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Season 3 of Ricky Gervais’ After Life is now streaming on Netflix, so why isn’t key character Sandy involved in the final six episodes?
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Season 3 of After Life, now streaming on Netflix.
With Season 3 of Ricky Gervais’ After Life now streaming on Netflix, fans were curious to see how the show would give Gervais’ character Tony closure on his existential crisis. The series began with Tony mourning the death of his wife Lisa — but over the first two seasons, he was able to move forward in his own life with the help of friends and co-workers.
Unfortunately, one of Tony’s most important allies didn’t return for the final season. Sandy, played by Mandeep Dhillon, was absent from Season 3. Why didn’t the character come back and what explanation was given for her not being in the last six episodes?
Who Is Sandy in Ricky Gervais’ After Life?
Sandy was one of the best parts of After Life’s first two seasons, always quietly observing the odd characters of the Tambury Gazette. That resulted in an affinity for the newspaper office and the staff’s antics, which led to her forging a heartwarming bond with the usually resistant Tony. As she was a new arrival, he didn’t have resentment towards her, and in time the two opened up to each other about their respective woes. They found themselves crying together on multiple occasions as Sandy hated hitting 30 and not finding love. The pressures of taking care of her old, sickly parents also scared her.
She was also responsible for one of the show’s best moments. It occurred when she implored Tony to just be happy because he deserved it. His constant sadness and wallowing in self-pity was breaking her heart, so she wanted him to look to the light. It didn’t mean being nice to the others; it just meant believing his late wife Lisa wanted more for him, which quickly inspired him to start turning things around and fall in love with life again. Having enabled Tony to find happiness, Sandy seemed like she’d be a constant part of his story.
Why Isn’t Sandy in Season 3 of After Life?
However, in the Season 3 premiere, Sandy was noticeably absent. Her disappearance wasn’t addressed until the second episode when chief editor Matt introduced Kath Hughes’ character Coleen as “Sandy’s replacement,” but he gave no explanation for why Sandy left. There was never an answer about that or idea of where she’d gone, which was disappointing since Sandy was an anchor for Tony, reminding him of the good in the world.
What was also sad about her exit was that Sandy actually valued working at the paper, inspiring Tony to fight to keep it running when owner Paul wanted to shut everything down in Season 2. For her to suddenly be gone just a few episodes later diminished that arc because she was so pivotal to the place everyone called a second home.
Why was the character written out? Gervais spoke to Radio Times and explained that Mandeep Dhillon had signed a contract in America — presumably to star in CSI: Vegas, which has been renewed for Season 2 — and had to fulfill it early due to COVID. She couldn’t return to the United Kingdom in time to film Season 3, so he adjusted to replace Sandy with Coleen. But while Coleen was fun, Sandy was truly missed. She brought heart and soul back to the paper — and to Tony’s broken life.
All three seasons of Ricky Gervais’ After Life are streaming on Netflix.
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