Summary
Season 2, Episode 1 opens with Tony’s new approach to life, but the theme remains heavy with mental health issues, as he continues to struggle.
Well, after the last season, when he vowed to be kind, Season 2 opens up with Tony in the same situation; he’s struggling with the passing of his wife Lisa, but he still wants to get better. The story feels familiar, with Tony looking after his dog and frequently watching videos of his wife.
He’s still conducting journalistic interviews for the newspaper — the first episode features Tony interviewing a 100-year-old woman who doesn’t care about her lifetime achievement.
Brother-in-Law Matt
Matt is sleeping in the office at work because he and his wife are going through a separation. Lenny offers him a place to stay. We also learned that Kath is interested in Matt, encroaching on his office despite the separation being relatively new. You always get the sense that Kath wants to be loved.
Matt is also seeing the therapist that Tony sees in Season 1. He’s not even a therapist, but his entire presence is hilarious.
Tony and Nurse Emma
Yes, the Nurse is called Emma — this will become important later.
Tony tells Emma about what Lenny said: that Emma is right — he is not over his deceased wife, Lisa, and that she only wants to be friends. Emma explains that she does not just want to be friends, but it is true that she can feel that Tony is not over his wife.
A new man named Simon has taken an interest in Emma, and you can tell it’s irking Tony.
Tony, who feels out of his depth, meets his friend Anne on the usual bench and explains that he is embarrassed about his situation with the nurse.
With Tony trying to be more zen to calm his depressing thoughts and Matt having a crisis of his own, both men attend a meditation class. The instructor keeps bringing up phlegm and slurping his tea early in the session, which infuriates Tony, who quickly walks out and calls him a “snot-curdling cunt”. Tony immediately heads home, grabbing a bottle of wine on the way.
He watches a video of his wife while drunk and cries.
Noteworthy Points
Here are some additional points worth noting from the episode:
- Postman Pat goes to Tony’s house, pretending he needs to use the bathroom quickly, but he actually has a bath. He has a viewing for a house share — it’s his chance to no longer be homeless.
Read More: After Life Season 2, Episode 2 Recap
