After Life Season 2 Episode 6 Recap

Tony watches another video, and it is still Jill and Matt’s wedding. Lisa asks Tony to dance, but Tony says it is a man rule not to dance to Lionel Richie. Ray then volunteers to dance with her. Brandy puts his paws on Tony’s shoulders.

Tony sits in his living room and finds the bottle of sleeping pills he left on his couch. He holds it in his hands. Brandy jumps onto the couch and barks gently, so Tony puts the pills back where he found them.

Matt goes on his last visit to the therapist. He tells his therapist that he and Jill will get back together, and it feels like a weight has been lifted off his mind and that he’s so happy. The therapist then tells him that he is not okay because hearing people whinging all day rubs off on him and brings him down.

At the office, James and Lenny beg Sandy not to write about their mess during the revue. Tony walks in and goes straight to Matt’s office. He tells him that his father has died the previous night and asks him to inform the whole team. He also asks him to tell them not to talk to him about it. Matt offers to help him with the funeral, but Tony tells him there’s not much to do. Matt tells him that his father was a good man and that he didn’t have much, but he was always happy. Tony tells him that his dad had his mum, which was all that mattered. He admits that he did not get it until he met Lisa, but being in love is everything. Matt was about to hug him when he said, “No hugging.” Matt backs off and tells him that he’ll send a No Hugging memo.

After Tony leaves, Matt makes the announcement and tells everyone that Tony does not want to talk about it with anyone. He reminds them not to hug him.

At the shelter, Tony gets Ray’s personal effects. He tells Emma he won’t be going there every day anymore, but he does like to see her still. He says they have a lot going on and that Emma is in a hurry for something to happen and that he’s got Simon, anyway. Emma denies being in a hurry and clarifies that Simon is just company. “You know how I feel about you, but you’re not interested,” Emma says. Tony tells her that he is, but he cannot understand why they cannot just stay as they are, they see each other every day, and it’s great. He says he doesn’t know why they have to call it something they can carry on, like Groundhog Day. Emma responds that maybe she doesn’t want Groundhog Day.

Roxy visits Tony and finds the bottle of pills. She asks about it, and Tony reveals that it is there, so he doesn’t have to go up to kill himself. Roxy worries about the pills, so Tony tells him that she can take those away, but if he wants to do something, he can use the knives in the kitchen or his belts. Roxy tells him not to think that way and asks him to tell her he’s okay. Tony does, and then he asks how things are going between her and Pat. Roxy tells him that she’s worried that her past will catch up with her and Pat might not be able to cope with it. Tony tells her that she should be worried about her future, not her past. She says that she’s more about Tony’s future. Tony tells her that she reminds him of Lisa sometimes because everyone had to be okay before she got to be okay.

Tony goes back to the office. Sandy offers him tea, but he says he’s okay. Kath walks into a tranquil office. “Bloody hell, who died?” she jokes. Matt tells her that Tony’s dad died, and she instantly goes to hug Tony. He hugs her back and tells everyone to carry on. Lenny tells him that there is a story to cover, but he can go alone if Tony wants to stay in. He says he’s fine and explains to everyone that he had lost his father a couple of years ago when he got sick. He says that this is the natural course of things, unlike what happened to Lisa, so he’s okay. Sandy throws a spoonful of chocolate spread to his face and says she did it because he looked sad.

Tony and Lenny interview a fifty-year-old man who identifies as an eight-year-old school girl for a feature story. The man’s wife tells them that it’s ridiculous and embarrassing. His daughter wants to kill herself upon finding out that his father will be in the paper, and Tony reminds her that the man is still her father and that she’ll miss him when he’s gone.

Tony goes to the graveyard and tells Anne about his father’s death. She says that she’s glad that Tony got to see so much of him and that Tony has been a good son, so he does not need to be guilty of anything.

Pat delivers a postcard to Tony. When Tony reads it, he finds out that it is from Pat, saying sorry about his loss. Tony breaks into tears when he reads this, and Pat is about to comfort him when Tony says that he is not crying because of his dad but because of his kindness towards him. He says he thinks he doesn’t deserve it. Tony says he’s sorry for lashing out at Pat before. Pat tells him that Tony giving him attention was enough because people used to ignore him. He also adds that Tony set him up with Roxy, who might be his future wife.

Tony drinks Ray as he watches a video of him dancing at Matt’s wedding.

The next day was the day of the funeral. Tony watches yet another video until Brandy comes into the room. He walks Brandy outside and gets ready for the service afterward. The service begins, and the priest calls Tony to share some personal thoughts. Tony tells everyone that his father was an easygoing man: he had no big ambition, worked hard, enjoyed a drink, fell in love, got married, had a kid, and did everything he had to do to provide and live an average life. He shares that his parents were such a beautiful pair, so much so that it was from them that he got the idea that he could bump into the perfect soulmate on this planet with billions of people. He says that his dad coped until he couldn’t, and that was when Emma came. He tells her that his dad loved her, and he can see why.

After the service, Emma comes to Tony and asks him about what he said. He asks her again why they can’t stay the way they are until the day they die. He says that maybe someday, he won’t feel like he’s cheating on Lisa, but he cannot promise. He says he loves what they have, but it cannot be anymore. Emma nods and tells him she’s sorry about Ray and runs away.

Anne approaches Tony and checks on him. She touches his face, and Tony thanks her for everything.

Anne goes to the bench by the graveyard, and Paul comes and sits beside her. He says he needs to sit for a bit because he cannot walk for too long anymore. He says that he lost his wife a while back and has not gotten over it yet, but he learned that life goes on, even though it might not be as good.

Matt and Jill hold hands as they watch George play ball. Tony walks with Brandy. Emma takes care of another patient. Pat and Roxy have coffee together. Lenny and June watch TV while James tries to learn how to knit. Paul and Anne walk home together.

At home, Tony watches a video of Lisa where she asks Tony to say good night back to her so she can sleep. Tony says it and breaks down. He sobs heavily that it catches Brandy’s attention. Tony leans back on the couch, and his hand touches the bottle of pills. He opens it and almost empties the bottle into his hands. Brandy barks loudly. He was about to drink them when Brandy barks again. He ignored Brandy and was very close to downing the pills when the doorbell rang. Tony opens the door and sees Emma outside. “I’ll take Groundhog Day,” she says. Tony lets her in and tucks the bottle of pills into his pocket.

Our Thoughts

Oh! We thought for sure that Tony was going to do it. Thank God for Brandy and, yes, for Emma! Tony has been through a lot, so it is quite understandable that he has this urge to give up. We mean, that good night scene tugged at our heartstrings. We felt the pain.

I believe the lesson here is that no matter how much you’re hurting, there will always be people (and even animals) who will care about you – the postman, your officemates, your graveyard buddy, your dad’s nurse, your dog. You have to look closely.