Netflix’s After Life is a beautifully presented story that deals with one of the problems human beings face in their lifetime – dealing with grief. It’s a feeling that can easily take over anyone. So much so that one might feel his/her life is not worth living, even though that’s not the case.
The show’s central character – Tony (Ricky Gervais) loses his wife to cancer and he just cannot deal with it. However, he has a caring family who try their best to make him happy, and to some extent, they succeed. After Life, quite recently, released its second season on Netflix, which took the tally of the episodes up to 12. In this list, we are going to rank the 10 best episodes from the series, according to IMDb.
Season 2, Episode 2 (8.0)
In the second episode of season 2, Tony watches a video of Lisa, dancing, before meeting Postman Pat who asks him a favor.
At the Tambury Gazette office, Tony apologizes to Matt for walking out of the meditation class. He then goes to talk to Anne about it, who reveals something interesting to him. Lenny’s girlfriend’s son joins the newspaper, while Tony talks to Roxy about Postman Pat.
Season 1, Episode 2 (8.1)
In the second episode of season 1, Tony is in the bathtub, thinking about slitting his wrists, but his dog walks in, making Tony change his decision.
While walking to the Tambury Gazette office, Tony meets a drug addict and asks him to come around to his house later with some drugs. At the graveyard, Tony meets Anne for the first time, while he goes out to the cafe with George, Matt’s son.
Season 1, Episode 3 (8.1)
In the third episode of season 1, Tony talks to his therapist about not wanting to be sad. He goes to meet the drug addict and gets to know that he lives in a rundown garage. Tony also meets Roxy, a sex worker, who tells him that the drug addict also lost his partner.
Meanwhile, Matt decides to take his employees to a comedy club, but all of that spirals in the wrong direction when Tony loses his head.
Season 2, Episode 3 (8.2)
In the third episode of season 2, Tony tells Postman Pat that Roxy is ready to meet him before joining his colleagues in wishing Sandy a happy birthday.
But all is not so good, as the owner of the Tambury Gazette tells Matt that he is thinking about selling the building and closing the newspaper. Hearing this, Sandy is heartbroken, but Tony is determined to do something nice for her.
Season 2, Episode 4 (8.4)
In the fourth episode of season 2, Matt is sitting across from his therapist, telling him that he is very sad because he cannot get his wife back. Quite typically, the therapist gives him terrible advice.
Emma opens up to Tony about her relationship status, while Matt’s wife finally comes around. But, Tony is still struggling with grief, as he just cannot forget his wife.
Season 1, Episode 4 (8.4)
In the fourth episode of season 1, Tony interviews a woman with a funny story before he gets to see his late wife’s hospital bed. Matt thinks it would be a good idea for Tony to go out on a date, and while he resists the thought initially, after talking to Anne, he agrees.
But the episode ends on a sad note, as the drug addict overdoses, thanks to the money Tony gave to him.
Season 2, Episode 5 (8.5)
In the fifth episode of season 2, Tony and Lenny interview someone interesting, while Emma declines Tony’s request to come to the local play.
Tony also invites Anne to the show before joining the owner of the Tambury Gazette for a coffee. The local talent show is hilarious, to say the least, but while that is happening, something sad happens in Tony’s life.
Season 1, Episode 5 (8.6)
In the penultimate episode of season 1, Tony starts his day off with threatening a child with a hammer before trying to flirt with Emma.
At the Tambury Gazette, Matt and Tony have a nervous conversation before joining Lenny for an incredibly unique interview. Furthermore, after breaking Matt’s heart, Tony apologizes.
Season 1, Episode 6 (8.7)
In the season 1 finale, Tony watches his daily soulful video of Lisa before going to meet with a kid who, supposedly, looks like Adolf Hitler.
This episode sees Tony evolve into a much better person, as he accepts life without Lisa is worth living. He accepts that there are good people in this world and he needs to be good to them. But to the bad people, he will continue to be mean and tell them exactly what he thinks about them.
Season 2, Episode 6 (9.1)
In the sixth episode of season 2, Tony hosts a funeral for his father, Jim, that slips him into more misery. Back at home, he watches videos of his father and Lisa, which makes him more emotional.
Meanwhile, Roxy is worried to find some pills under Tony’s sofa. The episode ends with Tony all set to take his pills and commit suicide, but with his dog barking hard. At the right moment, Emma shows up and quite literally saves Tony’s life as she agrees to be his friend.
