Netflix’s After Life season 1, episode 5 recap

In episode 5 of the Netflix series After Life, Tony finally seems to look on the brighter side as he begins to realize he still cares about people. Is it enough?

Previously on After Life, Tony (Ricky Gervais) seemed to have crossed the line, giving money to Julian (Tim Plester), who indicated he’d use the money to overdose on heroin. When Julian ends up dead the next day, the immediate moral question is whether Tony is responsible. Well, in a way he arguably is, and in a way he arguably isn’t.

Tony is himself in a depressive state after his wife died, and so was Julian, so it in many ways reflects too similar personalities feeding off each other.

However, as this episode begins, we are reminded of a different side of Tony, as he watches a video of his wife Lisa (Kerry Godliman) where she reflects on his ability to make people laugh. However, Tony definitely flirts with the dark side still. Upon learning his nephew George (Tommy Finnegan) was hit by a playground bully, Robbie (Thomas Bastable), he approaches Robbie, claiming he’s an escaped lunatic who will kill him with his hammer if he ever hits anyone again! Although Tony is likely joking, it’s a move that will come back to hurt him later on.

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Responsibility-free and turning points

While visiting his father (David Bradley) in the hospital, he tells Nurse Emma (Ashley Jensen) that, after his dad and his dog die, he can look forward to a life of no responsibilities.

Later, in the office of the Tambury Gazette, Tony talks about his bad date the previous night, and that he stole a mugger’s hammer. When Tony’s brother-in-law and boss, Matt (Tom Basden), tells Tony about Julian’s fatal overdose, he is startled to learn that Tony provided the money, knowing he might OD. It’s one of the darkest realizations on After Life thus far, but perhaps a major turning point.

Other turning points are rather simple. Tony seems to cheer up after meeting June (Jo Hartley), who expressed how much she loves Gazette photographer Lenny (Tony Way). While Tony makes fun of him, June describes Lenny as cuddly. After that, Tony returns to visit his father yet again, much to Emma’s surprise. It’s almost as though Tony’s testing the waters for a return to normalcy — to the extent such a thing is possible.

Weird parts of life

After Life also re-emphasizes the quirkiness of Tony’s job, which includes stories on local oddballs. One such person is a woman (Megan Heffernan) who makes rice pudding from her own breast milk. Lenny actually tries some, much to Tony’s disgust, and they both draw the line when she mentions bread made from her own bodily yeast!

Later, after taking the dog out for a walk, Tony visits his therapist (Paul Kaye) again, to discuss how he’s always angry. He mentions his rage at people who yawn too loudly. After this, Tony is shown railing against a charity collector (Nikhil Parmar) for trying to guilt-trip him into giving. Out of spite, Tony gives to another charity table nearby.

Then, getting back to work, Tony makes a deal with Brian (David Earl): If they visit his home and don’t get a story out of it, he’ll never annoy their newspaper office again. Tony, Lenny and and Sandy (Mandeep Dhillon) visit his place to see he’s actually a hoarder, whose house has its fair share of disgusting dead mice and cockroaches. Tony even asks Brian why he never killed himself, and Brian says the thought suicide was too good for him. However, Sandy does get a quality story out of it, after Brian gives her and Lenny a weird Punch and Judy-style puppet show. So, technically, Brian will be able to annoy them at the office in the future.

Possible repercussions

After Life takes a more serious turn when Matt confronts Tony about threatening to murder Robbie in the schoolyard. In fact, Matt even threatens to never let Tony see George again, showing just how serious it is. In response, Tony says he won’t do anything like that again, and it seems he grasps the seriousness of what he did. Later, he meets Anne (Penelope Wilton) in the graveyard. Tony says (almost as if confessing) that he can’t not care about things he cares about. Then, as if to reinforce his normalcy, he agrees with Sandy that he need to be happier.

The episode ends with him sitting next to Daphne (Roisin Conaty) on a bench, holding hands (after again debating whether she’s a sex worker or a prostitute). It’s not strongly implied that they’re in a relationship, nor involved in a business transaction. It seems like they’re just holding hands for affection.

What are your thoughts on After Life? Let us know in the comments!