Ricky Gervais once again delivers a masterpiece in the dark comedy genre with the third and final season of After Life. Whilst viewers will definitely be craving to know what happens to other popular characters in the series, Ricky Gervais has concluded that he wrote season 3 to end the way it did without having to come back for another season and that he would like to pursue other projects, roles etc.
As heart wrenching as it was to learn that we will not be having another season, Season 3 of After Life itself was emotionally charged enough to leave viewers teary eyed at times. While Tony is no longer quite so aggressively grouchy about life, he continues to struggle to fill the void left behind by his late wife.
We get some closure between Tony and Emma’s relationship by the end of the series and if you knew Tony’s character and devotion to his late wife, Lisa, then you’d know there is a slim chance he’d move on from that romantically. Emma does eventually accept her place in Tony’s life as a friend and we even get to see her reconnect with an old flame presumably to go on and have the companionship and life she deserves.
Matt Braden: Tony’s brother-in-law and boss of the Tambury Gazette also goes through something short of a revelation in his life bringing him closer to his wife and son. His bond with Tony also grows stronger as they both share some memorable experiences together.
Lenny the photographer and Tony’s “best friend” for the lack of a better term, plans on getting married to June, his girlfriend for the past season or so. Tony agrees to be his best man because he’s apparently the only option available, but deep down Tony does acknowledge his relationship with Lenny. Unfortunately, we don’t actually get to see what would otherwise be an entertaining wedding, especially with Ricky Gervais giving the best man speech.
Tony’s relationship with his colleague Kath is also very different compared to how he treats her in previous seasons, they form sort of an unlikely friendship and bond as Tony helps her get through some of her own issues.
It’s Ricky Gervais, so don’t expect any action except for some of the scenes where he plays table tennis, squash and tennis. The story is really centred about how Tony has learnt to be a better person to the people around him and to actually cherish life, move on as how his wife would have wanted him to. This is in stark contrast to how Tony was in season one. Overall a very thought provoking series about the more existential topics in one’s life and how all of us are only truly alive for such a short period of time in comparison to everything else around us.
If you liked the first two seasons then obviously you’d be able to binge these six episodes within a day. For the general audience who have been fans of Ricky Gervais’ works, I’d strongly recommend watching all three seasons, and even for the the neutrals, if you’re looking to occupy your meal breaks, After Life is definitely #1 contender amongst the traditional comedies you’ll find on Netflix.