When I first heard that Ricky Gervais had written, After Life, a brand new series which would cover the subject of losing someone you love, I wondered how he would deal with it, would it be sensitive? Would it be emotional? Could he throw some laughs in there without spoiling the over riding story line? Well, just a few moments into the first episode I got my answers, a resounding YES, YES and YES.
I’m going to write this review without giving anything away about the story, you need to watch this, and that’s an order! It’s on Netflix, and the whole series is available to binge on in one go, it’s a 3-hour emotional rollercoaster. One minute you’ll have a tear in your eyes, the next you’ll get a stomach ache with laughing so much, look out for the scene when Ricky’s character tackles a schoolyard bully, so histerical but at the same time very very naughty.
This is something Ricky can do very well, he can make you laugh at those things you shouldn’t. I do stand up comedy myself and I know how hard it is to cross those boundaries. Of course, some people will get offended, but those people are stupid quite frankly, because none of it is meant, we are talking about a man here who loves animals, interacts with fans on Twitter, and I would assume loves people in general.
So, the premise of the story is Ricky’s charecter has lost his wife and he just wants to die himself, he can’t live in a world without the woman he loved, so he doesn’t care what he says or does anymore, look out for the scene with the 2 youths who try and mug him, an excellent response that actually worked, maybe I might try that if I’m ever face to face with muggers, I’m going to start carrying a tin of dog food round with me from now on.
This is Ricky Gervais at his absolute best, dealing with such a delicate issue in a way that can tug at our heart strings but make us laugh at the same time. We’ve loved the awkwardness of The Office, the struggles of Extras and the caring and beautiful Derek, he’s now topped himself (excuse the pun) with After Life, it is the most beautiful piece of writing he has ever done, it certainly got me thinking, thinking about those I’ve lost and how I deal with it. Is there anything that this man can’t do? Probably not, and if I could give 6 stars out of 5 I would, if there is a level of perfection, Ricky has reached it! Thank you Ricky and thank you to the wonderful cast that was assembled, they were absolutely awesome, each and every one of them bringing Ricky’s story to life.
A Genius Piece of Writing, Unrivaled by Anyone
Name: After Life
Description: After Tony's wife dies unexpectedly, his nice-guy persona is altered into an impulsive, devil-may-care attitude taking his old world by storm.
Comedy writer with Steve Smith. Author of the book & Satire Website, ‘The Daily Skid – The best bits’ also Beat About the Bush
