Netflix's After Life was an incredible hit that showcased a new side to Ricky Gervais. While the comedian brought out his classic controversial comedic style still, the show was also incredibly emotional. Everything about the show was superbly done, and fans are eagerly anticipating the second season that will be coming this year. Following Gervais' character, Tony, who is dealing with the recent death of his wife, the show tackles some really heavy topics.
Doing so head-on and not in a slapstick comedy style of way, the show does have plenty of humor, but it is also just a great drama at its core. While you would normally expect to be crying with laughter from a project involving Gervais. After Life is more likely to have you crying through sadness and emotion. Within this list, we will take a look back at the first season of the show, ranking the 10 most tear-jerking moments that took place.
Early Struggles
Right from the start of the show, it is clear that it's going to be a sad one as the emotional tone is set. With Tony wandering around his house seeing that there is a clear lack of food, a pile of washing up and things becoming a mess, something is obviously wrong.
It shows right from the start that he is not coping or dealing with the situation well, and is struggling to adjust to life as a single man. It's very sad to watch and it sets the tone for the show moving forward.
Conversations At The Gravesite
Throughout After Life, Ricky Gervais' character, Tony often pops to the graveyard to visit his wife's tombstone, where he ends up meeting Anne. She is there to see her late husband and the two of them begin to bond when they are just sat, talking.
These moments bring out a range of emotions throughout the show, from moments of comedy to moments of utter sadness. Hearing Anne give Tony advice on how to rebuild his life is often incredibly tough to watch as the two of them attempt to come to terms with their lives.
Old Clips
During the show, older clips of Tony and his wife Lisa are shown several times. It highlights them when nothing is wrong and Lisa is perfectly healthy, clearly showing just how in love the pair of them were, which makes everything else even harder to deal with.
While these moments aren't sad, in fact, they are the polar opposite. It is simply because you know there's not a happy ending for them and that life is turned upside down for Tony that makes these tear-jerking moments to watch.
Nothing's As Good If You Don't Share It
Sometimes, the most emotional moments come from just one individual line, and when Tony goes to get a story from a man, that is exactly what happens. The person he is getting the story from has also lost his wife, and the two of them discuss it.
When he tells Tony that he still tells his wife everything, because "nothing's as good if you don't share it," things become incredibly emotional. It's heartbreaking to see the two of them, both clearly suffering emotionally try to work out how they've pieced things together since.
Remember Me
The main storyline and emotional hook of the show is obviously Tony dealing with the grief of becoming a widow, but that isn't the only way that the show is sad. One of the other emotional storylines running throughout is the relationship between Tony and his father.
Sadly, he suffers from Alzheimer's and doesn't remember who Tony is most of the time. Even though he visits frequently, the situation is frustrating for Tony and is very sad to watch. That's why the moment his father does remember him is such a tear-jerker, with Tony taking the opportunity to tell his father that he loves him.
Walking Into The Sea
One of the most emotional scenes in the entire first season is the scene where Tony heads into the sea, seemingly contemplating suicide. After picturing his wife when they were at the beach together, he heads into the sea to join her finally.
However, when his dog begins to panic and bark, it quickly reminds Tony there is still something he has to love and share a life with. It's a touching moment as he heads out of the ocean with his dog, who showed its true loyalty at the moment.
Not Judging
One thing that After Life teaches audiences is to never judge a book by its cover. The character of Roxy is the way that the show highlights that, with Tony hiring her to clean his house up, not knowing that she is actually a sex worker in reality.
He quickly learns not to judge her based on her decisions to work in that job, and it is an empowering storyline that provides some emotional moments. Seeing someone go from being very judgemental to being more considerate is certainly something many people could benefit from.
Learning To Live Again
Throughout the show, Tony begins to become close with a nurse who works at the care home where his father lives. It is someone who he clearly enjoys spending time with and wants to get to know better, but he is also guilt-ridden about the fact his wife passed away, and not wanting to move on too fast.
After a chat with Anne at the bench, she makes it clear to him that it is okay to move on and look to be happy again. Seeing him learn and realize that it is fine to live again is a very touching moment and one that the show handles beautifully.
Please Be Happy
One of the best characters in After Life is Sandy, who is the new girl at Tony's work when the show first begins. She is desperate to progress in her work and climb as high up the journalism ladder as possible, which at first, Tony has absolutely no interest in.
However, the two of them end up bonding and it's clear that Sandy thinks very highly of him. The moment she begs Tony to be happy and admits that she can't wait for someone to love her as much as he loves his wife is one that has audiences fighting back the tears.
The Video Messages
These moments pop up several times throughout the show and they are Tony's way of still connecting with his wife. However, they are absolutely guaranteed to make you emotional, as the video messages are from when she was sick and knew that her time was coming to an end.
While the topics of the video messages are often happy, there's no doubt that it's tough to watch these moments and Tony's reactions to them. Hearing Lisa discusses how she felt about him and what he needs to do, being so unselfish despite her illness is incredibly emotional.