After Life

April 6, 2019 12:26 PM

Anybody else watch this?

I know Mr. Gervais has been a dope, and possibly a persona non-grata, but for some reason I found myself binging all six episodes yesterday. I don't even like his comedy all that often (never made it through UK Office), but I think I liked this in the way that I also liked his "The Invention of Lying."

posted by rhizome (8 comments total)

Yes, we've watched the first episode or two, and enjoyed it. And he's writing a second season.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:22 PM on April 6, 2019

Despite being told by others that I should take a look, I readily admit that Gevais is the lone reason I’ve been avoiding this. I’m just not a fan, and find he just isn’t entertaining.
posted by Thorzdad at 1:56 PM on April 8, 2019

His writing & performing is weirdly much different from his stand-up act. His comedy act is more akin to those theoretical "If you could have dinner with anyone from history who would it be?" and you chose a famous writer from the past and it turned out their real life persona was way more snarky and cynical than their writing.

I watched a little of this and I didn't think it was bad but it was very depressing, you have to be in a specific mood for it I feel like.
posted by bleep at 1:45 PM on April 13, 2019

This hit me really, really hard. We lost our niece to cancer in October and I wasn't sure if I could watch this. Plus Gervais has been an ass. But I watched it and I ended up really loving it. I ugly cried at the ending, in a good way. It was really cathartic for me in the place I am right now.

I thought the overall sentiment (basically: we're put on this earth to be kind and loving and make other people laugh) was really lovely and it was exactly what I needed.
posted by cooker girl at 7:10 AM on April 15, 2019 [1 favorite]

I watched one day when I needed something to watch while knitting. I found it to be too pat, but it was fine for a knitting watch.
posted by miss-lapin at 12:52 PM on April 15, 2019

I enjoyed this, I always like dark comedies about depressed people (anyone remember the one with Matthew Perry?) and it was full of fun quirky characters, and the main character redeems himself somewhat by the end.

I'm not a fan of Gervais either, but Penelope Wilton, Philomena Cunk Diane Morgan, and Roisin Conaty almost make up for it.
posted by mmoncur at 8:44 PM on April 23, 2019

I enjoyed the first couple episodes but after that it kind of felt like a hamfisted morality play. Needed to take a ethical stand on the plot line with the newspaper delivery dude and I feel like it weaseled out of doing so.
posted by supercres at 3:02 PM on April 26, 2019 [1 favorite]

I took that more as a "well I also tried this one thing to help, but it didn't work" movement, kinda like in Thumbsucker.
posted by rhizome at 4:22 PM on April 26, 2019