Summary
Ricky Gervais and his team deliver to mark the end of a fruitful series.
This recap of Netflix’s After Life season 3, episode 6 — the finale and ending explained — contains spoilers.
Read the review of the third and final season.
Soppy, wholesome, and full of life. We didn’t expect anything less from the final episode of After Life. Ricky Gervais and his team deliver to mark the end of a fruitful series.
After Life season 3, episode 6 recap – the finale and ending explained
Episode 6 opens with video footage; Tony is drinking with his father and Lisa — two people no longer in his life. Tony teases Lisa about the afterlife, a topic that becomes central to the finale. After the video footage, life goes on — Tony goes on a walk with his dog. The dog is always significant, considering the pet saved Tony’s life. At Lisa’s grave, Matt tells Tony that there’s nothing wrong with being a good person — he knows his brother-in-law is one, and it marks a sweet conclusion to this relationship.
At the very last time at the graveyard bench, Tony asks Anne how she met Stan. She talks about her first time seeing her deceased husband and how she wished she had laughed at his first joke. Tony divulges the first time he met Lisa, and before she died, he wishes he didn’t tease her about the afterlife. Anne tells Tony that if he wants to be an angel, do it while alive. She calls Tony “her angel,” which feels like a lovely scene.
The last journalistic interview turns out to be the sweetest too; Tony interviews a young girl at a hospice who has shaved her head to support her sister. One of the girls is called Lisa, which moves Tony emotionally. One of the kids asks Tony to visit the hospice every day “because he’s funny. Tony promises to come in every day until the child is better. In a significant moment, the child asks Tony if he believes in heaven, and surprisingly Tony says yes. It seems our character has found a new purpose in life, and it will involve the hospice.
Finding a new lease in life, Tony gives Matt some of Lisa’s money to help him and talks about kindness. In a stunning admission, Tony admits that life is fantastic and that he feels lucky that he existed at the same time as Lisa. He mentions the kids’ cancer hospice and the child — he put his troubles on hold, and the kid became his cause — “if the kid lives, then so do I.” Tony continues giving money to those in his life that need it, and he even gives a charitable donation to the children’s hospice.
The ending
The final episode ends at a town fair, and there’s so much community, joy, and laughter. Kath agrees to get a rescue dog, and Tony helps with her application. He appreciates the importance of having a companion. Kath bumps into Pat soon after, and they get along quickly, so Tony leaves them to it.
The finale ends with Tony watching the people around him and the happiness. He admires the joy of the world and the people in it. He remembers Lisa and the joy they also had. However, the series ends with the character finding a new objective in life; enjoying it as much as he can, and spreading the love to those close to him. He’s gone from a bitter, cruel, and resentful man to a person who can be admired and relied upon. We can only assume Tony will continue attending the hospice and making people laugh for the rest of his days.
Additional points
- Pat gave Roxy an ultimatum — she chose to be a prostitute over being in a relationship with him.
- In a video clip, Lisa tells Tony not to worry about her or money — she tells him to be kind and “be Tony.”
- Kath attends a yoga class where they have to force laughter out, but Kath cries instead and admits to the group that she’s lonely — she has to leave this session.
- Tony bumps into Emma and her love interest Jack while on a walk. It’s a brief introduction and solidifies that they will just be friends.
- Brian and Coleen agree to get a coffee together.
