No, go off!!! Your audience can't expect ALL of your analytical reviews to be positive. We watch your videos because your take on film is always really interesting and articulated with a background of education. I'm stoked to see more videos like this from you :D
Good coverage, the one thing I will say is that immediately opening with a guy holding a razor to a wrist was jarring and anxiety inducing. Just a five second content warning at the beginning would help prepare viewers like me, or give them time to click off. It's just a pretty heavy topic to blindside the audience with
I disagree, but I really liked your Vlog on the show. Ironically, I found you explaining things in a way that helped me understand WHY I like it - and why I think he wrote it. The wash of dis-affectation, the pervasive malaise that can coat a deep depression, things being ridiculous in the world without a clear way of rebuttal (or is merely silent and observes different little hypocrisies - swallowing lies and also deep truths in silence - , not being exactly proud of one's self & actions & not seemingly capable of mustering the energy to ..¿to fight again and believe in life? , -_ - , anger, bitterness and also real caring, remorse, confusion & seeking. He learns from the widow on the bench, for it is these types of insights & truth that he has any sort of tolerance for. I see what you're saying about the therapist: a characature rather out of our fears of what those who listen to us might actually be thinking, and I wonder why Ricky stays with him. Seems there are both broad & simple characters, unapologetic eccentricities and also wise, clear (mostly) women who have dimensionality. >I liked your opinions - it was surprising fun to listen to and have the reasons why you didn't like it be the basis for why I found refreshing truth. ◇~Thanks, Little Thought Tree 🌳 😊 you always help me think 🤔 and learn more about life, society and myself. What a gift 🎁
Yeah, I think the expression misery loves company has the right idea. When I was depressed, it helped hearing other people tell me they found life to be crap at times too, and they're not happy all (or even most) of the time. People act like they're happy, but most are hiding their pain, and I wasn't crazy for feeling down about things. I found that more helpful than being told life is great when I felt like it really wasn't. Life can be very frustrating, disappointing, and difficult, and you're not crazy for feeling depressed about it. You're not alone. That helped me.
Saying that people saying that world is beautiful when you are depressed causes more self isolation is also another problematic message to put out. It basically tells those that are not depressed to not be happy around those that are cause you will cause them self isolation.
@@lampad4549 It's not really saying you shouldn't be allowed to feel the way you feel. There's nothing wrong with feeling happy or depressed. I'm just saying that it's not helpful telling people how they should see the world or how they should feel about things. It's kind of patronising.
@@xzonia1 I don't think that statement is meant to be taken as a positive, its meant to a critique of the depressed mindset unless im mistaken , like how miserable don't want hang those that aren't miserable cause it makes them feel bad so choose to hang around those that aren't happy to feed into that perpetual cycle and not trying to take step to break out of it. I don't know what most people mean to you but that's not the reality i've observed. Yes it is a myopic statement to say that most people are happy but it is equally myopic to say that most people are really miserable and hiding their pain. There are times in people's lives where they are miserable and times where they are joyous. I find hard to believe that people when they go to a comedy club and laugh that they are all actually miserable, or when me and my friends hang out together laugh and chat shit we are all in pain, or when a father plays with his infant child that he hiding his depression. Couldn't it be that there are just times where people feel depressed and times where people don't. Doesn't that seem more believable? As for that being more helpful how so? As a depressed person wouldn't you already know life isn't great and wouldn't you want to know from someone who isn't depressed about their perspective about why they feel life is great cause it runs contrary to yours? Maybe that's just me but an escape from my depression was to hang around those were in a good move and passionate about something going on with their. Its kind of sappy but seeing other people happy makes me happy. Life is very disappointing, frustrating and difficult, but is also fulfilling, joyous and surprisingly easy going at times as well and while your not crazy to feel depressed your also not crazy to feel joyous either. This helped as well dude. If you said people are happy usually to avoid feeling down I would agree with you but different from hiding it.
For a British comedy it feels quite like a traditional American sitcom, Tony is the wisecracking (albeit miserable) hero with all the 'funny lines', all the other characters exist just to help set up gags for the protagonist. Also agree that the storyline with his father having dementia was poorly explored and could have provided a lot more emotional content than it did.
I've always kinda been really annoyed at comedy shows where the person creating it makes themselves the main character and makes all the other characters ridiculous to make the main character look good. It's way too egotistical for me.
Seinfeld is like that in someways. You can really side with Jerry and co’s selfish, anti-social behaviour. Mostly because we are familiar with the gang, and the others that come and go from their lives/the show are deliberately and hilariously reduced to one personality trait: low talker, close talker, soup Nazi, Vulva. Which is why the controversial finale was so good. The finale revisited a lot of the show’s funniest moments to give the other people involved a chance to voice their perspective. I think some viewers needed that, to have it pointed out that the Seinfeld gang often behaved terribly. Perhaps that’s why some people didn’t like the finale. They felt kinship with selfish people and the finale challenged the virtue of that way of living.
Good point but it's also about him being a narcissistic asshole - depressed but nevertheless narcissistic and that in a rather outspoken way otherwise there wouldn't be any material for a show Ricky Gervais could be in. The thing with seeing it that way is that some people envy him for just openly doing what others secretly are dreaming of doing but would never find the courage, spirit you name it to do so. And yeah ofc that's highly polarizing but that's with anything he does, isn't it. For some reason some of it I like and other stuff I can't watch without cringing uncontrollably (meaning having to turn that shit off instantly).
I dig it in a meta-ironic way. I can enjoy the straightforward sadism, and I can enjoy how the egotistical aspect makes the: "Original character don't steal" main feel buffoonish. It's also an interesting way to get into another person's headspace through their personal power fantasy.
Omg finally someone calls this show out for its "I'm 12 and this is deep" attitude. The show finally truly totally lost me when the office girl played by Diane Morgan said she was a Christian then immediately became a Christian strawman. It didn't really fit with her character (people into woowoo spiritualism aren't usually also christian) and the whole thing felt very.. obvious
Yeah I talked about that in the original recording of the video but cut it out because I waffled a little too much. I've got nothing wrong with atheism but I wished he stopped using strawman arguments to support his atheism. If he needs to put his religious views in there, it'd be nice to have someone challenge them enough for him to respond with greater depth
Such a shame too, as Diane Morgan is a fantastic actress and comic in her own right; part of what pissed me off was *knowing* he had a solid cast and just... didn't do the work for them.
@@mylittlethoughttree Ricky Gervais isn't as smart as he thinks he is. I respect the fact that he publicly called out Hollywood at the Golden Globes a few years ago but the dude is a nihilistic arsehole. If he can't do religious people the courtesy of portraying them in a nuanced light in his shows, what makes him think he actually knows anything about what they have to say? Pure arrogance, that's what.
@@kath7598 I basically just watched the series and formed an opinion based on its events. I love Ricky Gervais but this series is beyond overrated and treats suicidal thoughts with a such a trivial, uneducated attitude it’s actually pretty insulting to people who have actually experienced it.
@@KonstantinosII I'm talking about real human being Ricky Gervais, noted golden globe and big fan of religion, not fictional character Arthur Life, noted golden globe and big fan of religion.
Sevel standup comedians have these obligatory shows where their stage jokes are shoehorned into everyday conversation.This with the comedians' lazy half-baked philosophy, while there are never any real people in the show calling them out on their BS. In After Life, all of the characters are written as almost as big assholes as the lead, so they can't call him out on being a turd. All the while, no one watching learns anything about the characters or themselves, as they imagine themselves as Ricky Gervais owning people around them with clever oneliners. The show is essentially about a 50-year old teenager who loves to wallow in misery as he becomes increasingly obnoxious to the point that one wonders if he's actually only staying alive in order to torment people around him, like some mostly bitter but vengeful spirit that refuses to find rest.
I didn't care for "After Life" it's not harmful as "30 Reasons" but it's just another show/movie that pushes harmful stereotypes of mental health. As someone who has had lifelong struggles with my mental health issues I'm just so tired of this. I personally found the gratuitous fat jokes to be quite insensitive in a show of this nature. As many people with depression and other mental health issues are all to painfully aware weight loss and weight gain can be a huge part of it for more than one reason, medications being one of them. It's not helpful when you're going through a severe episode and people won't shut up about your weight gain or loss. honestly if you aren't my doctor can you kindly mind your own business.
It’s galling when Ricky, a man with the worldview of a 14 year old who just discovered nihilism, thinks he has anything profound to say about the human condition
I haven't seen the show, but the way you describe his enjoyment of getting one up on other people with sharp, poingnant, "witty" comebacks is how I used to be in my early 20s. I'm embarrassed when I think back at how smug I was. I thought was smart and clever and cool. I eventually learned empathy and what it means for other people to see the world from their own perspective. I have friends now too.
Thats kinda the point of the show, that u gotta move on from that sort of witty self you put out there for people to see atleast i think idk im just a random aha
@@justjack5833 it probably is, but I wasn't quite that mean and didn't make fat jokes, especially not to people's faces. His writing always seems a bit too mean spirited to me. It's a good idea, but hard to execute. The meanies out there will enjoy his snark and feel justified and the more mellow folk will feel put off watching.
@@mylittlethoughttree Thanks, but I think the way I was brought up made me especially smug. Especially for a young woman. It took me a few years to unlearn
@@gcooper642 I dont think just meanies can find it funny but i do think ricky gervais is a bit on the heftier side anyway i think he just has some creative ways of calling someone a fatty if u get my snow drift aha
What makes it so hard not to roll my eyes when watching this show is his constant run ins with idiots just so he can make a bunch of "Clever" comebacks. As if we aren't aware he wrote the bloody show. Reminds me of one of those lads who uses 2 reddit accounts just so they have an excuse to "own" someone in a reply. Hoping nobody realizes they're replying to themselves just to get praise from strangers. All the rubbish Gervais' put out since parting with Merchant gives me the feeling that Steve was probably the brains behind everything the whole time
The whole resolution of the show is that he was wrong for doing all those things you described, are you seriously putting this forward as a judgement of character of a person who you don't know?
@@serjuniorlunaticocornament427 It's not really a judgement of character tho it's a judgement of the low effort writing which seems to comprise most of the show. You can't just make bad jokes for an entire season then retroactively apply some kind of deeper meaning to them as if they didn't waste your time for 3 hours.
@@BigJuice69 The original comment was attempting to judge Ricky Gervais' character, so yes, it was a judgement of character. The writing was not low effort, and all the jokes meant to ridicule people were made to show you that Tony didn't care about the consequences of his actions anymore, following the death of his wife. As the show progresses he gains a new appreciation for the people around him, and he stops trying to hurt people's feelings on purpose. I have no clue how you would interpret that as Ricky Gervais trying to compliment himself or whatever dumbass take the original comment had.
I was baffled by him basically euthanizing the drug addict and never resolving it. I thought it was something that might come back to bite him the ass in season 2, but nope, it is never resolved. He basically killed a man because he was sad and angry with the world and never feels bad about it, even after he has his change of heart about wanting to die and be an asshole on the way out. I actually liked the show and saw that as the one flaw it had, but I can see it has deeper problems now. It vasically just feels like an excuse for Ricky Gervais to drop some insults and oneliners while also being "profound" and "life-affirming".
It bothered me too. I get the idea his death was supposed to be a motivation for Tony to realise how precious life is...but that point just doesn't land at all because nothing about that death is ever properly explored
Totally agree - we're supposed to care about Tony's redemption when he denied redemption to the drug addict character. And as you say, there were no consequences or remorse whatsoever. Lot of other niggles with this series, the psychotherapist character changes personality entirely when he starts sessions with Tony's boss and the depiction of the functioning of a local newspaper is pure fantasy, a million miles away from the sharp observations of the Office.
I thought he helped him because he was too weak to do it himself. He saw someone else in a very similar situation who seemed more than willing. And so when it he did it, he was rather happy he helped someone else move on and make the decision they thought was best. Never really understood why people are against other people killing themselves if they think it's the best option. It seems rather selfish, actually. "You can't kill yourself. I know you feel like shit, but your feelings aren't as important as mine. And if you killed yourself I'd feel worse than you feel now." That's how I always interpret what people say against suicide and other people doing it. It's really insensitive. Sure, helping isn't great, but Tony never felt the need to feel bad about it because from both of their perspectives he was helping put someone out of their misery.
Yeah, his character did that to the drug addict and then he feels no remorse for it but think he is so sad and everyone is an idiot around him for not thinking he is the saddest of them all and THEN he goes on a date and complain that the date was Narcessistic. THe man has lost it. He is now Trump narcisstic. Crap show. Its almost in the same level as giving Adam Sandler $500 mill and he records him and David Spade on holiday bullying kids til they cry all while wearing formula 1 jackets with thousands of sponsor brands and calling that a comedy movie.
He made him a favor... He said he wants to die. Of course he could have ask for help or get better, but he already made his mind to it and that's what he really wanted. I thought it was one of the first genuine good action Tony was making. Yes it's sad because he's dead, but it's also beautiful because they had support with each other and they found a way to connect and to share the same pain. I think there's many ways we can look at this show. I watched it and found many beautiful messages, authenticity about life and human experience and it shows a good comprehension of depression. How people can be angels and help us without them knowing by just being themself. I understand his action could shock some people, but he did it with a good heart and with good intention because he knows how much the other guy suffer.
I can deffinitly agree with the thoughts on it. But the first season did give me a big help with my depression in a wierd way. It gave me this weird epiphany thats never really landed before where I was able to say to myself in a way "all because I get depressed at times doesn't mean I should complain and wallow and feel sorry for myself". I was able to use it to look at myself and see the differences between needing help and wallowing in the pity I gave myself and the attention friends gave me for being depressed cause they wanted to help but I didn't wanna really help myself.
When Roxy cleaned his apartment I wanted to cry... Because I understand the feeling of not being able to do anything and she did something so basic but so helpful and it allowed him to start getting better. It was beautiful
I actually rather love the show. I don't watch a lot of comedy shows or sitcoms, but this show just feels more real. It feels like every day life. Tony isn't supposed to be complicated or developed, he's supposed to be real. And he feels real. It's not supposed to be well written or professional, it's supposed to be real. Season 2 and 3 don't do a whole lot better in terms of developing him. Characters move forward, but slowly. Though I'd still recommend watching them. Being completely honest, I've never cried more than I have watching this show.
The fact that you liked this show but you don’t like comedies says something. I’m not criticising your tastes. I just think that the things you enjoy are met here, but comedy drama lovers aren’t going to like this. The Office (U.K.) was the best comedy I’ve ever seen. Extras is top 5. I love Gervais… but for my tastes, recently he’s fallen off big time in the last 10 years. It’s overly sappy and sentimental for me. The Office has sentimentality but it wasn’t so formulaic.
@@PaperbackJourneys I never said I don't like comedies, just that I don't watch many of them (when it comes to shows, anyway). But this one I did watch, and loved. See, comedies are great. But they're extremely shallow if comedy is all they have. They need to have heart, and they need to say something in order for them to be worth my time.
@@ozricauroraexactly!!! Oh god, its such indescribably terrible shite!!! In Ricky's xfm days, there were endless references describing him as being insanely lazy ( hence the hiring of Karl Pilkington) and this comedy is absolutely saturated with laziness. It's honestly the most terribly written comedy ( or show generally ) of all time. The side characters are inexplicably moronic, unrelatable, unlikeable and ultimately forgettable, I literally can't remember ANY of their names ( I know Kev from Derek, dont know his name in this ?!? ) all of them are there to serve as cannon fodder for Ricky's "brilliant" views around atheism, the paranormal etc. I swear that this whole enterprise was an experiment where ricky said "let's see what absolute swill I can serve up to the masses, watch them call this indescribably stupid mess genius" And, using childishly emotive subjects combined with endless "touching" pieces of music, THAT HE SELECTED???!!! he succeeded in creating the "comedy" that he always lambasted when he had the assistance of an actually talented, motivated writer ( Merchant ) "When The Whistle Blows" was a VASTLY superior production than this.
Couldn’t agree more. Can’t believe you didn’t mention Tony’s complicity in the death of the drug addict! To argue over Tony’s legal or even moral responsibility is beside the point (I’ve seen lots of internet debates on that: “Tony only paid for the drugs. “The addict was responsible for his own actions”). But the show is about Tony’s emotional journey and the fact he instantly forgets about the death he enabled is NOT psychopathic. A psychopath has a consistent set of behaviour. It’s just dreadful writing. Gervais wrote a premise and refused to engage with it in any kind of authentic way. Gervais’ output, from Extras to stand up, tweets to Golden Globe hosting, is so often self-sabotaged by his narcissism. From the fiction of his shows, to the reality of his TV appearances, he is always positioning himself as the smartest in the room. But he’s not. Not factually, not comedically, not emotionally.
Limmy summed this show up well. He said it felt like Gervais wrote a spreadsheet with everything he had a problem with or wanted in the show, then just picked them out mechanically when writing it.
My biggest gripe with afterlife was it clouded over the very fucking good show afterlife about alison with the ability to see dead people that was early 2000s and also very british
Honestly, it's really nice someone else has heard of that show. It's my girlfriend's favourite of all time and she hates how she can't talk about it without people thinking she means the Ricky Gervais one 😂
I own, trained and handled Antilly the Wonder Hound who played “Brandy” on After Life and it was nice to watch lots of clips of her from when she was young. 🥰🐺
My impression of season one was that Gervais found a premise to have a character be an asshole and once the plot moved to him not insulting people all the time he wrapped up the season. The scenes/camera work gets tedious. Static camera. Gervais walks into a room, sits down. Says things. End of scene. There also seems to be this sense of him letting a comedian friend run wild and doesn't respect the story. I think there are some nice elements to the series, but it feels like Gervais needs a partner in making a series who can push back and help with the writing and directing. There were a lot of proto characters that I loved and would have wanted to see them be developed. Gervais's character was not interesting enough to be the main and this could have grown into a beautiful ensemble show if the other characters were allowed to grow and not be a wall for Gervais to bounce insults off of. I do think the later seasons improve albeit are still overly rushed.
Every time Ricky brings out a new standup special I re-watch After Life first. That way, when I'm depressed about how shit his standup has become (Ricky reads out his own tweets and then tells jokes like "trannies! Hahaha") I think to myself "well, it could be worse, it could be After Life".
It just seems to me like he wanted his Curb Your Enthusiasm where he can play a version of himself being an ass to people like he would like to be in real life.
Never really rated Ricky Gervais or credited him with much insight. Even found the comedy style in the Office really hard to deal with (cringe-comedy and I don't mix, I get second-hand embarrassment), and the more I see of him, the more I think he wasn't playing a character with David Brent. All his work since then has come across adolescent and smug, epitomised by his retooled "Attack helicopter" joke in Humanity And then he basically dropped the mask on twitter and outed himself as a legit transphobe, so there's that. Ed:- Ricky Gervais Show is alright, but mainly thanks to Stephen and especially Karl. Karl deserves better than Ricky.
Good video. I thought the second series was the funniest, but then it gets worse again in season 3 and the finale is really something. Similar to "Derek", it relies on emotional manipulation and lazy clichés, trying so hard to seem deep and meaningful. I feel like Ricky has been out of touch with the lives of "normal people" for too long, something he really nailed with The Office and Extras.
@@arturcirilo7601 good point yeah we didn’t realise how vital Stephen Merchant was to balance it out Maybe he’s got no one around him that will challenge him anymore 🤷🏻♂️ although Life’s Too Short wasn’t great either think they did that together
@OJ Can you explain why you say it relies on emotional manipulation? Because I thought the finale was beautiful, it must depend how you look at it and your own life experience... For some people clichés are easier to relate to or understand, but it's the meaning behind it that we have to consider. Thank you to inform me why you find theres emotional manipulation :)
Karl Pilkington’s show Sick Of It is the show that After Life is not. A sweet comedy drama about a lonely depressed guy. Feels so much more grounded and has a lot of Karl’s inner thoughts portrayed. It’s a show I related a lot with, but I wish I didn’t haha After Life was trash. I couldn’t make it past 2 episodes personally. I love The Office, Extras and The Ricky Gervais Show. But those days are long gone
Whilst I agree with you that SIck of it is better than Afterlife (not difficult), it wasn't great in my opinion, there are loads of 'dramatic turns' that later turn out to be completely inconsequential. Also, why is aunty Nor(m)a American?!
I really enjoyed the first season actually. But I didn't get why there even needed to be a second or a third season for that matter. The character arc felt completed for me. Tony obviously does not just "get over" his grief and moves on, but he manages to gain another perspective, to handle his problems in a healthier way and he stops being this enormous asshole towards everyone. I think because this series is such a personal project for Ricky he felt like he had more to tell, more ideas he would like to portray and in the end that didn't serve the series well in terms of creating a consistent work of art with an ending that makes sense from a dramaturgical point of view.
I loved the show I lost my mum when I was in my 20s she was only 50 and was terminal ill.i can tell you he played this so well you go though all sorts of emotions weather that's anger or sadness or trying to just deal with life or trying to get back to your life without someone who meant the world to you.its a look at a normal person dealing with a massive lose most people don't have a amazing fun life and after a loss your can take forever to deal with. So people really can't talk about the loss to people,I think this show will help someone dealing with lose and make them see that how they feell is OK and normal to feel all sorts of emotions.
I would agree I think it's a simplistic, repetitive show with bad humour. But I also understand the positive affect it can have, and I'm not gonna begrudge that
@@mylittlethoughttree don't think the humour is bad at all it's just his style and him being horrible to people is just a part of grieving u hate people being happy u can't help it it's seems unfair that people are happy and when u are going through loss.also people now adays are so soft they get offended by anything I found it funny especially the scene with the ginger kid in the school playground.
I lost my mum very recently and my dad around 10 years ago, I'm in my mid 20s. I've struggled with mental illness, depression and suidical tendencies since I was around 11 and I hated this show. Just because it shows one persons version of loss it isn't everyones, definitely isn't my reality currently. So to assume people don't know loss just because they don't like this show is very silly indeed. Whilst I'm glad it helps some people deal with their loss, it isn't for everyone!
Thanks for this honest video. It's interesting to see how this show falls short in many ways, which is a shame, since the premise centring on grief was compelling. Unfortunately, the execution is what ultimately let it down.
Season 1 in my estimation was a decent show. It was troubling and unrealistic, but at least it had a point. Season two is...What? Why? He's...still depressed and grieving but we need to continue getting this same message over and over again
Ricky is strawmanning all of his characters: a wife that died young from cancer, a dog that eats shit, a postman that read letters and cant be bothered to put letters through the door, a father who suffers alzheimers, a brother in law/manager who is an absolute pushover, a delivery boy who takes advantage of the manager's kindness to misuse his money for drugs, a work colleague that is fat, stupid and easily bullied, the list goes on. No wonder Ricky looks good here, he's strawmanned all of his creation.
I dislike the show, and I dislike Ricky Gervais. Having said that, there is something sort of authentic in parts of its representation of grief and depression. It can be utterly obnoxious to be around someone like Tony and difficult to put up with them, there is a lot of unhelpful advice ("just feel better!") and, I dunno, it's nice to have that acknowledged. It's the unbearably sentimental parts that really turn me off personally - I'd love a wholesome show about self-improvement and recovery, and I'd love a Bojack Horseman-style show about a terrible person enslaved to their depression, but After Life seems to want both? That, and also everything you said is why it doesn't work for me. Plus, I've never found Gervais funny. Only The Office has ever used him well imo.
They say "write about the things you know". Now, from what I learned about Ricky Gervais, he is deeply in love with his partner Jane Fallon. From bits of his acts I learned how much he (supposedly) respect her and base his life on her presence. Watching Afterlife I had the feeling he was acting what it would be his life without her, and that is sweet, but it's an experiment that could turn to be very artificial. Everything in this show feels like the shallow reflection of what he feels things are (like loss, depression, and the therapist, the collegues), mostly showing contempt about what he perceive as mediocre, with rare and sudden flash of respect about the things he can empathize with.
You know, I think you are actually right about this show. I think, as I continue to mourn the loss of my marriage to divorce, I'm projecting the depth of my grief onto this blank canvas of a character, and therefore experiencing something that is more about me than about him. Which you could say in an argument for the excellence of the show - that it allows space for the viewer, and that's why so many people are relating to it or touched by it in some way. But I can't argue with what you are saying about it here, except that it is true that, when you watch subsequent seasons, you can see that he isn't actually saying that depression can be "cured" by tough love, or simple truths being pointed out to him. He's kind of always going back and forth - waking up and then falling back under, which does look familiar to me as a counselor.
I used to be a fan of him but idk lately I see him more as pretentious. I see him as talented too but he comes off as egotistical and mean spirited like an edgy teenage boy who got higher than average grades
I'm glad I watched this before giving the show a go. I really liked the premise and I like Gervais' comedy, but this confirms my fears that he wouldn't be able to shed his sarcasm. A sarcastic and nihilistic worldview is inherently optimistic because it fictionalises the world by putting it into the context of events proving a point, but when I'm depressed, it's kind of a pretty big symptom that things don't seem to have a point.
I watched all three seasons. I'd say overall it was enjoyable, but it never felt coherent. There were some great characters (potential), but their individual idiosyncrasies were all dialled up to eleven. I will say that some of this gets addressed later, flashbacks to Tony, Lisa, and Dad having a laugh over a glass of wine were great for example. The show does have heart....but it needs more of everything, except, ironically, the excess. The psychiatrist being weird and incompetent didn't bother me per se, it's a trope Gervais has used many times before (his agent in Extras in particular). There's a really good show / story in here, I think we only got to see glimpses of it.
Gervais is a a bad actor. Like so bad it wraps back around to good and back to bad again: you begin to question your own perceptions, because surely, "this can't possibly be *this bad* without anyone noticing. This must be my fault somehow."
@3:00 Tony doesn't know who Tony is. As a guy who has been in the same relationship for 16 years and likely more, I don't know if MLTT is aware to the depth and breadth that connection pervades a person. It would take me, and likely Tony, YEARS to work through. Something I'm sure you're aware. The mean spiritedness, tony exudes skirts some kind of disassociative indifference. The idea that someone could not care very much about others being so alien to MLTT is surprisingly naive. I'm not sure your analysis was able to navigate around your dislike of the character or the creator. I would be interested in a real attempt to run through the kind of narrative and meta narratives that can demonstrated through this flawed caricatured character.
Go for it. If you make a video discussing that, I'd watch it. Since MLTT has expressed he doesn't like this series, it's not likely he'd be able to cover this topic the way you could as someone who appreciates it. I like Ricky, just not in this show. I got the impression MLTT feels the same in regards to him. I'd enjoy hearing your perspective of how this show is better than I gave it credit for when I watched all 3 seasons. I wanted the show to be good, but I didn't get anything out of it. Perhaps that's because I've never lost myself in a relationship with someone else, which isn't healthy for anyone to do. If Ricky is this way IRL with Jane, I really hope he does see a therapist and learns how to be a whole person with or without Jane. No one should be this dependent on another human being for their happiness.
I wholeheartedly agree. I even commented calling them caricatures. I really feel like MLTT is being too critical or closed minded. Personally I think this sort of enmeshment is what marriage is all about; its not finding someone you can tolerate, its finding someone who is your opposite so you can learn from each other and grow together as a united entity.
It's not alien to me that he wouldn't care, it's that how he came to that as a person is never explored. There's hints of what could be dissociation but never enough or consistently for the show to make a point about it. We're repeatedly told that Tony is a lovely person who is really funny and kind (or was) and it's like "ok, grief obviously can have a great affect on a person's behaviour, but we need to see and understand more to really feel what moved him from where he was, to where he is at the start of the show" The idea is great, it's just never explored with enough depth or consistency to really make it land
What is it that you expect to see? His wife died, and the thing that anchored his existence to this world no longer exists. A part of him died with her, shouldn't that be enough.
I think the appeal of it for many is Tony acting the way he does and seemingly the respective universe justifying his behavior. There are many, many people who like the idea of being a complete jerk because they think the world is full of stupid an apathetic people [actually, I'm pretty sure we're all guilty of feeling that way at one point or another] and seeing Gervais make that fantasy a reality is probably very cathartic to many people. The trouble is obviously in that there're no consequences for Tony's behavior, not really, and thus the show denies it's audience the harsher reality of living out that particular fantasy. This, I would argue; is actually a massive, massive problem with today's entertainment. Too many programs and films -like Rick and Morty, show obviously damaged people behaving awfully and in very self-destructive ways, yet the respective media treats them like they're always right and justified, and everyone else is wrong and stupid. Its a lot like the Clifford movie, actually, in that the unfortunate reality of a situation takes a backseat so that the lead characters can basically get what they want and the audience can feel good, except the only difference here is that more people will get a lot more catharsis from R&M and After Life than they will a generic troublesome dog movie. I think, unfortunately, a lot of modern kids' shows come closer to the adult shows than even Clifford, in that regard, sidestepping morality for characters feeling good, and even to a degree allowing audiences of all ages to vicariously feel good through these characters getting their way. And I think that's another major problem with modern entertainment, at least from y perspective; its too easy. Its too easy to make, and its too easy to absorb and not really think about. And because its so easy and because its instantly what everyone goes for, that just fuels a vicious cycle of content that's not very good, at all, and it snot very healthy for it's audience
Very good point. I actually have been interested in Rick and Morty, but I've decided not to watch it because I heard that it's basically about Rick acting like an a-hole and the show's attitude being that it's just fine. Agreeing with his a-holeness. That sounds really immoral to me.
This is the only time I disagree with you. It’s a very British show with serious tones. I think the mix of tones doesn’t really tailor to the United States audience.
A key element of British comedy is 'punching up' - in Afterlife the character of Tony is constantly punching down on others with his intellectual (and physical) prowess.
The really striking thing is that Karl Pilkington of all people managed to create a television dramedy that was much more engaging than Gervais' efforts. Sick of It isn't perfect, but the central concept of the main character interacting with his own internal voice is funnier and a lot more novel than most of Afterlife. Moreover yes the show will certainly will have scenes based around Karl being put off by annoying people; it also very often makes his own idiosyncrasies the butt of the joke, and the program genuinely explores how much of his flawed life is the result of own choices. Even the romantic subtext he has with a younger woman in the second series rarely ever feels over idealized or saccharine in its execution. Not every character in Pilkington's show is necessarily complex mind you, but there's at least a sense that they have lives beyond the show, Afterlife's cast feel like they exist either for him to lecture against, insult, or hear about his late spouse. Its one thing for the story to revolve around him, its quite another for the story's universe seeming to as well. That simplistic characterization makes the its already manipulative attempts at pathos feel even less genuine because nothing at all feels relatable. Finally the lack of anything resembling subtlety in Gervais' current work compounds the aforementioned issues. The constant footage of Lisa eventually has little emotional effect because its use just beats the viewer over the head in its one dimensional depiction of grief. Sick of It doesn't force itself into efforts at tearjerker moments nearly as often, and even then the occasional illustration of Karl's actual loneliness is done with much more restraint via the cinematography (which itself blows away any of the visual work in Afterlife). Essentially in terms of legitimately thoughtful character oriented television shows the one who co-wrote the Office and Extras has been outdone by a man who once did Monkey News. And that's sadder than any fictional dead wife.
As someone in perpetual grief myself, i really empathized with the character. There is a fair amount of dissapointment, and i think you and i both realize how much potential the show had to develop. And we hope that the protagonist grows as a person whose enlightenment is cathartic, losing his flaws. But he keeps his flaws. He funds the suicide of an addict. Hes an asshole. And thats ok to have such flaws. Glass houses and all that. For all of that, i still enjoy the show, and go back to certain scenes so that i dont feel so utterly alone in how i feel. Its ok when people dont buy into his depression, but for me, i relate all too well.
This show kinda reminds me of how I dealt with my emotions when I was 8, and I internally beloeved I didn't have to care about anything, only to then realize I had empathy. Doesn't work so well on an adult who has probably already figured that out. I think that the therapist character is alright, when my sister went to a therapist because she had depression, the therapist just kept telling her to pray that god would stop punishing her. Maybe Ricky also had a bad experience. Seasons 2 and 3 are better, I think
Gervais doesn't apologise for his shitty jokes so don't feel the need to apologise for an honest critique. I find it cringey that every now and then he goes on Twitter to rally his stans to help bump up the ratings for this terrible show, as if he needs the extra validation.
@@explode_9848 Well, it's subjective isn't it? I'm assuming you like his writing and directing, while I don't. I don't see the point in going into depth - this video covers most of it.
Ok this is my first comment on your channel although I watched quite a lot of your vids but I just felt your view on the show is so unfortunate that I really needed to make a point. No some points as it turned out. (Also sorry this got outrageously long and also English is my 2nd language so I'm kinda going on a limb having a go at all of this but really felt strongly about this review), I really think you got it totally wrong. First because you were looking for meaning which isn't really fair to expect from such a show, isn't it? Also where is the meaning when watching a depressed person living his allday everyday life? There is none. And for me that's one point the show tries to make! DON'T EXPECT ANY MEANING! Not in life no in this show. For me it's a pretty accurate and bleak depiction of depression and having lost all faith in yourself and the world around you. Yes, Tony is a total asshole but that's because he hates life AND himself (maybe it's even his default state of being). Only his wife being there made him being able to come to some sort of "truce" with himself but once she's gone it's all the same and he uses every situation possible to let the world know how much he despises everything - including himself. So that's another thing I think you got wrong. Tony WAS already bitter, frustrated or even self-loathing way before his wife died! But as so many other people he clinged to another person and made that person his single source of happiness and joy and in his case it seems wo have worked for quite some time. Is that a responsible and healthy approach to life? No! Buts that’s kind of the point, isn't it? What happens to a person only functioning because another person in his life when that person is gone? You see Tony totally crumble and vanish in self pitty while being a total ass to anyone around him. And on top of that he is a coward as he really stands for nothing puts that on a flag as if it's really something to be proud of and always points out that when things really get tough he could always choose the easy way out. Showing this in such a bold and unflinching way might even surprise some depression pro's out there because they manage to see something on the screen of which they might have fantasized about how it would feel to do that - if they find the courage. Or see very personal thoughts uttered freely and without any judgement in a more or less popular Netflix show! Ok SPOILER! Because I wrote so much (which I wasn't planning on doing) I will just formulate upfront WHY I WATCHED THE SHOW. In short because it first was devastating to see such a bleak and unrelenting depiction of depression AND then wanting to learn how he would find his way out of it! What made him go on? I wanted to see what helped him to keep going and learn if it would also would do for me or others! And, hear me out, that's what makes the show so good, they DIDN'T went for a Disney ending or an life altering romance or some other cheap turn. Instead some parts of his life just remain uglyor even totally absurd (the therapist for example, work) but some things shifted just a little bit, just enough to make a difference. There was the genuine connection he made out of pure luck with another person (the lady at the graveyard). Sometimes all it needs is to find one other person who grieves or suffers the same we do but still manages to hold her/himself with grace. Just to see that THAT'S POSSIBLE! And then hold on to that. Ok, I hear you state that you don't see Tony doing much more than walk around and being sad and watching things of the past and cling on to them. Well yeah, that's depression. It's repetition, lethargy, the lack of interest in anything and most of all anything new. He's just doing these walks because of the dog. It's the maximum of effort he can muster. So it's not about the character wasn't developed properly. That. Is. His. Life. He is bitter and frustrated to the core full of self-hate which manifests in some borderline cruel sarcasm (borderline as a figure of speech not the diagnose ofc). He is in a constant state of being depressed and or angry. The anger manifests in his stance towards others and his fake laughs and smiles. Verbally punching down on others brings him a little bit of superficial joy and that's about it.
Part 2 The woman on the graveyard sneaks up on him so to speak and it's those unexpected people that have the most impact on people with depression imo because she is not pressuring him into change, trying to cheer him up, fed up with his depression aka stubbornness. She isn't expecting anything and neither does she want anything from him. She is just there seeing someone being in pain and who suffered loss and because she can relate there is that instant connection between them. Because there is understandting without words because they share a lot. That's what distinguishes her so much from all the other persons in his daily life. To him they are all shallow one-dimensional characters with nothing to offer at all and his only approach to that is calling them out on their ridiculousness. I see that show as his point of view on the world. He just can't perceive anything that's being shown on the show about those people. That doesn't mean that there isn't more to them. He himself is standing in the way of there being more and only when he is taken by surprise that's opening up a window for more than just people being the shallow representation and archetype of his own expectations. About his sui...de attempt. If you are numb to the core and hold a g*n to your head countless times just to get used to the feeling a scene like in the show isn't one of big gestures and emotions. Sure I agree with you it's rather purely acted but I think he tried don't make it too heavy (even for this show) but make a point for even the heaviest of all action becoming some way of trivial to really really depressed people. At some point you just want it to be over. You expecting there to be relief, anger, joy after not going threw with it (for maybe the 50th time) are rather false assumptions and also feels like some sort of generalization. I'm sure it's like that for someone who tries the first time or something of that sort but if you are really dead inside those ups and downs you spoke of aren't really happening anymore in your life - at all. Being empty of all feelings doesn't allow for there to be sudden relief. If you are that far down you actually have to start learning (and allowing yourself) to feel again. But I agree Tony isn't that far gone imo so the whole scene isn't that sound but still important for the show because we need to see that he actually "tried" otherwise it would "just be talk" and on the surface. About the postman’s death. Look, he actually wanted to do what the postman did all along. He is just to much of a coward to pull it of but he actually admires the man. That’s why you don’t see him getting in there more because that’s genuinely his position and the more I think about it the more shocking that is but IT IS HONEST imo and kind of brave to stick to that. It isn’t judging in any way too btw. Death is always on step away and people who know other heavily depressed people will lose some on the way. Some will envy those actually having pulled through, some will mourn and some will condemn them. Tony just did what he would wish some other person would do for him would it be the other way around and it was (again) bleak to show it like this. Without adding any form of sugar coating and “ex machina” meaning to it.
Part 3 About his turn. It's not about knowing. We all know we should eat less sugar, do more sports, don't use your smartphone in bed and a million other things. People sometimes let themselves fall in to addictions and also depression and sadness. Tony isn’t even trying to hide that which makes it so annoying. He was always a c**t but his wife made him tolerable and let him get away with his moods, cruel pranks, sarcastic jokes and all of it because they somehow “worked”. So once she was gone he went back to JUST being an asshole without her as a cushioning factor and not only that he is now a grieving and old asshole. I don’t think he expected to be reached or touched by anyone else in the world anymore which somehow actually opens up a chance to be surprised by someone. And that is what happened with the lady at the cemetery. In all his indifference he also lowered his guard totally but being as sad as he is also everything has the potential to directly hit to the core. This is was most people anchored in their routine and self-understanding seem to have a hard time understanding. Serious depression leaves is a cruel and raw state! It’s easy to be manipulated and there is often also a manic element to it. See it this way. Tony actually isn’t that phlegmatic as it seems just look at all the effort he puts into insulting people through his humor. He has a point to make about this world and also about himself but it’s a rather aggressive and negative stance. That’s not total indifference because that would make him stop making any point at all, wouldn’t it. So, what he does is just changing the way he makes the point but with the same energy. It’s a switch. Someone unexpected actually pulled it off to come through to him - which is actually a clever point the show makes. It’s not the people you see every day and also not the people with a history that come with a full bag of expectation towards you who will get through to you. No, someone from the outside who isn’t in any box or category yet has much better chances to do so. So, someone with a real and genuine interest in Tony grants him some genuine insight into their own history and suffering and it REALLY matters. Maybe that's all most of us need to give another go at trying to change something - which is what I think we see in the show. I mean depressed people also try "new ways" all the effing time. And ofc it's totally” fake it til you make it” in the beginning but that's the same with unhealthy obese people and sports in the beginning. It's like faking to be sporty while your body is screaming "stop" and it feels awful and wrong but if you keep at it it eventually starts feeling different. Same with behavior. You try something different and you totally don't feel it at the beginning or it feels you are watching yourself from a third perspective but something is happening and it also gives you just the little amount of hope that helps to continue doing it. I mean most people WANT to change, the want the misery to stop - even while seemingly embracing depression as their lifestyle and the main defining thing in their life but sometimes it doesn't take much to push them - for worse or the better. What makes the show unique is seeing a deeply depressed, short sighted, narcistic person that is barely holding on - keep going. That’s about it. And for a really depressed person that’s really “not nothing” because it starts with “hey, I am were you are” (meaning Tony a totally lost character) and ending with “Look I’m still here! No it’s not all peachy now, most of it is still shit but some of it got better and that’s enough for now”. And I find it quite unusual for a show to stick to that and not make a turn for some totally unrealistic “oh look I was wrong all along and now everything is fine now”. Tony will always be some kind of asshole and jerk. But that’s what some depressed people think of themselves to so that’s actually a bridge. But he slowly and gradually becomes better. Not with all things just with some.
I absolutely loved the show. I believe ricky gervais is one of the best. I dont understand why this guys gets one thing or another just to criticize the show or ricky state of mind or personality as a whole. I dont believe there is anyone who could write,act and direct such a sensitive matter. He did it almost perfectly. The show is darkly humored, the supporting characters are symbolic human being and the only one who is human is ricky himself. The whole show is from ricky perspective. And as a human we always wants ourself to be the central character. So the central character find solace and meaning in the end. The show is more symbolic, philosophical and artistic rather than preaching message or being dramatic.
4:10 kinda confused what My little thought tree sayin when he says "You can still be sad and do stuff to pass the time" he then shows Tony with drugs and walking his dog to pass the time?
True, but what are, or were his passions in life? We're vaguely told he's a good writer but it would've been really nice to see some of that, for example. If walking was an interest, it would've been nice to hear about that too, because it just seemed more like he had to take walls for the sake of his dog
@@mylittlethoughttree I think the good thing in my op bout Ricky Gervaises character Tony is that he is meant to be this blank slate of a man and doing any of the old things he used to do that once made him happy now make him sad due to the memory of his dead wife. Therefore we don't get to know Tony like his Wife and brother in law did but as how the people who he insults and takes the mik out of do at this time in his life, a mean bitter man with no real pleasures in life other than insulting these random people. But i do feel that you get to see glimpses of the man he once was like how he treats his nephew Sorry if long paragraph and poor grammar but thanks for taking the time to write a response please let me know what you think of my take (: x
but i feel we do get to see this old version of tony with how he treats vulnerable people like his nephew and dog showing that deep down he was a good person and still is
Ricky needs to have a spiritual awakening for such a handsome and talented man, he's wasting away his potential to make great things by being so cynical its a shame if only he knew how much God Loves him and no I'm not talking about an old zeus like bastard I'm talking about love energy itself
I saw it when I was very young. I thought it was a very good premise... can't really remember anything else though 😅 feels like one of those films that, if I watched it back as a grown man, I'd hate it
@@adrienneclarke3953 Yeah, I lived it too... I think the moment when Ricky's character realizes he has the power to abuse his "gift", but doesn't, was the tipping point of the movie for me! I saw it in the cinema & as I walked out an usher asked me what I thought of it. I said; It was Brilliant! The usher replied; Really? We've had people walk out of the movie in disgust during the first five minutes! 😮 I can only assume it has to do with the discussion regarding masturbation in those opening minutes?
There's so much he could have done with this premise, but Ricky wrote the whole thing to just mock religion, and so none of it is really even funny. It's just weird and goofy. He didn't give much thought at all to what a world without lies would actually look like. There are people IRL who cannot lie (for example, people with Williams Syndrome), and they are the sweetest, kindest souls. A world without lies would likely be a beautiful, enjoyable place. Nothing like what Ricky imagined for this movie. He imagined lying was invented to make things better, but I have to think that is where things would, in fact, turn worse in the world. Ricky is just so contrary to logical thought in that movie, it's heart-breaking to watch, not funny.
A man who's never been married wrote a show lecturing the masses on how to deal with the loss of a loved one in between writing scenes where he recreates arguments he had on Twitter and he wins then every time and everyone clapped
A show written by Gervais, produced by Gervais, directed by Gervais......starring Gervais as the star and only 3D character. It's like Gervais gave himself all of the pithy, intelligent, witty lines and surrounded himself with a bunch of morons. Very surprised he didn't sing all the music. A project of complete narcissism.
It genuinely blows my mind. The amount of people calling it "Ricky's best ever work" whilst not being able to name any of the other characters in the show is baffling. It's the "emotional" bits that really puzzle me though, they're SO on the nose and always framed with music ( Ricky's choice of music ) it's like people need instructions on when to feel sad, there's zero subtlety to it. Also the use of the word cunt?! I don't mind the word but it's so insanely overused that it loses any of the usual shock value. "Ha ha ha lol lol lol...a ninety year old woman said cunt...brilliant"
"he uses Tony's depression as an excuse for Ricky to say all the things he wants to say" exactly! Also I think it's telling that his "fond memories" or using the airhorn to prank people are made to represent him being "fun" rather than abusive
tony ended up being someone that, while depressed and kind of a jerk, who went out of his way to help everyone around him, showing he is deep down a good person
Have you seen Please Like Me? I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. It also falls into this "genre" of a standup comedian making a show more or less about themselves, but this one imo is really well done, I personally loved it. Thanks for another great video.
@@megand4222 I loved it so much when I watched it! It's been a long time though, I should give it a rewatch as well :) One of the scenes that stuck with me (& possibly the first one to make me laugh out loud) was that, um, to keep it vague, let's call it "dinner with Adele". It was marvellous. And then Someone Like You... :D I was dying lol. Probably one of my favourite moments.
I feel like there is not much about his character is simply because the purpose of this series is to make people who are going thru tough time feel THEY ARE Tony. For the “weird” and “not so qualified as a psychiatrist” guy, I think Ricky wants people to understand that even for who are working closely with psychologies can have mental problems too, or maybe Ricky wants people to know that psychiatrists are often not the only solution to mental health, instead, the solution should be like the old lady Anne who actually been thru the same thing and has the empathy to offer.
*Why does his generation matter? Why can't you just show understanding and compassion for the reasons that people may have developed a stigma regarding psychology instead of demonizing a whole generation of people for an idea.*
THANK YOU for making this! This show is sooo bad in so many ways, and I seriously cannot understand why people love it so much. And I am a huge Ricky fan but... just no! If people get something out of it then great, but I'm just relieved to know that at least someone else agrees with me. :D
The show is bitter. If you like positive messages, it's not for you. It's a show about loss, loss of meaning, nihilism. It's not about having a good time or recovering. Not everything MUST be sweet and positive. I know a LOT of married men that have no friends, no hobby, only their jobs and maybe a loving other.Yeah, it's depressing. But so is life sometimes.
I think the show is positive though, that's half my issue. The positivity pushed in is such a simple and forced level that it just comes across as lacking depth. I would've liked a deeper struggle with a wiser, better earned conclusion. Instead, it seems mostly sentimental portrayals of sadness, then a weak level of optimism to resolve it. I have no problem with sad shows, but sad doesn't instantly mean depth
As someone with NO friends or habbies and someone who was a cynic and now an optimist/nihilist (weird I know), I found the sentimentality of it really hit home. Going back through old video's of my grandmother before the alzhiemers and bawling my eyes out by myself. The battle is very internal and often something that I just have to swallow and get on with life until next time. It's been a while since I watched season one but I don't think his sadness is ever resolved.
Agreed. Was going to comment but basically say the same thing. Grieving depressed people are usually not the nicest to others and fail to see or are just too bitter to care anymore. There is nothing comforting to say about loss unless your religious. No disney-fication available to atheists and yet people throw empty religious feel-good jargin at him. "She's in a better place." Over and over, you snap at people like he does. It's tiring playing along for other people's feelings and beliefs already, throw in his loss and nihilistic/numb depression, and his bitchy behavior makes sense. Was meant to be uncomfortable and unfunny in parts. Gervais plays a self centered prick because that's the character. Ending was ok. Liked that it was just as simple as him deciding to be kinder to others and that's it. "Lacked depth" duh, THAT was the point. Depth is an illusion. We provide arbitrary meaning to random life and superimpose that onto everyone and everything. I don't personally find Gervais funny at all. Occasionally he has me nodding along in agreement, maybe that's just his British dark humour?
I wonder if it’s worth making a comparison between the series Bojack Horseman and Afterlife? What Bojack got right and where afterlife could’ve improved.
As someone with a dad that lost his wife, Tony is a somewhat (if slightly shitter) version of what someone at that low of a point can be like, depressed, an addict, basically do nothing with there life other than lament while treating everyone else as the enemy. His "I have a super power" line was almost something that would word for word have come out of my dad's mouth when my mum first died or in his subsequent low points following her death throughout the years. The problem is that makes for shit TV. No one wants to watch that, and the fact they have such a grounded and realistic (if cringe worthy) interpretation of Tony's character is in my opinion what makes afterlife so shit. It's a dark comedy that forgets to be a comedy half the time, forcing itself to be an artsy commentary on death and atheism and society. When really its just unfunny, depressing and shit.
i completely agree with all your takes except that for some reason i felt like i liked the show, i think bc of the ideas you expressed at around 11:18 were the things that i felt he was processing throughout the show that were implied bc his grieving and depression read to me as mostly what i have felt, leaving it vague and open in order to leave things subjective but idk im very empathetic and everything makes me emotional so i feel like id like any show that had a plot line that made sense and was more realistic 😂 anywho great video can’t wait to watch more!
god yes, agree with all this. i am so baffled by how many people love this show. i liked the first season but still felt it was awkward in parts, second season was "ok" but the third was unwatchable.. half way through i just skimmed through tony's scenes.. and the final episode i just skimmed through the entire thing. had lost complete interest by that point.
This is the first of your video essays with which I completely disagree. I loved After Life. Maybe I just love Ricky Gervais. Thank you, nonetheless. You are so insightful, and your voice is meditative (to me). 🥰
I’m going to disagree with your thoughts on this show. End of 2019 I was diagnosed with terminal cancer. 2 of them ( I’m greedy). My best friend told me about this show. I watched it whilst I was going through treatment ( I’ll make a point of saying that I’m a huge fighter and refused to die). I adored this show. I laughed. I cried. It really helped with my emotions You’d think a series based around death. From cancer of all things! Would’ve been a NoNo to watch. Quite the opposite. It gave me strength I’m now 19 months in remission. From terminal cancer!!!!
I had about the same reaction. It certainly felt more like Gervais doing whatever he had to in order to wrap the show around what he already decided to make. But then here's the show, and when you think it's going somewhere he just meanders off the path, into the forest, and has a nap in a deserted barn while everyone waits for him to get with it. It's like nobody told him no, this isn't going to work like that or he didn't listen to any input or critique, because a lot of this is just basic.
The biggest thing that annoyed me about the show was it’s uncompromising repetitiveness. It was like the first episode was written a certain way, and as if by cookie-cutter-thinking the 3 or 4 episodes I watched looked exactly the same. Telling the same story over and over again can work, like in Rashomon, but if you do it, you have to offer a compensation, like a twist in each retelling. Telling it from different perspectives, timelines, etc. Repetitiveness makes sense in Afterlife because of the depiction of depression, as anyone who’s suffered from depression will tell you, every day feel the same. What happened yesterday happens today, and it will happen tomorrow and the day after that. But Afrerlife is a story first and foremost and must include some kind of development with each episode, and the comedy must serve the story, and each episode should involve a forward move, or a reversal as a prelude to the forward move. Afterlife, regardless of the comedic aspects, doesn’t do any of that. You could watch just the first episode and you’ll have watched everything in Afterlife that you’ll ever need to see.
oh, I'm glad to have gotten here early! It's funny, just a few days ago my English teacher brought up this show as an example of good writing and I open youtube to find my favourite youtuber has uploaded a video critiquing it, haha. This was a really wonderful video and I agree with all of your critique! I've never been a big fan of Ricky Gervais, but this show was terrible.
No offence to your teacher, but that strikes me as "what's a popular show kids might like? Maybe they'll be engaged if we discuss that?" Or maybe that's judgemental of me. I definitely don't feel it's good writing though
@@mylittlethoughttree oh no, you're completely right. She is very much the kind of teacher who tries to use popular media to try and connect to students, haha
@@theFakeRed probably a good thing though, for the people less keen on english, it gives them a way in... I always loved English though, so it probably would've annoyed me 😆
The people who think Afterlife is deep and profound are the same people who would think ‘When the Whistle Blows’ is hilarious. Are you having a laugh!?
It's good to remember that Gervais is a comedian and everyone in After Life who isn't Gervais is a foil for his comedy. After Life isn't meant to seriously explore anything, it's just meant to hit emotional chords for the audience. You're laughing at his ascerbic repartee one moment and witnessing his personal loss the next. Of course there is no excuse for behaving that way, including close personal tragedy, and of course there has never been a therapist that terrible. To suspend disbelief you have to recognize the implausibility of the setup.
Except for the part with him helping that addict kill himself, I liked the series. I do not think that it matters what you think R.Gervais vision should have been. Please, go make your own movie. Oh, wait, you are.... then I have to say that I do not like your thoughts on this, I liked other episodes though. You are missing a lot of points here and that is not good for a psychologist.
I agree with what you've said, I did like the show but i feel like it could have been a lot more. Have you watched fleabag? I'd love a video on it, I personally loved it and it's also about grief
people really think ricky gervais wrote this show about himself 💀 like im not a giant fan of the guy but holy fuck the show is a representation of the grieving process not for a comedian to jerk himself off and win arguments if you think it is anything like that you missed the whole point
I hope that isn't what it sounded like I was saying. I understand and really like the intention/idea of the show, it's the execution of it that bothers me and leads to unintentionally presenting other ideas
I was very relieved that the video was on your views on this. When I tried watching a few episodes, I was shocked at how he is such a horrible person for how he treats everyone around him. Your explanation about him not being a sympathetic character was perfect and it really bothered me when watching the show.
You make a lot of valid points in the video. But you also suggest changes that would make the series absolutely bland for me. I don't think it is a masterpiece but it is very special for me and a welcome change from typical television. I have severe trouble with depression myself and I find emotional cliché situations on tv very annoying. I think how this show portraits difficult situations like "having a father with dementia" or suicide (concerning the mail man as well as Tony himself) is in a way realistic. I don't want to say that it is acted perfectly but these situations are usually portrait in a super emotional way on tv but in reallity they not allways are. The unemotional way Tony acts with the mail man concerning the suicide topic .... it plays a big part in the outcome that he actually kills himself, as you mentioned. It is cruel and shocking, but that is the point. And it is the subtlety in Tony's reaction that follows that I liked. No, he shows no "in you face"-signs of shock or guilt after the suicide. But I felt that he was quite affected by the prostitute's reaction to the suicide. And for me one reason why Tony is starting to act nicer is because he realizes the mail man died in part because of his attitude. The attitude "I don't care about anyone and anything and if things go bad, I can still kill myself". The attitude works fine as long as it is just about him being rude to ppl. But it didn't work for him anymore after he realizes it can kill someone. I also liked the role of the photographer. Yes Tony is absolutely horrible to him, the fat jokes are stupid and unoriginal. And yes, the role is a bit over the top. But the way the photographer handles the way he is treated and kind of sticks to being true to himself I found quite refreshing. Usually when there is someone overweight with unelegant habits being mocked on tv, they are suffering and it is shown to the audience how bad that is. And it is important to show that, but as I said it is also refreshing to show a character like the photographer who is similar but more self-reliant.
This is my first ever RUclips comment and I can't believe it's on something like this. Although I respect your opinion, I genuinely feel like you missed the whole point of the show. Sometimes you made critiques on certain things and I'm sitting here like, "that's obviously not how you should see it." Your commentary, I personally feel, lacks something crucial. Much of your enjoyment of the series will hang around how you view the character who anchors the show. I feel like you were looking for a hero. Tony isn't a hero and life is messy. I think this was portrayed beautifully. I urge you to give it another watch.
I'm all for messy, non heroic protagonists. Some of the best TV is built around them. I just never felt there was enough depth to Tony to really make it work. I wanted to see more. I think a lot of the ideas and concepts of Afterlife were great but the execution lets it all down. Although I have to recognise my opinion is the definite minority
I kinda liked it. However, it was strange that nobody really tried to actively help him to deal with grief and depression. Also, it got pretty monotonous by the season 3 as there was no development or progression of character. Just rinse and repeat.
I gave up watching after 4 episodes. What I saw wasn’t funny, it was repetitive, and worst of all, it told the wrong story. The first series should’ve been about their love and joy cracking under the strain 0f a terminal diagnosis, with Tony”s wife dying at the end of the final episode. Tony shouldn’t have been given these quirky stories report, but should’ve been given more serious stuff like politics, religion , industry, commerce, family and community etc to investigate. The opportunity to ask serious questions and create debate was missed.
I've never seen this show and only heard about it in passing, but based on what you showed here it doesn't seem like I'm missing anything. I am glad to see some Taskmaster contestants getting paychecks though.
Really great video, thank you. I agree that in after life (and in Derek) the intention is noble, Gervais’ is trying to explore a difficult topic and humanise the experience of depression / disability. The life-affirming bits in both shows are almost saccharine but I have to admit sometimes they did effect me. The jokes are brutal, very straightforward, not that clever, caustic and sarcastic. But again, sometimes I did find myself laughing a lot. I certainly don’t think the show left me with any insight into grief but I did find it entertaining and it sparked some discussion with my family
Similar to this show, what are your thoughts on BoJack Horseman? The writing is severely hit or miss but i feel there's more of an attempt to explore depression from more angles and for the intentionally- insufferable and cynical main character to have more of a character arc and be confronted by different viewpoints. Used to really like BoJack but rewatching it it's definitely got issues and many episodes are better off skipped
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
Hope you all enjoy my probably controversial opinions on this show. It's not often I make negative videos but ehh.
patreon.com/mylittlethoughttree
No, go off!!! Your audience can't expect ALL of your analytical reviews to be positive. We watch your videos because your take on film is always really interesting and articulated with a background of education. I'm stoked to see more videos like this from you :D
Good coverage, the one thing I will say is that immediately opening with a guy holding a razor to a wrist was jarring and anxiety inducing. Just a five second content warning at the beginning would help prepare viewers like me, or give them time to click off. It's just a pretty heavy topic to blindside the audience with
I disagree, but I really liked your Vlog on the show. Ironically, I found you explaining things in a way that helped me understand WHY I like it - and why I think he wrote it. The wash of dis-affectation, the pervasive malaise that can coat a deep depression, things being ridiculous in the world without a clear way of rebuttal (or is merely silent and observes different little hypocrisies - swallowing lies and also deep truths in silence - , not being exactly proud of one's self & actions & not seemingly capable of mustering the energy to ..¿to fight again and believe in life? , -_ - , anger, bitterness and also real caring, remorse, confusion & seeking. He learns from the widow on the bench, for it is these types of insights & truth that he has any sort of tolerance for.
I see what you're saying about the therapist: a characature rather out of our fears of what those who listen to us might actually be thinking, and I wonder why Ricky stays with him. Seems there are both broad & simple characters, unapologetic eccentricities and also wise, clear (mostly) women who have dimensionality.
>I liked your opinions - it was surprising fun to listen to and have the reasons why you didn't like it be the basis for why I found refreshing truth.
◇~Thanks, Little Thought Tree 🌳 😊 you always help me think 🤔 and learn more about life, society and myself. What a gift 🎁
Life's Too Short was shit with moments of genius
I just watched the final episode and it had a good conclusion.
When I had depression several people told me 'the world is beautiful', it just made it more isolating. Not the best message to put out.
Yeah, I think the expression misery loves company has the right idea. When I was depressed, it helped hearing other people tell me they found life to be crap at times too, and they're not happy all (or even most) of the time. People act like they're happy, but most are hiding their pain, and I wasn't crazy for feeling down about things. I found that more helpful than being told life is great when I felt like it really wasn't. Life can be very frustrating, disappointing, and difficult, and you're not crazy for feeling depressed about it. You're not alone. That helped me.
@@xzonia1 Absolutely. 👌
Saying that people saying that world is beautiful when you are depressed causes more self isolation is also another problematic message to put out. It basically tells those that are not depressed to not be happy around those that are cause you will cause them self isolation.
@@lampad4549 It's not really saying you shouldn't be allowed to feel the way you feel. There's nothing wrong with feeling happy or depressed. I'm just saying that it's not helpful telling people how they should see the world or how they should feel about things. It's kind of patronising.
@@xzonia1 I don't think that statement is meant to be taken as a positive, its meant to a critique of the depressed mindset unless im mistaken , like how miserable don't want hang those that aren't miserable cause it makes them feel bad so choose to hang around those that aren't happy to feed into that perpetual cycle and not trying to take step to break out of it. I don't know what most people mean to you but that's not the reality i've observed. Yes it is a myopic statement to say that most people are happy but it is equally myopic to say that most people are really miserable and hiding their pain. There are times in people's lives where they are miserable and times where they are joyous. I find hard to believe that people when they go to a comedy club and laugh that they are all actually miserable, or when me and my friends hang out together laugh and chat shit we are all in pain, or when a father plays with his infant child that he hiding his depression. Couldn't it be that there are just times where people feel depressed and times where people don't. Doesn't that seem more believable?
As for that being more helpful how so? As a depressed person wouldn't you already know life isn't great and wouldn't you want to know from someone who isn't depressed about their perspective about why they feel life is great cause it runs contrary to yours? Maybe that's just me but an escape from my depression was to hang around those were in a good move and passionate about something going on with their. Its kind of sappy but seeing other people happy makes me happy.
Life is very disappointing, frustrating and difficult, but is also fulfilling, joyous and surprisingly easy going at times as well and while your not crazy to feel depressed your also not crazy to feel joyous either. This helped as well dude.
If you said people are happy usually to avoid feeling down I would agree with you but different from hiding it.
For a British comedy it feels quite like a traditional American sitcom, Tony is the wisecracking (albeit miserable) hero with all the 'funny lines', all the other characters exist just to help set up gags for the protagonist.
Also agree that the storyline with his father having dementia was poorly explored and could have provided a lot more emotional content than it did.
I've always kinda been really annoyed at comedy shows where the person creating it makes themselves the main character and makes all the other characters ridiculous to make the main character look good. It's way too egotistical for me.
Gervais is a one-trick pony, and that's the trick.
Oh my god just the words I was looking for. Makes me roll my eyes so hard
Seinfeld is like that in someways. You can really side with Jerry and co’s selfish, anti-social behaviour. Mostly because we are familiar with the gang, and the others that come and go from their lives/the show are deliberately and hilariously reduced to one personality trait: low talker, close talker, soup Nazi, Vulva.
Which is why the controversial finale was so good. The finale revisited a lot of the show’s funniest moments to give the other people involved a chance to voice their perspective. I think some viewers needed that, to have it pointed out that the Seinfeld gang often behaved terribly.
Perhaps that’s why some people didn’t like the finale. They felt kinship with selfish people and the finale challenged the virtue of that way of living.
Good point but it's also about him being a narcissistic asshole - depressed but nevertheless narcissistic and that in a rather outspoken way otherwise there wouldn't be any material for a show Ricky Gervais could be in. The thing with seeing it that way is that some people envy him for just openly doing what others secretly are dreaming of doing but would never find the courage, spirit you name it to do so. And yeah ofc that's highly polarizing but that's with anything he does, isn't it. For some reason some of it I like and other stuff I can't watch without cringing uncontrollably (meaning having to turn that shit off instantly).
I dig it in a meta-ironic way. I can enjoy the straightforward sadism, and I can enjoy how the egotistical aspect makes the: "Original character don't steal" main feel buffoonish. It's also an interesting way to get into another person's headspace through their personal power fantasy.
gervais sending up others for being fat and boring is rich
Omg finally someone calls this show out for its "I'm 12 and this is deep" attitude. The show finally truly totally lost me when the office girl played by Diane Morgan said she was a Christian then immediately became a Christian strawman. It didn't really fit with her character (people into woowoo spiritualism aren't usually also christian) and the whole thing felt very.. obvious
Yeah I talked about that in the original recording of the video but cut it out because I waffled a little too much. I've got nothing wrong with atheism but I wished he stopped using strawman arguments to support his atheism. If he needs to put his religious views in there, it'd be nice to have someone challenge them enough for him to respond with greater depth
Such a shame too, as Diane Morgan is a fantastic actress and comic in her own right; part of what pissed me off was *knowing* he had a solid cast and just... didn't do the work for them.
@@mylittlethoughttree Ricky Gervais isn't as smart as he thinks he is. I respect the fact that he publicly called out Hollywood at the Golden Globes a few years ago but the dude is a nihilistic arsehole. If he can't do religious people the courtesy of portraying them in a nuanced light in his shows, what makes him think he actually knows anything about what they have to say? Pure arrogance, that's what.
@@mylittlethoughttree cant you say this about most stories trying to put forth a message.
@@lyanacat1943 he did the show was funny.
I read a review of series 3 that was titled “Afterlife has the emotional depth of a Post-it note”
I think that about sums it up for me
Why do you feel that way?
@@kath7598 I basically just watched the series and formed an opinion based on its events. I love Ricky Gervais but this series is beyond overrated and treats suicidal thoughts with a such a trivial, uneducated attitude it’s actually pretty insulting to people who have actually experienced it.
Ricky Gervais has the vibe of someone who thinks they're "too smart" for therapy.
That's absolutely spot on.
He's too british for therapy.
@@thatsthat2612 I used to be like him (british) but I grew out of it (hate my country)
Or "all my therapists hated me 😎" as if that's not just a massive red flag
@@KonstantinosII I'm talking about real human being Ricky Gervais, noted golden globe and big fan of religion, not fictional character Arthur Life, noted golden globe and big fan of religion.
Sevel standup comedians have these obligatory shows where their stage jokes are shoehorned into everyday conversation.This with the comedians' lazy half-baked philosophy, while there are never any real people in the show calling them out on their BS. In After Life, all of the characters are written as almost as big assholes as the lead, so they can't call him out on being a turd. All the while, no one watching learns anything about the characters or themselves, as they imagine themselves as Ricky Gervais owning people around them with clever oneliners. The show is essentially about a 50-year old teenager who loves to wallow in misery as he becomes increasingly obnoxious to the point that one wonders if he's actually only staying alive in order to torment people around him, like some mostly bitter but vengeful spirit that refuses to find rest.
I didn't care for "After Life" it's not harmful as "30 Reasons" but it's just another show/movie that pushes harmful stereotypes of mental health. As someone who has had lifelong struggles with my mental health issues I'm just so tired of this. I personally found the gratuitous fat jokes to be quite insensitive in a show of this nature. As many people with depression and other mental health issues are all to painfully aware weight loss and weight gain can be a huge part of it for more than one reason, medications being one of them. It's not helpful when you're going through a severe episode and people won't shut up about your weight gain or loss. honestly if you aren't my doctor can you kindly mind your own business.
I completely agree.
It’s galling when Ricky, a man with the worldview of a 14 year old who just discovered nihilism, thinks he has anything profound to say about the human condition
I haven't seen the show, but the way you describe his enjoyment of getting one up on other people with sharp, poingnant, "witty" comebacks is how I used to be in my early 20s. I'm embarrassed when I think back at how smug I was. I thought was smart and clever and cool. I eventually learned empathy and what it means for other people to see the world from their own perspective. I have friends now too.
Thats kinda the point of the show, that u gotta move on from that sort of witty self you put out there for people to see atleast i think idk im just a random aha
Everyone has a stage like that, I wouldn't feel bad about it. The only issue is that not everyone grows out of it 😆
@@justjack5833 it probably is, but I wasn't quite that mean and didn't make fat jokes, especially not to people's faces. His writing always seems a bit too mean spirited to me. It's a good idea, but hard to execute. The meanies out there will enjoy his snark and feel justified and the more mellow folk will feel put off watching.
@@mylittlethoughttree Thanks, but I think the way I was brought up made me especially smug. Especially for a young woman. It took me a few years to unlearn
@@gcooper642 I dont think just meanies can find it funny but i do think ricky gervais is a bit on the heftier side anyway i think he just has some creative ways of calling someone a fatty if u get my snow drift aha
What makes it so hard not to roll my eyes when watching this show is his constant run ins with idiots just so he can make a bunch of "Clever" comebacks. As if we aren't aware he wrote the bloody show.
Reminds me of one of those lads who uses 2 reddit accounts just so they have an excuse to "own" someone in a reply. Hoping nobody realizes they're replying to themselves just to get praise from strangers.
All the rubbish Gervais' put out since parting with Merchant gives me the feeling that Steve was probably the brains behind everything the whole time
Ricky is an egotistical maniac.
The whole resolution of the show is that he was wrong for doing all those things you described, are you seriously putting this forward as a judgement of character of a person who you don't know?
@@serjuniorlunaticocornament427 It's not really a judgement of character tho it's a judgement of the low effort writing which seems to comprise most of the show. You can't just make bad jokes for an entire season then retroactively apply some kind of deeper meaning to them as if they didn't waste your time for 3 hours.
@@BigJuice69 The original comment was attempting to judge Ricky Gervais' character, so yes, it was a judgement of character. The writing was not low effort, and all the jokes meant to ridicule people were made to show you that Tony didn't care about the consequences of his actions anymore, following the death of his wife. As the show progresses he gains a new appreciation for the people around him, and he stops trying to hurt people's feelings on purpose. I have no clue how you would interpret that as Ricky Gervais trying to compliment himself or whatever dumbass take the original comment had.
@@serjuniorlunaticocornament427the show is as deep as a puddle. I have a feeling you are too
I was baffled by him basically euthanizing the drug addict and never resolving it. I thought it was something that might come back to bite him the ass in season 2, but nope, it is never resolved. He basically killed a man because he was sad and angry with the world and never feels bad about it, even after he has his change of heart about wanting to die and be an asshole on the way out.
I actually liked the show and saw that as the one flaw it had, but I can see it has deeper problems now. It vasically just feels like an excuse for Ricky Gervais to drop some insults and oneliners while also being "profound" and "life-affirming".
It bothered me too. I get the idea his death was supposed to be a motivation for Tony to realise how precious life is...but that point just doesn't land at all because nothing about that death is ever properly explored
Totally agree - we're supposed to care about Tony's redemption when he denied redemption to the drug addict character. And as you say, there were no consequences or remorse whatsoever. Lot of other niggles with this series, the psychotherapist character changes personality entirely when he starts sessions with Tony's boss and the depiction of the functioning of a local newspaper is pure fantasy, a million miles away from the sharp observations of the Office.
I thought he helped him because he was too weak to do it himself. He saw someone else in a very similar situation who seemed more than willing. And so when it he did it, he was rather happy he helped someone else move on and make the decision they thought was best.
Never really understood why people are against other people killing themselves if they think it's the best option. It seems rather selfish, actually. "You can't kill yourself. I know you feel like shit, but your feelings aren't as important as mine. And if you killed yourself I'd feel worse than you feel now." That's how I always interpret what people say against suicide and other people doing it. It's really insensitive. Sure, helping isn't great, but Tony never felt the need to feel bad about it because from both of their perspectives he was helping put someone out of their misery.
Yeah, his character did that to the drug addict and then he feels no remorse for it but think he is so sad and everyone is an idiot around him for not thinking he is the saddest of them all and THEN he goes on a date and complain that the date was Narcessistic. THe man has lost it. He is now Trump narcisstic. Crap show. Its almost in the same level as giving Adam Sandler $500 mill and he records him and David Spade on holiday bullying kids til they cry all while wearing formula 1 jackets with thousands of sponsor brands and calling that a comedy movie.
He made him a favor... He said he wants to die. Of course he could have ask for help or get better, but he already made his mind to it and that's what he really wanted. I thought it was one of the first genuine good action Tony was making. Yes it's sad because he's dead, but it's also beautiful because they had support with each other and they found a way to connect and to share the same pain. I think there's many ways we can look at this show. I watched it and found many beautiful messages, authenticity about life and human experience and it shows a good comprehension of depression. How people can be angels and help us without them knowing by just being themself. I understand his action could shock some people, but he did it with a good heart and with good intention because he knows how much the other guy suffer.
I can deffinitly agree with the thoughts on it. But the first season did give me a big help with my depression in a wierd way. It gave me this weird epiphany thats never really landed before where I was able to say to myself in a way "all because I get depressed at times doesn't mean I should complain and wallow and feel sorry for myself".
I was able to use it to look at myself and see the differences between needing help and wallowing in the pity I gave myself and the attention friends gave me for being depressed cause they wanted to help but I didn't wanna really help myself.
I'm glad it was helpful for you.
When Roxy cleaned his apartment I wanted to cry... Because I understand the feeling of not being able to do anything and she did something so basic but so helpful and it allowed him to start getting better. It was beautiful
I actually rather love the show. I don't watch a lot of comedy shows or sitcoms, but this show just feels more real. It feels like every day life. Tony isn't supposed to be complicated or developed, he's supposed to be real. And he feels real. It's not supposed to be well written or professional, it's supposed to be real.
Season 2 and 3 don't do a whole lot better in terms of developing him. Characters move forward, but slowly. Though I'd still recommend watching them. Being completely honest, I've never cried more than I have watching this show.
The fact that you liked this show but you don’t like comedies says something. I’m not criticising your tastes. I just think that the things you enjoy are met here, but comedy drama lovers aren’t going to like this.
The Office (U.K.) was the best comedy I’ve ever seen. Extras is top 5. I love Gervais… but for my tastes, recently he’s fallen off big time in the last 10 years. It’s overly sappy and sentimental for me.
The Office has sentimentality but it wasn’t so formulaic.
@@PaperbackJourneys I never said I don't like comedies, just that I don't watch many of them (when it comes to shows, anyway). But this one I did watch, and loved. See, comedies are great. But they're extremely shallow if comedy is all they have. They need to have heart, and they need to say something in order for them to be worth my time.
It doesn't feel real at all when character's actions have no consequences
@@ozricauroraexactly!!! Oh god, its such indescribably terrible shite!!! In Ricky's xfm days, there were endless references describing him as being insanely lazy ( hence the hiring of Karl Pilkington) and this comedy is absolutely saturated with laziness. It's honestly the most terribly written comedy ( or show generally ) of all time. The side characters are inexplicably moronic, unrelatable, unlikeable and ultimately forgettable, I literally can't remember ANY of their names ( I know Kev from Derek, dont know his name in this ?!? ) all of them are there to serve as cannon fodder for Ricky's "brilliant" views around atheism, the paranormal etc. I swear that this whole enterprise was an experiment where ricky said "let's see what absolute swill I can serve up to the masses, watch them call this indescribably stupid mess genius"
And, using childishly emotive subjects combined with endless "touching" pieces of music, THAT HE SELECTED???!!! he succeeded in creating the "comedy" that he always lambasted when he had the assistance of an actually talented, motivated writer ( Merchant )
"When The Whistle Blows" was a VASTLY superior production than this.
Its a show for NPC's, like you
Couldn’t agree more. Can’t believe you didn’t mention Tony’s complicity in the death of the drug addict!
To argue over Tony’s legal or even moral responsibility is beside the point (I’ve seen lots of internet debates on that: “Tony only paid for the drugs. “The addict was responsible for his own actions”). But the show is about Tony’s emotional journey and the fact he instantly forgets about the death he enabled is NOT psychopathic.
A psychopath has a consistent set of behaviour. It’s just dreadful writing. Gervais wrote a premise and refused to engage with it in any kind of authentic way.
Gervais’ output, from Extras to stand up, tweets to Golden Globe hosting, is so often self-sabotaged by his narcissism. From the fiction of his shows, to the reality of his TV appearances, he is always positioning himself as the smartest in the room. But he’s not. Not factually, not comedically, not emotionally.
Spot on.
Limmy summed this show up well. He said it felt like Gervais wrote a spreadsheet with everything he had a problem with or wanted in the show, then just picked them out mechanically when writing it.
My biggest gripe with afterlife was it clouded over the very fucking good show afterlife about alison with the ability to see dead people that was early 2000s and also very british
Honestly, it's really nice someone else has heard of that show. It's my girlfriend's favourite of all time and she hates how she can't talk about it without people thinking she means the Ricky Gervais one 😂
I own, trained and handled Antilly the Wonder Hound who played “Brandy” on After Life and it was nice to watch lots of clips of her from when she was young. 🥰🐺
Awwe, I love hearing the stories of how fun Brandy was on set and how much she meant to Ricky. Thanks for commenting.
My impression of season one was that Gervais found a premise to have a character be an asshole and once the plot moved to him not insulting people all the time he wrapped up the season.
The scenes/camera work gets tedious. Static camera. Gervais walks into a room, sits down. Says things. End of scene.
There also seems to be this sense of him letting a comedian friend run wild and doesn't respect the story.
I think there are some nice elements to the series, but it feels like Gervais needs a partner in making a series who can push back and help with the writing and directing.
There were a lot of proto characters that I loved and would have wanted to see them be developed. Gervais's character was not interesting enough to be the main and this could have grown into a beautiful ensemble show if the other characters were allowed to grow and not be a wall for Gervais to bounce insults off of.
I do think the later seasons improve albeit are still overly rushed.
Every time Ricky brings out a new standup special I re-watch After Life first. That way, when I'm depressed about how shit his standup has become (Ricky reads out his own tweets and then tells jokes like "trannies! Hahaha") I think to myself "well, it could be worse, it could be After Life".
It just seems to me like he wanted his Curb Your Enthusiasm where he can play a version of himself being an ass to people like he would like to be in real life.
Never really rated Ricky Gervais or credited him with much insight.
Even found the comedy style in the Office really hard to deal with (cringe-comedy and I don't mix, I get second-hand embarrassment), and the more I see of him, the more I think he wasn't playing a character with David Brent.
All his work since then has come across adolescent and smug, epitomised by his retooled "Attack helicopter" joke in Humanity
And then he basically dropped the mask on twitter and outed himself as a legit transphobe, so there's that.
Ed:- Ricky Gervais Show is alright, but mainly thanks to Stephen and especially Karl. Karl deserves better than Ricky.
The office was perfect
This however
Good video. I thought the second series was the funniest, but then it gets worse again in season 3 and the finale is really something. Similar to "Derek", it relies on emotional manipulation and lazy clichés, trying so hard to seem deep and meaningful. I feel like Ricky has been out of touch with the lives of "normal people" for too long, something he really nailed with The Office and Extras.
But again he didn't do it by himself those shows. Like someone said in a comment, he needs a partner to write and push him back
@@arturcirilo7601 good point yeah we didn’t realise how vital Stephen Merchant was to balance it out
Maybe he’s got no one around him that will challenge him anymore 🤷🏻♂️ although Life’s Too Short wasn’t great either think they did that together
@OJ Can you explain why you say it relies on emotional manipulation? Because I thought the finale was beautiful, it must depend how you look at it and your own life experience... For some people clichés are easier to relate to or understand, but it's the meaning behind it that we have to consider. Thank you to inform me why you find theres emotional manipulation :)
When he gave the addict the money to go kill himself and the aftermath wasn't really explored, I was floored. A horrible moment in the show.
Shit like that happens though, in real life, so why not in a TV show?
yep
@@bradtorville5526 What the fuck kind of reasoning is that? It's the protagonist of the show doing something horrific and never facing consequences.
Karl Pilkington’s show Sick Of It is the show that After Life is not. A sweet comedy drama about a lonely depressed guy. Feels so much more grounded and has a lot of Karl’s inner thoughts portrayed. It’s a show I related a lot with, but I wish I didn’t haha
After Life was trash. I couldn’t make it past 2 episodes personally. I love The Office, Extras and The Ricky Gervais Show. But those days are long gone
Whilst I agree with you that SIck of it is better than Afterlife (not difficult), it wasn't great in my opinion, there are loads of 'dramatic turns' that later turn out to be completely inconsequential. Also, why is aunty Nor(m)a American?!
Gervais' best stuff was made with Steven Merchant, and/or Karl Pilkington. His solo stuff has never been as good imo.
I think Stephen Merchant added a lot of awareness to their work that Ricky needed
I think this is because Karl Pilkington is a comedic genius. Steven Merchant is decent too.
Have you seen Merchant's series The Outlaws? That's where the solid characterization went. He has a skill developing empathy. After Life was cold.
I really enjoyed the first season actually. But I didn't get why there even needed to be a second or a third season for that matter. The character arc felt completed for me. Tony obviously does not just "get over" his grief and moves on, but he manages to gain another perspective, to handle his problems in a healthier way and he stops being this enormous asshole towards everyone.
I think because this series is such a personal project for Ricky he felt like he had more to tell, more ideas he would like to portray and in the end that didn't serve the series well in terms of creating a consistent work of art with an ending that makes sense from a dramaturgical point of view.
I loved the show I lost my mum when I was in my 20s she was only 50 and was terminal ill.i can tell you he played this so well you go though all sorts of emotions weather that's anger or sadness or trying to just deal with life or trying to get back to your life without someone who meant the world to you.its a look at a normal person dealing with a massive lose most people don't have a amazing fun life and after a loss your can take forever to deal with. So people really can't talk about the loss to people,I think this show will help someone dealing with lose and make them see that how they feell is OK and normal to feel all sorts of emotions.
I would agree I think it's a simplistic, repetitive show with bad humour. But I also understand the positive affect it can have, and I'm not gonna begrudge that
@@mylittlethoughttree don't think the humour is bad at all it's just his style and him being horrible to people is just a part of grieving u hate people being happy u can't help it it's seems unfair that people are happy and when u are going through loss.also people now adays are so soft they get offended by anything I found it funny especially the scene with the ginger kid in the school playground.
I lost my mum very recently and my dad around 10 years ago, I'm in my mid 20s. I've struggled with mental illness, depression and suidical tendencies since I was around 11 and I hated this show. Just because it shows one persons version of loss it isn't everyones, definitely isn't my reality currently. So to assume people don't know loss just because they don't like this show is very silly indeed. Whilst I'm glad it helps some people deal with their loss, it isn't for everyone!
@@micksfishes4352 AHA I did like the humour as well. I liked the post officer he made me smile a lot!
@kath7598 his name is Pat, like "Postman Pat" it's clearly a brilliantly written comedy.
Thanks for this honest video. It's interesting to see how this show falls short in many ways, which is a shame, since the premise centring on grief was compelling. Unfortunately, the execution is what ultimately let it down.
Season 1 in my estimation was a decent show. It was troubling and unrealistic, but at least it had a point. Season two is...What? Why? He's...still depressed and grieving but we need to continue getting this same message over and over again
Ricky is strawmanning all of his characters: a wife that died young from cancer, a dog that eats shit, a postman that read letters and cant be bothered to put letters through the door, a father who suffers alzheimers, a brother in law/manager who is an absolute pushover, a delivery boy who takes advantage of the manager's kindness to misuse his money for drugs, a work colleague that is fat, stupid and easily bullied, the list goes on. No wonder Ricky looks good here, he's strawmanned all of his creation.
"Shawn's mum". Perfect.
I'd forgotten she was in Shaun of the Dead until he said that! 😂
I couldn't remember her name in the show, so I went with that 😅 should've really googled before recording but it amused me
Stewart Lee went a bit too easy on it.
Nothing he's done beats Extras
I dislike the show, and I dislike Ricky Gervais. Having said that, there is something sort of authentic in parts of its representation of grief and depression. It can be utterly obnoxious to be around someone like Tony and difficult to put up with them, there is a lot of unhelpful advice ("just feel better!") and, I dunno, it's nice to have that acknowledged. It's the unbearably sentimental parts that really turn me off personally - I'd love a wholesome show about self-improvement and recovery, and I'd love a Bojack Horseman-style show about a terrible person enslaved to their depression, but After Life seems to want both?
That, and also everything you said is why it doesn't work for me. Plus, I've never found Gervais funny. Only The Office has ever used him well imo.
They say "write about the things you know". Now, from what I learned about Ricky Gervais, he is deeply in love with his partner Jane Fallon. From bits of his acts I learned how much he (supposedly) respect her and base his life on her presence. Watching Afterlife I had the feeling he was acting what it would be his life without her, and that is sweet, but it's an experiment that could turn to be very artificial. Everything in this show feels like the shallow reflection of what he feels things are (like loss, depression, and the therapist, the collegues), mostly showing contempt about what he perceive as mediocre, with rare and sudden flash of respect about the things he can empathize with.
You know, I think you are actually right about this show. I think, as I continue to mourn the loss of my marriage to divorce, I'm projecting the depth of my grief onto this blank canvas of a character, and therefore experiencing something that is more about me than about him. Which you could say in an argument for the excellence of the show - that it allows space for the viewer, and that's why so many people are relating to it or touched by it in some way. But I can't argue with what you are saying about it here, except that it is true that, when you watch subsequent seasons, you can see that he isn't actually saying that depression can be "cured" by tough love, or simple truths being pointed out to him. He's kind of always going back and forth - waking up and then falling back under, which does look familiar to me as a counselor.
I used to be a fan of him but idk lately I see him more as pretentious. I see him as talented too but he comes off as egotistical and mean spirited like an edgy teenage boy who got higher than average grades
I think that view of him is a bit unfair, but I 100% see why it's increasingly becoming a common perception of him
I'm glad I watched this before giving the show a go. I really liked the premise and I like Gervais' comedy, but this confirms my fears that he wouldn't be able to shed his sarcasm. A sarcastic and nihilistic worldview is inherently optimistic because it fictionalises the world by putting it into the context of events proving a point, but when I'm depressed, it's kind of a pretty big symptom that things don't seem to have a point.
I watched all three seasons. I'd say overall it was enjoyable, but it never felt coherent. There were some great characters (potential), but their individual idiosyncrasies were all dialled up to eleven.
I will say that some of this gets addressed later, flashbacks to Tony, Lisa, and Dad having a laugh over a glass of wine were great for example.
The show does have heart....but it needs more of everything, except, ironically, the excess.
The psychiatrist being weird and incompetent didn't bother me per se, it's a trope Gervais has used many times before (his agent in Extras in particular).
There's a really good show / story in here, I think we only got to see glimpses of it.
Extras is EXCELLENT. you’ll love it. The Xmas special too is very good.
Well, I'm sorry but that's just your opinion. I really loved the show. And I couldn't care less that you didn't like it.
Of course it's just my opinion, I have absolutely no problem with people disagreeing
Gervais is a a bad actor. Like so bad it wraps back around to good and back to bad again: you begin to question your own perceptions, because surely, "this can't possibly be *this bad* without anyone noticing. This must be my fault somehow."
kinda true... i think for comedic stuff hes alright but for the scenes that are meant to be sad/dramatic he doesn't do that well
@3:00 Tony doesn't know who Tony is. As a guy who has been in the same relationship for 16 years and likely more, I don't know if MLTT is aware to the depth and breadth that connection pervades a person. It would take me, and likely Tony, YEARS to work through. Something I'm sure you're aware. The mean spiritedness, tony exudes skirts some kind of disassociative indifference. The idea that someone could not care very much about others being so alien to MLTT is surprisingly naive.
I'm not sure your analysis was able to navigate around your dislike of the character or the creator. I would be interested in a real attempt to run through the kind of narrative and meta narratives that can demonstrated through this flawed caricatured character.
Go for it. If you make a video discussing that, I'd watch it. Since MLTT has expressed he doesn't like this series, it's not likely he'd be able to cover this topic the way you could as someone who appreciates it. I like Ricky, just not in this show. I got the impression MLTT feels the same in regards to him. I'd enjoy hearing your perspective of how this show is better than I gave it credit for when I watched all 3 seasons. I wanted the show to be good, but I didn't get anything out of it. Perhaps that's because I've never lost myself in a relationship with someone else, which isn't healthy for anyone to do. If Ricky is this way IRL with Jane, I really hope he does see a therapist and learns how to be a whole person with or without Jane. No one should be this dependent on another human being for their happiness.
I wholeheartedly agree. I even commented calling them caricatures. I really feel like MLTT is being too critical or closed minded. Personally I think this sort of enmeshment is what marriage is all about; its not finding someone you can tolerate, its finding someone who is your opposite so you can learn from each other and grow together as a united entity.
It's not alien to me that he wouldn't care, it's that how he came to that as a person is never explored. There's hints of what could be dissociation but never enough or consistently for the show to make a point about it. We're repeatedly told that Tony is a lovely person who is really funny and kind (or was) and it's like "ok, grief obviously can have a great affect on a person's behaviour, but we need to see and understand more to really feel what moved him from where he was, to where he is at the start of the show"
The idea is great, it's just never explored with enough depth or consistency to really make it land
What is it that you expect to see? His wife died, and the thing that anchored his existence to this world no longer exists. A part of him died with her, shouldn't that be enough.
I think the appeal of it for many is Tony acting the way he does and seemingly the respective universe justifying his behavior. There are many, many people who like the idea of being a complete jerk because they think the world is full of stupid an apathetic people [actually, I'm pretty sure we're all guilty of feeling that way at one point or another] and seeing Gervais make that fantasy a reality is probably very cathartic to many people.
The trouble is obviously in that there're no consequences for Tony's behavior, not really, and thus the show denies it's audience the harsher reality of living out that particular fantasy.
This, I would argue; is actually a massive, massive problem with today's entertainment. Too many programs and films -like Rick and Morty, show obviously damaged people behaving awfully and in very self-destructive ways, yet the respective media treats them like they're always right and justified, and everyone else is wrong and stupid.
Its a lot like the Clifford movie, actually, in that the unfortunate reality of a situation takes a backseat so that the lead characters can basically get what they want and the audience can feel good, except the only difference here is that more people will get a lot more catharsis from R&M and After Life than they will a generic troublesome dog movie.
I think, unfortunately, a lot of modern kids' shows come closer to the adult shows than even Clifford, in that regard, sidestepping morality for characters feeling good, and even to a degree allowing audiences of all ages to vicariously feel good through these characters getting their way.
And I think that's another major problem with modern entertainment, at least from y perspective; its too easy. Its too easy to make, and its too easy to absorb and not really think about. And because its so easy and because its instantly what everyone goes for, that just fuels a vicious cycle of content that's not very good, at all, and it snot very healthy for it's audience
Very good point. I actually have been interested in Rick and Morty, but I've decided not to watch it because I heard that it's basically about Rick acting like an a-hole and the show's attitude being that it's just fine. Agreeing with his a-holeness. That sounds really immoral to me.
You sum it up brilliantly. A video making that case about rick and morty would be a really interesting idea!
This is the only time I disagree with you. It’s a very British show with serious tones. I think the mix of tones doesn’t really tailor to the United States audience.
I'm English and always been a fan of Gervais work. It's fuckin awful
A key element of British comedy is 'punching up' - in Afterlife the character of Tony is constantly punching down on others with his intellectual (and physical) prowess.
The really striking thing is that Karl Pilkington of all people managed to create a television dramedy that was much more engaging than Gervais' efforts.
Sick of It isn't perfect, but the central concept of the main character interacting with his own internal voice is funnier and a lot more novel than most of Afterlife. Moreover yes the show will certainly will have scenes based around Karl being put off by annoying people; it also very often makes his own idiosyncrasies the butt of the joke, and the program genuinely explores how much of his flawed life is the result of own choices. Even the romantic subtext he has with a younger woman in the second series rarely ever feels over idealized or saccharine in its execution.
Not every character in Pilkington's show is necessarily complex mind you, but there's at least a sense that they have lives beyond the show, Afterlife's cast feel like they exist either for him to lecture against, insult, or hear about his late spouse. Its one thing for the story to revolve around him, its quite another for the story's universe seeming to as well. That simplistic characterization makes the its already manipulative attempts at pathos feel even less genuine because nothing at all feels relatable.
Finally the lack of anything resembling subtlety in Gervais' current work compounds the aforementioned issues. The constant footage of Lisa eventually has little emotional effect because its use just beats the viewer over the head in its one dimensional depiction of grief. Sick of It doesn't force itself into efforts at tearjerker moments nearly as often, and even then the occasional illustration of Karl's actual loneliness is done with much more restraint via the cinematography (which itself blows away any of the visual work in Afterlife).
Essentially in terms of legitimately thoughtful character oriented television shows the one who co-wrote the Office and Extras has been outdone by a man who once did Monkey News. And that's sadder than any fictional dead wife.
Ironic that the 'idiot' that is Karl Pilkington made a better show than the comedian/actor/writer that is Gervais!
As someone in perpetual grief myself, i really empathized with the character.
There is a fair amount of dissapointment, and i think you and i both realize how much potential the show had to develop. And we hope that the protagonist grows as a person whose enlightenment is cathartic, losing his flaws. But he keeps his flaws. He funds the suicide of an addict. Hes an asshole. And thats ok to have such flaws. Glass houses and all that.
For all of that, i still enjoy the show, and go back to certain scenes so that i dont feel so utterly alone in how i feel. Its ok when people dont buy into his depression, but for me, i relate all too well.
This show kinda reminds me of how I dealt with my emotions when I was 8, and I internally beloeved I didn't have to care about anything, only to then realize I had empathy. Doesn't work so well on an adult who has probably already figured that out. I think that the therapist character is alright, when my sister went to a therapist because she had depression, the therapist just kept telling her to pray that god would stop punishing her. Maybe Ricky also had a bad experience. Seasons 2 and 3 are better, I think
Gervais doesn't apologise for his shitty jokes so don't feel the need to apologise for an honest critique. I find it cringey that every now and then he goes on Twitter to rally his stans to help bump up the ratings for this terrible show, as if he needs the extra validation.
could you go more into depth on why you dislike ricky gervais and the show?
@@explode_9848 Well, it's subjective isn't it? I'm assuming you like his writing and directing, while I don't. I don't see the point in going into depth - this video covers most of it.
@@rickstarz i'd just be interested in the reasons behind why you dislike the show
@@explode_9848prob cos it's a shitcom
He just talks like Ricky Gervais in this with his own mannerisms, he hasn`t gone into any character, it`s like he`s not acting he just talking normal.
Ok this is my first comment on your channel although I watched quite a lot of your vids but I just felt your view on the show is so unfortunate that I really needed to make a point. No some points as it turned out.
(Also sorry this got outrageously long and also English is my 2nd language so I'm kinda going on a limb having a go at all of this but really felt strongly about this review),
I really think you got it totally wrong. First because you were looking for meaning which isn't really fair to expect from such a show, isn't it? Also where is the meaning when watching a depressed person living his allday everyday life? There is none. And for me that's one point the show tries to make! DON'T EXPECT ANY MEANING! Not in life no in this show.
For me it's a pretty accurate and bleak depiction of depression and having lost all faith in yourself and the world around you.
Yes, Tony is a total asshole but that's because he hates life AND himself (maybe it's even his default state of being). Only his wife being there made him being able to come to some sort of "truce" with himself but once she's gone it's all the same and he uses every situation possible to let the world know how much he despises everything - including himself.
So that's another thing I think you got wrong. Tony WAS already bitter, frustrated or even self-loathing way before his wife died! But as so many other people he clinged to another person and made that person his single source of happiness and joy and in his case it seems wo have worked for quite some time. Is that a responsible and healthy approach to life? No! Buts that’s kind of the point, isn't it? What happens to a person only functioning because another person in his life when that person is gone? You see Tony totally crumble and vanish in self pitty while being a total ass to anyone around him. And on top of that he is a coward as he really stands for nothing puts that on a flag as if it's really something to be proud of and always points out that when things really get tough he could always choose the easy way out.
Showing this in such a bold and unflinching way might even surprise some depression pro's out there because they manage to see something on the screen of which they might have fantasized about how it would feel to do that - if they find the courage. Or see very personal thoughts uttered freely and without any judgement in a more or less popular Netflix show!
Ok SPOILER!
Because I wrote so much (which I wasn't planning on doing) I will just formulate upfront WHY I WATCHED THE SHOW.
In short because it first was devastating to see such a bleak and unrelenting depiction of depression AND then wanting to learn how he would find his way out of it! What made him go on? I wanted to see what helped him to keep going and learn if it would also would do for me or others! And, hear me out, that's what makes the show so good, they DIDN'T went for a Disney ending or an life altering romance or some other cheap turn. Instead some parts of his life just remain uglyor even totally absurd (the therapist for example, work) but some things shifted just a little bit, just enough to make a difference. There was the genuine connection he made out of pure luck with another person (the lady at the graveyard). Sometimes all it needs is to find one other person who grieves or suffers the same we do but still manages to hold her/himself with grace. Just to see that THAT'S POSSIBLE! And then hold on to that.
Ok, I hear you state that you don't see Tony doing much more than walk around and being sad and watching things of the past and cling on to them. Well yeah, that's depression. It's repetition, lethargy, the lack of interest in anything and most of all anything new. He's just doing these walks because of the dog. It's the maximum of effort he can muster. So it's not about the character wasn't developed properly. That. Is. His. Life. He is bitter and frustrated to the core full of self-hate which manifests in some borderline cruel sarcasm (borderline as a figure of speech not the diagnose ofc). He is in a constant state of being depressed and or angry. The anger manifests in his stance towards others and his fake laughs and smiles. Verbally punching down on others brings him a little bit of superficial joy and that's about it.
Part 2
The woman on the graveyard sneaks up on him so to speak and it's those unexpected people that have the most impact on people with depression imo because she is not pressuring him into change, trying to cheer him up, fed up with his depression aka stubbornness. She isn't expecting anything and neither does she want anything from him. She is just there seeing someone being in pain and who suffered loss and because she can relate there is that instant connection between them. Because there is understandting without words because they share a lot. That's what distinguishes her so much from all the other persons in his daily life. To him they are all shallow one-dimensional characters with nothing to offer at all and his only approach to that is calling them out on their ridiculousness. I see that show as his point of view on the world. He just can't perceive anything that's being shown on the show about those people. That doesn't mean that there isn't more to them. He himself is standing in the way of there being more and only when he is taken by surprise that's opening up a window for more than just people being the shallow representation and archetype of his own expectations.
About his sui...de attempt. If you are numb to the core and hold a g*n to your head countless times just to get used to the feeling a scene like in the show isn't one of big gestures and emotions. Sure I agree with you it's rather purely acted but I think he tried don't make it too heavy (even for this show) but make a point for even the heaviest of all action becoming some way of trivial to really really depressed people. At some point you just want it to be over. You expecting there to be relief, anger, joy after not going threw with it (for maybe the 50th time) are rather false assumptions and also feels like some sort of generalization. I'm sure it's like that for someone who tries the first time or something of that sort but if you are really dead inside those ups and downs you spoke of aren't really happening anymore in your life - at all. Being empty of all feelings doesn't allow for there to be sudden relief. If you are that far down you actually have to start learning (and allowing yourself) to feel again. But I agree Tony isn't that far gone imo so the whole scene isn't that sound but still important for the show because we need to see that he actually "tried" otherwise it would "just be talk" and on the surface.
About the postman’s death.
Look, he actually wanted to do what the postman did all along. He is just to much of a coward to pull it of but he actually admires the man. That’s why you don’t see him getting in there more because that’s genuinely his position and the more I think about it the more shocking that is but IT IS HONEST imo and kind of brave to stick to that. It isn’t judging in any way too btw. Death is always on step away and people who know other heavily depressed people will lose some on the way. Some will envy those actually having pulled through, some will mourn and some will condemn them.
Tony just did what he would wish some other person would do for him would it be the other way around and it was (again) bleak to show it like this. Without adding any form of sugar coating and “ex machina” meaning to it.
Part 3
About his turn.
It's not about knowing. We all know we should eat less sugar, do more sports, don't use your smartphone in bed and a million other things. People sometimes let themselves fall in to addictions and also depression and sadness. Tony isn’t even trying to hide that which makes it so annoying. He was always a c**t but his wife made him tolerable and let him get away with his moods, cruel pranks, sarcastic jokes and all of it because they somehow “worked”. So once she was gone he went back to JUST being an asshole without her as a cushioning factor and not only that he is now a grieving and old asshole.
I don’t think he expected to be reached or touched by anyone else in the world anymore which somehow actually opens up a chance to be surprised by someone. And that is what happened with the lady at the cemetery. In all his indifference he also lowered his guard totally but being as sad as he is also everything has the potential to directly hit to the core. This is was most people anchored in their routine and self-understanding seem to have a hard time understanding. Serious depression leaves is a cruel and raw state! It’s easy to be manipulated and there is often also a manic element to it.
See it this way. Tony actually isn’t that phlegmatic as it seems just look at all the effort he puts into insulting people through his humor. He has a point to make about this world and also about himself but it’s a rather aggressive and negative stance. That’s not total indifference because that would make him stop making any point at all, wouldn’t it. So, what he does is just changing the way he makes the point but with the same energy. It’s a switch.
Someone unexpected actually pulled it off to come through to him - which is actually a clever point the show makes. It’s not the people you see every day and also not the people with a history that come with a full bag of expectation towards you who will get through to you. No, someone from the outside who isn’t in any box or category yet has much better chances to do so.
So, someone with a real and genuine interest in Tony grants him some genuine insight into their own history and suffering and it REALLY matters. Maybe that's all most of us need to give another go at trying to change something - which is what I think we see in the show.
I mean depressed people also try "new ways" all the effing time. And ofc it's totally” fake it til you make it” in the beginning but that's the same with unhealthy obese people and sports in the beginning. It's like faking to be sporty while your body is screaming "stop" and it feels awful and wrong but if you keep at it it eventually starts feeling different.
Same with behavior. You try something different and you totally don't feel it at the beginning or it feels you are watching yourself from a third perspective but something is happening and it also gives you just the little amount of hope that helps to continue doing it. I mean most people WANT to change, the want the misery to stop - even while seemingly embracing depression as their lifestyle and the main defining thing in their life but sometimes it doesn't take much to push them - for worse or the better.
What makes the show unique is seeing a deeply depressed, short sighted, narcistic person that is barely holding on - keep going. That’s about it. And for a really depressed person that’s really “not nothing” because it starts with “hey, I am were you are” (meaning Tony a totally lost character) and ending with “Look I’m still here! No it’s not all peachy now, most of it is still shit but some of it got better and that’s enough for now”. And I find it quite unusual for a show to stick to that and not make a turn for some totally unrealistic “oh look I was wrong all along and now everything is fine now”. Tony will always be some kind of asshole and jerk. But that’s what some depressed people think of themselves to so that’s actually a bridge. But he slowly and gradually becomes better. Not with all things just with some.
I absolutely loved the show. I believe ricky gervais is one of the best. I dont understand why this guys gets one thing or another just to criticize the show or ricky state of mind or personality as a whole. I dont believe there is anyone who could write,act and direct such a sensitive matter. He did it almost perfectly. The show is darkly humored, the supporting characters are symbolic human being and the only one who is human is ricky himself. The whole show is from ricky perspective. And as a human we always wants ourself to be the central character. So the central character find solace and meaning in the end. The show is more symbolic, philosophical and artistic rather than preaching message or being dramatic.
4:10 kinda confused what My little thought tree sayin when he says "You can still be sad and do stuff to pass the time" he then shows Tony with drugs and walking his dog to pass the time?
i guess it might be cuz he they might not show what he did before his wife died
True, but what are, or were his passions in life? We're vaguely told he's a good writer but it would've been really nice to see some of that, for example. If walking was an interest, it would've been nice to hear about that too, because it just seemed more like he had to take walls for the sake of his dog
@@mylittlethoughttree I think the good thing in my op bout Ricky Gervaises character Tony is that he is meant to be this blank slate of a man and doing any of the old things he used to do that once made him happy now make him sad due to the memory of his dead wife. Therefore we don't get to know Tony like his Wife and brother in law did but as how the people who he insults and takes the mik out of do at this time in his life, a mean bitter man with no real pleasures in life other than insulting these random people. But i do feel that you get to see glimpses of the man he once was like how he treats his nephew
Sorry if long paragraph and poor grammar but thanks for taking the time to write a response please let me know what you think of my take (: x
but i feel we do get to see this old version of tony with how he treats vulnerable people like his nephew and dog showing that deep down he was a good person and still is
to an extent aha
Ricky needs to have a spiritual awakening
for such a handsome and talented man, he's wasting away his potential to make great things by being so cynical
its a shame
if only he knew how much God Loves him and no I'm not talking about an old zeus like bastard
I'm talking about love energy itself
I agree. It needed Stephen Merchant to help write it.
I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on his movie; *_The Invention of Lying_*
Oh God, unwatchable! 😂😂😂
I loved that movie
I saw it when I was very young. I thought it was a very good premise... can't really remember anything else though 😅 feels like one of those films that, if I watched it back as a grown man, I'd hate it
@@adrienneclarke3953 Yeah, I lived it too... I think the moment when Ricky's character realizes he has the power to abuse his "gift", but doesn't, was the tipping point of the movie for me!
I saw it in the cinema & as I walked out an usher asked me what I thought of it. I said; It was Brilliant!
The usher replied; Really? We've had people walk out of the movie in disgust during the first five minutes! 😮
I can only assume it has to do with the discussion regarding masturbation in those opening minutes?
There's so much he could have done with this premise, but Ricky wrote the whole thing to just mock religion, and so none of it is really even funny. It's just weird and goofy. He didn't give much thought at all to what a world without lies would actually look like. There are people IRL who cannot lie (for example, people with Williams Syndrome), and they are the sweetest, kindest souls. A world without lies would likely be a beautiful, enjoyable place. Nothing like what Ricky imagined for this movie. He imagined lying was invented to make things better, but I have to think that is where things would, in fact, turn worse in the world. Ricky is just so contrary to logical thought in that movie, it's heart-breaking to watch, not funny.
A man who's never been married wrote a show lecturing the masses on how to deal with the loss of a loved one in between writing scenes where he recreates arguments he had on Twitter and he wins then every time and everyone clapped
A show written by Gervais, produced by Gervais, directed by Gervais......starring Gervais as the star and only 3D character. It's like Gervais gave himself all of the pithy, intelligent, witty lines and surrounded himself with a bunch of morons. Very surprised he didn't sing all the music. A project of complete narcissism.
to be fair, tony is meant to be a narcissistic person. its not gervais being a narcissist and, it is a comedy
I wonder why we're never shown Tony's great writing, hmm
He is really missing Stephen Merchant’s input. I cannot comprehend the popularity of After Life, it is terrible
It genuinely blows my mind. The amount of people calling it "Ricky's best ever work" whilst not being able to name any of the other characters in the show is baffling. It's the "emotional" bits that really puzzle me though, they're SO on the nose and always framed with music ( Ricky's choice of music ) it's like people need instructions on when to feel sad, there's zero subtlety to it. Also the use of the word cunt?! I don't mind the word but it's so insanely overused that it loses any of the usual shock value. "Ha ha ha lol lol lol...a ninety year old woman said cunt...brilliant"
"he uses Tony's depression as an excuse for Ricky to say all the things he wants to say" exactly! Also I think it's telling that his "fond memories" or using the airhorn to prank people are made to represent him being "fun" rather than abusive
Every day I am baffled by the reach of some ppl. I feel really sorry for you but I wish u well nonetheless
tony ended up being someone that, while depressed and kind of a jerk, who went out of his way to help everyone around him, showing he is deep down a good person
Yeah and insulting everyone, smashing random car windows and helping drug addicts to OD.
@@thefonzkiss the second and third seasons he made a lot of attempts to help people
@@BrianaLynn7
When exactly? We’re constantly told how he’s the greatest guy ever but we never see it.
Have you seen Please Like Me? I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. It also falls into this "genre" of a standup comedian making a show more or less about themselves, but this one imo is really well done, I personally loved it.
Thanks for another great video.
Please Like Me is one of my favourite shows. Not even comparable to after life. I should watch it again :)
@@megand4222 I loved it so much when I watched it! It's been a long time though, I should give it a rewatch as well :)
One of the scenes that stuck with me (& possibly the first one to make me laugh out loud) was that, um, to keep it vague, let's call it "dinner with Adele". It was marvellous. And then Someone Like You... :D I was dying lol. Probably one of my favourite moments.
I feel like there is not much about his character is simply because the purpose of this series is to make people who are going thru tough time feel THEY ARE Tony. For the “weird” and “not so qualified as a psychiatrist” guy, I think Ricky wants people to understand that even for who are working closely with psychologies can have mental problems too, or maybe Ricky wants people to know that psychiatrists are often not the only solution to mental health, instead, the solution should be like the old lady Anne who actually been thru the same thing and has the empathy to offer.
Honestly, I think the councillor is just Ricky's boomer justification "I'm not going to a therapist, you know what they're like"
*Why does his generation matter? Why can't you just show understanding and compassion for the reasons that people may have developed a stigma regarding psychology instead of demonizing a whole generation of people for an idea.*
@@bendadestroyer Did I trigger you? I'm sorry:)
No, I was simply defending my belief. Being "triggered" is irrelevant.
THANK YOU for making this! This show is sooo bad in so many ways, and I seriously cannot understand why people love it so much. And I am a huge Ricky fan but... just no!
If people get something out of it then great, but I'm just relieved to know that at least someone else agrees with me. :D
The show is bitter. If you like positive messages, it's not for you. It's a show about loss, loss of meaning, nihilism. It's not about having a good time or recovering. Not everything MUST be sweet and positive.
I know a LOT of married men that have no friends, no hobby, only their jobs and maybe a loving other.Yeah, it's depressing. But so is life sometimes.
Yeah but this character isnt like those real people, is his point
@@DichotomousRex Well, this character IS like them, the author of the video just dislike it.
I think the show is positive though, that's half my issue. The positivity pushed in is such a simple and forced level that it just comes across as lacking depth. I would've liked a deeper struggle with a wiser, better earned conclusion. Instead, it seems mostly sentimental portrayals of sadness, then a weak level of optimism to resolve it. I have no problem with sad shows, but sad doesn't instantly mean depth
As someone with NO friends or habbies and someone who was a cynic and now an optimist/nihilist (weird I know), I found the sentimentality of it really hit home. Going back through old video's of my grandmother before the alzhiemers and bawling my eyes out by myself. The battle is very internal and often something that I just have to swallow and get on with life until next time. It's been a while since I watched season one but I don't think his sadness is ever resolved.
Agreed. Was going to comment but basically say the same thing.
Grieving depressed people are usually not the nicest to others and fail to see or are just too bitter to care anymore. There is nothing comforting to say about loss unless your religious. No disney-fication available to atheists and yet people throw empty religious feel-good jargin at him.
"She's in a better place." Over and over, you snap at people like he does. It's tiring playing along for other people's feelings and beliefs already, throw in his loss and nihilistic/numb depression, and his bitchy behavior makes sense.
Was meant to be uncomfortable and unfunny in parts. Gervais plays a self centered prick because that's the character.
Ending was ok. Liked that it was just as simple as him deciding to be kinder to others and that's it.
"Lacked depth" duh, THAT was the point. Depth is an illusion. We provide arbitrary meaning to random life and superimpose that onto everyone and everything.
I don't personally find Gervais funny at all. Occasionally he has me nodding along in agreement, maybe that's just his British dark humour?
I wonder if it’s worth making a comparison between the series Bojack Horseman and Afterlife? What Bojack got right and where afterlife could’ve improved.
I enjoyed it, but the constant dog obsession scenes ruined it for me.
And how the fuk is a writer so god damn rich, dude has a mansion in a main street which is also a walk away from the beach, what is going on lmao
As someone with a dad that lost his wife, Tony is a somewhat (if slightly shitter) version of what someone at that low of a point can be like, depressed, an addict, basically do nothing with there life other than lament while treating everyone else as the enemy. His "I have a super power" line was almost something that would word for word have come out of my dad's mouth when my mum first died or in his subsequent low points following her death throughout the years. The problem is that makes for shit TV. No one wants to watch that, and the fact they have such a grounded and realistic (if cringe worthy) interpretation of Tony's character is in my opinion what makes afterlife so shit. It's a dark comedy that forgets to be a comedy half the time, forcing itself to be an artsy commentary on death and atheism and society. When really its just unfunny, depressing and shit.
i completely agree with all your takes except that for some reason i felt like i liked the show, i think bc of the ideas you expressed at around 11:18 were the things that i felt he was processing throughout the show that were implied bc his grieving and depression read to me as mostly what i have felt, leaving it vague and open in order to leave things subjective but idk im very empathetic and everything makes me emotional so i feel like id like any show that had a plot line that made sense and was more realistic 😂
anywho great video can’t wait to watch more!
god yes, agree with all this. i am so baffled by how many people love this show. i liked the first season but still felt it was awkward in parts, second season was "ok" but the third was unwatchable.. half way through i just skimmed through tony's scenes.. and the final episode i just skimmed through the entire thing. had lost complete interest by that point.
This is the first of your video essays with which I completely disagree. I loved After Life. Maybe I just love Ricky Gervais. Thank you, nonetheless. You are so insightful, and your voice is meditative (to me). 🥰
I’m going to disagree with your thoughts on this show.
End of 2019 I was diagnosed with terminal cancer. 2 of them ( I’m greedy). My best friend told me about this show. I watched it whilst I was going through treatment ( I’ll make a point of saying that I’m a huge fighter and refused to die). I adored this show. I laughed. I cried. It really helped with my emotions You’d think a series based around death. From cancer of all things! Would’ve been a NoNo to watch. Quite the opposite.
It gave me strength
I’m now 19 months in remission. From terminal cancer!!!!
Well that is wonderful to hear! Thankyou for sharing ☺️ I certainly don't begrudge anyone else liking it, I'm glad it could help empower you
@@mylittlethoughttree Bizarrely- it really did. 🙂. Thank you. Xxxx
I had about the same reaction. It certainly felt more like Gervais doing whatever he had to in order to wrap the show around what he already decided to make.
But then here's the show, and when you think it's going somewhere he just meanders off the path, into the forest, and has a nap in a deserted barn while everyone waits for him to get with it. It's like nobody told him no, this isn't going to work like that or he didn't listen to any input or critique, because a lot of this is just basic.
The biggest thing that annoyed me about the show was it’s uncompromising repetitiveness. It was like the first episode was written a certain way, and as if by cookie-cutter-thinking the 3 or 4 episodes I watched looked exactly the same.
Telling the same story over and over again can work, like in Rashomon, but if you do it, you have to offer a compensation, like a twist in each retelling. Telling it from different perspectives, timelines, etc.
Repetitiveness makes sense in Afterlife because of the depiction of depression, as anyone who’s suffered from depression will tell you, every day feel the same. What happened yesterday happens today, and it will happen tomorrow and the day after that.
But Afrerlife is a story first and foremost and must include some kind of development with each episode, and the comedy must serve the story, and each episode should involve a forward move, or a reversal as a prelude to the forward move.
Afterlife, regardless of the comedic aspects, doesn’t do any of that.
You could watch just the first episode and you’ll have watched everything in Afterlife that you’ll ever need to see.
oh, I'm glad to have gotten here early!
It's funny, just a few days ago my English teacher brought up this show as an example of good writing and I open youtube to find my favourite youtuber has uploaded a video critiquing it, haha. This was a really wonderful video and I agree with all of your critique! I've never been a big fan of Ricky Gervais, but this show was terrible.
No offence to your teacher, but that strikes me as "what's a popular show kids might like? Maybe they'll be engaged if we discuss that?"
Or maybe that's judgemental of me. I definitely don't feel it's good writing though
@@mylittlethoughttree oh no, you're completely right. She is very much the kind of teacher who tries to use popular media to try and connect to students, haha
@@theFakeRed probably a good thing though, for the people less keen on english, it gives them a way in... I always loved English though, so it probably would've annoyed me 😆
The people who think Afterlife is deep and profound are the same people who would think ‘When the Whistle Blows’ is hilarious. Are you having a laugh!?
It's good to remember that Gervais is a comedian and everyone in After Life who isn't Gervais is a foil for his comedy. After Life isn't meant to seriously explore anything, it's just meant to hit emotional chords for the audience. You're laughing at his ascerbic repartee one moment and witnessing his personal loss the next. Of course there is no excuse for behaving that way, including close personal tragedy, and of course there has never been a therapist that terrible. To suspend disbelief you have to recognize the implausibility of the setup.
Except for the part with him helping that addict kill himself, I liked the series. I do not think that it matters what you think R.Gervais vision should have been. Please, go make your own movie. Oh, wait, you are.... then I have to say that I do not like your thoughts on this, I liked other episodes though. You are missing a lot of points here and that is not good for a psychologist.
I agree with what you've said, I did like the show but i feel like it could have been a lot more. Have you watched fleabag? I'd love a video on it, I personally loved it and it's also about grief
people really think ricky gervais wrote this show about himself 💀 like im not a giant fan of the guy but holy fuck the show is a representation of the grieving process not for a comedian to jerk himself off and win arguments if you think it is anything like that you missed the whole point
I hope that isn't what it sounded like I was saying. I understand and really like the intention/idea of the show, it's the execution of it that bothers me and leads to unintentionally presenting other ideas
It was okay enough to keep watching, but I kept on until the end of the final season. The dog was a stellar actor.
This is what my college teacher said, at least I can kind of understand the point of view now...
I was very relieved that the video was on your views on this. When I tried watching a few episodes, I was shocked at how he is such a horrible person for how he treats everyone around him. Your explanation about him not being a sympathetic character was perfect and it really bothered me when watching the show.
You make a lot of valid points in the video. But you also suggest changes that would make the series absolutely bland for me. I don't think it is a masterpiece but it is very special for me and a welcome change from typical television. I have severe trouble with depression myself and I find emotional cliché situations on tv very annoying. I think how this show portraits difficult situations like "having a father with dementia" or suicide (concerning the mail man as well as Tony himself) is in a way realistic. I don't want to say that it is acted perfectly but these situations are usually portrait in a super emotional way on tv but in reallity they not allways are. The unemotional way Tony acts with the mail man concerning the suicide topic .... it plays a big part in the outcome that he actually kills himself, as you mentioned. It is cruel and shocking, but that is the point. And it is the subtlety in Tony's reaction that follows that I liked. No, he shows no "in you face"-signs of shock or guilt after the suicide. But I felt that he was quite affected by the prostitute's reaction to the suicide. And for me one reason why Tony is starting to act nicer is because he realizes the mail man died in part because of his attitude. The attitude "I don't care about anyone and anything and if things go bad, I can still kill myself". The attitude works fine as long as it is just about him being rude to ppl. But it didn't work for him anymore after he realizes it can kill someone.
I also liked the role of the photographer. Yes Tony is absolutely horrible to him, the fat jokes are stupid and unoriginal. And yes, the role is a bit over the top. But the way the photographer handles the way he is treated and kind of sticks to being true to himself I found quite refreshing. Usually when there is someone overweight with unelegant habits being mocked on tv, they are suffering and it is shown to the audience how bad that is. And it is important to show that, but as I said it is also refreshing to show a character like the photographer who is similar but more self-reliant.
Everyone has different tastes; that's why there's so many different kinds of music and shows. I'm glad you found the show worth watching.
I wanna say "hope he sees this king" but he for sure has already
This is my first ever RUclips comment and I can't believe it's on something like this. Although I respect your opinion, I genuinely feel like you missed the whole point of the show. Sometimes you made critiques on certain things and I'm sitting here like, "that's obviously not how you should see it." Your commentary, I personally feel, lacks something crucial. Much of your enjoyment of the series will hang around how you view the character who anchors the show. I feel like you were looking for a hero. Tony isn't a hero and life is messy. I think this was portrayed beautifully. I urge you to give it another watch.
I'm all for messy, non heroic protagonists. Some of the best TV is built around them. I just never felt there was enough depth to Tony to really make it work. I wanted to see more. I think a lot of the ideas and concepts of Afterlife were great but the execution lets it all down. Although I have to recognise my opinion is the definite minority
I kinda liked it. However, it was strange that nobody really tried to actively help him to deal with grief and depression. Also, it got pretty monotonous by the season 3 as there was no development or progression of character. Just rinse and repeat.
Can you talk about Kaitou Joker?
I gave up watching after 4 episodes. What I saw wasn’t funny, it was repetitive, and worst of all, it told the wrong story. The first series should’ve been about their love and joy cracking under the strain 0f a terminal diagnosis, with Tony”s wife dying at the end of the final episode. Tony shouldn’t have been given these quirky stories report, but should’ve been given more serious stuff like politics, religion , industry, commerce, family and community etc to investigate. The opportunity to ask serious questions and create debate was missed.
If you get a crab drunk, it'll walk forwards...
I didn't like it either. It was a disappointing whinge-fest.
I've never seen this show and only heard about it in passing, but based on what you showed here it doesn't seem like I'm missing anything. I am glad to see some Taskmaster contestants getting paychecks though.
THANK YOU THAAAAATS WHERE I KNOW HIM FROM
Really great video, thank you. I agree that in after life (and in Derek) the intention is noble, Gervais’ is trying to explore a difficult topic and humanise the experience of depression / disability. The life-affirming bits in both shows are almost saccharine but I have to admit sometimes they did effect me. The jokes are brutal, very straightforward, not that clever, caustic and sarcastic. But again, sometimes I did find myself laughing a lot. I certainly don’t think the show left me with any insight into grief but I did find it entertaining and it sparked some discussion with my family
Similar to this show, what are your thoughts on BoJack Horseman?
The writing is severely hit or miss but i feel there's more of an attempt to explore depression from more angles and for the intentionally- insufferable and cynical main character to have more of a character arc and be confronted by different viewpoints. Used to really like BoJack but rewatching it it's definitely got issues and many episodes are better off skipped
6:27 the worst part about this is that he’s only a bit fatter than gervais himself