'After Life' Season 2: Every relationship on the series offers lessons about expectations, fears and honesty
Spoilers for ‘After Life’ Season 2
A lot can be taken from ‘After Life’. The show, after all, presents a very vivid and real portrayal of human existence and relationships. And while there are many kinds of relationships in the show -- father-son, brothers-in-law, friends, patient-psychiatrist, and more -- the three quote-unquote romantic arcs in season 2 help us understand expectations.
The first is the most obvious (and central one). It’s between Tony (Ricky Gervais) and Emma (Ashley Jensen), his father’s nurse. It is undeniable that they both like each other. But Tony is the one with the hangups. A recent widower, Tony still hasn’t let go of his wife. He holds on to his pain because it’s the only thing he has left of her.
Emma understands, but she cannot wait. Tony, who sees her every day, because he visits his father at the nursing home every day, wants this looped existence to continue -- where they meet and talk but don’t define anything; where they don’t get into a relationship but just be there for each other. He likens it to the 1993 Bill Murray comedy ‘Groundhog Day’, where Murray's character relives the same day over and over again.
Obviously, Emma doesn’t want that. She wants to have someone in her life who isn’t vague. She wants something solid. It’s a lesson in managing expectations where possibilities halt because of fears and insecurities. It’s a lesson in how the past is the biggest roadblock in the way to the future.
The second relationship that teaches us something is that between Tony’s brother-in-law Matt (Tom Basden) and Matt’s employee Kath (Diane Morgan). That Kath fancies him is no secret. But in season 2, she comes out with the confession, putting Matt in an awkward position. Matt has just recently separated from his wife and is depressed. While advances from an employee may usually be uncomfortable already, at this particular phase of his life, Matt finds it all the more so.
Despite many attempts to woo him, Kath fails. The rejection weighs heavily on her. But a conversation with Tony changes her outlook to a certain degree. The lesson that she takes, and the lesson that we all can take from this, is that there is no shame in putting yourself out there. There is no shame in trying.
It’s a lesson on why the fear of failure should not deter us from wanting something. On Matt’s part, there is a different lesson. It’s that it is okay to take one’s time when dealing with things. He jumping into it in a moment of vulnerability would likely have had tragic repercussions. But he did not.
The final one, and it’s the most satisfying one, is the burgeoning romance between Pat (Joe Wilkinson), the postman, and Roxy (Roisin Conaty), the sex-worker. They are both oddballs. Pat is homeless but has no shame. He speaks his mind. He doesn’t shy away from admitting his shortcomings. And he’s not an overthinker. Roxy is loud but compassionate. She’s brusque but loving. And she finds Pat as a refreshing break from the men she has to deal with, and not just in her line of work. She realizes he's content and that makes her feel content.
The lesson to take from their romance is honesty. The truth is seldom pretty. But hiding the truth can get uglier still. The two, in their brutal honesty with each other, prove that sometimes, the old adage is true: it really is the best policy.
‘After Life’ Season 2 is available for viewing on Netflix.
