Season 3 of Ricky Gervais' After Life recently came to Netflix and has been given a deserved reception of heartfelt appreciation. The third installment in the unique show showed viewers how the characters' lives had developed whilst Tony continued to deal with his grief.
The mastery of the show lies in the combination of wisdom, pain, poignancy, uproarious laughter, humanity, and life truths that every viewer can relate to. Every word and character is integral to the series, and there were a plethora of undeniably great quotes in the third season.
June
"The Money's Not Symbolic Of Lisa, Darling, Money's Just Spending Tokens. Lisa Was A Beautiful Person Who You Spent Your Life With. She Lives In Your Heart."
Before she passed away, Lisa took out life insurance, resulting in Tony getting £150,000. However, he initially chooses not to take the money, because of the tragedy that had to happen for the money to be his. Tony's friend, Lenny, tries to tell him to take the money, but he isn't convinced.
June shared her thoughts, leading to one of the most beautifully moving moments of the season. She gave him valid reasons to take the money, with no ulterior motive. June knows the heartache Tony feels, understanding that he would choose life with Lisa over any sum of money. But her emotional words helped him to think clearly, seeing that taking the money was in no way a disservice to the love he has for Lisa. The scene is incredibly touching, through the skills of the writers and acting.
Valerie
"Tell Me A Joke."
Brian is a Tambury local whose struggles have had a negative effect on his life. He regularly visited the newspaper offices to try and find a reason for the writers to put him in the paper, which eventually paid off. Valerie, the receptionist, often had to deal with his obscene jokes that she didn't find amusing. But Brian just wanted to be given a chance to make people laugh.
In the final episode, Brian finds himself at the "depths of depravity," after two men humiliate him. Valerie knows how to cheer him up by asking him to tell a joke, which she laughs at. The beauty of this quote is Valerie's change of character and viewpoint, seeing that Brian is actually harmless. She may not always find him funny, but it didn't matter. She chose to ease a man's pain.
Tony
"Brought Your Chess Set Dad."
Before Tony's Dad died, Tony initially would get frustrated with his memory loss. But he quickly learned from Emma that going along with whatever his Dad may say was beneficial for both of them.
Tony later applies this lesson to a new resident at the care home, who believes Tony to be his son, asking him to bring the chess set on his next visit, so they can play like they used to. And Tony does just that. Even though there are times when Tony can be awful on After Life, he's actually very kind, and this is a beautiful moment that captures one of the show's life lessons.
James
"You Are Not Pathetic Sir!"
One of the main themes of After Life is friendship, and some of the most unlikely bonds are formed, namely, between Brian and James. Whilst James walks with Brian on his paper round, they encounter Brian's ex-wife and her partner, upsetting Brian and making him feel "pathetic."
James completely rejects Brian's description of himself in a fleeting yet wonderful interaction of support. Their age difference and struggles don't matter. James just wanted to be an uplifting friend and the person Brian could have faith in.
Paul
"I Don't Think That At Any Point You Ever Asked Yourself, 'I Hope Their Late Partners Don't Mind.' So Why Do You Impose Such A Restriction On Yourself?"
Tony's friendship with Anne surrounds learning of each other's grief and speaking of their own losses. After meeting Paul, Tony decided to introduce him to Anne, allowing them to strike up a companionship.
After bumping into each other at the cemetery, Paul's rhetorical question gives Tony a gentle nudge into seeing things from an alternative perspective, without being intrusive or demanding that he feels a different way. Paul isn't one of the most frequent characters, but this quote is up there with any advice a main character has given in the program.
Anne
"I Used To Sit On This Bench Everyday By Myself, Hoping That Someone Would Come Along Who Would Understand. And It Was You."
Tony and Anne's friendship surrounds Anne helping Tony understand his grief. As one of the best characters in After Life, Anne continually offers him advice, never short of an encouraging word to let Tony see he can live on. Whilst this is true, the final series reveals that Anne felt the friendship was just as beneficial to her as it was for Tony.
Her take on it was that she had longed for someone that could understand her and that person was Tony. This stands as one of the best and most meaningful quotes in After Life because perhaps without realizing it, Tony made a difference in his friend's life, all the while turning to her for guidance.
Ray
"I Want You To Scatter My Ashes In Midlake Where I Met Your Mum."
A large portion of the footage in After Life is shown through home videos, which Tony often uses to remember his wife. In some, Ray can be seen before he had dementia. In one specific video, the conversation turns to what is wanted when they pass away, and Ray states where he would like his ashes scattered.
The love that Tony has for Lisa is made abundantly clear in the show, whilst Ray is a character we know less about. This quote perfectly sums up Ray's personality in After Life, proving he loves and misses his wife by choosing their meeting place as his final request.
Kath
"Okay, I'm Not Gonna Lie. I'm A Doctor."
Kath's loneliness is conveyed from the first episode of After Life. In her search for love, before a date with a barrister, she asks Tony what she should say her occupation is and Tony tells her to be truthful.
Unfortunately, the advice didn't quite sink in, as she tells her date she's a doctor. The quote marks a funny scene, as further into it, a doctor is needed in the restaurant to which she says, "I'm Off Duty." A quote like this is the epitome of Gervais' exquisite writing. It's sad she feels she needs to lie, but it's phrased in a way that the audience is still able to laugh.
Brian
"I'm Gonna Start Taking My Comedy A Little Bit More Seriously. Life Has Kicked The S*** Out Of Me In Recent Years, But I've Reached Rock Bottom, So The Only Way Is Up, Innit?"
Brian may be one of the funniest characters in the show, but he is also one that we feel the most pity for. He often refers to his wife's actions which caused him to spiral into darkness, but glimmers of light begin to shine through as his life changes slightly with his new friendships.
The motivation that Brian finds to pursue comedy embodies a quote from an earlier season: "Hope is everything." And in this example, it absolutely is. Having hope for a career gives Brian a reason to live and proves he doesn't have to feel worthless.
Tony
"It Feels Good, Talking To You."
Tony isn't seen talking to Lisa's gravestone, which resonates with his atheist stance on religion. Anne feels the same but does talk to her late husband as if he's there. After a chat between the two friends, Tony sits on his usual bench, alone, talking to Lisa.
Tony admitting that it feels good to talk to Lisa shows a development in his life. There's no doubt that his grief is still there, but he's choosing to find ways to get better. Everything he has learned from his colleagues and friends has started to pay off, as he begins to open himself up to life once again.