Aftter Life Season 3 Episode 6: Recap, Review & Ending Explained

The Carousel

Episode 6 of After Life Season 3 begins with Tony beginning his day as usual; feeding his dog and drinking the last of the red wine. This time though, Tony tries to approach the day with a little more enthusiasm.

What happens at the graveyard?

Pat arrives at the door and admits that he and Roxie have broken up. After giving her an ultimatum over staying with him or continuing on as a prostitute, she’s chosen her career. When Pat questions whether he wants to go on the pull, Tony can’t stop laughing as he shuts the door and walks away.

At the graveyard, Matt shows up with a photo of him and Lisa as kids. He places it down next to her grave and leaves.

Anne arrives soon after though, reflecting back on a joke she never laughed at with Stan. It’s been eating her up for the last 50 years but Tony reassures her that Stan probably never gave it two thoughts.

How did Tony and Lisa meet?

As Anne and Tony talk on the bunch together, there’s a really nice moment as the latter reveals how he met his wife. Tony was on the dole, pretending to be a writer at the time.

Lisa was an artist fresh out of college and actually had an exhibition at the Fair. She thought he was interested in one of her pieces but really, he was interested in her. When she found out he had no money, she decided to buy him dinner instead. The pair hit it off immediately.

Much like Anne though, Tony has his own regrets. Specifically about teasing her about the afterlife and angels. Anne reminds him that there are numerous angels on earth that save lives. “You’re my angel, Tony.” She admits, as the pair sit together, reflecting on life.

What happens to Tony? What does he do with his money?

If that wasn’t tear-jerking enough, Tony visits several children in hospital, one of which has cancer. His sister shaves her hair off to help. This obviously hits home for him, especially when he learns that her name is Lisa.

On the way out, Tony promises to come back every day until one of the boys gets better. He also admits that he believes in heaven too. This is a pretty big breakthrough given what he initially spoke to Lisa about. It also shows how far his character has come.

Tony doesn’t stop there though. He eventually cashes in the cheque and takes the life insurance money, sharing it with Matthew. Not only that, he replaces the £500 in the biscuit tin, helps Lenny out with his wedding and even gives money for Coleen’s flat. He also drops by the hospice and hands over a cheque to help them out too.

Tony eventually heads down to the fair. En-route, he bumps into Jack and Emma. The fair goes ahead, and Penny is there reading from her book. It’s a hilariously woeful bit of dialogue but hey, it’s got a crowd and everyone seems engrossed, despite the side-eyed glances.

What happens to Brian?

Brian ends up in the stocks while James plays the jester. Of course, Ratty and Nonce are there and immediately berate Brian. They humiliate him in the stocks and leave him a broken mess. Brian’s ex wife and her new “gypsy lover” show and save the day, which only exacerbates the problems.

Colleen and Valerie are there to help Brian too, but he’s lower than he’s ever been before. At least until Valerie encourages him to crack a joke. Colleen actually finds it funny. As fate would have it, the pair decide to get coffee together.

Does Kath find love?

While all this is going on, Kath and Tony have a real heart to heart. It’s a beautiful dialogue, and as they discuss dogs together, one rushes up to Kath and she immediately bonds with him. Funnily enough, Pat rocks up too and begins talking to Kath. Its implied that the pair hit it off and get together but that’s left ambiguously pen to interpretation.

There’s a really nice moment here involving a carousel too, linking back to an earlier conversation with Kath. Life is like a ride at the fairground. You only go round once and when you’re done, someone else takes your place.

Seeing the merry-go-round is the perfect metaphor for that, seeing all these men and women with big smiles and enjoying life.

How does After Life Season 3 end?

For Tony, he watches all of this from afar, salutes to his friend Lenny and walks away. As he does, Lisa appears beside him, disappearing just as quickly to symbolize that his wife will always be by his side, no matter what he does.

It’s a beautifully bittersweet and poetic way to end the season, one that doesn’t necessarily tie everything up – at least not for Tony. It does, however, reinforce that all of us are just trying to find our purpose on this beautiful blue planet of ours.

The Episode Review

After Life knows how to hit the emotional peaks and boy does this episode do a great job capturing that. The whole episode is a rollercoaster ride of emotion, with some really heartfelt moments throughout.

The reveal with the sick children early on is enough to set off the waterworks but it’s that final act, with the touching metaphor of a fairground ride, that really captures the essence of this show.

However, the final sequence involving Tony walking away captures the essence of his being, how doing good deeds makes one an angel and this is captured beautifully in this third and final season.

Some of the subplots have felt a little aimless over the episodes – namely that involving James, Pat and Ken who don’t get a great arc in the grand scheme of things – but there’s enough here to overlook that in this sentimentally sweet series that understands the essence of grief and how to move past that.

A wonderful ending to this wonderful series; After Life will be missed.