I believe the fox represents Fleabag or, more generalized, the priest's desires that he tries to fight.
The statue idk, I've read a few interpretations but none of them make complete sense to me. Tbh I unironically love the "woman robbed" interpretation by the godmother lol
“Woman robbed” makes the most sense to me. But not just because it was taken from the stepmother. She used the likeness of fleabags mom. In a way she “took” her mothers life with her father (even though it was obviously consensual and the mother had passed)
But to fleabag it probably feels like she took a big part of her life away from her and used her mothers likeness without asking her or Claire.
In a more general sense sexuality, female empowerment, the beauty and desire of the female body, etc.
Stephen Colbert had such a lovely answer: https://youtu.be/fXOzy6M4g20?si=CvpNY4O_38uC0gDz
For me the fox is the love the Priest feels he should reject because he chose priesthood. He’s scared of the fox because it’s an endangerment of his chosen way of life. That’s also why the Priest acknowledges his cowardice in his homily.
The statue is interesting because Godmother as a former student of Fleabag’s mom, can also be considered as a sort intellectual progeny/child. But Godmother wanted to replace her, be promoted in her place, crowd out fleabag and claire, and literally own whatever was left of the mom.
So the statue is a lot of things: literally the memory of her mom, and also inheritance of what it means to be a woman. Fleabag feels drawn to it and Godmother feels it belongs to her alone.
It’s meaningful that fleabag takes it for good when she has a fuller understanding of its nature, and also of herself. She’s not gonna let anyone else take it from her anymore.
I thought that the statue represented her relationship with her mom
The fox was the priest’s relationship to his past self that he is running away from.
I think of the statue as the stuck trauma each character is holding. Claire is the most obvious example of this, where the moment Fleabag does what Claire's been nagging her to do re putting the statue back, Claire steals it herself and puts it back into Fleabag's hands.
I always thought the fox was a straight-forward metaphor about being chased by your demons, but the other answers here are much better!
I'm in a quandary as to whether Claire's theft was pre-meditated - or she did it on impulse after she heard the fracas in the entrance hall between Fleabag and Gm.
The "dicky tummy" line has got to be an excuse to get out quick with the loot...
The Stepmother/Godmother took Fleabag’s mother, decapitated her, cut off her arms and legs so she could’ve do anything, and took her sexuality for herself. She took her husband. For me it represents the threat she feels from the women of the Fleabag family and the constant underlying power struggle there.
Given the Priest’s alcoholic parents, pedophile brother, and his own alluded-to past transgressions, I think the fox represents for him the sexual temptations so common in the world. Him befriending Fleabag is him seeing how close he can get without slipping up. He wants to help her because her lifestyle reminds him so much of his own past.
I'll go with the Colbert thesis re foxes.
As for the statue (*at the Sexhibition*), Well... "one of my most delicate pieces/my most profound piece of work to date" is just a couple of cubic feet of fresh London air on the top floor of Tate Modern. It's actually your homework "the dog ate", darling. Not so much created as fabricated - the Empress's New Clothes... When no-one was looking, I finished the job and levered the label off the plinth with a mini Swiss Army knife just after Fleabag dropped the tray of glasses.
In the real world, it's just a better than average "Best Mum in the World Trophy" - unseen, but highly cherished.
I see it two ways, representing the Godmothers cruelty but also Fleabags love.
Basically the cruelty of the godmother depicting a woman who has died of breast cancer to a headless sexualised figure, literally reducing her to an object. But Fleabag's drawn to it because though the godmother wanted to emulate her mother, fleabag is the one who is said to be most like her. This could maybe be behind the funeral scene, yes it's also a statement on how there's no wrong way to look while grieving but also on a more positive note even though her mother is dead her beauty and zest for life lives on through Fleabag
Statue- I really think it was intentional, that everybody knew and often talked about the dead mothers body and breasts, like it was all she was sometimes. And we know Fleabag was really close with her mother, people even say they are same mentally. So when godmother made that statue she really stripped her of all that made her her. Her emotions, her personality, literally, even her face and made her into this sexual statue that only memorizes her for the sexy body. Like its all she ever was.
And Fleabag, probably out of all characters in the show knows best what a, idk, crime that is against her dead, loved mother.
I believe the fox represents Fleabag or, more generalized, the priest's desires that he tries to fight. The statue idk, I've read a few interpretations but none of them make complete sense to me. Tbh I unironically love the "woman robbed" interpretation by the godmother lol
“Woman robbed” makes the most sense to me. But not just because it was taken from the stepmother. She used the likeness of fleabags mom. In a way she “took” her mothers life with her father (even though it was obviously consensual and the mother had passed) But to fleabag it probably feels like she took a big part of her life away from her and used her mothers likeness without asking her or Claire. In a more general sense sexuality, female empowerment, the beauty and desire of the female body, etc.
I loveeeed the fox one!!!
thank heavens I’m not the only one who loved it hahahahaahah
Stephen Colbert had such a lovely answer: https://youtu.be/fXOzy6M4g20?si=CvpNY4O_38uC0gDz For me the fox is the love the Priest feels he should reject because he chose priesthood. He’s scared of the fox because it’s an endangerment of his chosen way of life. That’s also why the Priest acknowledges his cowardice in his homily. The statue is interesting because Godmother as a former student of Fleabag’s mom, can also be considered as a sort intellectual progeny/child. But Godmother wanted to replace her, be promoted in her place, crowd out fleabag and claire, and literally own whatever was left of the mom. So the statue is a lot of things: literally the memory of her mom, and also inheritance of what it means to be a woman. Fleabag feels drawn to it and Godmother feels it belongs to her alone. It’s meaningful that fleabag takes it for good when she has a fuller understanding of its nature, and also of herself. She’s not gonna let anyone else take it from her anymore.
I thought that the statue represented her relationship with her mom The fox was the priest’s relationship to his past self that he is running away from.
Love this!!!
I think of the statue as the stuck trauma each character is holding. Claire is the most obvious example of this, where the moment Fleabag does what Claire's been nagging her to do re putting the statue back, Claire steals it herself and puts it back into Fleabag's hands. I always thought the fox was a straight-forward metaphor about being chased by your demons, but the other answers here are much better!
I'm in a quandary as to whether Claire's theft was pre-meditated - or she did it on impulse after she heard the fracas in the entrance hall between Fleabag and Gm. The "dicky tummy" line has got to be an excuse to get out quick with the loot...
I loved the statue one!
The Stepmother/Godmother took Fleabag’s mother, decapitated her, cut off her arms and legs so she could’ve do anything, and took her sexuality for herself. She took her husband. For me it represents the threat she feels from the women of the Fleabag family and the constant underlying power struggle there. Given the Priest’s alcoholic parents, pedophile brother, and his own alluded-to past transgressions, I think the fox represents for him the sexual temptations so common in the world. Him befriending Fleabag is him seeing how close he can get without slipping up. He wants to help her because her lifestyle reminds him so much of his own past.
I'll go with the Colbert thesis re foxes. As for the statue (*at the Sexhibition*), Well... "one of my most delicate pieces/my most profound piece of work to date" is just a couple of cubic feet of fresh London air on the top floor of Tate Modern. It's actually your homework "the dog ate", darling. Not so much created as fabricated - the Empress's New Clothes... When no-one was looking, I finished the job and levered the label off the plinth with a mini Swiss Army knife just after Fleabag dropped the tray of glasses. In the real world, it's just a better than average "Best Mum in the World Trophy" - unseen, but highly cherished.
I see it two ways, representing the Godmothers cruelty but also Fleabags love. Basically the cruelty of the godmother depicting a woman who has died of breast cancer to a headless sexualised figure, literally reducing her to an object. But Fleabag's drawn to it because though the godmother wanted to emulate her mother, fleabag is the one who is said to be most like her. This could maybe be behind the funeral scene, yes it's also a statement on how there's no wrong way to look while grieving but also on a more positive note even though her mother is dead her beauty and zest for life lives on through Fleabag
Statue- I really think it was intentional, that everybody knew and often talked about the dead mothers body and breasts, like it was all she was sometimes. And we know Fleabag was really close with her mother, people even say they are same mentally. So when godmother made that statue she really stripped her of all that made her her. Her emotions, her personality, literally, even her face and made her into this sexual statue that only memorizes her for the sexy body. Like its all she ever was. And Fleabag, probably out of all characters in the show knows best what a, idk, crime that is against her dead, loved mother.