FTA-TV After Life

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Red mist

Red mist

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Veteran 10k Posts East Side Hawks - Sweet F.A. Zombie Lover A Star Wars Fan Podcaster
Jun 30, 2014
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Ricky Gervais has brilliantly tackled another serious subject of grief and loss with ferocious style.
He derides himself and life with abandon then
Slowly pulls it back till the grief of losing a partner doesn’t overwhelm but gets near a status quo.
Great realism. Everyday people and stylist was on point .
 
Deserves more attention this show/thread. Im not sure what it is about Ricky but he combines the mundane, the dark, reality and hilarity of ordinary life so bloody well. I love his honesty and cut the bullshit kind of way he thinks. At times I felt he was 'playing' Pilkington. This show, much like Derek, has a hell of a lot of truth and heart, and comedy. Loved it.
 
Watched 3 episodes and it is amazing. Have been close to tears multiple times then laughing out loud next second. It's as good as anything Ricky's done for mine.
 

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Outstanding. the only gripe is 6 short eps leave you craving much more of it. I hope it is to be continued...
 
thanks to King Elvis for letting me know about this show.

watched the entire first season today.

it's excellent. incredibly well-written, great characters. highly recommended. it really strikes a nerve and makes you realize and embrace all those simple things we get told a billion times but never really heed.

now for the "bad"...

- character development too quick and too smooth. too easy. it could've been extra hard-hitting emotionally/dramatically, in terms of character development and plot points, but it didn't TRY to push those boundaries, which i felt it really should've thought about doing. for example....while the main character is spending episode after episode feeling sorry for himself and wanting to kill himself, and blind to the pains of others around him, something like these ideas could've made it a real tear-jerker for the audience....1) now that he had something to live for again, the teen muggers threaten him again, revenge for breaking one of their noses earlier in the season, and this time tho, he breaks down at their feet begging for his life, maybe he gets stabbed, but just breaking down begging for his life would've been sufficient, for us, and for him, his own character development.....2) the nurse says "no".....3) his brother in law ended up actually killing himself because he was carrying around great burden/loss/stress himself that ricky gervis was too blind to see, no fanfare, no constant daily whining, like ricky, here he was carrying around greater pain, trying to make ricky happy, and in the end it was the brother in law who kills himself say in that final episode JUST when ricky finally realizes life is worth living after all.......4) that lady at the cemetary, he goes there and she's no longer there one day, passed away, or perhaps better, she was never really there, just a figment of his imagination, his own internal voice or like possibly an angel......5) that bespectacled lady at his work, perhaps there was like 2 episodes in a row in the middle of the season where he just digs and digs and derides her so much, and then in the following episode, he just happens to say stumble upon her late at night sitting in a cafe all alone, crying, has no one in her life, perhaps finds out she was waiting for someone who stood her up, and just seeing her crying alone thru a window of the cafe touches him, and he does something special for her to make her happy.......and many other such little ideas to just tweak things in the overall story arc, twist things on the audience and ricky, so that by the end of season 1, it really leaves quite a hefty woah on us, wondering what might happen in season 2.....how will ricky deal with the nurse saying no, will he fight to win her love, which would be the obvious answer, make him REALLY learn again what love is....and how will ricky deal with the loss of his brother in law, how shattered that must make him coming round to the realization a literal moment too late, and leaving us just gutted in tears wondering how he'll make things right in season 2.

but as it is.....every one of those life lessons ricky learned came too easy, too smooth, there was no ironic twist that really hammers home to him, and makes us cry, "why did that have to happen?! ricky was finally coming around, almost there, and THIS had to happen, how cruel"....such that it makes us want to delve deeper into it.

basically, what could've been a 10/10 for emotionally-charged viewing with such twists and turns like above, ended up being maybe a 6/10 instead. like a damn good show, but not truly all-time great, that resonates with you for a long time.

sure, if those things happened, this show would be different, the show is what it is. i'm not dismissive of the show overall, it was fine, just felt it could've been much greater as a tear-jerker and teacher of life's simple lessons.

lastly, it WAS a tear-jerker because it struck home personally with me upon a myriad of things in the show, and not specific to any one character, they all had their touching moments, pains, unique pains/problems, and all of them were personally touching for me, as i'm sure for all viewers because with their own specific feelings/reasons.

i'm not sure if i'll invest into season 2, etc. i'll give it a try, but hopefully things and arcs and developments and plot points aren't all easy and smooth and quickly moved along inside six 20 minute episodes, but given more treatment and agony.
 
Sorry....re-posting....re-did the above for a proper IMDB.com review of the show....

-----------------------


Watched the entire first season today.

It's excellent. Incredibly well-written with great characters. Highly recommended. It really strikes a nerve and makes you realize and embrace all those simple things we get told a billion times but never really heed.

Now for the "bad"...

Character development was too quick, too smooth, too easy. It could've been extra hard-hitting emotionally/dramatically, in terms of character development and plot points, but it didn't TRY to push those boundaries, which I felt it really should've thought about doing.

For example....while Tony is spending episode after episode feeling sorry for himself and wanting to kill himself, blind to the pains of others around him, something like these ideas could've made it a real tear-jerker for the audience....1) now that he had something to live for again, the teen muggers threaten him again, revenge for breaking one of their noses earlier in the season, and this time tho he breaks down at their feet begging for his life; maybe he gets stabbed, but just breaking down begging for his life would've been sufficient, for us, and for him, his character development.....2) the nurse says "no".....3) his brother-in-law Matt ended up being the one who kills himself because he was carrying around great burden/loss/stress himself that Tony was too blind to see; no fanfare, no constant daily whining, like Tony. There he was carrying around greater pain and just trying to selflessly make Tony happy, but in the end it was Matt who kills himself in that final episode JUST when Ricky finally realizes life is worth living after all.......4) the lady at the cemetery, Anne, he goes there and she's no longer there one day, passed away, before he could say "thanks", or perhaps, she was never really there, a figment of his imagination, his own internal voice......5) that bespectacled lady at his work, Kath, perhaps there was like 2 episodes in a row in the middle of the season where he just digs and derides her so much, and then in the following episode, he just happens to be walking home late at night in the rain, and stumbles upon her sitting in a cafe all alone, crying, she has no one in her life, perhaps finds out she was waiting for someone who stood her up, and just seeing her crying alone thru a window of the cafe touches him, and he does something special for her to make her happy....and many other such little ideas to just tweak things in the overall story arc, twist things on the audience and Tony, so that by the end of season 1, it leaves a hefty mark on us, wondering what might happen in season 2. So that season 2 actually has some unresolved drama.

Instead, season 1 ties everything up, everything ends on a high, too rushed to that conclusion, feels a bit cheapened.

It could've really hooked us for a season 2......how will Tony deal with the nurse saying no, is there another man, will he fight to win her love, make him learn again what love is, that it has to be fought for......how will Tony deal with the loss of his brother-in-law, how shattered that must make him coming around to the realization a literal moment too late. And other let-downs for the other characters around him -- Lenny's new love-interest breaks up with him, how Tony has to pick Lenny up. The new co-worker, Sandy, maybe something like her losing something in an accident that renders her unable to be a journalist, and how Tony has to pick her up, find something in the world that she can turn to for a different career, etc.

Instead, every one of those life lessons Tony learned came too easy, too smooth, there was no ironic twist that really hammers home to him and to us, makes us want to delve deeper into it because the story delves deeper and is more complex.

The characters around him, his co-workers, friends, in season 1 are mainly fluff, there just to serve the Tony character-arc, and there's no stronger, more dramatic connect between them such that THEIR character arcs are a stronger reason for Tony and us to resonate with.

Basically, what could've been a 10/10 for emotionally-charged viewing with such twists and turns like above, ended up being a 6/10 instead. Like a damn good show, but not truly all-time great, that stays with you for a long time.

I'm not sure if I'll invest into season 2, etc. I'll give it a try, but hopefully the dramas and plot points aren't rushed and arcs aren't easy and smooth, but given more treatment and agony.

Don't get me wrong, it sounds like I'm being overly critical of it. I'm not; I just wish it packed a bit more of a punch.
 
Not one of those 5 things would have improved the show. Teens came back for their hammer and he begged for his life? Seriously? The lady at the grave was in his imagination? Come on... There was nothing too easy about his growth

Not sure that review was worth posting twice. I did enjoy the opening (it's excellent) and the mark (6/10) though. A good show get a 3/10 from you?
 

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Finished it now. Enjoyed it a lot but the last ep was a bit disappointing. It was too cheesey happy ending compared to the grimness of the rest of the show.
 
sorted said:
Finished it now. Enjoyed it a lot but the last ep was a bit disappointing. It was too cheesey happy ending compared to the grimness of the rest of the show.
Click to expand...
Reckon it actually suffered from being a Netflix show to binge rather than one doled out weekly. The change seemed more abrupt and less earned.
 
Last edited:
GG.exe said:
Sorry....re-posting....re-did the above for a proper IMDB.com review of the show....

-----------------------


Watched the entire first season today.

It's excellent. Incredibly well-written with great characters. Highly recommended. It really strikes a nerve and makes you realize and embrace all those simple things we get told a billion times but never really heed.

Now for the "bad"...

Character development was too quick, too smooth, too easy. It could've been extra hard-hitting emotionally/dramatically, in terms of character development and plot points, but it didn't TRY to push those boundaries, which I felt it really should've thought about doing.

For example....while Tony is spending episode after episode feeling sorry for himself and wanting to kill himself, blind to the pains of others around him, something like these ideas could've made it a real tear-jerker for the audience....1) now that he had something to live for again, the teen muggers threaten him again, revenge for breaking one of their noses earlier in the season, and this time tho he breaks down at their feet begging for his life; maybe he gets stabbed, but just breaking down begging for his life would've been sufficient, for us, and for him, his character development.....2) the nurse says "no".....3) his brother-in-law Matt ended up being the one who kills himself because he was carrying around great burden/loss/stress himself that Tony was too blind to see; no fanfare, no constant daily whining, like Tony. There he was carrying around greater pain and just trying to selflessly make Tony happy, but in the end it was Matt who kills himself in that final episode JUST when Ricky finally realizes life is worth living after all.......4) the lady at the cemetery, Anne, he goes there and she's no longer there one day, passed away, before he could say "thanks", or perhaps, she was never really there, a figment of his imagination, his own internal voice......5) that bespectacled lady at his work, Kath, perhaps there was like 2 episodes in a row in the middle of the season where he just digs and derides her so much, and then in the following episode, he just happens to be walking home late at night in the rain, and stumbles upon her sitting in a cafe all alone, crying, she has no one in her life, perhaps finds out she was waiting for someone who stood her up, and just seeing her crying alone thru a window of the cafe touches him, and he does something special for her to make her happy....and many other such little ideas to just tweak things in the overall story arc, twist things on the audience and Tony, so that by the end of season 1, it leaves a hefty mark on us, wondering what might happen in season 2. So that season 2 actually has some unresolved drama.

Instead, season 1 ties everything up, everything ends on a high, too rushed to that conclusion, feels a bit cheapened.

It could've really hooked us for a season 2......how will Tony deal with the nurse saying no, is there another man, will he fight to win her love, make him learn again what love is, that it has to be fought for......how will Tony deal with the loss of his brother-in-law, how shattered that must make him coming around to the realization a literal moment too late. And other let-downs for the other characters around him -- Lenny's new love-interest breaks up with him, how Tony has to pick Lenny up. The new co-worker, Sandy, maybe something like her losing something in an accident that renders her unable to be a journalist, and how Tony has to pick her up, find something in the world that she can turn to for a different career, etc.

Instead, every one of those life lessons Tony learned came too easy, too smooth, there was no ironic twist that really hammers home to him and to us, makes us want to delve deeper into it because the story delves deeper and is more complex.

The characters around him, his co-workers, friends, in season 1 are mainly fluff, there just to serve the Tony character-arc, and there's no stronger, more dramatic connect between them such that THEIR character arcs are a stronger reason for Tony and us to resonate with.

Basically, what could've been a 10/10 for emotionally-charged viewing with such twists and turns like above, ended up being a 6/10 instead. Like a damn good show, but not truly all-time great, that stays with you for a long time.

I'm not sure if I'll invest into season 2, etc. I'll give it a try, but hopefully the dramas and plot points aren't rushed and arcs aren't easy and smooth, but given more treatment and agony.

Don't get me wrong, it sounds like I'm being overly critical of it. I'm not; I just wish it packed a bit more of a punch.
Click to expand...

Wtf
 
jackn said:
Not one of those 5 things would have improved the show. Teens came back for their hammer and he begged for his life? Seriously? The lady at the grave was in his imagination? Come on... There was nothing too easy about his growth

Not sure that review was worth posting twice. I did enjoy the opening (it's excellent) and the mark (6/10) though. A good show get a 3/10 from you?
Click to expand...
I was at times similarly thinking the lady at the grave was imaginary however the dialogue between the two made it superfluous.
 
GG.exe said:
all i said is what people are also saying both on here and imdb....

story evolved too quickly
his arc came too cheaply, not earned
ended too much on a high, leaves no drama/intrigue for season 2

all i said extra was offering some alternative narratives to meet those ends.
Click to expand...
I see this run as a full stop.
Six eps making like a 3 hr movie.
If there’s more I’ll watch it.
As far as arc was cheap. The arc
Isn’t him at the start. It’s his missus preparing him. It wasn’t cheap at all. It was quite personal and is something that might be missed.
Remember he was well down the road.
 
DIG said:
The last ep was a little cheesy tho. Still ok but yeah could’ve been better.
Click to expand...
How was it cheesy?
There was a realisation that derision, while having a place, wasn’t going to hold and he’d have to balance it in some way by being what his missus said “lovely” as well.
 
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