After Life

Written and directed by Ricky Gervais

Ricky Gervais Tony

Tom Basden Matt

Tony Way Lenny

Diane Morgan Kath

Mandeep Dhillon Sandy

David Bradley Tony’s Dad

Ashley Jensen Nurse

Kerry Godliman Lisa

Paul Kaye Psychiatrist

Tommy Finnegan George

Anti Brandy the Dog

Penelope Wilton Anne

Tim Plester Julian

Joe Wilkinson Postman

Roisin Conaty Roxy

Jo Hartley June

David Earl Brian

Tom Basden Matt

Tony (Gervais) works, supposedly, at a newspaper. The Tambury Gazette, and if you haven’t heard of it, well, it probably hasn’t heard of you, either, so you’re even. It’s a weekly for the small but insignificant town of Tambury, which has also never heard of you. It’s the sort of paper that, without the faintest shred of irony, might print a headline like “Missing Cat Found” on the front page.

Tony and his coworkers spend what seems like 90% of their time gazing at computer screens that have spreadsheets on them. None of them ever appear to actually interact with their computers, and their interactions amongst themselves is strained and hesitant.

Tony is the main reason for that. He is recently widowed, his young wife having passed on from cancer. There are people who care about him and want to help him, but, lost in grieving and mourning, he’s having none of that. He has developed the ultimate Nietzschean superpower: He has become asshole, destroyer of relationships. As Tony puts it, “If I become an asshole and say and do as much as I want, I can always kill myself. It’s like a superpower.” Lost in dark despair, he is self-immolating.

Sounds grim, and in a lot of ways it is. Gervais is utterly convincing as the self-loathing and coldly furious Tony.

But this is Gervais, and so even at his worst, Tony can be utterly hilarious. In the opening episode, he’s walking past a schoolyard and spots his nephew, and gives him a wave and a hullo. A plump red-headed boy notices, and mutters “Paedo” as Tony walks on. Tony turns around, waves a finger over the fence, and says, “I’m not a paedo, and if I was, you’d be safe, you fat ginger little cunt.” The viewer is too busy laughing to notice he’s gasping in disbelief. The kid’s reaction is perfect.

It shows the dynamics of Gervais’ role in one rude exchange. It’s one of the most complex and demanding roles he’s done, and he needed a very strong supporting cast to pull it off. He got that.

The best known of the supporting cast, ironically, has the least interactive role. David Bradly (Argus Filch from Harry Potter and Walder Frey from Game of Thrones) plays Tony’s senescent father, given to gazing off in the distance and apparently unaware that Tony’s wife has died, or who Tony is. Don’t be fooled—it’s not an insignificant role.

Diane Morgan is best known in the UK as Philomena Cunk, who manages to combine inquisitiveness with complete intellectual vacuity to prove once and for all that yes, there are stupid questions. Morgan remains cheerfully annoying in After Life, and Tony’s responses to her make for a good bellwether into his internal mental and emotional processes.

There’s a dozen other roles worthy of mention, including the town prostitute (excuse me, ‘sex worker’) and resident junkie (‘philosopher’). They’re important because they show Tony some have worse circumstances, and not all of them survive.

It’s a story told, and acted, with a great deal of heart. If the ending seems a bit pat, have no fear: a second season is coming, and while the sun does come out, there are still clouds on the horizon. Tony is too complex to be an Ebenezer Scrooge.

Now on Netflix.