The show starts with Gervais’ character Tony grieving and barely surviving months after his wife Lisa (played by Kerry Golidiman) died from cancer. Each episode opens with an excerpt from a video she made him. These video moments are sweet and informative because they tell us that Tony was once a happy kind man. The show really needed more of these because it’s hard to believe that Tony was once a nice person. What we see is someone who no longer cares about himself or the feelings of others around him, often going out of his way to put them down in an attempt to make himself feel better.
Gervais is supported by a fairly strong cast, but their characters are incredibly under-utilised. The only other character to get a complete arc is Julian, a drug addict portrayed by Tim Plester. The interactions between Tony and Julian are the best in the whole show and provided the most thought provoking moments, making you question whether Tony is indeed a good man or not. 
The only real aspect of After Life that I found impressive was the production choices and techniques, specifically the post production and colour correction. The show appears saturated and murky, mirroring the perception that Tony is a man living in a world devoid of brightness and life. This works so well because it is the only subtlety this show attempts. However, even this was under-utilised. The cinematography is similarly praiseworthy. The framing of subjects helped sell the emotion, and the scenes in Tony’s house were comprised of long shots. These conveyed the sense that the world was moving forward and Tony didn’t belong, as if each time he walked through his house, it was foreign to him.
The humour of the show comes from Gervais’ ‘character’ no longer caring about censoring himself around others. Those familiar with Gervais will know that over the years he has become a master of insulting others and not caring, which makes it hard to believe that Tony is a character and not just Gervais living out his fantasy of uncensored abuse.
Episode three in particular lends itself to that hypothesis, as Gervais seemingly breaks character entirely and commences a huge rant about being an atheist and how God doesn’t exist. This segment felt out of place and particularly forced to the point where it was uncomfortable to sit through. Gervais is outspoken about his atheism, but why he felt the need to include it to such a degree on this show is bizarre. Had it been turned back into a commentary on all the suffering in the world and ask how God could have made Tony’s wife ill and pass away, perhaps it would have been more fitting, but the show never bothered. More damning is that the same commentary can be heard in his old stand up specials - a running theme in After Life. 
“If I do and say whatever the f**k I want, and then when it all gets too much I can always kill myself”
He definitely says what he wants, but not everything sits well with the other characters, or more importantly, the viewer. At times these jokes miss the beat and it seems that Gervais relies on shock value more than witty and clever observations. There were scenes that did still have me laughing out loud - unfortunately many were also in the trailer.
The pacing of jokes feels rushed, as though Gervais was throwing muck at the wall to see what sticks. You never get to appreciate the stuff that sticks though, as he throws jokes at such a pace they end up being smothered, or knocked off the wall to join the majority of these ‘gags’. Considering this is a show where one of the central themes is grief and dealing with a loss, the waves of jokes crashing down diminishes the emotional arc of Tony, and overall reduces the coherence of the show.
Compared to other Gervais shows, the writing in “After Life” is rather shallow. There is no subtlety in the dialogue and characters only say what is skin deep. It’s such a shame because Gervais has had success previously with his observational commentary and layered characters. The writing is so subpar I’m inclined to question whether it was his frequent collaborator Stephen Merchant that made The Office and Extras so special.
If you want to experience After Life without watching it, just go find Gervais’ Humanity stand-up show, and take a peek at his Twitter feed. He has nothing new to add or say about society, and the show acts as an excuse for him to be able to say what he truly thinks about the world, but because his ‘character’ is sad we can’t be angry.
As a Ricky Gervais fan, After Life is a real shame and undermines his credibility as both a comic and a writer.
0 Comments