My main problem with any of the post-Merchant Gervais sitcoms is that every other scene seems like an excuse for Ricky to insert an argument that he's had with someone in real life (or even just in his head), regardless of whether or not it adds anything to the plot. It's like I'm not watching a character, I'm just watching him in a scenario he wrote where he wins every argument.
Yeah that's a major annoyance of mine. The Kath scenes in AfterLife are embarrassing, literally gets up from her work to walk across the office and just to lose an argument to Gervais haha
@@zelig1799 When Larry David gets in an argument in his show it's so much more realistic. They don't just shut up in awe of his wit, there's an actual argument. It's not like Ricky Gervais is even shutting them down with witty comebacks, most of the time it's just him saying his point of view as if that's enough to silence someone
@@zelig1799 I completely understand where you are coming from. However Larry David has said himself that Curb is Larry being himself only with no filters he’s showing us what it’s like to be free from the constraint of caring what others think and therefore saying what one would say if there wasn’t the etiquette of being polite or dancing around a subject rather than just placating to not cause offence. I’m not sure he crowbars arguments in to the show, unlike Ricky, they are just every day circumstances where he doesn’t avoid an argument if it fits.
“He’d rather have the audience leave thinking he’s clever rather than he’s funny, and great comedians achieve the former by being the latter” fucking, nail on the head man. Great video
My thoughts: Gervais is mentally robust. He never understood KP's lack of confidence, despite it being obvious that Karl had had quite a traumatic upbringing. So the concept of becoming fat because of numerous reasons besides gluttony, is alien to him. He's never had kids, so that whole realm is alien to him. He doesn't drive. He rarely travels. He's kind of lived in a bubble his whole life, and his increasingly shite efforts reflect this echo chamber. After Life has many flaws, and one of them is the wholly unrealistic jobs that people have. Local papers aren't viable business propositions anymore, for example, and haven't been for some time. Prostitutes that bump along quite happily?! Where I grew up, Southampton, they were confined to the most deprived parts of the city, and were fucking terrifying and sad in equal measure. For such a supposedly happy man, he does seem really annoyed by huge swathes of the population. He's quite the enigma, is old Rick.
Yes he is very childish and immature whilst thinking he is profound. For example Gervais thinking that ‘dying in your sleep’ would stop everyone’s fear of death and make everyone happy like the fear of death is simply the pain. Or in Afterlife where he verbally attacks the child bully presumably thinking the audience would be cheering him on, whereas most of us know that children like that usually have horrific home lives.
@@TheKermitShowYT sorry but I think u taking certain aspects from it way way too seriously. When he was attacking the bully, it was done for comedy and shock value. We know that’s not right for how an adult should act in front of a child- which is WHY it made it funny. Because it was satire. Obviously yes there are children that have horrific home lives, nobody is doubting that. But you’re making it into something it was never intended for
@@TheKermitShowYT i actually think it’s scenes like where he threatens the bully show just how much he has stopped caring about himself and believes everything is pointless without his wife being with him. It also shows that there’s a loving man hidden inside. He loves his nephew and doesn’t want him to be hurt. He doesn’t care what happens to himself as a consequence of doing this as he would rather be dead than without his wife.
You don't need to have kids and shit, or a f-ing driver's license, to write profound comedy/drama, that the After Life is. Write a better one and stop bitching in the internet you donk.
In real life, if a person carried themselves like Tony day in, day out, they would find most friends would drift out of their life and stop wanting to interact with them. Depressed people do not have a constant sea of motivational friends who put up with all the darkness just to tell them how wonderful they are when they clearly aren't. Most people distance themselves for the most part & anyone who lived with depression would know that. it shows he has no real personal experience to draw on and his ego was too big to actually research it from a place of humility and empathy.
You make a great point, he should have been isolated and stuck at home and then the prostitute and druggy stuff would have made more sense, as he would have slipped into a dark world.
If you have ever lost your wife and you wake up in the morning with no power to continue, then discuss. If not, you are just an opinionated twat. The picture painted that you continue because of someone else, in this case a dog, in other cases children, is true and accurate. The power you retain is the power that you can end it all if it is too painful, is the power that keeps you going step by step. It is true that some people distance themselves, but your close friends and family don't. The fact that almost 134,000 people losing someone close tweeted about "After Life", saying that they recognised the feeling is an indication that it was real and I second that feeling as well. One of the most touching tweets I read was a man in his 50s writing that it was the first time he could sit down and cry over his wife that died 15 years earlier, as he had to stay composed because of their three children.
Oh man, the atheism thing is SO true! That's even evident back in the day with the animated podcast. He belittled Karl's Christian leanings at basically every opportunity, the Noah's Ark segment particularly stands out to me. It was partly done to make him look clever and Karl look stupid. But there is certainly some religious intolerance going on with him. I thought often that Gervais thinks he's cleverer than he really is. For example when they talked about humans sharing 70% of their DNA with slugs. Karl asked "what has it got that I've got?" and Gervais had absolutely no answer to that. He just had the factoid, nothing more. An actual naturalist, scientist or just someone somewhat knowledgeable about evolution could have given a proper answer. It's as if he felt that the 70% fact alone was enough to blow Karl's mind and make him look like a genius. That showed a lot of hubris.
Karl Pilkington is not a Christian, he has said on numerous occasions that he does not have a religion. This does not prevent him from believing in ghosts and other paranormal stuff.
@@AA-hg5fkAh OK, you might have me there! On the radio show he used to read the bible, and he seemed to like it and believe it. What was on my mind was Gervais quietly laughing throughout and giving snide comments like "and he actually believes this!" while Karl was reading. That's why I thought he may be a Christian but I wasn't sure - that's why I originally said "leanings". The paranormal stuff was always great listening for sure!
Ricky Gervais is painful when he talks about religion or philosophy. He genuinely never got beyond a 15 year-olds understanding of Christianity. I’m sorry but people who think he’s profound and insightful about this topic prove themselves to be genuinely stupid
It's an uber powerful word though - it still shocks many. We also have to accept that society these days is awash with them, so it's no surprise it's become a mainstream term.
Don't know how this ended up in my feed, but glad it did. I found it really insightful and entertaining, and it went a long way to explaining why I was so conflicted about the show (a feeling I'd struggled to understand, being generally a big fan of Ricky Gervais). Not blowing smoke, but I can't remember enjoying a pop-culture critic/reviewer on YT who was previously unknown to me so much since discovering The Critical Drinker. Subscribed!
My problem with everything Gervais has done since 2011 (or thereabouts) is the sentimentality. He has this really cheesy sentimental streak in him that he can’t leave alone. I saw some of that sneaking in towards the end of Extras. It’s my opinion that Merchant kept most of Ricky’s worst instincts in check. It surprises me that someone who made two shows I love (Office and Extras) now makes stuff I detest. I watched one episode of After Life but knew what to expect and I wasn’t disappointed. People love it though, in their millions. Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the general public.
As much as Gervais might have a sentimentality thing - it's definitely something Merchant has too. He explored it a lot in Hello Ladies and Outlaws especially. I think they both love those sentiment-driven stories, they always saw Tim and Dawn as the reason to keep watching the office. Not really arguing with you, just though I'd mention.
@@_Shadbolt_ Tim and Dawn was very different, not sentimental pap but an exquisitely plotted love story, delicately distributed throughout The Office, which, rather than taking away from the comedy, discretely added a counterbalancing weight of meaning which enhanced the whole.
@@MartinHiggins1972 I agree with your analysis of Tim and Dawn, I guess we just disagree with the meaning of the word sentimental? Or maybe it's less about the sentimentality of the love story pre se, rather the problem lies in the overtness of it in the storyline. I'd say in Outlaws the love story sub-plot for example adds a really nice balance. Although it doesn't feel as real as the office's - but then reality was a specific aim of the office where Outlaws is definitely more escapist. I dunno, I was only mentioning that neither Ricky or Steve have done a project where there wasn't a pretty transparent love story at the heart of it! (I'm not internet arguing with you btw, I'm interested to hear your response)
@@_Shadbolt_ Gotcha. But nobody's criticising sentiment, which is different, the problem is the mawkish version that post-Merchant Gervais falls into. He needs someone who will say "no" to him, and perhaps force rewrites and complement his work.
When I found someone else who hates gervais new work and his grandstanding, I nearly subbed. But when I heard the Ben Shapiro hate? I made 6 new accounts and subbed on all of them, you’re a top lad
I remember watching the Office with my girlfriend at the time, we had no idea what we were watching, we just kept looking at each other puzzled, is this real? It was so brilliant it could have been genuine people being filmed in an office. We were hooked and it stands to this day as a brilliant, ground breaking sitcom. This video, though does make me think, there has been a nagging thought in my mind for some time with Gervais that he thinks he's the smartest Cword in the room. He's not. (I am) :)
always worried when watching an unknown to me video essay especially on a touchy subject and you did a great job. I really loved Ricky as a kid (mainly through the specials) and then, as an adult, I've always struggled to understand what doesn't connect for me with some of the things he does and your video explains it very well. I honestly think Ricky is a very insecure person, specifically about his comedy, and his opinions, when they take precedent over jokes, feel like an attempt to be like "well, if anyone doesn't laugh, ill say i was saying something thoughtful".
Stewart Lee did a bit about so called "sad comedy" that basically summed up "Derek" and "Afterlife". I get the feeling Gervais really wants to be like Larry David or Louis CK(he even dresses like Louis) and their shows are way better written. This comment from another channel had a good point; "Despite generally being tedious, mawkish bulls**t, it's fascinating to see Gervais get all the female characters to tell him how funny and nice and clever he is. While playing himself. Writing lines praising himself."
Yeah agree with all of that, Gervais has said how much he likes Larry David/Louis CK (and American comedy in general) but he clearly doesn't have the skill to write like them. His characters interactions with female characters is honestly bizzare. The love interests feel platonic and female friends are constantly simping for him. It's not just AfterLife this happens in either, can trace it all the way back to Extras with Maggie and Andy (although I do think that dynamic actually works in that show)
@@rory3192 lol it's clear by now that he has a massive ego. I never watched The Office but a lot of people who dislike Afterlife are starting to think maybe Stephen Merchant was the real brains behind the show.
@@rory3192 Another great Stewart Lee bit was something like "If Ricky Gervais falls in a forest, is there an American around to call him a genius?" lol I can't find where he said that now but damn it was funny. But anyways, great video bro. You hit the nail on the head with this one.
@@MrHEC381991 Yeah Merchant is defo a massive loss but Gervais is hilarious in the Office and created David Brent so I don't think it's totally fair to say it was all Merchant. Plus The Office had an brilliant supporting cast whereas AfterLife's is awful
I’ve just finished the third season and I was moved from the whole series. After watching your analysis I understood what he built with this work and I accept some of your criticisms. I still enjoy some aspects of the series, but I cannot unsee your observations. Thank you for your analysis. I’m interested to your future videos. Greetings from Italy 🇮🇹
@@rory3192 no no it was a clever analysis. It was a nice awakening to me. As a “fanboy” I was a little bit blind on some characters/writing choices. I still think that it’s a recommended tv series and that he is a huge actor, but now I’m aware of some plot holes and other weaknesses of this series. This helps a lot to build some critical thinking and not just consider everything awesome because it is made from Ricky Gervais. I hope to see some more videos soon!
@@rory3192 Credit where credit is due. You had your perception and maybe the initial commentor lost a parent at a young age, a child or a spouse, so they could relate to it.
So you have never lost the most important person in your life. You have never felt that it makes no sense, but you continue because of something/ someone else. You have never felt that the only power you have is to end it all, if it gets too painful...
Watched a lot of after life bashing videos (because so few people seem to agree how shit it truly is), but this is definitely the best fair play good vid Edit: Just to add I think you touched on it a little but Ricky seems to have such a hero complex these days, and in after life it really shows he has to be the person everyone is rooting for. But he's truly funny as the man people love to hate, rather than the man we just hate.
Is that a can of K cider? (also the bit about Ashley Jensen's character cutting the dog's head off and throwing it on the grave is so spot on. Gervais spraffs on forever about "all subjects are open for comedy" but if you really want to have a pop, go after his love of animals. We'll see who cancels who, Gervais) 😂
Unfortunately, yes, that is a can of K Cider Yeah, for someone who claims you can joke about anything Gervais only ever seems to joke about the same one or two things! Thanks for watching
Watch his early stand up and you will find jokes he had already used in the 11 o'clock show with Iain Lee. I also dislike how some actors now use his comedic acting in their role.
Im afraid Im in the camp that 'ricky wouldn't be where he was without Steve'. Im a long time fan of ricky/steve/karl from right back in the XFM days, so Im hugely familiar with pretty much everything these guys have done, together or separately. Steve was the main brain behind the office, it was his concept, yet Ricky tends to get all the praise for it because he was the one on screen. But you only have to look at the works they've produced separately. Not everything steve has done has been amazing, but if you compare The Outlaws to Afterlife, the quality of the writing is absolutely worlds apart. Even the worst thing Steve has ever created is still better than Afterlife. Im not saying Ricky is talentless; he isn't. Thats kinda what makes Afterlife so disappointing; he could do so much better, and its exactly the kind of show he would have mocked as vacuous nonsense 20 years ago. No-one could have played david brent like ricky did, and I don't believe Steve was responsible for *everything* good that came out of their relationship or anything. But the more you see Ricky churning out stuff like Afterlife, ie, bland, predictable, low hanging fruit type entertainment for the masses, while Steve is creating things that, whether they're your cup of tea or not, show intelligent writing, interesting plots, character development, and actual comedy that isn't purely focused on calling someone a fat c-word, you can't help but be suspicious about how much of the decent stuff back in the day was........not from ricky, lets say. I know people get up the arse about those of us in the 'it was steve....all the good shit was steve' camp, but Im *willing to be proven wrong*. I just.......haven't seen any evidence of that yet.
I've always tried to give Ricky as much credit as possible as there's bits of his stand up/solo stuff I've enjoyed before but Afterlife has really tipped me towards your position. Even Karl's Sick of It show was more creative and funny from what I'd seen of it than Derek or Afterlife. Would like to see the the three of them together again though, not cos I think it'll be any good but just so I know they're all still mates hahaha
Totally agree and I too am a big fan of much of Ricky's work. If you liked the xfm days you will likely remember the whole "Steve started there because ricky was lazy and couldn't be arsed doing the things that he was required to do" thing? That's how I see afterlife, it's lazy. Everything felt like an absolute bare minimum of effort required to make the show. The characters were utterly terrible, forgettable and there was literally ZERO character development, i can't remember anyone's name, they have no memorable back story or sense of progression. The sets were boring and forgettable, nothing felt even close to realistic, the lighting was the same cosy, dreamy look throughout, the camera angles and dolly work was boring, there was no chemistry developed between actors, emotional scenes weren't to be discerned by the viewers because we were explicitly ordered to feel emotional by a piece of piano music. It's absolutely garbage.
I seem to remember reading that Merchant was an uncredited writer for the first few Golden Globes monologues, which makes sense when you think of the difference between the most recent few and the first ones.
I totally agree with you mate, lovely to hear someone have the same opinion. My only diversion is I do like David Earl's character, even though it's identical to in Derek. He's so pitiable, foul and lost it does make me laugh, and I do feel attached to him. Other than that, I'm with you word for word - both in critique of the show and in Merchant and Pilkington appreciation.
Oh man. I've felt this way for so long. Didn't even make it to the end of season 2. It feels like Ricky thinks what he's saying in these little scenes are going to be taken as poignant revelations that make people say, oh my goodness, Ricky is so insightful and right. But these are thoughts or chats most people have already had, normally during childhood
I think it all ultimately boils down to effort and care. Ricky's early work felt like ideas he (and Steve) thought of and genuinely believed in and decided to create a series around that. After Life, I don't actually hate, I thought it was just okay. It feels like Netflix approached Ricky and asked him to make a TV show for them, and then came up with something quickly and wrote it all fairly spontaneously and with not a lot of proof reading or retrospect. Steve not being another voice of influence could be partially responsible but I also think Ricky's reputation is to his detriment too. If he handed Netflix a sscript they aren't gonna say "go back to the drawing board" they're only gonna say "thanks Ricky Gervais, let's make your show an exclusive on our service". The main reason I believe this was a clip I saw of Ricky talking about writing After Life. He mentioned something along the lines of, "when I'm flying, I tend to write the tear jerking scenes". Everyone is different of course, but as a writer myself, writing isn't something you can effectively do on a schedule or a ritual. It comes to you naturally when it's ready and thought out. Just leads me to believe this was something he felt he had to do rather than a passion project. All the criticisms mentioned for After Life can usually be found (mostly in smaller doses) in all his previous work but the polish and passion lets everything that could've been ironed out or toned down brought to the forefront for all to see. That is why I personally believe After Life failed to achieve the same acclaim as his older works.
You hit most of the points square on. One critique though, you mention it's out of character for people to go on like Ricky's character; suicidal then happy (rinse wash repeat). Or for the matter, completely over everything. Having been down the same road, I can speak to it being fairly spot on. When you lose somebody who was your everything, nothing after that makes sense or brings you real joy. A marriage like that is rare in many parts. You live for that person, and every moment of your day is spent thinking about them. Every goal, holiday, or aspiration is made with them in mind. All of that is stripped away in the blink of an eye and suddenly you can't see going on without them. You'll have brief encounters that make you smile, but in the back of your mind, everything is still pointless. When you've taken away all that matters from someone, they won't see the point of being a decent human being.
Oh man, cheers Rory. So glad I've stumbled across your channel. Not a fan of AL myself, but felt in the minority, as everyone goes on about how great it is. Didn't like Derek much, but couldn't stand Afterlife. So good to shout that out at last .
Perhaps he'd find more meaning in life with a different job instead of his phoney sitcom job where he's always sure to be the smartest one in the room, eternally rolling his eyes at the oddball collection of goofy local eccentrics.
You absolutely nailed every point bro, I've felt this way about him for a while. I'm trans and seeing his stand up special where he attempts to make trans jokes just made me cringe. There are better jokes to make about it than 'haha willy man think he lady', that's so overdone and boring. And for someone who seems to desperately want people to think he's clever, you'd think he'd go for the more interesting jokes than the same old recycled low-effort jokes. But at least that made me discover James Acaster and Stewart Lee cos they responded to it lol
It's an easy mark to bash trans folks, it does my head in. If anyone was to make jewish jokes or black or gay jokes they'd be crucified for it, but no apparently it's ok to be really fucking tacky. You don't have to be a woke fuckwit to NOT go for the easiest target. I cringe quite a lot that the LGBTetc community sometimes seems on board with overly woke shit, fake forced diversity and pretending to be offended by nothing, but jesus, I'm so sick of the anti trans shit from people that are apparently smart enough to know better. Why don't you just say faggot kike and nigger if you're so edgy? Fuck off. Stewart Lee and Chris Rock seem to have a decent handle on it, they can be funny and not a cunt about it. But ironically Lee is accused of being woke and Rock is accused of being the opposite, when they're doing the same thing, finding a nice middle ground. Fake outrage is as bad as genuine meanness.
i totally agree with this review. After Life's massive popularity baffles me. People whose opinions I usually respect love it. I just don't get it. The most sentimental cliche ridden crap I've ever seen. And you're right about Kath being the only interesting character, Diane Morgan is brilliant but she is wasted in this.
I think what's happened is that there are a lot of new Ricky Gervais fans coming out of the woodwork, so they just jump on anything he does to make it look like they've been long-time fans. I used to be the same with bands. For example, I got into Arcade Fire quite late, after their third album had been out for a while. Then, when their fourth album came out, I remember posting all the music videos on my Facebook page, to give off a "Hey, I'm an Arcade Fire fan" vibe. But in reality, that album wasn't as good as their previous albums. I wish I could have been there when they came out. I think that's what's happened with Ricky Gervais. People were getting tired of woke culture and all the bad stuff happening in Hollywood, and the RU-vid algorithm must have recommended them a Short from his 2020 Golden Globe appearance. Then, before you know it, they must have gone down a Ricky Gervais rabbit hole (watching his Hot Ones appearance, Ricky Gervais teaches British Slang, some Conan clips and so on). And now they're fans. Then, that led to them seeing his stuff on Netflix. If you go to the full video of the 2020 Golden Globes monologue, you can see that the comments are the same: "Best speech of all time." "He destroyed all of them." "Ricky should host every Golden Globes." And I'm like, "Really?" I thought that was his WORST Golden Globes appearance. The 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2016 were all well-crafted pieces. In his 2020 monologue, many of the jokes fell flat (the Joe Pesci joke bombed because he wasn't even there), the Judi Dench licking her minge joke was too vulgar for an award show, and the "accept your little award, thank your God and fuck off" bit could have been cleaned up too. Plus, he kept finishing his punchlines with, "I don't care," or, "...and I've hosted this FIVE times." I think when these people eventually delve deeper and discover The Office, Extras, The Ricky Gervais Show, An Idiot Abroad and his earlier Golden Globe appearances, they'll realise how bad After Life actually is.
I have watched it all and am grateful for it. It was very meaningful to me. Not crazy about the "c" word and the vulgarities, but he nailed grief in a way I don't think I've ever seen.
Totally agree, its awful. Just not funny at all. The worrying thing is that if you watch Afterlife clips the comments are full of people saying its the funniest thing ever.
Ricky Gervais has morphed into the literal embodiment of Andy Millman. The scene where Andy goes into the pub and finally sits with all the idiots that liked his when the whistle blows show that is exactly how his career has gone.
Ya know what? I binged watched After Life and I did enjoy it… but there always something that didn’t sit right with me.. and it’s everything that’s in this video. I totally accept all the criticisms. You are soooo right. There are serious short comings in After Life… there is one scene where he’s walking down the street with that woman from Extras and he’s even dressed the same as Andy Millman from Extras ( I thought he was taking the piss out of himself?) congrats on a brilliantly accurate video!! You have well and truly exposed Ricky and I really hope he’s sees this to give him the reality check that he so badly needs!! It’s not a good idea to keep bringing back the same old tired actors from the previous series either… it does the credibility of show no good whatsoever!!
The premise for AfterLife was really good. I wanted to see Tony actually get better as a human being and become the man Emma would have deserved, instead we get that ending.
Another fantastic Afterlife review. Appreciate the time and effort mate. Myself, and probably everyone else who watches these reviews are, like yourself, life long fans of everything RSK related. The summary I always use for Afterlife is - Is a very expensive and incredibly overhyped love letter to himself and the passing of his parents. I get so much validation from watching these reviews, the show is so popular I question whether or not I’m losing the plot, getting old or becoming out of touch. One thing I’d really love to see is a conversation between someone, like yourself, who can eloquently and accurately critique the project, and one of the so called critics who were giving it 5 stars and praising it as “beautiful”, “masterpiece”, “his best work” and “hilarious”. Seriously, it genuinely makes me angry that it’s rated so highly by so many people
Imagine this show made a new guy, not Ricky. Think it would be rated as it is, or would it be ignored and rightly criticised? There's your answer of why it's rated highly.
I would love to discuss "After Life" Rory and sharing why the show was so important to me, as I experienced the despair depicted in the series, but Rory is too scared to interact. 134,000 people tweeted having lost a spouse, saying that they could relate to the feelings in "After Life". One of the most touching I read was a man in his 50s I guess, that had not been able to cry losing his wife 15 years earlier, as he had to be strong for his children. In his tweet he wrote that he spent a weekend watching the show three times and just letting his tears out. To me, the perfect analogy is about the Super Power that keeps you going...if it gets too painful, you can always end it all. That is hope, even if it sounds like despair.
I think you've nailed it. in that Bill Burr says he doesn't give a fuck and you can tell he means it. Gervais says he doesn't give a fuck but you can tell he really does give a fuck about what you think of him and how you view him
Afterlife is so formulaic. When I sat down to start series 3, my Netflix account started playing S2 E3 instead of S3E1 and I honestly couldn’t tell. The characters are just cardboard cut outs. Every episode is practically the same and the plot is non-existent. What is any character trying to achieve? What are their motives and challenges they have to overcome? What are their conflicts? If Afterlife didn’t have such a sycophantic fanfare I would regard it as harmless. But the fact there are millions of people falling over themselves to exclaim what a genius masterpiece it is offends me. There’s many people that say it’s Ricky’s best work ever. He’s become a parody of himself and has made his own version of ‘When the whistle blows’
It's that fanfare that drove me to make this video, it's a real emperors new clothes situation. Gervais tells us his comedy is intelligent, so people feel dumb for not finding it funny and so overcorrect by saying it's "genius". Amazes me that more people don't see through it.
All true. There's just one issue. Not only did a lot of people not like this, they didn't like any series of this show......yet they still watched it all, and will watch the next iteration of his sitcom. While his critical success has declined in terms of his body of work, I dare say the viewer numbers are still very high.
Brilliant video, I think you echo what most long time fans of Gervais’ career will have known for a while. Honestly, the amount of people who parrot this take about him being a genius off the back of Afterlife is just mind-boggling. Since Extras really, the quality of his written work has just fallen off a cliff.
You keep saying "If that makes sense", and it does, and I think that was a really succinct analysis and take down of this show. I'd definitely watch more vids like this.
Finally the algorithm points me to some quality content. It's rare to find people intelligently breaking down why they didn't enjoy a show or film that seems to be universally praised. I appreciate that.
I’m gonna be honest. I disliked this video before even watching it because I am one of those Gervaise fan boys. But you made some really good points in this video and you fully won me over by the end… very well made video
I have always liked Ricky, not familiar with all of his stuff, but i am now ...😊 I'm not an expert on any of it either... But i enjoyed this, informative and entertaining... Love your accent.
I did genuinely like this show and thought that, at least at its core, is a genuine and heartfelt show about grief and depression which hit close to home in ways I didn’t expect. The comedy gets a bit repetitive, and the way the story is told is not the greatest, but I think it does a good job at showing why giving up isn’t worth it. If you go into it thinking it’s a comedy (I get that it is bit still) it feels like a good breakdown of a nihilist mindset and why it is unhealthy
The show had good and bad things about it... I'm very torn with it. I liked it when I first watched it, but I don't know if I like it anywhere near as much as I did... It certainly had some great moments, but also was flawed in multiple places...
Here's my thoughts; I like Afterlife for what it is, but I don't think it's a good show. I mainly stuck to it because of the surprisingly good acting from Rick. I just wish there was an actual premise for the character. He has the same problem that I have with actors like Ryan Renolds or Dwayne Johnson, he's just kinda one-note most of the time. You said it really well, there's no real plot to justify Tony's awful behaviour, no development in mind. Ricky thinks this kind of behaviour is positive, and that emulates in a lot of writers today. They give bad traits to characters, but they never grow out of them, because the writer doesn't see it as bad, so there's no course for organic progression in mind for the protagonist. I think Tony had great potential to be a phenomenal character. There were definitely times where I got emotional. The problem is, he just stays in the same spot. Never changing, never getting better.
I think you're being quite generous about The Invention of Lying, I thought it was crap! Afterlife was terrible too. All the supporting characters are so one dimensional it's ridiculous.
I enjoyed the show but it did get cheesy in some respects and now hearing your review I have to say that I actually agree. The wife Lisa was also insufferable I have to say. Like no one is THAT good and happy and laughing all the time. And no marriage that perfect. I think it would have been more realistic if the relationship was shown to be more complex rather than to portray it as some unattainable form of perfection. Now that I think of it the whole thing with Emma also frustrated me. Loved the dog though!
Great review, I think the show is so fucking lazily made. Every aspect of it is poor. I think people have told Ricky he’s a genius so many times he’s started to believe it. Used to be one of the funniest people alive.
Lazy is the exact word I'd use (probably didn't use it once in the review). He thinks he can just act out arguments he has with himself in the shower and pass it off as comedy, can't believe how far he has fallen from The Office/Extras/Xfm days.
@@rory3192 Couldn’t agree more. He seems to have this idea that his every thought is profound… that’s how we end up with the innovative concept of someone grieving over their partner, and complex dialogue such as “happiness is amazing”.
@@chipsneak1348 Everything Tony says is about as deep as a "Live Love Laugh" sign. The popularity of the show is completely baffling to me, I have no idea what people are getting out of it.
Great analysis of this show. I couldn't believe the praise it was getting, people's IQ's must be dropping or something if this is seen as good comedy. It's crap. Also Gervais has done some good stuff in the past but he's a bit up himself now and thinks being an athiest makes you some great intellectual - it doesn't.
Afterlife was rubbish. Derek was bearable. I feel like everything Gervais has done without Merchant has been lacking. Merchant has a great eye for detail and probably reigned in Ricky's ego at times. I feel like nobody is stopping Gervais. He's just got yes people around him who cater to his ego.
Spot on review. It's hard when you're forced to reframe your heroes. But Afterlife (and Derek) reveal Gervais as the melodramatist that he is. In regards to variation of scenes and story stucture, Someone once told me it's called 'four weddings and a funeral' for a reason. Four parts joy, one part sorrow. A well-balanced, satisfying formula for an audience's appetite. In Afterlife, it's twelve funerals and a c word. There isn't enough real comedy to balance the sorrow. It's a showreel of trite sentimentality. Add to that the one-dimensional characters, and you have something which is only a whisper from 'when the whistle blows', the sitcom Gervais was parodying in 'Extras'.
He should have been arrested for killing that drug addict and placed in a mental ward for the second season. A big shift like that worked wonders for Extras (ie his landing a sitcom) and this show needed to get out of first gear or end.
The big problem is that it follows the same arch everytime, grumpy,sad depressed at start of series, mildly cheered and less grumpy at the end of the series, start of next series back to grumpy and depressed rinse and repeat etc Then we have the idiotically unbelievable characters and people sustaining life styles on jobs that would have been paying crumbs
agree with basically everything said. Even your thoughts on his early stuff like extras, office and podcasts. Genuinley depresses me the way gervais clearly thinks that this tripe is his best work
I agree with a lot of what you say here. Particularly the fact Gervais made a third series, which I only watched out of curiosity to see how it could possibly justify itself. It was awful. I remember him really talking up After Life too as though it was groundbreaking comedy. Diane Morgan certainly the best thing about it, but then she's just such a great comedy actor in everything she does.
Yeah couldn’t agree more, massive fan of the office and extras but anything else but anything past that I just don’t see why people rave about it. You know what the series will be like before you even see it. Good vid 👍🏼
I like Gervais in most things... Extras, the Office, Derek etc. and I have watched them all multiple times over the years. A few things I felt Ricky got wrong with Ater Life almost felt like ego and a disconnect between the story he was trying to write and his self identity. If you watch the Bloopers, there's lots of laughter and attempts to put funny scenes and characters in there which, if executed well, would have fleshed the show out to be both sad and happy, which would have been to its credit. Unfortunately, it seems that all the joy is sucked out of the show for the sake of injecting misery. It's too one sided, too heavy on the tearjerker attempt, and too self focused, making Tony the focal point of every single scene it's the Tony show where he never loses an argument, never pays for his sins, never fails to be loved, liked and respected by everyone. And the endless monologues about Lisa and his feelings while simultaneously talking down or ignoring the other people is self indulgence personified. It's Lisa memory paragraph time so everyone stop what you're doing while Tony talks. None of the other characters get developed and Tony is a self important miserable prick. It's hard to like him. It could have been a much better show very easily if the other characters had more involvement, rather than simply orbiting Tony to be the brunt of his outbursts and ego. It reeked of an ego project, unfortunately.
He blocked me on twitter due to me saying that this is the show he never wanted to make. It's the equivalent of when the whistle blows in extras. Just playing to the masses by saying the c word. The office and extras shaped my personality and humour, but my god, how far he has fallen. But yet he's getting 100 times as much smoke blown up his arse now than ever before.
Like atheism and animal rights, I don't really disagree a lot with the points he makes, but he's so cringey and embarrassing when he makes those points, it makes me want to tell him to shut tf up. And I'm an atheist vegan ffs, you'd think I'm used to self-righteousness 😒
I kind of life the cosy atmosphere of After Life, but your points about its quality vs the seminal work that is The Office are absolutely right, ditto how David Brent - Life On The Road compares against it you could make some similar points.
Gervais is the king of unrealistic characters and nonsensical premises. I recently rewatched Extras and I can’t get over how unfunny he is here (After Life) in comparison. But the lack of sense is really what bothers me. He pushes the show as being about a man who “lost everything so can now do whatever” - but it’s immediately clear he hasn’t lost even close to everything. As pointed out, he’s got a ridiculously nice house, a job, friends, seemingly all the time in the world for introspective walks in the neighbourhood, enough money for a therapist, a dog, even a love interest, and the list goes on… Yes his wife died of cancer, but imagine if everyone who’s in that situation acted like him..
I thought this was really interesting. A pub chat I could have for hours I think. It was nice to hear thoughts I'd already had, made so eloquently by you. And also with a very palpable sense that you're not taking yourself seriously as a critic - just a guy with some thoughts. I especially agree on your general findings about Ricky - I also love edgier comedy, I don't believe in a god and I even like the C-word, but it's nice to have it confirmed that Ricky just seems to miss the mark on all those things these days. I didn't super hate Afterlife though, I thought it was about as good as Life's Too Short and Derek, which I think were all okay, but I'd never want to rewatch any of them, barring maybe a Life's Too Short celebrity skit bit. Thank you!
They;'ve sort of done that therapist who doesn't really care but goes through the motions in Brassic as well, only in that series he's more bothered about doing weed than the money, but same sort of idea.
One thing I noticed looking back at a lot of the old RGS and XFM clips is how often Ricky tries to make it seem like he knows a great deal about something seemingly just to come across as clever. Like Karl will ask one of his daft questions about a tricky scientific topic and Rick will fumble his way through a sentence tripping over his words, when it’s quite clear to the listener that he doesn’t really know the answer any more than Karl does.
100% agree with you on all points. What I would say is that while Gervais continues to be a 'populist' comedian, some of his other collaborators have created superior and much more interesting but smaller scale projects e.g. Stephen Merchant's The Outlaws was better than most things on TV at the time, Mackenzie Crook's Detectorists is sublime, and David Earl's movie Brian and Charles is an absolute delight.
The ending was made better for me when I imagined the character did indeed go ahead and off himself and everyone was happier as a result just because there wasn't a constant negative bastard in their life who constantly tried to debate. The most tiring people.
you struck gold with the algorithm for this video to find so many people. i'm not saying to focus on one thing or similar videos to this, but you should definately attempt to make lightning strike twice
Just to point out that he has actually done another show with a third series, that was Derek a sitcom he did for Channel 4. The plot for this show is him playing a learning disabled "simple" man who is cared for in a retirement home, you might find some similar issues if you reviewed that but it also had some good moments.
