'After Life' Season 2 Review: Ricky Gervais is back to make you cry and cackle, but not with his dark humor
Spoiler Alert for ‘After Life’ Season 2
Life is so precious, and death such a thief. For a show that's named ‘After Life’, death lurks at every corner, literally and figuratively. The dark demons of death dance with the soul until you forcefully twist its neck and let go. Let go — these are the two words that Tony Johnson needs to understand.
Starring Ricky Gervais, Netflix's comedy-drama peppers you with dark humor that will make you cringe, cry and connect. As the curtains of Season 2 are drawn, not a lot has changed in the quaint town of Tambury.
Tony is living the same old life, he wakes up to his late wife, Lisa's (Kerry Godliman) endearing video clips — where she tells him to "be nice". He is still covering local stories no one cares about, upsetting people and trying hard to keep his job.
But wait, something has changed. For those of you who loved the curt and cavalier Tony in Season 1, get set to be startled by his all-new kind and compassionate avatar. Hard to believe, isn't it? For a man who felt it was a "superpower" to be an a***hole and say what the f**k he wants, it is a huge change indeed!
Enlivened with the melodious tunes of 'Top of the World' by Carpenters and other classic chartbusters, the series sneaks into Tony's life and all the other people around him. Postman Pat (Joe Wilkinson) is still at his door, delivering mail.
Instead of kicking his a**, Tony now sets him up with his prostitute-friend Roxy/Daphne (played by Roisin Conaty, who insists on being called a “sex worker”). Guess what, it works!
His brother-in-law Matt (Tom Basden) is getting a divorce and his co-worker Kath (Diane Morgan) confesses she has feelings for him. Oh, and the useless therapist makes an appearance again, this time, counseling Matt.
Tony's dad, Ray (David Bradley), is losing his memory and counting his last few breaths. If you're wondering how are Tony's dates going with nurse Emma (Ashley Jensen), here's the verdict, right from the horse's mouth.
"We're just friends but it's fun. She feels I still miss Lisa." Tony's inability to commit to a new relationship gnaws at their newfound attraction and leaves them like two bitter teenagers, snapping at each other with scoffs and sneers.
There is an awkwardness and unaddressed feelings are bubbling at the shore. Relationships are a little sensitive this season, but the way Gervais deals with such complexities deserves a pat on the back.
Packed in a cluster of weird scenes, the well-woven characters win hearts with their maturity and willingness to see the big picture instead of adding delirious drama.
In a much-relatable scenario, Tony spots Emma at a fancy restaurant on a date and this is the conversation that follows:
Emma: I am not going to wait for you to make a move. I have to go on with my life.
Tony: My wife died. [He repeats, perhaps for the 90th time]
Emma: Yes, I know.
Tony: I am sorry if that bothers you. Was it just a drink?
Emma: Yes, it was just a drink. It may not always be just a drink though.
"Concentrate on getting better," his old cemetery friend Anne (Penelope Wilton) advises. "She will wait if she wanted to." Tony is determined to be kind, but he's struggling to be happy. It is moments with Anne that light up hearts and give a sense of ease and enchantment, especially dialogues like:
Anne: Your friendship means more to me than money.
Tony: Are you lonely?
Anne: I only miss one person.
Until episode four, the series walks on the same, wobbly path as Tony grieves his wife. He looks at a video where he is dancing with his wife and tells his favorite colleague Sandy (Mandeep Dhillon), "When you find the right fellow, dance with him whenever he wants."
Peeking through the door of uncertainties, the series sheds light on complicated human emotions. The raw and rambunctious scenes will make you smirk and snigger.
Tony helps people around him, he tries to solve their problems. But, in doing so, he keeps repeating what an "incredible and magical" marriage he had for 25 years.
It gets annoying and makes us wonder: Do we really need to talk about our dead lovers/family/friends and burden everyone with the pain and loss as much as he does? It's subjective. To each their own, they say. Of course, it's his way of dealing with his pain.
Episode 5 comes as a harbinger of bad news. Tony's father breathes his last. Death tears his heart apart again. Mourning another loss, Tony asks his friends and co-workers for space, not sympathy, and wrestles with what it means to move on.
Our dead are never dead to us until we have forgotten them. The sooner Tony moves on and gives us a chance to cackle at his joy instead of his sorrow, the better it would be.
As he himself confesses by the last episode, "Just because you are unhappy, doesn't mean you have to be miserable"” In the end, Robert Frost's lines size up all six episodes of the show: "In three words, I can sum up everything I've learned about life. It goes on."
Sadly, the story is a drag with nothing sparkling or new on the platter. As the season comes to a close, everyone moves on with their new partners. Tony stays back. Guess who is still by his side? His darling dog!
Instead of going the conventional way and giving Tony a new lover, the show makes a larger point. It spells out how animals are better than humans ― they ask no questions, pass no criticism and are the best companions.
A man who dons many hats — Ricky Gervais shines as the creator, producer, director and the main star of the show. Being the snotty, scathing man suits him so much that it hardly feels like he's putting on an act.
It is the scenes when he smiles, earnestly, that leaves an eerie, strange feeling in your tummy. It makes you think: He could be a happy man, and he should be.
'After Life' has been helmed and pieced together by a comedian, famous for his slapstick jokes on 'The Office' and Golden Globes, but don't settle in to watch this show if you're looking for rip-roaring humor.
The punchlines may not always land, but life lessons do hit you in the chest, and that's what will pull you towards this three-star Netflix show.