Afterlife on Netflix

[+ purplekow]

There is a 3 season series on Netflix, Afterlife.  I have enjoyed the series very much but for me, it hits so close to home that I am not sure if it is good entertainment or just identifiable.  Ricky Gervais is the writer and star and the story starts out dark and very gradually lightens but it is never cheery and it does tend to be a bit heavy handed as well as heavy hearted.   

The characters are quirky and not like any I have seen on other TV shows except perhaps for the hooker with a heart of gold but even her character has an interesting arc.  The basic plot concerns Tony, Ricky Gervais, and his life after the death of his beloved wife.  He lives with ihis dog.  His coworkers at a weekly local free newspaper, where he is the features writer, are leading as drab and struggling an existence as he is.  He has regular interactions with his postman and a prostitute who works the corner near his home in a quaint village.  He fills his days with snide remarks and well directed barbs and vitriol and visiting his demented father at a nursing home, where he interacts with the nurse who is usually caring for him.  Ultimately each day is a struggle for him to just get through.  And it usually ends it with several glass of wine and viewing the videos his wife made for him during her terminal illness.  On daily visits to the cemetery,  he sits at his wife's graveside and befriends a similarly grief stricken older woman. This serves as a therapeutic outlet for the pain in his crushed soul and broken heart.  

Yeah not exactly the set up for a laugh a minute comedy, but there are laughs, not usually belly laughs but real life laughs throughout.  And there are tears, usually unforced and generated from real care for the characters. 

I recommend it. If you have not already watched the first two seasons go back to the beginning  and if you have seen seasons 1 and 2,  be alerted that the 6 episode third and final season has just dropped on Netflix.   

The episodes are about 1 half hour in length so all three seasons are able to be viewed on a wintry weekend. 

 

Edited January 16, 2022 by purplekow

[jeezifonly]

Gervais is Cringe Comedy’s king. After Life is loaded with dark, dark, humor that has (as a chaser) tremendous heart. If you hate the kind of comedy Gervais does so brilliantly, or the actor himself, try another show. But this is new and successful territory, and is relatable to many people, as we all confront grief eventually. The characters in his orbit are wonderfully off-center, and the writing perfectly suited to each actor.