After Life - Netflix

Sunrise_Sunset · 30-04-2020 8:55pm

Didn't really enjoy season 2. Found it lazy. Pretty much started back at the same point as at the beginning of season 1.

Andrew00 · 30-04-2020 8:58pm

The psychiatrist was some laugh. He was so funny. Not a bad series really

Andrew00 · 30-04-2020 10:00pm

Wot you gonna do if Hitler invades us? Give him a little kiss an cuddle? Stroke his hair?

Bend him ova an fack him up his little nazi arse, rape him in the ****box till he fackin vomits

gormdubhgorm · 30-04-2020 10:20pm

Andrew00 wrote: »

Wot you gonna do if Hitler invades us? Give him a little kiss an cuddle? Stroke his hair?

Bend him ova an fack him up his little nazi arse, rape him in the ****box till he fackin vomits

That was a toned down version of this in Lillyhammer (also on netflix annoying the series ended abruptly.

gormdubhgorm · 30-04-2020 10:27pm

Sunrise_Sunset wrote: »

Pretty much started back at the same point as at the beginning of season 1.

I enjoyed it, but I agree with this part despite all the advice Tony was starting to give to others, and seemingly taking things in. Helping people Sandy, Roxy and Pat the Postman. Tried to set up the newspaper owner with Anne the graveyard window.

But to paraphrase the psychiatrist, he was still a whiny miserable cúnt at the end. Bottle of wine everyday to drown his sorrows. Forcing the nurse to listen to his constant whinging, even when he supposedly stopped!

And making Emma (the nurse) feel second best all the time. Then having the neck to be jealous that she went searching for company elsewhere with Simon. Who Tony thought was a cúnt just because he was jealous of him. But as the nurse pointed out at least he does not constantly go on about another woman!

Never mind Emma taking groundhog day. It appears we the viewer have to take groundhog day as far as Tony's character is concerned. Season 3 in the pipeline? With more of the same and Tony with his 'Lisa used to say, Lisa used to do.' Crying at a laptop and feeding his dog Brandy.

Better Than Christ · 30-04-2020 10:35pm

gormdubhgorm wrote: »

Enjoyed most of it, but I got to be honest I think the ending would have been a lot better if Tony killed himself.

I found myself saying "Do it! Do it!" at the end.

gormdubhgorm · 30-04-2020 10:43pm

Better Than Christ wrote: »

I found myself saying "Do it! Do it!" at the end.

This is exactly what I did to be honest. As it was exactly the same thing he did with the heroin addict.

After that scene Tony gave him the money and he OD'd.
Later Tony said he did not think he would do it.

So are we to take it after two seasons Tony has 'given up' like the Heroin fella (Julian) ?

01-05-2020 12:38am

The psychiatrist is so bizarre. It's funny I guess but it he sticks out like a sore thumb against all the seriousness. Especially with the brother-in-law continuing to see him even though he's clearly unqualified.

NIMAN · 01-05-2020 1:06am

I did say earlier that Paul Kaye's character was stealing the show. I had watched 2 episodes up to then.

However, he got less funny as it went on. And more crude.

Its as if Gervais told him to be as rude, filthy and obnoxious as he could. Shocking language isn't necessarily funny.The actions of him and his mates in the pub on their night out summed it up for me. Not funny at all.

Andrew00 · 01-05-2020 1:21am

NIMAN wrote: »

I did say earlier that Paul Kaye's character was stealing the show. I had watched 2 episodes up to then.

However, he got less funny as it went on. And more crude.

Its as if Gervais told him to be as rude, filthy and obnoxious as he could. Shocking language isn't necessarily funny.The actions of him and his mates in the pub on their night out summed it up for me. Not funny at all.

It was funny the stuff they were doing in the pub

Sunrise_Sunset · 01-05-2020 10:59am

NIMAN wrote: »

I did say earlier that Paul Kaye's character was stealing the show. I had watched 2 episodes up to then.

However, he got less funny as it went on. And more crude.

Its as if Gervais told him to be as rude, filthy and obnoxious as he could. Shocking language isn't necessarily funny.The actions of him and his mates in the pub on their night out summed it up for me. Not funny at all.

Hated this character. Took away from the show. It actually would've been funnier if he was toned down a bit (a lot). Just a hint of obnoxiousness is way funnier and more intriguing.

Mushy · 01-05-2020 3:56pm

Liked the second season as well. It's a heavy topic show mixed with some comedy all fitted in to 25 minutes, I'm not going to worry about Tony being a prick at the start of the season.

Liked the psychiatrist at the start, but was just added in for sake of it at the end (pub scene they could've been left out).

Worth a watch for the 3 hours though

gmisk · 01-05-2020 8:20pm

Second season is good so far...maybe not quite as good as season 1.
Totally agree about the Paul Kaye character....painful.
Really didn't find him amusing at all.

I did enjoy the new character the head of the drama group. He does stand up as Anna Mann very funny.
Diane Morgan and Roisin Conaty great fun as always. Love the relationship between Penelope Wilton and Ricky Gervais character.

Penn · 03-05-2020 12:53pm

Halfway through episode 3. Jesus this has turned into awful tripe. Only for Roisin Conaty and Penelope Wilton who steal every scene they're in. Diane Morgan could be great too but she's only there to say something about the supernatural so Ricky can go off on a tear.

Tell me how · 05-05-2020 6:32pm

Finished watching this at the weekend.

Too many story lines which I felt could have been explored or done differently instead of what we got which was not particularly funny or interesting.
Sandy - From bright eyed new hire, to someone frozen in the face of lifes challenges.
The guy who supposedly owned the paper. Was he going to take over running it from Matt? What did he do before? Would anyone revise their life plans like that based on a simple conversation in a coffee shop?
Lenny's partner and child, the whole thing was a showcase in how someone can belittle someone they supposedly care for and actually is an enabler to them continuing on a dangerous path.
Kath - We saw her struggle with being single in season 1, here she seemed to make a desperate grab for Matt and then pick a guy who the show seemed to be laughing at, not with, just so she wouldn't be alone.
Ann - Just too uncomplicated, there every day, always with a positive word, easily fell in to step with new guy. No complications or explanation of someones situation who was dealing with what Tony was dealing with
Brian - Again, think the show was laughing at him (and people like him) rather than with him.
The MC or host or whatever at the comedy show - Why did they have to be written like that, just fed in to the sense that any humor in this series was largely at the cost of someone else.
Postman/Daphne relationship, some feel good element to it but felt like it was shoehorned in to tick a box.
The psychologist - If he was 10% as crass and dismissive, it could have been funny, as it was, it just felt ludicrous and way OTT.
Tony's dad - Thought his passing away anf final moments with Tony before it were done well. Could they not have made him look younger at Matt's wedding given it was at least 10 years previously?

As for Tony, as I said, I can only imagine the horrific sense of loss of losing a partner in this way but I was getting sick of him in this series. Sandy, Matt, Kath, Anne, Emma, Lenny all had challenges in their lives but very quickly it turned to him talking about his issue and what he had lost.
Even his Dads eulogy, but then that line when he said about it reminded him of his situation I thought again was selfish. Emma coming to his door at the end didn't feel like a moment of triumph for him, but a moment of resignation from her. What about her right to be truly loved and wanted?
I know they tried to turn him in to a healer in this show with his saving the paper, setting up Anne, comforting Sandy but it felt paper thin and he didn't really seem to progress either, but just that we were watching him in different phases of oscillating grief. A final scene of him watching the video of Lisa telling him to find someone and then him knocking on Emma's door would have felt more like a believable and acceptable progression than what we saw.

Gervais did very well to communicate the consistent debilitating sense of loss which I imagine someone who has lost their partner in this way must feel, but, as a show, I would give it 4 out of ten. I would probably have given series one 9/10 when I watched it first.

Mantis Toboggan · 05-05-2020 8:20pm

Enjoyed it but my god it was sad, not sure if it was the music or tone but herself was in tears regularly.

Acosta · 05-05-2020 9:25pm

There was absolutely no need for a second series of this

gormdubhgorm · 05-05-2020 9:38pm

Tell me how wrote: »

Finished watching this at the weekend.
Too many story lines which I felt could have been explored or done differently instead of what we got which was not particularly funny or interesting.
Sandy - From bright eyed new hire, to someone frozen in the face of lifes challenges.
The guy who supposedly owned the paper. Was he going to take over running it from Matt? What did he do before? Would anyone revise their life plans like that based on a simple conversation in a coffee shop?
Lenny's partner and child, the whole thing was a showcase in how someone can belittle someone they supposedly care for and actually is an enabler to them continuing on a dangerous path.
Kath - We saw her struggle with being single in season 1, here she seemed to make a desperate grab for Matt and then pick a guy who the show seemed to be laughing at, not with, just so she wouldn't be alone.
Ann - Just too uncomplicated, there every day, always with a positive word, easily fell in to step with new guy. No complications or explanation of someones situation who was dealing with what Tony was dealing with
Brian - Again, think the show was laughing at him (and people like him) rather than with him.
The MC or host or whatever at the comedy show - Why did they have to be written like that, just fed in to the sense that any humor in this series was largely at the cost of someone else.
Postman/Daphne relationship, some feel good element to it but felt like it was shoehorned in to tick a box.
The psychologist - If he was 10% as crass and dismissive, it could have been funny, as it was, it just felt ludicrous and way OTT.
Tony's dad - Thought his passing away anf final moments with Tony before it were done well. Could they not have made him look younger at Matt's wedding given it was at least 10 years previously?

As for Tony, as I said, I can only imagine the horrific sense of loss of losing a partner in this way but I was getting sick of him in this series. Sandy, Matt, Kath, Anne, Emma, Lenny all had challenges in their lives but very quickly it turned to him talking about his issue and what he had lost.
Even his Dads eulogy, but then that line when he said about it reminded him of his situation I thought again was selfish. Emma coming to his door at the end didn't feel like a moment of triumph for him, but a moment of resignation from her. What about her right to be truly loved and wanted?
I know they tried to turn him in to a healer in this show with his saving the paper, setting up Anne, comforting Sandy but it felt paper thin and he didn't really seem to progress either, but just that we were watching him in different phases of oscillating grief. A final scene of him watching the video of Lisa telling him to find someone and then him knocking on Emma's door would have felt more like a believable and acceptable progression than what we saw.

Gervais did very well to communicate the consistent debilitating sense of loss which I imagine someone who has lost their partner in this way must feel, but, as a show, I would give it 4 out of ten. I would probably have given series one 9/10 when I watched it first.

I dunno I agree with some of your take on it. But I don't think it was that bad. Maybe 7 out of 10 didn't have the impact as the first series, and as you say there was no real movement.
There was only two characters that annoyed me the Psychiatrist - it just became too silly and felt like a repeated stand up sketch. The character of Tony started to annoy me as well. As you say he just seemed very selfish, felt like he was just the same fella as at the start - except occasionally helpful.

I felt the other characters could have been fleshed out a bit the backgrounds of Roxy/Sandy/Kath/Postman Pat/Brian in flashbacks conversation or whatever. To show how they got where they are.
I felt I was more interested in the other characters than Tony.

Alf Veedersane · 06-05-2020 2:02pm

I like it but...

I think they could have fleshed out characters like Sandy and Kath more.

It was more maudlin than S1. I didn't expect a comedy but S1 seemed to strike the right balance with comic relief, this didn't.

Some of the comic relief was too forced.

The psychiatrist. It was too much. Too crude. It could be done a lot more subtly and have been a much better addition. He also got a lot more airtime than other characters we should be more interested in for some unknown reason.

There was little change in Tony. There doesn't have to be but it started with him about to kill himself and thats how he ended two seasons later.

There's probably more and I still liked watching it but I'd give it maybe a 6/10

06-05-2020 2:14pm

I kinda felt like Ricky got offered a series 3 during the making of series 2, so he decided that he'd flesh out series 2 to try and milk the show a bit.

The character doesn't progress at all. The brother character suffers a break up that gets back together because of.. seemingly nothing.. the background characters that are mildly interesting (Kaith for example) get practically no screen time, and they use the exact same ending as series 1 again?

I just feel like series 2 was supposed to accomplish something, but instead, it's being saved for series 3, so everything was just dragged out for the 2nd series.

(I don't know if there is actually a series 3 confirmed or not, by the way, but this is just how i felt watching it).

It's very formulaic and repetitive. In one episode I think he has the same conversation 3 or 4 times in a row (with the prostitute at dinner, Kaith in the cafe, Sandy at work, etc. and it's just 'Lisa did this, Lisa did that'). Now, I'm half wondering is it being done on purpose. Are we actually supposed to be getting sick of hearing it? Maybe that's the "point" of the show? That people will only listen to you whinge and moan for so long before they get fed up with you? If so, it's quite smart, but i don't think Gervais is quite smart enough to pull that off. I reckon it's just showing his limitations and trying to squeeze an extra series out of Netflix.

06-05-2020 2:15pm

Also, one of the funnier characters was the chap putting his post in the dog sh/te bin. I thought his mannerisms were funny - Can anyone tell me if that's the same fella that gets Ricky a line with Samuel L Jackson in Extras? He plays an extra playing a police officer and asks Ricky to take him to dinner..?

Alf Veedersane · 06-05-2020 2:18pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I kinda felt like Ricky got offered a series 3 during the making of series 2, so he decided that he'd flesh out series 2 to try and milk the show a bit.

The character doesn't progress at all. The brother character suffers a break up that gets back together because of.. seemingly nothing.. the background characters that are mildly interesting (Kaith for example) get practically no screen time, and they use the exact same ending as series 1 again?

I just feel like series 2 was supposed to accomplish something, but instead, it's being saved for series 3, so everything was just dragged out for the 2nd series.

(I don't know if there is actually a series 3 confirmed or not, by the way, but this is just how i felt watching it).

It's very formulaic and repetitive. In one episode I think he has the same conversation 3 or 4 times in a row (with the prostitute at dinner, Kaith in the cafe, Sandy at work, etc. and it's just 'Lisa did this, Lisa did that'). Now, I'm half wondering is it being done on purpose. Are we actually supposed to be getting sick of hearing it? Maybe that's the "point" of the show? That people will only listen to you whinge and moan for so long before they get fed up with you? If so, it's quite smart, but i don't think Gervais is quite smart enough to pull that off. I reckon it's just showing his limitations and trying to squeeze an extra series out of Netflix.

He's never done a third season/series so it's unlikely he'll do one here.

06-05-2020 2:21pm

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

He's never done a third season/series so it's unlikely he'll do one here.

I'll wait and see. Can't see how the second series would have been so repetitive with no direction unless there's a follow up. Might try and swing a netflix film out of it or something.

Alf Veedersane · 06-05-2020 2:25pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Also, one of the funnier characters was the chap putting his post in the dog sh/te bin. I thought his mannerisms were funny - Can anyone tell me if that's the same fella that gets Ricky a line with Samuel L Jackson in Extras? He plays an extra playing a police officer and asks Ricky to take him to dinner..?

That's the chap.

A Consonant Please Carol · 06-05-2020 2:26pm

I loved the first series but was really disappointed with series two. Thought it was very poor.

Penn · 06-05-2020 2:27pm

Deleted User wrote: »

The brother character suffers a break up that gets back together because of.. seemingly nothing.. the background characters that are mildly interesting (Kaith for example) get practically no screen time, and they use the exact same ending as series 1 again?

I think that's part of what annoys me most thinking about it. The other characters are just there to either help or annoy Tony. That's it. There's so little substance to anything else they do, it's just there to help or annoy Tony. Even the brother-in-law; we see his therapy sessions just to see the therapist, and then his marriage is fixed not through something he's learned or how he's changed, just his wife suddenly got jealous and then they're back together.

Kath is just there to say things about the supernatural so Tony can get annoyed about it. The photographer lad is only there so Tony can make fun of him but he sometimes also says nice things (and how the hell can Tony not do that job himself, he literally just pressed On, points and clicks. Takes one photo with no set up. How can Tony not do that if the paper is already operating at a loss?). Sandy is just there for Tony to try and help (her sudden tears over possibly losing her job, Tony saying they'll save the paper, and then convincing the owner to turn down half a million on the off-chance they might be able to make a slight profit on the paper in a year oh and by the way have I told you about my dead wife - that was one of the stupidest things I've watched in ages, along with the dog going mental at him when he's about to take the pills, and the owner and Anne meeting randomly and looking like they'll possibly start a relationship rather than the logical idea of Tony actually setting them up).

The postman and sex worker, we see so little of their possible relationship and only really in a way that is there to annoy Tony. Anne is only there to give Tony advice. And the nurse turns down a perfectly nice guy to be with Tony when it's not been earned in any way.

He's framed the entire show and all the characters around his own character, who really isn't worth it because he shows no sign of actually being able to change and spends most of the time in a severe depression.

I'm not going to bother with the next series unless it gets really rave reviews. It had potential but it's actually really annoying to watch most of the time.

A Consonant Please Carol · 06-05-2020 2:33pm

The whole bloody series was people telling Tony what a great fella he was, how concerned they were for him and him telling them how much he loved and missed his wife.

As someone already said, series one struck the right balance. This was a load of shehite.

Tell me how · 06-05-2020 3:42pm

Deleted User wrote: »

It's very formulaic and repetitive. In one episode I think he has the same conversation 3 or 4 times in a row (with the prostitute at dinner, Kaith in the cafe, Sandy at work, etc. and it's just 'Lisa did this, Lisa did that'). Now, I'm half wondering is it being done on purpose. Are we actually supposed to be getting sick of hearing it? Maybe that's the "point" of the show? That people will only listen to you whinge and moan for so long before they get fed up with you? If so, it's quite smart, but i don't think Gervais is quite smart enough to pull that off. I reckon it's just showing his limitations and trying to squeeze an extra series out of Netflix.

I don't think so. It's an angle that could have been taken but they haven't indicated any characters increasingly become frustrated with Tony aside from Matt who did so in Season 1.

If he wanted to extend it beyond Season 2, then it would have been very easy to show some more depth around the characters and to give him some progression in his own path.

Hell, even if we saw him being vocal about being ready for a relationship with Emma but always reverting to watching Lisa on his PC while pretending to be in love it would have been more believable, interesting and could have easily extended the story line.

I was thinking about it yesterday and also thinking of his show, The Extras and thinking of how Andy (Gervais) in that show was very frustrated with silly plot lines and no depth to a character, and yet here, we are watching a different take on that scenario.
Can imagine the onset conversations between Diane, Mandeep and Roisin (Kath/Sandy/Daphne) and surely they must have had some frustration with the way their characters evolved in Season 2.

Alf Veedersane · 06-05-2020 4:14pm

I had always thought it would he hard to do a second season that would complement the first. It was more of the same without any real change except him saying he'd try to be nicer to people who were decent. A couple of light examples of that but no more. I think it was a stretch to get 6 more episodes out of it and he was basically no better off and we knew no more about the other characters.

I liked it, to a degree, but I think a second season was a mistake because he hadn't left it any space to grow at the end of Season 1; I don't really think he'd written it with a second season in mind

06-05-2020 4:54pm

I couldn't help but laugh when the dog barked at him as he was about to take the sleeping pills. It's hard to take the drama seriously when its not set in reality.

06-05-2020 4:55pm

How did it take 6 episodes for yer man to walk away from that psychiatrist

Tell me how · 06-05-2020 7:20pm

Acosta wrote: »

There was absolutely no need for a second series of this

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

He's never done a third season/series so it's unlikely he'll do one here.

Deleted User wrote: »

I'll wait and see. Can't see how the second series would have been so repetitive with no direction unless there's a follow up. Might try and swing a netflix film out of it or something.

Money talks.

https://twitter.com/rickygervais/status/1258078508691140609

Alf Veedersane · 06-05-2020 8:10pm

Tell me how wrote: »

Money talks.

https://twitter.com/rickygervais/status/1258078508691140609

That'd be a shame. He knew when to call it a day on The Office and Extras even though he could definitely have milked those for longer.

JP Liz V1 · 06-05-2020 11:14pm

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

That'd be a shame. He knew when to call it a day on The Office and Extras even though he could definitely have milked those for longer.

I did think it would be a one season show but season 2 was enjoyable and it is a ratings winner for Netflix so I can understand how Afterlife got renewed for season 3

Alf Veedersane · 06-05-2020 11:40pm

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

I did think it would be a one season show but season 2 was enjoyable and it is a ratings winner for Netflix so I can understand how Afterlife got renewed for season 3

I can see how they made a case for a second season but I didn't think season 1 ended with enough room for a second season. And season 2, which I did watch and like, just didn't really have enough to suggest that there was a third season.

Extras would have been very popular but maybe it's because we're in different times re. social media and Netflix and the demand...but I think he should know that a third season isn't there. For the same reasons he stopped at S2 in both The Office and Extras. He could have milked those dry but didn't

gormdubhgorm · 07-05-2020 1:43pm

Tell me how wrote: »

Money talks.

https://twitter.com/rickygervais/status/1258078508691140609

If it threads water again I will feel cheated.
I also feel Gervais knew damn well he could make a third series, which is why he left it open with the ending in season 2. The proper way to end would have been to have Tony kill himself - no season 3.

gormdubhgorm · 07-05-2020 1:50pm

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

That'd be a shame. He knew when to call it a day on The Office and Extras even though he could definitely have milked those for longer.

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

I can see how they made a case for a second season but I didn't think season 1 ended with enough room for a second season. And season 2, which I did watch and like, just didn't really have enough to suggest that there was a third season.

Extras would have been very popular but maybe it's because we're in different times re. social media and Netflix and the demand...but I think he should know that a third season isn't there. For the same reasons he stopped at S2 in both The Office and Extras. He could have milked those dry but didn't

I loved the office but hated extras. I think I tried one or two episodes of extras and thought it was muck - did not 'get' it at all.

Loved season 1 of Afterlife. Season 2 of Afterlife started off great then gradually seemed to dip in places - it could have been great there were so many missed chances to add depth - missed. I just hope season 3 does not continue this trajectory.

Alf Veedersane · 07-05-2020 2:06pm

gormdubhgorm wrote: »

I loved the office but hated extras. I think I tried one or two episodes of extras and thought it was muck - did not 'get' it at all.

Loved season 1 of Afterlife. Season 2 of Afterlife started off great then gradually seemed to dip in places - it could have been great there were so many missed chances to add depth - missed. I just hope season 3 does not continue this trajectory.

I don't see how a third season could be any better without a massive sea change in Tony or with a lot more focus on the other characters but I can't see either happening.c

As for Extras, we'll agree to disagree. I thought it was hilarious.

Acosta · 07-05-2020 4:04pm

Tell me how wrote: »

Money talks.

https://twitter.com/rickygervais/status/1258078508691140609

Well I'm out anyway. Creatively it was a one season show, but as you said money talks. Pity he just doesn't develop a new show for Netflix instead.

07-05-2020 4:17pm

Why not just remake season 1 again? That's essentially what season 2 was. It wasn't perfect but I mildly enjoyed it. Easy watching in only six 30 minute chunks.

07-05-2020 5:57pm

Deleted User wrote: »

I kinda felt like Ricky got offered a series 3 during the making of series 2, so he decided that he'd flesh out series 2 to try and milk the show a bit.

I knew it. Series 2 was far too repetitive, and using the same ending again, just tells me that he had genuinely got an idea for series 2, but instead of utilising it, he will keep his grand idea for series 3 instead.

Series 3 will have him moving on and be a 'new man' I'm sure.

GreeBo · 07-05-2020 6:07pm

The scenes with Diane Morgan and Gervais are very well done, its almost like they are ad libbing, her reactions are very natural, great actress.

The psychiatrist was poor, far too heavy handed, ruined what could have been interesting.
The scenes with the sex worker and the postie were also pretty good.

gmisk · 07-05-2020 8:03pm

GreeBo wrote: »

The scenes with Diane Morgan and Gervais are very well done, its almost like they are ad libbing, her reactions are very natural, great actress.

The psychiatrist was poor, far too heavy handed, ruined what could have been interesting.
The scenes with the sex worker and the postie were also pretty good.

The psychiatrist was absolutely bloody awful not funny at all. He was ok in season one. Distractingly awful on this season.
I loved the scenes with Penelope Wilton and Ricky Gervais. Ashley Jensen does so much lovely stuff with her little bit of time on screen as well.
The tambury players bit was really funny, the Brian character is bizarre but I found him funny. The lead of the drama thing was good as well he does a standup character called Anna Mann v funny

Acosta · 07-05-2020 8:10pm

First season was 50/50 funny/sad, but the second is 20/80 funny/sad. It's too much of a downer. Whatever you're into, but I prefer my comedy free from drama.

Penn · 07-05-2020 8:27pm

Acosta wrote: »

First season was 50/50 funny/sad, but the second is 20/80 funny/sad. It's too much of a downer. Whatever you're into, but I prefer my comedy free from drama.

Drama in comedy can work brilliantly. Even season 1 of this had a much better balance.

The issue is, the comedy and drama have to work together. They have to be compatible, and compliment each other. In season 2 of this, there was no attempt at trying to have the two working in sync. He completely undercut any seriousness coming from Tony's depression and grief by intercutting it with the psychiatrist, or the bearded non-postman guy, or the kid kissing his mother goodnight while she was having sex. Likewise, anything that they could have gotten a decent bit of comedy out (the Postman and sex worker's relationship, Sandy trying to get interviews about the play while it all goes wrong, maybe the photographer trying to bond with his girlfriend's son) was completely ignored because it didn't revolve around Tony and his story.

Tell me how · 07-05-2020 9:21pm

I think Gervais's comedy is funny when he is writing about incidents in which no one is trying to be funny, but they happen to be.
The funny stuff in The Office was when David Brent was doing stuff which David Brent thought was normal. The comedy in Extras was largely celebrities being a little peculiar and his agent being quirky.
But I'm not sure that too many people would have told their friends, you must watch 'After Life' it's hilarious. The first season was popular because it dealt with grief and depression in a meaningful way but there weren't too many scenes which felt like they were written for comedy.
This season, there seemed to be too many scenes which were written 'to get a laugh' and they weren't that funny.
Brian talking about sticking his own unit in to himself, the therapist, the camp theater MC, the adult child kissing his mother while she was having sex? These aren't scenes of a brilliant comedy writer. They're a million miles behind some of the stuff with Gareth in the office.

gmisk · 07-05-2020 10:05pm

Tell me how wrote: »

I think Gervais's comedy is funny when he is writing about incidents in which no one is trying to be funny, but they happen to be.
The funny stuff in The Office was when David Brent was doing stuff which David Brent thought was normal. The comedy in Extras was largely celebrities being a little peculiar and his agent being quirky.
But I'm not sure that too many people would have told their friends, you must watch 'After Life' it's hilarious. The first season was popular because it dealt with grief and depression in a meaningful way but there weren't too many scenes which felt like they were written for comedy.
This season, there seemed to be too many scenes which were written 'to get a laugh' and they weren't that funny.
Brian talking about sticking his own unit in to himself, the therapist, the camp theater MC, the adult child kissing his mother while she was having sex? These aren't scenes of a brilliant comedy writer. They're a million miles behind some of the stuff with Gareth in the office.

He co wrote the office with Stephen merchant right? He might need someone to write alongside to get the very best out of him.

Jofspring · 07-05-2020 11:37pm

What was the story with the phsychiatrist? It's been a year since I watched season 1 but he wasn't at all like that in season 1 was he? Seems like a huge jump in his character from what I remember.

It was like watching Strutter but without the New York accent.

I would have liked season 2 to have been more about him moving on with his life rather than more of the same from season 1.

Easy Rod · 08-05-2020 12:01am

Season 1 was enjoyable (despite the weird assisted suicide bit). Season 2 was maudlin, repetitive and not funny. Every episode went like:

Scene with Tony depressed in work but cracks a little laugh at someone’s expense.
Random scene with wacky/offbeat side character, punch down gag
Visits his dad and is sad and tells Emma he likes her but his dead wife is better
Deep & meaningful chat with old lady in grave yard
Tony watches video of his wife where she gives an inspirational quote, dog brings in a stick

End of episode

08-05-2020 12:23am

Easy Rod wrote: »

Season 1 was enjoyable (despite the weird assisted suicide bit). Season 2 was maudlin, repetitive and not funny. Every episode went like:

Scene with Tony depressed in work but cracks a little laugh at someone’s expense.
Random scene with wacky/offbeat side character, punch down gag
Visits his dad and is sad and tells Emma he likes her but his dead wife is better
Deep & meaningful chat with old lady in grave yard
Tony watches video of his wife where she gives an inspirational quote, dog brings in a stick

End of episode

Don't forget the musical montages of Tony walking around

After Life - Netflix

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