Int. a hospital room\u2013presumably early morning. A woman adorning a floral, baby blue robe and matching headwrap fidgets before the camera. She is hesitating. Amidst the monotonous hum of monitors and the gentle, yet tenacious drum of an IV, her voice proclaims, \u201cIf you\u2019re watching this, then I\u2019m not around anymore.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The words that hibernated within her chest graciously flew off her tongue. With the greatest of ease, she continues, \u201cI couldn\u2019t say any of this to your face. It\u2019s too embarrassing…for you, not for me, obviously. You\u2019re never really good at hearing how lovely you are.\u201d She pauses, directing her eyes away from the camera as a faint smile sincerely paints across her countenance. \u201cYou are. You\u2019re lovely.\u201d For a moment, her pale eyes linger on the camera. Then, she chuckles, \u201cBut you\u2019re absolutely f****** useless.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cut to a man lying restfully in bed. His brunette hair is disheveled. A laptop is propped by his knees. Intently, he listens to her posthumous monologue, lingering on her every word: \u201cSo, I thought I\u2019d leave you a little guide to life without me.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Netflix Original series written and directed by Ricky Gervais, \u201cAfter Life\u201d is a compelling, dark-comedy that follows Tony Johnson\u2013a small-town newspaper writer coping with loss in his journey to healing.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Embittered by the passing of his wife Lisa, Johnson essentially gives up on living. At first, he contemplates taking his own life but decides to lead the remainder of his days as a cantankerous curmudgeon because, in his own words, \u201cthere\u2019s no advantage to being nice and thoughtful and caring and having integrity…it\u2019s a disadvantage<\/strong> if anything.\u201d In fact, Johnson views this dismal philosophy as a superpower since, should it ever fail,\u201d[he\u2019s] always got suicide to fall back on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a0As the series progresses on, the audience witnesses how, though Johnson knowingly seeks out and engages in unhealthy coping mechanisms, he is met with individuals who, in ways, connect to him, who deeply care for his well-being so much so that they implore him to see the error in his ways and change. These interactions bear great significance. Notably, a conversation with Anne, a woman, who like Johnson, regularly visits her significant other\u2019s grave at the same cemetery. Johnson details, \u201cBut it didn\u2019t go to plan. At first, I thought it was like a superpower. I can do anything. Who cares? What\u2019s the worst that can happen?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut then, I realized you can\u2019t…not care about things you actually care about. You can\u2019t fool yourself.\u201d He then directs to her, \u201cIt\u2019s something you said, that it\u2019s not all about me. And even though I\u2019m in pain, <\/em>it\u2019s worth sticking around to maybe make my little corner of the world a slightly better place<\/strong>.\u201d With a raising of her eyebrow, she confirms. \u201cIt is. Happiness is amazing. It\u2019s so amazing, it doesn\u2019t matter if it\u2019s yours or not.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere\u2019s that lovely thing, \u2018<\/em>A society grows great when old men plant trees the shade of which they know they will never sit in<\/strong>.\u2019\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n A clever concoction of comedy and drama, and lest we forget to mention donning a rather lovely soundtrack, “After Life\u201d illustrates the ability of Gervais as writer and performer.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAfter Life\u201d is truly an extension of Gervais. The series tackles abstract themes present throughout his stand-up such as religiosity, death, sincerity and humanity. Additionally, \u201cAfter Life\u201d takes place in an environment perhaps reminiscent of his youth\u2013a tightly knit, working-class community that greatly shaped his introspective character. \u201cAfter Life\u201d echoes his previous works. Through rare glimpses, such as the comic scene in Episode Three, one observes how Gervais toys with “the theory of mind.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Though the subject matter is a bit heavier and viewer discretion is advised, for those who are interested in the series, take note that on April 24, 2020, Netflix released the series\u2019 highly anticipated second season. In the meantime, Season One is available on Netflix for your binging pleasure. It contains six episodes, all with an approximate half-an-hour run time.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n