitation of the audience watching Indy 5.

[@robertfarrow5853]

No, he hasn't got up and walked out. My greyhound howls in reaction to films. Zulu, the warriors chant. The Vikings, the horn. Any musical. Greyhounds are intelligent (if awake).

[@leonielson7138]

The problem with Pheobe Waller-Bridge is that the niche she's found is playing Kathleen Kennedy's self-insert characters, first voicing L3-37 in 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' and now playing Helena Shaw in 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny'. KK was probably raging when the sex-scene between Helena and Indiana was cut out, but at least she got to imply that her self-insert character in 'The Last Crusade', Elsa, played by Alison Doody, had slept with both Henry Joneses.

[@biffbutowski2447]

Why would KK want a character who sleeps around, be known that just based on her personal character? That seems crazy

[@PolarizedMechs]

@@biffbutowski2447 Because it's "empowering" for women to sleep around, so long as it's on their terms. It really isn't--we used to call them sluts--but too many Western women have gotten it into their heads that screwing every penis that wanders across their past somehow makes them more feminine. It really doesn't. Some guys like that, but they're just in it to get laid, not have a meaningful relationship. (Which, from what I read above, seems to be one of the points of Fleabag.)

[@HerculesBallsInc]

@@biffbutowski2447 Modern Feminism is a lot like sociopathy. To be a good feminist you must unapologetically own and destroy everything around you just because you can. OP has a point in that both Helena and Elsa completely use and discard men... it amuses them if a man they discard cares about them. Because they care about nothing but themselves. In that sense, I can see why people looked at 'Fleabag' and said, "That's exactly the kind of psychotic narcissist we want to be the next GIRLBOSS!"

[@DavidRobinson1978]

Elsa was at least likable until it's revealed she's a Nazi although she was just using them as a means to a end as much as the Jones boys.

[@Simon-xc5oy]

After Indy 5 and KK destroying pretty much every single Lucasfilm property they had, there is not much chance of KKs self insert Phoebe doing much else going forward now. No doubt she will get writing work still, but after the Indy 5 performance I cant see her getting cast in anything else much, same way that Dosy Riddly's career on film began and ended with Star Wars...

[@robertbeisert3315]

Feeble is the British Mindy Kaling. Incredibly privileged in a real sense, independently wealthy via inheritance, and having no connection to anything normal or good.

[@Will_Parker]

Lucasfilm has only had two movies not make money and she's in both of them. She's the only commonality and that has to absolutely destroy her career.

[@MyChannel-vm6dw]

I hope Hollywood realizes that by just associating with Phoebe is CHOOSING to lose money on your project. I could easily go a lifetime without her ever finding work in Hollywood ever again. She's box office poison.

[@alexkogan9755]

Waller Bridge is just a twice older version of the chick who plays Michelle Jones in Spider-Man, or the ginger plank of wood in Willow and Falcon & Winter Soldier. Some rando that has little to no charisma or presence that Hollywood wants to artificially inflate is bigger than she actually is and wants to make happen (when nobody asked for or wanted her to happen).

[@crunchygood9225]

‘Ginger plank of wood’ 😆 Totally agree! Utterly useless, crappy actress!

[@HerculesBallsInc]

Modern Feminism is more misandry than anything else, so to them it's very important that female stars be completely unattractive to men.

[@alexkogan9755]

@@HerculesBallsInc Basically yes. They don’t actually help women. They just tear men down to pretend they’re uplifting their miserable lives.

[@Simon-xc5oy]

Heh....yes! Who is that GInger plank of wood? She is just soulless and totally unmemorable. She pops up at the end of Solo as well..which tanked along with Willow and Falcon and WInter Soldier was a series I was really looking forward to. But it turned out to be an anti male, anti white political lecture and about as exciting as watching paint dry. I checked out of most of the Disney + Marvell series after that and Loki. I have never seen Moon Knight, She Hulk, Hawkeye, Miss Marvel or Secret Invasion, they pretty much lost me as a viewed thanks to the Ginger plank and co.....

[@wiinterflowers95]

@@alexkogan9755 What Zendaya said about wearing the pants in the relationship really spoke volumes. She cannot act and she's disgusting to look at!

[@TheAquarius87]

Phoebe:"wait, the movie lost money?!" Me " its called capitalism"

[@TonyVsSportsShortsandMore]

I always thought that Craig Ferguson managed to represent himself very well when he was heading the late, late show ( before Corden got Craig’s sloppy seconds).

[@andystegall7407]

She appeals to 35 year old wine aunts who live alone with cats.

[@Thabosshoss]

As an American, I would like to clarify that “we” do not fall in love with British comedians, Hollywood does and then shoves them in our face. Phobe Waller Bridge being cast in Indiana Jones is going to go down as one of the greatest Hollywood mistakes of all time, and it is Disney and Kathleen Kennedy’s fault, not “Americans” who didn’t even pay to see it.

[@Jabber-ig3iw]

You speak for all American do you?

[@Kyle-sr6jm]

He pretty much nailed the non-libwit perspective.

[@dycedargselderbrother5353]

I think part of the disconnect comes from a section of America, which includes the Hollywood machine, liking British comedians more than British comedy. When crossing the pond, the Brits tend to adopt a blunt, direct style that yells more than the regular American stereotype. I mean, John Oliver is louder than two stereotypical Americans.

[@marychocolatefairy]

According to the filmmakers the role was written specifically for her. So it's not so much her being put into the wrong role, but the role (and her general schtick) being wrong for the franchise.

[@taylorlibby7642]

This discussion makes me kinda glad that I've, purely unintentionally, never seen anything with her in it.

[@Simon-xc5oy]

I had also unintentionally never seen anything of hers. After Solo I made it a point to avoid her stuff intentionally forever. That pure evil, sarcastic slab of female hatred she wrote for the last Bond movie was proof positive I made the right decision, and its uncanny she has done more or less the same thing in Indy 5.

[@schoo9256]

Honestly Fleabag, which she wrote, is excellent but hard to watch if you're not in a good place. A really deep exploration of someone who self-sabotages and is barely coping with life because she is drowning in grief and guilt and can only bear to be self-aware if she make a joke about it. It's very real. Makes me wonder how much she intended and how much came through accidentally.

[@westfield90]

Modern Hollywood and TV is where you can fail upwards.

[@Garrus1995]

It also seems to put the rest the whole “glass ceiling” nonsense. Plenty of women without any real talent are rapidly rising in Hollywood for little reason other than that they’re women and Hollywood wants to look like it cares about the underrepresentation of women in the entertainment industry. There are lots of intelligent and talented women out there, but because they’re not the kinds of people who go on diatribes on social media, they don’t get support.

[@pauljames1807]

Fleabag was pretty popular

[@robertfarrow5853]

​@@pauljames1807only because the competition was even more dire.

[@Jnglmpera]

I'd love to be KK only because I can ruin multiple franchises that were worth billions and somehow still keep my job at Lucasfilm🙄

[@brainrich1358]

Hollywood trying so hard to make Phoebe a big-name actress is not gonna happen

[@Jptm26]

Fleabag is really really good. The writing is witty and funny, the characters are interesting and Phoebe is great in it, really diving into a character that's broken by trauma and uses humour as a defense mechanism. It's worth the watch and I agree that taking her and putting her in these big Hollywood productions doesn't work

[@johnhughes2124]

Craig Ferguson was one who actually worked in the American scene and was pretty good at it, but then again he was naturally charming and I can't remember him being very political.

[@Tony-1971]

Disney should do a 'Popeye The Sailor Man' remake. Waller-bridge would be perfect as Olive Oyl.

[@couragecoachsam]

The clips I’ve seen of Fleabag struck me as “Ladies, you know when you live a depressing, lonely life of mental illness and degeneracy…? Hashtag relatable!”

[@wiinterflowers95]

I'm a girl and I refuse to watch that show or Killing Eve!

[@wowkir]

@@wiinterflowers95 I'm an avid viewer of Drinker's channel and mostly agree with every review he's ever made. And Fleabag is excellent. It has nothing to do with woke Hollywood, it has nothing to do with toxic feminism. Don't hate something you know nothing about.

[@wiinterflowers95]

@@wowkir I don't watch anything from Phoebe Stank Smirk or anything woke. All she does on that show is talk to the camera and flirt with a priest. Nothing special.

[@wowkir]

@@wiinterflowers95 But... why is that woke? Don't condemn a person's whole being or career because of one bad character they played. It's too black and white.

[@wiinterflowers95]

@@wowkir She's a hardcore feminist in real life. Killing Eve has this thing where they enforce a NBC Hannibal type of relationship between the villainess and Sandra Oh's character. And on top of that, the male characters aren't treated any better.

[@Laurtew]

I think the prevalence of PWB is just a symptom of the bigger problem in Hollywood, as is the constant remakes and sequels. They are so concerned with failing, that they won't take a chance on something new and unknown. If the Captain Marvel concept had been pitched without the Marvel name, if it had been about a woman kidnapped by aliens and used to fight their war, it would have never gotten made, because there would be the whole, "but who would go see that?" question. But, slap a known IP to it and tweak it a bit, make it about a "strong woman", which is popular right now, and now the money people feel comfortable greenlighting it. Yet, as we see, it was a movie no one wanted. So, then what you get are writers who write a script, but then have to kidnap an already existing IP that is popular, but that they don't care about, and put the IP's skin over their movie. So we get characters that don't feel like the ones we know, because they aren't the ones we know. But then they tell us it's our fandom, but better and more progressive and if it fails, it's our fault, not theirs. They do the same thing with popular actors. They need someone for a role and it has to be someone proven. PWB is popular, let's put her in it, even if it doesn't fit her. She'll do it and she'll say the right things in interviews. She won't fuss about killing an existing IP because she doesn't care. I suspect this is also part of the reason Hollywood has turned on Henry Cavill; he did fuss about ruining franchises and was willing to fight for them. For some reason, it takes stupidly long for the people in charge to realise that people won't just watch anything an actor is in and that just because people like PWB and Melissa McCarthy are good in a particular role, it doesn't mean that transfers over to anything else. I suppose in the end it's just that executives are cowards and lazy. If they would get someone in there willing to take chances and fight for good work, they'd make a fortune. Instead, in the name of not failing, they are bringing the whole ship down.

[@CaptainAhab117]

"I've been reliably told that she is a good writer" sounds like a bit of a backhanded compliment.

[@olehoncho]

Drinker - I think the key is not that PWB is the one that Hollywood wants. She's the "partner" of Martin McDonagh, who is a hot indie director. They opened the door to PWB only because they want to use her to get access to him. Also, do a Production Hell on "Mio and the Land of Faraway". Kid's movie literally made in the shadow of Chernobyl disaster.

[@pauljames1807]

I didn't know she was married to Martin McDonough. Interesting

[@robertfarrow5853]

​@@pauljames1807wow. How hard up can a successful director get?

[@PaquetasCar2147]

In these modern times, if you want to kill off a movie franchise whilst also completely eviscerating it's central character's legacy, the answer is crystal. Simply hire Phoebe Waller-Bridge, in some capacity, to the project.

[@carlrood4457]

The thing about being "funny" is that it's situational. A great standup comic may not be a great comic actor and vice versa. Joe Piscopo was hilarious when putting on costumes and doing voices in sketch comedy, but never broke through after leaving SNL. Eddie Murphy did because while he did some of that (e.g. Buckwheat), he also was great at dialing up and down his everyday personality. Then there's what I call "sitcom funny". You can write/act for 25 minutes at a time or in a specific context, but it's not geared to two hours aimed at everyone. Edit: Then you have the rare, self aware people like Jerry Seinfeld. He never considered himself an actor and after the show ended, mostly returned to standup and pursuing his interests, like cars. When his co-stars banded together for better deals, as a producer he was technically on the other side, but stood back from negotiations so as to not alienate them and kind of made it clear he couldn't do the show without them and the working relationship they had.

[@nicholewilde4750]

I just love how so many of these discussions have Smokey just casually sleeping in the corner. ❤

[@grandmufftwerkin9037]

People want to see Indiana Jones, not Indiana Fleabag.

[@richtea615]

There's no cure for being a c---.

[@GIBBO4182]

Funny, and true! 😂

[@MichaelMaxwell747]

"Well there's no cure for being a cunt, is there?." Bron

[@georgeh4171]

Death is the only cure 😂😂

[@harrydubois6619]

oon

[@julien8629]

Phoebe Waller Bridge is the surest way to not make me watch a movie

[@sycopupy]

Given her involvement with the script for No Time To DIe, I question her supposed greatness.

[@wiinterflowers95]

When I heard, I dodged the bullet on that!

[@keithrobinson5752]

FWB is such a good ' actor' that no matter what role she plays, she always plays herself 😮

[@spidey1z]

IMO, if you look at Hollywood, they do that to every comedian. “Hey you have a funny routine. We want you to write something that isn’t your strength and even though you’ve never acted. We need you to star in this movie/show.”

[@t.stephen5086]

Why they thought a TV actress, with a niche audience for her show fleabag, would suit a major Hollywood blockbuster is behind me.

[@Dudja]

All facts

[@Tim_the_Enchanter]

The problem with writing what you know is that, sooner or later, you're going to run out of things you know.

[@M-S_4321]

PWB demonstrates she doesn't know enough to be amusing

[@John-fk2ky]

I think you should always write what you know. Specifically, if you don’t know something, research it. Unfortunately, that’s something show writers these days refuse to do.

[@DC-gh6dy]

The fact that all she knows is being an overconfident over privileged narcissist doesn't help.

[@DefenderTIM]

Especially if your only life experience consists of "education".

[@pc6423]

Saw the title- haven’t listened to a word yet- and chuckled with delight.

[@m0nk3yl0v3r]

The Gervais comparison was spot on - his early movies you can kinda see his influence, but really theyre being led by a hollywood producer. Everything hes don in the last 10 years thats all him is much more on point.

[@thursoberwick1948]

Gervais is a bit smarmy though. I find him hit and miss and he tends to miss when he does the edgy atheist act. The American Office was decent though, I'll give him that.

[@m0nk3yl0v3r]

@@thursoberwick1948 His sitcoms are just superb. Extras, Lifes Too Short, Derek & Afterlife are all amazing if you havnt seen them

[@thursoberwick1948]

@@m0nk3yl0v3r I live in the UK, I'm very familiar with them. Extras walks a fine line, sometimes very funny, sometimes just wrong (for various reasons). I like the fact he exposed Karl Pilkington though...

[@Jp-eg7th]

The satirical TV show "Episodes" does a pretty good job showing the lost in translation problem of moving from a successful UK comedy to a failed US comedy.

[@equinshadox]

I'd say Craig Ferguson is in the John Oliver "category" due to making his mark once he moved to America and created a talk show hosting mostly American guests. In some ways I'd say Ferguson is among the best talk show hosts ever, due to his natural charisma and conversational skills. Obviously he's not as polarizing as Oliver, since he never actively demonized half the country for woke points like Oliver consistently does.

[@HiNi.]

Craig is also way smarter than John Oliver, but then again so is everyone.

[@From-North-Jersey]

Craig Ferguson is beloved here , John Oliver needs armed security to keep his breathing privileges. I hope for his sake Oliver is sequestered somewhere before we have our Commucrat/Demunist/lefty propadandist election "Purge". Do you know how many people want Oliver's head to mount over their fireplace? It will be as sought after as NY Times economist Paul Krugman's lifeless skull.

[@thomasbecker9676]

@@HiNi. I'd wager John Oliver is orders of magnitude smarter than you.

[@MykeLewisMusic]

@@thomasbecker9676 I'll take that wager.

[@thomasbecker9676]

@@MykeLewisMusic It's easy money.

[@maestromecanico597]

It’s a “time honored tradition” in (American) show biz. You ask the candidate, after a single brief success, if they want to be a “star.” They say “yes” (not all do) and then get plastered on the wall like a bowl of spaghetti and we see what sticks. Which is fine…unless you happen to get attached to a $400M flop that will leave a permanent stain on your career.

[@ChimpingBulldog]

Peter Sellers did quite well in American films but he was a rare example.

[@tafrog5552]

you hit the nail so hard with the title there is no other conversation about it really is there ''the pheobe waller bridge problem'' yes she is done see

[@chrisw6164]

Name one female comedian who got tapped to take on a significant role in THREE large-scale, well-known adventure movie franchises within a 5 year period. I don’t care if Fleabag is good, that doesn’t mean the Fleabag girl should be shoved into multiple big time projects like this.

[@MykeLewisMusic]

Feeble Wall-eyed Bitch is the best way to get me to not see your movie. Couldn't understand the appeal years ago, understood it less in Solo, understand it even less now.

[@michael-jamescaroline9366]

Probably her idea to kill off James Bond. Wouldn’t surprise me

[@Kommander696]

MauLer; your The Predator review is one of the greatest things I have ever watched. I’ve seen it many many times. Just brilliant!!

[@TheStacanova]

The Drinker was on the Russell Brand show, & the Hollywood comedies that worked well for Russell were when they cast him to play a “Russell Brand type” in Forgetting Sarah Marshall & Get him to the Greek. He could probably do a straight up drama, but you wouldn’t just throw him in Star Wars and say be funny, that wouldn’t work. BTW, Drinker, are you going to ask Russell Brand to be in your short film? He might do it, he seems to really like you.

[@TheStacanova]

Russell was also good in this Bill Hader “British Crime show” parody sketch on SNL. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pWfTYYpqj9h_jtk

[@Trollificusv2]

I can see Brand in a Star Wars/Indiana Jones movie as a dissolute, charming ne'er-do-well, which presentation disguises a competent, dangerous, goal oriented operative. Sort of a Han Solo type, but only sort of. I can see him in action dramas doing quite well.

[@k-matsu]

Brand was quite good in Death on the Nile (probably one of the few good things about that movie). I think he has the acting chops to pull off a "straight" character, and then when the does get some comedic lines the impact is greater. But he only pulls it off when he is kept on a very short leash. The one thing that I truly can not stand is Russel Brand playing Russel Brand. He is wound far too tightly, and the rubber band is likely to snap any time he is allowed to accumulate momentum. That level of hyperventilating, wide-eyed paranoia just doesnt translate well, except in a standup comedy theatre or (apparently) a KZbin conspiratorial echo chamber. BTW, I can understand why people view John Oliver as "polarizing". But you really should watch his show in depth before you dismiss him that easily. What he does remarkably well -- and Im pretty sure the reason why he is so popular in the US -- is to lampoon every element of power, influence, social control and "seriousness" in a literally scatalogical manner, while still somehow coming off as a decent guy who you wouldnt mind buying a pint if you ran into him by accident. In short, he is an expert at what you refer to in the UK as "taking the piss" (in a Jonathan Pye sense), and targeting America's most traditional, socially "respectable" and soft-power-wielding people and institutions. You folks in the UK have enjoyed watching that sort of "piss-take" since the days of Monty Python and The Goodies (if not earlier). In the US, comedians are allowed to fire slings and arrows at "establishment" targets for comedic effect, but rarely do they ever just take some person or group down, brick by brick, with the sort of withering sarcasm and ridicule that one gets from British comedians on a regular basis. If you want to see a masterclass in brutal piss-taking, go watch any of Oliver's many bits relating to FIFA. Theyre even funnier to people who have no pre-existing respect or appreciation for the Beautiful Game. Past efforts in this genre (even Monty Python) have struggled to really connect with US audiences because the comedians come off as "mean-spirited". (go read any US-sourced critical comment on John Cleese and I guarantee youll see that description used). John Oliver has succeeded in the US because he manages to take the piss without ever seeming "mean".

[@k-matsu]

@@Anoneemus_Noenayme If you dont think that ANY of Russel Brand's KZbin videos are "over the top", or push the envelope a bit too far on the conspiratorial side . . . I honesty do have sympathy for you, you poor deluded sot

[@drdrew7475]

​@@Anoneemus_NoenaymeI'll be honest, not watched much Russel Brand stuff precisely for the reason k-matsu mentioned. He popped up once on my feed and everything about his tone, language and new age affinities were glaring red flags. There may be some hints of truth in what the guy has to say, but upon first impression, I wouldn't trust him to have a balanced perspective on anything. Maybe I came across the wrong content, but when it smells of crap, there is usually poop

[@heraldofwar]

PWB is about as funny as a heart attack and most people would rather suffer a heart attack that watch her for 5 minutes.

[@fparnaby8366]

Yes!

[@travisharris172]

She's pretty damn funny, but her sort of comedy isn't suited for this big budget trash.

[@lowhp_comic]

Well in that case Fleabag is ironically a wonderful cure to your heart problems

[@garym6315]

My problem with Star Wars was that she was the only cast member not actually acting. Think about the performances Anthony Daniel's or Alan Tudyk gave, then compare them to her, who spoke in her own accent, said the lines as she would in real life. I just hear an annoyingly arrogant English woman saying "get your arse out of my chair." Does that sound like Star Wars to you? And I have a feeling the will be much the same in Indiana Jones.

[@andrewwilkins7823]

Billy Connolly managed to succeed in America, he did lots of comedy shows and managed to show how well he could act.

[@runlarryrun77]

He's one of the few exceptions to the rule, plus he was a raw & genuine talent.

[@URBONED]

I think Disney heard all your calls that their female characters weren’t flawed. So they made Helena Shaw a backstabbing smartass, because that’s a relatable flaw all young women can empathise with and learn from 🤦🏼‍♂️ I haven’t seen her in anything outside of this so I can’t judge her as an actor or person but I think she’s terribly miscast in this film for whatever role they thought she was playing - action hero, femme fatale, nerdy archeologist etc etc. One moment that really bothered me was when we see the flashback of her as a child and they make an abundant point to include that she has a birthmark on her forehead, to then fade back to the present where Phoebe is looking at her reflection with her birthmark clearly visible - as if we didn’t know it was the same character. But what is most annoying about it is that she literally has her hair parted the ENTIRE film so that you can’t see her birthmark except for that one shot. Maybe it’s just me but when you pick what side to part your hair, you stick to it. It was just a genuine head scratch moment, what were they trying to say here?

[@haku8135]

Interesting thing about Hugh Laurie as Dr House. The director DIDN'T WANT a british guy to play House because he thought they'd sound unnatural and not american. Hugh then sent in his audition and the guy saw and said "THAT'S exactly House, I want him." He didn't even know Hugh was British! So Hugh Laurie isn't a case of a British comic being liked and Hollywood going "Ok now do our stuff!" it was a case of Hollywood saying "We want an AMERICAN for this role, no Brits allowed" And then Hugh goes "Alright. Bet."

[@hinduismwithpremananddasbhagat]

I hated her in Indy 5. She has one emotion she can play, and barely. She basically just is something to look at, cause she can't act. Sort like the Sister in Obi-Wan: either yelling or whispering, nothing in between. Her lines were cringy. I also hated No Time To Die, least fave Bond film (and I love the films and have read all the Ian books, and my fave films are actually the very dated Dalton ones), and laughed when I saw she had a hand in it as the script it what hurt it for me.

[@Draconisrex1]

One thing Hollywood has struggled with is understanding the huge difference between the typical stand-up comedian and the typical comic-actor. They're just not the same. Yet they'll constantly take comedians and try to build shows/movies around them even as they mostly fail. Gervais is not the first. He won't be the last. What makes him a great comic doesn't work in scripted movies and tv shows.

[@biffbutowski2447]

The best transition is robin williams and Mork from ork sitcom

[@robertfarrow5853]

The Office. The original English version. Ricky acted, Gervais wrote.

[@TCampari]

PWB calling herself beautiful was the funniest thing in Indy 5.

[@ericvulgate]

I worked door for some comedy events over the years Few women can get through a show without going into detail about their periods..

[@megmcguireme]

It takes up a large amount of our lives, and is pretty relatable.

[@thetallestdwarf7041]

@@megmcguireme It's a bodily function.

[@musicallynerdy8860]

Well male comedians talk about bodily functions too. Just their own

[@thetallestdwarf7041]

@@musicallynerdy8860 How delightfully disingenuous of you. Male comedians talk about everything.

[@wowkir]

The amount of male comics I've listened to who would talk endlessly of blowjobs...

[@thebeard7926]

A wise man once said: “Why don’t you go back to your home on Wh*re Island?” (Ron Burgundy) Phoebe Waller-Bridge should take note.

[@DougerSR]

You all rule. Remind me of my college buds & roommate late night conversations, it’s rather uncanny. I love it all.

[@samaelament]

I have managed to avoid witnessing even 5 seconds of this woman's acting. The way it sounds, this feels equivalent to if one had never witnessed anything from Seth Rogan's career.

[@Malum09]

I think she’s one of those creators that got really popular in something and then producers decided that was reason enough to shoehorn her into anything even if its extremely outside of her regular audience, I’ve read she’s dating Martin McDonagh and I think she would be perfectly cast in one of his movies.

[@nhmooytis7058]

Mr Ed has a pinup of Phoebe on the wall of his stall 😂

[@marbellaotaiza801]

The original ending involved Indiana waking up in his New York apartment, putting on the Fedora, and reflecting "this hat is perfection" to which fleabag responded "it will be once it fits a woman" and then she took the hat and put it on. Indy tried to protest so she aimed a machine gun at him, pointed to her eyes and said "look at me, look at me, I'm Indiana now" and then she put the dial in the hat and became the Retcon Girl, so she went to collect the Shankara Stone, The Arc of The Covenant, and The Holy Grail, but with all that power and awesomeness she became Miss Multiverse, and went to turn Lara Croft into a strong character while taking from her the Triangle of Light, El Gato from that movie with Stifler and The Rock, the mummies of Imhotep and the Dragon Emperor, and onto discover the cradle of life, and even King Solomon's Mines, and with the machine gun to embarrass every WW2 and WW1 and Napoleonic war make protagonist by taking down all the nazis in those movies before them...

[@biffbutowski2447]

Someone should make a cartoon of this skit for robot chicken on adult swim

[@marbellaotaiza801]

@@biffbutowski2447 I was spamming this in the hopes one of these AI wizard channels likes it and makes it, but that sounds so much better 😂

[@Trollificusv2]

I liked the part when she gets the hat and the whip and shouts "It's Indyin' time!'

[@marbellaotaiza801]

@@Trollificusv2 yeah, that was a good scene. And after Indying all over them, she drops the whip and says "adios señor" before almost getting impaled like doc ock (look it up, the Peruvian that screws him in the Temple is doc ock) except she escapes with the idol because she's stunning and brave...

[@CruentusV]

PWB is like all of the actors today with regard to the quality of their projects vs. just getting a payday. IF she is some sort of wiz-bang writer, it does NOT come through in the quality of her work (and it would) or the projects she chooses. nope: she's a second rate bbc actor who was involved with one successful project where she didn't have to act and was credited with more talent than she (will ever) have...

[@paulinegallagher7821]

I will NEVER understand why Fleabag was so highly regarded. Classic Lines include 'Get your hands off my miscarriage' from the stick up her arse sister, and 'I look like a pencil' after a bad haircut (again the sister). If that is what constitutes classic comedy then I must be missing something. The entire premise is her throwing smug, wry looks at the camera while sleeping with losers, taking photos of her lady parts and sending them to a casual f buddy, not getting along with her sister or step mother, and feeling occasionally guilty about her friends suicide. The hot priest storyline is ffing ridiculous, because hot, straight men who can drink canned gin and be funny and charming do NOT go into the priesthood.

[@CruentusV]

@@paulinegallagher7821thanks for your analysis as i missed fleabag or any other fairly recent bbc offerings (without regrets). many times those without talent, intelligence, or guile will mistake irreverence or bad taste as innovation (in much the same way children will). those at the bcc are such buffoons, as are art critics, and entertainment executives...

[@CapSarcastica]

I would say the Monty Python guys made a successful transition to Hollywood. Terry Gilliam, John Cleese, Eric Idle all have a pretty good presence in American films.

[@aussiewanderer6304]

Critics: she's the first female character to break the forth wall. Miranda Hart: she literally remade my show 'Miranda' with almost the same premise but darker.

[@bananonymouslastname5693]

Not all female comics only joke about sex and relationships. Hannah Gadsby just lectures you for an hour about how stupid everyone is, and how being a man is wretched.

[@mitchjames9350]

4:13 John Oliver is an actor reading off a script like Stephen Colbert it’s why he is successful due to him being a paid propagandist for corporations.

[@TreVader1378]

Ive had the misfortune of suffering through a few eps of fleabag, and can safely say its one of the most painful experiences ive had, i know its for women, but i found it utterly shite.

[@robertfarrow5853]

My daughter woked by Uni, advised my wife it was "really Good" My wife said it was as enjoyable as scrapping doggie doo off the sole of a shoe.

[@TreVader1378]

@@robertfarrow5853 mine unfortunately likes it, along with that killing eve shite, needless to say, like her taste in music, her taste in TV and film is also shite.

[@VolvoImpala]

Ricky Gervais deserves the success he has because he's done a lot- he's put himself out there a lot and he's worked his ass off. He has a lot of stand-up specials, of course. Those are probably his most famous output besides the extremely well-lauded The Office. Then he put out some weird books called Flanimals- I think he was just writing these weird send-ups of kid's books? I don't know if they're good or not. Then, of course, he had at least two movies which didn't really work. I mean I'm not sure if there was any real attempt to make any of his projects work if they just didn't work. Either they worked or they didn't and the "bloke" (LOL) just moved on if they didn't. That's really the way all artists should approach things. I saw Ghost Town- it didn't work. I didn't see The Invention of Lying because Ghost Town didn't work. But I think the first season of Derek was excellent. Just a great show that's not afraid to wear its emotions on its sleeve and does so in the right way. A lot of female comedians veer into thinking that being crass equals being funny. And don't get me wrong there's a lot of crassness in humor but there's always more to it than that. And don't get me wrong, a lot of male comedians think being crass equals being funny, but they're all failures. You need to get to something beyond that where it's that combination of the absurd with the normal which constitutes funny and then after you've achieved that and gone on to insight that's when you hit Dave Chappelle level comedy. I don't think Hollywood ever falls in love with just one British comedian or actor, Drinker. Hollywood is and always was perpetually in love with British thespians and Aussie ones too. And Canadians for that matter. They are enmeshed in our system like there's no tomorrow. I'd say Hugh Laurie has benefitted from crossing the pond. I'm not the biggest fan of House but I know the show is an institution here. There's no denying it. I'm more alright with John Oliver than most but I wonder if his show along with so many others is going to get washed away in this writer's strike... as in the strike is not going to be resolved, the writers will be gone, and maybe the actors too. Imagine that! And at least one column if not two will have to be rebuilt from the ground up. And that's a good thing with the shite they've been pumping out lately.

[@PolarizedMechs]

What's interesting about the "classic" male comedians is that they were often crass...but they didn't have to be. Robin Williams could be filthy-mouthed as hell, but he could also be funny without uttering a single cuss word. George Carlin made his money off of being a nasty, foul-mouthed old man, but he proved he could be funny without doing any of that as well. I can go down the list: Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy were *foul* on stage, but they could make a movie without a single f-bomb and it was still great. I can't think of a single female comedian who has made that bridge from talking about their vaginas to movies where they were still funny. Melissa McCarthy is Exhibit A--then again, she was never, ever funny.

[@VolvoImpala]

@@PolarizedMechs Female comedians were better before feminism propped a lot of them into places where they don't belong- much like executive boards at Fortune 500 companies.

[@BA-gn3qb]

Obviously, Phoebe Waller Bridge had a very good Harvey Weinstein moment with Kathleen Kennedy. And still does.

[@logicerrormusic]

Point is they elevated a nearly dramatic small comedian who happened to be good at something as the next Messiah of Hollywood. They put on this girl's shoulders a massive weight that she will never be able to sustain, and Indiana 5 is proof of that. Hollywood is on desperate need of new faces that could support their failing industry and they're hellbent on putting on a pedistal whoever steps in, shows a little talent and says yes to whatever. I actually feel kinda sorry for Phoebe Waller Bridge, cause if we believe she's actually capable at writing intimate and relatable stuff she'll just end up with her talent wasted, as any artist with integrity that hits hard as fuck and no amount of money will tone it down.

[@matthewrowe9903]

Craig Ferguson was a export we should have been happy to stand by

[@JMaxMena]

Craig Ferguson is amazing. Easily the best interviewer out of all the late night hosts.

[@cuteanimalseverywhere7620]

Fleabag was a comedy?? Watched one episode and I thought it was a tragic tale of a woman with a severe personality disorder and how life sucks for these people.

[@coolcat23]

I tried to find the humour in "Fleabag" (on KZbin) but never laughed, not even smiled once. I crack up about "Extras" or "The Office" (UK version), I laugh about good stand up comedians, but "Fleabag" did nothing for me. Her breaking the fourth wall now and then is apparently supposed to be brilliant, but it did absolutely nothing for me. When Ricky Gervais does it in "The Office", it is purposeful and always funny. It's like she took the bathwater without the baby.

[@ivan5083]

Could be that by casting a plain looking woman, they wanted to avoid "impossible beauty standards" and cater to "modern audiences".

[@jdraven0890]

Hollywood tends to try to make a breakout star or anyone with notoriety into the next "It" guy or gal, often putting them in projects they are deeply unsuited for. Remember Elvis starring in all those movies? This aligns too with the trend of doing remakes or sequels, where they'd rather bet on a "sure thing" and known quantity. I'm glad that this appears to be providing the Studios with diminishing returns now.

[@PolarizedMechs]

Elvis could actually act--when he was given a legitimately serious role, he put everything he had into it. He easily could've been the next Frank Sinatra, singing and doing dramatic roles, but "Colonel Tom" wanted him to do stupid comedies that Elvis hated. He should've fired that fake and struck out on his own.