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Wales Online
Wales Online
Lifestyle
Nathan Bevan

Ricky Gervais' After Life: The meaning of the final scene which has got everyone crying

It's the heartbreaking comedy drama which has won millions of fans worldwide and is currently the most watched programme on Netflix.

Created by and starring Ricky Gervais, After Life tells the story of a widower called Tony who's struggling to come to terms with the death of his wife Lisa from cancer.

Widely lauded throughout its run for its realistic depiction of grief, it's shown the character (played by Gervais himself) overwhelmed with various emotions as a result of the loss, ranging from anger to despair and thoughts of suicide.

Read more: 'Hope is everything' After Life benches donated by Ricky Gervais installed in Cardiff parks

However, in the current third series Tony slowly began to find peace and accept his situation, finally cashing in his late spouse's life insurance and using the money to help out his friends and worthwhile local causes. But, while a happy ending of sorts, it's the farewell scene that's had audiences sobbing.

Spoiler warning: do not read on if you've not yet seen the final episode of After Life.

In it, Tony - having spent the day at the village fete with those closest to him - wanders off into the distance with his beloved dog Brandy. As he walks along, a vision of Lisa (played in flashback since series one by Kerry Godliman), appears by his side and the couple hold hands.

Then, as abruptly as she materialised, Lisa vanishes, followed shortly afterwards by Brandy, until there's just Tony left. But, before the credits roll, he also fades away leaving an empty field surrounded by trees, the colour of which has turned from verdant green to autumnal brown.

Tony and his dog are joined by his late wife Lisa (Netflix)
Then Tony and Brandy are alone again together (Netflix)
Finally Tony himself slowly fades away (Netflix)

And the emotional send-off immediately had fans raving about it on social media.

"An absolute masterpiece, a show like nothing I have seen before," tweeted Jak Ball. "Hilarious, heartbreaking, inspirational, it has everything. That final scene was perfect."

"I feel the final scene in After Life will become as iconic as the last scene in Blackadder Goes Forth," added Sue Smith, namechecking the poignant moment where Rowan Atkinson's army captain resigns himself to his certain fate in the WWI trenches.

Meanwhile, Ceri The Potter posted, "No, I did not make it thru the final episode of After Life without crying buckets. By the last scene I was a goddamn MESS."

But many were left questioning the meaning of that parting shot, with some even wondering if Tony did go on to take his own life after all. So much so, Gervais decided to to clear up any confusion in a subsequent interview.

He explained the scene was meant to mark the passing of time, adding that, while never able to get over Lisa, life did go on for our anti-hero - even though he'd inevitably lose Brandy in the years to come, before finally passing away himself.

“The ending is saying ‘We all die, but not today’," said Gervais, who's ruled out making any further episodes of the hit show.

"Life is so finite. You don’t exist for 13 and a half billion years, you have 80-90 years if you're lucky, and then you die, never to exist again. So enjoy it while you can."

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