Afterlife Season 2: A Gripping Comedy Full Of Grief

Rating: 3/5

The first season of After Life was an unusual gem of a show that was both authentically piquant and ridiculously absurd, finding the right balance between both comedy and tragedy to charm the viewers.

The show, centring the life of a widowed man and showing the aftermath of her death, received rave reviews from critics, with many quoting it as the performance of Ricky Gervais' career.

Gervais plays Tony, a recently bereaved local newspaper journalist. By day, he goes through the motions at work, snapping at his colleagues, including Kath and Lenny, and rolling his eyes at his interviewees, punishing the world for letting his wife die. At night, he drinks too much and watches the videos his wife made for him as she lay in the hospital, in which she urges him to learn to live again and remember to feed the dog.

However, it did tell something of a full-circle story for the character and this understandably left some viewers concerned when they heard that it would be returning for a second season. 

It's hard not to laugh every time Diane Morgan's Kath goes off on one of her strangely philosophical rants, or whenever Joe Wilkinson's Postman Pat shows up at Tony's house for some bizarre reason that completely defies logic; it's hard not to smile whenever Penelope Wilton's Anne gives Tony some heartfelt advice, and it's hard not to cry every time that Kerry Godliman's Lisa speaks from her heart via a laptop screen.

This time off Tony's psychiatrist is paired off with Tony's brother-in-law Matt and the result is far less appealing than it was with Tony himself, resulting in boring monologues with offensive commentary that might have been funny in the first episode. We didn't need the five that followed.

After Life's first season was understandably commended for just how witty its dialogue was, as Gervais never failed to lighten a situation in a second's notice.

He's very much on his game once again as Tony, but some of the humour doesn't work quite as well when it comes to other characters. Whether it be endlessly abusive monologues or a cringe-worthy joke or two, the comedy just falls completely flat on occasion.

The one thing that is noticeably different about After Life's second season - and something that really works for it (for the first half at least) - is how it's more inclusive in terms of characters.

It's not just Tony's story anymore which is something that the premiere episode reflects as the supporting characters all begin to play into the story more, making this season more of an ensemble piece.

Supporting and guest characters had increased roles, more screen-time and some even had their own narratives, but some of these subplots never feel like they truly pay off - especially Matt's marriage problems - instead of serving as a diversion from Tony's storyline whenever convenient so that it wouldn't come off as too much of a retread.

There are flashes of comedy. I, personally, enjoyed the scene where the postman, Pat (Joe Wilkinson), asked if he could use Tony’s bathroom and then proceeded to have a bath, and an extended riff on what would have happened had Daphne (Roisin Conaty) seen Tony naked through his window. They have all the Gervais signature moves the intonation, the trailing off, the reduction of everyday incidents to absurdity, the unreasonable interlocutors. 

In season 2, whilst still struggling with immense grief for his wife, we see Tony try to become a better friend to those around him. Each grappling with their own problems and only to be intensified by the looming threat of the local newspaper being shut down.

After Life remains a heartfelt watch and that, more than anything, ensures its strengths outweigh its weaknesses.