DUBAI: Ricky Gervais is famous for defending comedy’s right to address any topic, no matter how sensitive. He’s certainly put that to the test in his latest show, “After Life,” which launched on Netflix earlier this month. It should be said first, though, that simply describing “After Life” as a (very) dark comedy does it a disservice — it could more fairly be described as a drama with moments of humor.
The premise is simple: Tony (Gervais) is a good man who was devoted to his wife Lisa (Kerry Godliman), who has recently died from breast cancer. Lisa’s death crushes Tony. He can no longer find anything worth living for, besides having to get up to feed the dog. He contemplates suicide, but then decides that he will instead take revenge on the world by simply doing and saying whatever he wants, regardless of the consequences. If things get too much, he tells people, he can always kill himself later.
Fortunately for Tony, he has friends and relatives (and a dog) around who remember (or can see past the façade to) who he really is, and do their best to help him come out of his depression — particularly his brother-in-law and boss at the local newspaper, Matt (Tom Basden); his colleague Lenny (Tony Way); Emma (Ashley Jensen), who works at his father’s nursing home; Anne (Penelope Wilton), a widow he meets at the cemetery; and Daphne (Roisin Conaty), a local sex worker.
The ensemble cast — many of whom are Gervais regulars — are uniformly excellent, and Gervais himself does a superb, understated job conveying Tony’s heartbreak and frustration. His portrayal of the anger and hopelessness of grief will feel familiar and real to anyone who has lost a loved one, as will — hopefully — the ebbing of those emotions as Tony moves towards acceptance and the future.
Gervais’ skill as a writer, here, is to balance the misery and realism of his story with comedy that strikes an equally realistic note — his barbed comments are often caustic and cruel, but also the kind of reaction that most of us would be able to identify with, if only in a ‘I wish I could say that’ kind of way.
The only part that doesn’t really ring true is the ending, which arguably swings on too neat an epiphany, and somewhat diminishes Tony’s earlier pain. But it’s a forgivable flaw, and certainly doesn’t spoil the series.
“After Life” is a smart, heartfelt, bittersweet show that takes its viewers through a range of emotions, and it’s the best work Gervais has produced in a decade or so.
