Here in the middle of February, I am almost experiencing a state of hibernation, that's how I feel at this time of the year, with a continuous deluge of bad news that causes more uncertainty because of this, I decided to watch the third series of After Life, about grief. The series is about how good it is to be close to someone you love so much that when they have gone in this case it's very difficult to more on with your life.
In this series wife Lisa ( Kerry Godliman) an artist, who died from breast cancer has left behind a local journalist of the Tambury Gazette. His name is Tony (Ricky Gervais) and he is unable to move on, who spends his evenings drinking wine with his dog and watching films of his wife on his laptop. He often chats to his friend nurse Emma (Ashley Jensen) who fancies him and who hopes to get together with him. Emma works in a nursing home and looked after Tony's dad Ray (David Bradley) who has previously died of dementia. In the third series Tony lost both his wife and father. There is one particular scene where Tony draws a face on a lemon and shows it to Emma but she doesn't get the joke; the same joke that his wife would have understood. You feel his pain, how impossible it is to move on and replace someone you have been close to.
Grief is not an easy subject to portray, the stuckness of it and the monotony of daily routine, the evenings, and the heaviness of losing someone is shown very acutely, the depression looking at the past, and the rage he expresses towards others but he is also free to say what he wants outside of social media which reminded me of the early 2000s. As part of his job Tony interviews people in their houses for the Tambury Gazette.
Every story even the most meaningless has value, from psychic Penny (Kate Robbins), to the elderly lady who had been burgled, to the swingers, and finally the children with cancer that give Tony a renewed sense of purpose. We first see him interviewing Penny who writes self-published erotic medical books. The way Tony interviews her is very funny, saying things like: Do you have any medical experience in writing this book? To which Penny replies that she doesn't need any experience! Tony quips, asking about who published her books she tells him she has self-published all these books and she now makes money as a psychic. What a hoot!
Tony's always makes fun of his brother-in-law Matt (Tom Basden) sometimes by playing pranks in the office. Matt is polite, mild mannered and is trying to find a sport he can beat Tony at. He tries tennis, table tennis, and squash but Tony always trashes him, I think he is also trashing his social class, which is funny.
Kath (Diane Morgan) is Tony's colleague at the Tambury Gazette. She is single and looking for love and regularly goes on dreadful dates. Sometimes her dates are truly awful, sometimes she pretends to be something socially that she is not when she is on her dates, or she doesn't know what to say which is quite common when you go on dates with people you don't know. Her attempts to meet someone are both awkward and funny.
Postman Pat (Joe Wilkinson) went out with Tony's friend the sex worker Roxy but she doesn't appear in the series. We see Pat regularly ringing at Tony's door completely oblivious to any boundaries, saying he can't cope with Roxy's job, and the fact that he has to share her with all the men he delivers the post to, it's tragic and funny.
Anne (Penelope Wilton) the widower who regularly meets up with Tony on a bench opposite his wife's grave, and are very convivial with each other, it's a joy to watch.
The characters represent everyday England, not the handsome, wealthy people with successful lives but the people on the side-lines that you don't see in the main media in their daily lives. The divorced hoarder, Brian (David Earl), and his friend James (Ethan Lawrence) have a strong friendship. James wants to work as an actor but doesn't get any parts apart from a stint at the local fair towards the end of the series. He still lives at home with his parents. Because of the pandemic and losing their jobs, I know a lot of people that went back to live with their parents to save money, is more common than you think.
Or the new employee, Coleen (Kath Hughes), who used to work in a supermarket in the previous series, and who is not really qualified for the job but gets it. She is looking to get away from her alcoholic mother, and goes around with Tony looking at accommodation to suit her budget, but she sees atrociously small accommodation - this is the real England the main media doesn't want you to see it. Then she gets a room above the local talent agent's office and the head of the local drama company, Ken (Colin Hoult), who helps her out and who keeps barging into her space with his over-the-top personality, it's very funny and very real.
Some critics say the characters represent eccentrics, but actually they represent normal people not seen enough in the main media, with their faults, problems, and flaws open for all to see. This is the strength of the series. It seems also that Tony's rage is directed towards the four by four guy who doesn't stop at zebra crossings, at the well-off young hipster guy with a child, who he makes funny loud noises to in the cafe while the underdogs are the main characters.
What shines in the series is the friendship between the characters, the fact that they are there for each other no matter their flaws and what is going wrong. It is very humane, the way Tony's grief and depression are shown, and how hard it is to push through these, is very touching.What transpires from the series is Ricky Gervais' love of comedy, animals, art and music, which are all represented in the programme.
Above photographs courtesy of Netflix.
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