After Life season 2: Misses the impact of the first, but still a worthy follow-up

After Life season 2 continues Tony’s (Ricky Gervais) journey of newfound love and life, but is it an unnecessary continuation of the story or as impactful as the first season?

Haven’t watched After Life season 2 on Netflix yet? Fear not, there are no spoilers in this review.

The first season of After Life tells a beautiful story of giving life and love another chance after extreme loss. When Tony (Gervais) loses his wife to an illness, he gives up on life and being kind to others. Tony takes up an unapologetic life where he is selfish and mean to everyone, not caring about consequences or feelings.

After a set of events, Tony realizes his mistakes and decides to not only give life another shot, but love, as well. All in all, season 1 of After Life feels complete. The six-episode season is a well-paced story with minor flaws, great dark humor, and big life lessons.

Season 2 was intended for audiences to see the continuation of Tony’s journey, but, if we’re being honest, a second season was never necessary. Still, not everything that is unnecessary turns out bad. Fans still looked forward to After Life season 2.

Unfortunately, After Life doesn’t work well as a two-season formula. Though it does have some great and worthy moments, it doesn’t come together as it should. Is it enjoyable? Yes, but it’s something we could have lived without.

This isn’t to say it’s useless, though. I do appreciate how season 2 goes to show that not everything is immediately fine. The second season features Tony still struggling at times with getting over the death of his wife.

It does make the story and journey seem more real and raw, as things aren’t going to be a walk in the park just because one has decided to turn a new leaf. After Life season 2 presents some emotional, heartfelt moments.

Additionally, fans of Ricky Gervais who are familiar with his work will very much appreciate this second installment. There are some subplots that derail from the main story, some are even absurd, but nothing a fan of the actor’s isn’t used to. If you loved the humor and situations presented in the first season, there’s more where that came from in season 2.

After Life season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.