Good Omens Meta - Blog Posts

What is love?

Well, according to Neil Gaiman...

And I'll just drop this here...

You know, just in case the Good Omens fandom hadn't cried enough today.

...

That.... Is genius

Aziraphale was such a little bastard (/affectionate) for giving Jim hot cocoa to drink when he knew his old boss's opinion on sullying the temple of his body with "gross matter."

He did the same thing with Muriel, offered them tea knowing what they probably thought of it and then amiably watched them to see what they would do with it.

He's gone rogue, people. He's corrupting Heaven one politely offered hot beverage at a time.

Thoughts on Aziraphale

Spoilers below:

I think its such a big step for Aziraphale to admit out loud that Gabriel (who enforced Heaven’s will) used be awful.

The reason he’s so flirty after the church scene is because he realized he’s in love with Crowley. But once Crowley leaves, and he has time to think over everything…he gets scared.

On Crowley in the Book of Job

Season 2 Spoilers below:

I just…I’m having a hard time with Crowley tempting Aziraphale to eat.

Like, we just established that Crowley is not capable of true evil.

And he and Aziraphale clearly know each other enough to have a dynamic. Aziraphale clearly knows Crowley enough to have faith in his fundamental hidden goodness. And despite all of his pretense, that faith means something to Crowley.

So…why tempt Aziraphale? It feels so…uncharacteristically sinister.

Is he trying to get Aziraphale to fall too? But why? Some part of him obviously likes Aziraphale.

Maybe he’s trying to prove a point? But what is he going to do if Aziraphale falls over this? How will he carry that for eternity?

Maybe he knows Aziraphale won’t fall, and that’s the point? But how would he know that?

What’s the point?

On Gabriel:

Spoilers below…

Oh, I see. Gabriel doesn’t care about Earth. (I never thought he did, but I just figured it out).

He didn’t just leave because he knew Heaven would drag him back.

He was trying to get himself cast to Hell to be with Beelzebub.

Which is sweet, but so…so selfish. Literally the opposite of what Aziraphale wants, who is selfless to the point of ruining the only thing in his existence that matters.

On Crowley’s Misunderstanding

Good Omens Season 2 Spoilers Below:

In episode 2 when Crowley asks Nina about Maggie she says, “Not a thing. Definitely. We’re just friends. Actually we barely know each other.”

This is verbatim what Aziraphale used to say about Crowley. And Crowley, who misinterprets the understanding between himself and the angel, says “Got it.”

He doesn’t get it. Yeah, it’s an excuse but it doesn’t mean “this is the person I’m deeply in love with, I just can’t say it”. It means, “We have some kind of deep connection but we haven’t worked it out yet”.

And Crowley just doesn’t seem to get that heaven is still a big part of Aziraphale.

He rejects Aziraphale too. Aziraphale asks him to go to Heaven with him and Crowley says no. And we the audience understand why, but Aziraphale doesn’t.

They’ve clearly never talked about any of this before.

Plus, throughout the entire season, he doesn’t seem to consistently know where Aziraphale’s loyalties are.

He says “the existence I have carved out for myself.”

Aziraphale is the one to say “I thought we carved it out for ourselves”.

Crowley straight up says that Aziraphale only calls when he’s bored, when he needs to gush about his good deeds, or if he needs something.

After meeting Muriel, Crowley says, “I don’t know how your lot have stayed in charge all this time.”

My point is dolphins that they need to communicate!!! Both of them are at fault for what happened, and yet how could they possibly know any better?

On the Nina and Maggie Parallels

Good Omens Season 2 Spoilers Below:

I love Nina and Maggie, and love everything they say in their final scene. But they got one thing wrong.

Yes Aziraphale does believe in magic. That he can fix a system beyond repair. But he’s nothing like Maggie aside from aesthetic. He does not show his emotions, not really. Not when it counts. Maggie tackles emotional issues head on while Aziraphale is the literal embodiment of repression.

Crowley isn’t an exact parallel to Nina, because he’s never actually opened himself up. Despite all of the atrocities he’s seen, he’s still got a bit of hope and optimism.

For all of his hard edges, Crowley believes in magic too. He believes in love confessions in the rain, in looking into someone’s eyes and knowing it’s meant to be. That “one good kiss” means happily ever after.

On the Ineffable Bureaucracy Parallels

Good Omens Season Two Spoilers Below:

It’s easier for Beelzebub and Gabriel to run off together because they were the abusers.

Aziraphale and Crowley lived in constant danger for simply interacting, let alone if they had an actual relationship.

Gabriel and Beelzebub were also the ones in power and weren’t really facing the threat any kind of punishment.

I think their relationship is very sweet, but ultimately, it is nothing compared to the beauty and complexity of Aziraphale and Crowley.

I think Neil used a crackship to make a point. He could’ve given Aziraphale and Crowley a fluffy angst-free get together like Beelzebub and Gabriel do.

But how is that meaningful? (Obviously, part of me says “screw meaningful and let them be happy”)

How is that fateful to these characters?

That’s not who these characters are, at least not yet. Aziraphale in particular has personal growth to do before being with Crowley, he still has learning to do.

He’s finally allowed himself to accept loving Crowley, but wants to take the path of least resistance to be together. One where they aren’t actively hated by two very powerful agencies.

There’s a road to the South Downs, they’re just taking the long way.

On Wording in the Final Scene

Good Omens Season 2 Spoilers:

I’m doing a rewatch, but it has taken all day to watch the season. I keep pausing because I know what’s coming.

But now The Scene is here and…I discovered something that made it so much worse.

Aziraphale says, “Obviously you said no to Hell, you’re the bad guys.”

He doesn’t say “they” he says “you”.

We know that Aziraphale doesn’t see Crowley as a demon not really. Crowley knows what he is, but Aziraphale sees him as a Fallen Angel. It probably doesn’t help that Crowley also often minimizes his own Fall (like telling Aziraphale that he sauntered vaguely downwards). It probably confuses Aziraphale even more. He can’t reconcile that Crowley is a demon who is nice.

And I don’t think Aziraphale wants to “fix” Crowley. I think he sees Crowley’s Fall as a mistake, and that Crowley deserves to be an angel (because he still thinks angels are good).

And it makes sense for Aziraphale to think this way. He just witnessed Gabriel’s redemption. Gabriel who tried to brutally murder him, and callously dismissed human life.

And yeah, Beelzebub is a demon falling in love, but Aziraphale probably explains this as “Beelzebub is another Fallen Angel (rather than demon)”.

Which could perhaps mean that his view of evil is a little more complicated than anyone, himself included, give him credit for. He thinks demons are evil, but not beyond redemption.

But in the moment, Crowley doesn’t think about any of that. He just hears Aziraphale call him “a bad guy”. After everything. In the moment when it matters most, Aziraphale lumps him in the evil category.

And both my heart and Crowley’s shatter a little bit more.

On Aziraphale and Crowley in the Final Scene

Season Two Spoilers Below

Alright, I’m gonna go on the defensive for Aziraphale.

Crowley is 100% justified to feel the way he does. He put himself in a vulnerable position, and was rejected. He wanted to be Aziraphale’s first choice for once, and yet again was denied it. More than that, Aziraphale wanted him to change (even though I think Aziraphale thinks he’s saving Crowley) so that they could be together.

But I don’t think Crowley realizes just how deep a hold Heaven has on Aziraphale. He knows and straight up says that both sides are toxic, but he doesn’t seem to get how hard it can be to leave a toxic relationship. I also don’t think he understands how Aziraphale’s faith in the righteousness of God is a part of his character.

Plus, Aziraphale finally feels validated in the eyes of Heaven, something he’s always wanted.

I cried so hard when Aziraphale got into that elevator because I was thinking of all the times I stayed with a toxic friend group, or with my abusive ex.

It hurts so badly to watch a character I love make a mistake that I’ve made.

Aziraphale’s Possible Reasoning in the Final Scene

Season 2 Spoilers Below!

Okay, unpopular opinion, but I kind of understand why Aziraphale may think Crowley would want to be an angel again, if we put aside the queer allegory of conformity for a moment.

Aziraphale probably remembers the first time he met Crowley (then Rafael) when Crowley was building the stars. Crowley had such a look of genuine joy and wonder on his face.

Aziraphale thinks he is being kind. Obviously, yes he still wants to fix Heaven, which is a futile pipe dream.

But, Aziraphale wants to give Crowley the stars again, and he thinks bringing him back to heaven is the only way to do that.

Aziraphale wants to save Crowley from an existence of eternal damnation. To forever protect Crowley from Hell which he sees as the only source of evil and torture. He still has his blinders on and doesn’t realize this about Heaven.

He just doesn’t realize that Crowley doesn’t need the stars and he doesn’t need saving.

At least that’s what I’m telling myself to cope.

So, I’m rewatching Season 1 of Good Omens because we are hours away from Season 2. (I’m very normal about this obviously).

Anyway, I noticed a line that I had never really thought about.

And I finally realized just how hopeful this series is. It’s something I so desperately needed so enjoy…

After Warlock’s birthday when Aziraphale and Crowley are in the car, Crowley mentions that “it’s the last [party] they’ll ever have”.

So…he doesn’t think this plan is going to work. He thinks the world is going to end, The whole “influence the antichrist” plan is his idea, but he doesn’t think it will work.

The funny explanation is that he is convinced after seeing Warlock’s behavior (which included bullying Aziraphale. How dare), he comes to the conclusion that Warlock (who he still believes is the antichrist at this point) is pure evil.

However, Crowley has been visibly less optimistic about their chances (as seen on the bus) for awhile.

Even after Dog is named he bleakly states “we’re doomed.” Yes, he could mean himself and Aziraphale, but his back-up plan is to run away together. I like to think he’s including the two of them along with the humans. Earth is their home as much as it is the humans.

But despite everything, he still tries. He still does his best to save the Earth.

Yeah, he doesn’t want to lose his easy life on Earth where he doesn’t need to work hard and he can drink and drive and listen to music and see Aziraphale relatively unnoticed.

But deep down, despite all of the bad he sees humanity commit, he still thinks that they are worth saving.

When he’s in his apartment, yelling at God, he expresses that She “shouldn’t test them (humanity) to destruction. Not to the end of the world.”

A demon from Hell who has seen the worst of humanity for 6000 years still thinks we’re worth saving. Because he’s also seen the good. And for him, that’s enough.

And that’s honestly so beautiful.

I reread this snippet from the book:

“Aziraphale had tried to explain it to him once. The whole point, he’d said—this was somewhere around 1020, when they’d first reached their little Arrangement—the whole point was that when a human was good or bad it was because they wanted to be. Whereas people like Crowley and, of course, himself, were set in their ways right from the start. People couldn’t become truly holy, he said, unless they also had the opportunity to be definitively wicked. Crowley had thought about this for some time and, around about 1023, had said, Hang on, that only works, right, if you start everyone off equal, okay? You can’t start someone off in a muddy shack in the middle of a war zone and expect them to do as well as someone born in a castle.”

And I had a few thoughts:

1. Aziraphale and Crowley spent 3 years straight having a philosophical debate. (This isn’t a whole lot of time considering their lifespans). Or they just spent three years around each other, then this rebuttal spontaneously occurred to him, and he blurted this out to Aziraphale out of nowhere (kind of like how the “ducks! That’s what water slides off” incident, just more prolonged).

2. Aziraphale and Crowley saw each other once in 1020, had this debate, and Crowley thought of nothing else but Aziraphale (more specifically Aziraphale’s argument, but still…). He came with this answer and either hung onto it in nervous excitement until he sees Aziraphale again or actively seeks out Aziraphale immediately to make this counter argument. He says it even in lieu of greeting before he can forget it.

Side note: I also think Crowley really wants to show off to his bookish angel that he’s smart too.

I was thinking about the “I’ll never speak to you again” line. Yes it’s emotional manipulation (but Aziraphale thinks that’s what he - an angel - is supposed to be because…well…er…literally almost all of the angels he regularly interacts with are). Yes he would also hate not talking to Crowley.

But the thing is…it’s just kind of a fact. It is literally what will happen if either side wins, no matter which side wins, they won’t see each other. One or both of them might be permanently destroyed in the battle (with the latter possibly probably a worse scenario for both of them). At the very least they will never see each other. 6 millennia of at least having the knowledge that their paths will eventually cross will end.

Aziraphale is finally realizing that it doesn’t matter what side wins, that both are willing to destroy his home of 6,000 years, and he has no idea how to plan for this. What he does know, is that Crowley had figured this out long before he did, and would be better able to come up with some sort of plan.

Perhaps this is a Hot Take™, but as a queer person old enough to have very little formative concept of Representation In Mass Media, especially beyond queer-coded villains and the occasional Butt of The Joke (looking at you, the 90s & early 2000s), I cannot begin to see how people who are part of the LGBT+ community don’t see how deeply in love Crowley & Aziraphale are.

This is only compounded, I think, by my being an adult well past the Terrible Uncertainty of Puberty and Adolescent Feelings. That’s not to diminish the impact and potential depth of falling for someone as a kid/teen/young adult of the near-18, pre-drinking-in-America-legally persuasion; rather, that is merely to say that all this talk of “but they didn’t kiss or outright say I Love You, therefore It’s Not Canon” feels like it completely oversimplifies and wraps in far too tiny a box the matter of love, especially between queer folk. It simply overlooks how much of love is so much more than that easily wrapped box.

Keep reading

he's brainwashed and loving and wants to do good, he's a good boy (gender neutral)

Okay, so the correct answer is both but not simultaneously. Season one, the main character was Crowley. The show opens with Crowly establishing his role in the apocalypse and as a demon who's just not so demon-like. We see him time and time again conversing with different demons, moreso than Aziraphale talks to angels I'm pretty sure. It's Crowley who wants to run away when things go south, and the audience sees this in his "talk" with God. He's the one that freezes time to talk to Adam, he offers his apartment, etc.

Season two our main character is clearly Aziraphale. He's trying to help Jim while doing some soul searching of his own. It's focused more on his understanding of himself and of the Almighty and how he fits into the picture. We follow Aziraphale to Edinburough and even in the flashbacks it's all about his journey to where he is now, back in heaven.

throwing this into the wind and disappearing again. engage in dialogue:

my argument: aziraphale because he’s the one going through the plot defining character arc, and who we’re in the pov of in most of the flashbacks. meanwhile crowley’s the extremely plot relevant close second sexy deuteragonist who’s going through intense mental turmoil and huge stakes like lucy gray. challenge my argument tho

Crowley slipped Aziraphale a RING during the kiss. I'm calling it now.

That was not Crowley's love confession, that was a proposal.

Crowley slipped him the ring during the kiss, Aziraphale rolls it around on his tongue to feel it, he realizes it's a ring and has an emotional reaction. But he still chooses to go to heaven anyways. When the Metatron comes to get him, he takes it out of his mouth and slips it into his pocket.

Shortly before Aziraphale steps into the elevator he turns to Crowley and the eord he mouths is 'Yes'.

I'm only half kidding here - I actively choose to believe in this to manage my emotions after the end of S2. We did not see an ineffable divorce, but an ineffable marriage.

Until S3 comes around and we learn more!

It's a 2-man Con

Listen, I think I know a thing.

When Aziraphale comes back from talking to the Metatron and is telling Crowley about being an angel, we've all heard the theory that he's speaking code, trying to ask for help. The more I look at that scene, the more that theory tracks.

Maybe less well-known is the theory that Crowley didn't miss a damn thing, he's answering in his own code. And again, the more I look at that scene, the more this also tracks.

(When my husband, annoyingly observant beloved partner that he is, saw the second season for the first time, he said, "That whole thing was a show for the Metatron. They have a plan. Crowley slipped something to Aziraphale when he kissed him." And I said, "Nah." But now I think he's right, and damn if he isn't smug.)

I'm gonna try to break down what I think they're saying here, because it takes just a hot minute to piece it together. I've been thinking this over for a couple of months now. I think I have most of it. I just don't know when Crowley puts whatever he's handing to Aziraphale in his own mouth. I need more eagle-y eyes, it seems.

First, Aziraphale comes back from his talk. He's pensive as he crosses the road, and anxious when he starts talking, and mouths "I need help!" as he's talking. He's acting like he does when he lies to the other angels, and once it's seen "I need help!" is pretty clear.

He does the whole thing about telling Crowley he could appoint him as an angel, like old times, but even nicer. It's all very uptight and not positive at all. My interpretation? "The Metatron is here, I think he knows we're up to something, we have to go to Heaven right now and put things right before he really does something awful to one or both of us. The time to spring the plan is NOW."

Crowley stares at him. At first it seems like he's staring in disbelief, but if you really look at his face, he's listening, hard, and interpreting as fast as he can:

He asks Aziraphale if he told the Metatron where he could stick it, then. My interpretation? "The plan has changed. I can't go with you to Heaven. You'll have to go alone."

Then Crowley starts his confession -- "We've spent our existence pretending we aren't."

Aziraphale looks at him -- not with shock, or surprise, or love, or hope, but with a "Why are you doing this now?" face. Not "Why did you wait til now to tell me, you love me, oh, I love you too!" But "Why are you telling me SOMETHING I ALREADY KNOW while our ENEMY IS LISTENING??" :

He's confused, but also listening and interpreting. What I'm hearing/seeing: I don't think this is a love confession from our demon. I think they are both well aware they love one another. They can't say it in so many words, and it's a secret from Heaven and Hell, but it's not a secret between them. I'm hearing Crowley set the scene. "The Metatron either wants us together in Heaven under control, or separated. I have things I have to do here or the plan won't work, so we'll have to separate. We need to make it look good. I do love you."

I don't think Aziraphale likes this change of plan. And Crowley can't detail why the plan has changed, not with the Metatron listening. So Aziraphale insists, come with me. The plan we had will work. Do it my way. Crowley says, "You can't leave this book shop." It's easy to interpret that as "You can't leave me," but I don't think it's that. He's saying something about the book shop being safe, or even that he can't leave without whatever they've hidden in the book shop. (I THINK THEY HID SOMETHING IN THE BOOK SHOP!) Aziraphale says, "Nothing lasts forever." I hear him saying the book shop is no longer safe, and they have to move/take whatever they've hidden and they can't speak freely there anymore.

Crowley replies, "No I suppose it doesn't. Good luck." He's gotten that much, but he is still set on his "We need to fake a break up because I can't go with you."

Aziraphale still doesn't like that. "Come back! I need you!" He's scared. Whatever he has to do in Heaven is big, and scary, and he needs and wants Crowley with him. He does not want to go into the mouth of danger alone.

This is when we get, "No nightingales." What I'm hearing? ESPECIALLY since if you listen, you can hear a LARK sing as Crowley goes out the door? It's the line from Romeo and Juliet, by Shakespeare, whose plays they both enjoy, though Crowley prefers the funny ones. "It's too late, that's a lark singing the dawn, not a nightingale singing to the night, we have to part. Our happy ending isn't yet."

Then the kiss. I do not believe this is their first kiss. I don't believe they've allowed themselves many, maybe not even more than one, but I do think they've kissed before. I'm not sure when, but I suspect 1941. (Season 3, come ON!!)

And when they part, Aziraphale stops himself from saying "I love you," and instead says, "I forgive you." I'm hearing so many things in that "I forgive you." I forgive you for leaving me on my own, I forgive you for hurting my feelings like this, I forgive you for changing the plan without telling me, I forgive you because you are forgivable whatever anyone else says, I forgive you because that's what I said when we split up at the bandstand and everything was okay in the end and I hope hope hope that everything will be okay in the end this time too.

Crowley says, "Don't bother." I'm hearing, "yeah, I hope it's all okay, too. Wish me fuckin luck. My part will be hard, too."

And as Crowley leaves, Aziraphale mouths, "No." And we hear a lark sing. A lark, singing to the dawn, and so fair Romeo must away.

Just because the break up is a ruse, doesn't mean it doesn't hurt and isn't hard. It has to look real, and so it's going to feel real, too. Ouch. :'(

And then Aziraphale touches his lips. Not once, but twice. My bad, he only touches his lips once. The first long second is pure emotion. "Why now, I hate this, I want that so badly and I can't have it."

After that, though --

After he pulls himself together a bit, he has a bulge in his cheek. He shifts his jaw to move whatever he has in his mouth to his lips, and then his first two fingers go stiff for a moment as he palms something right before he takes his hand away.

And then, this.

Edit to add: someone on Facebook asked me why a kiss to pass whatever Crowley gave to Aziraphale, why not palm it or drop it in his pocket?

My answers: 1. The kiss is a message. "We're still good, I still love you, I still want this." 2. The item is too important to be dropped in a pocket and hopefully found later. 3. The Metatron is paying WAY too close attention, and will definitely see them touch hands. Seeing a kiss and the angel rejecting the demon, though? Well, the demon forced that kiss on him, the angel didn't want it. Clearly the demon thinks this relationship is different than it is. It's a bigger gesture that sells the ruse. 4. Houdini's wife used to pass him the keys to his cuffs with a kiss before the show. This is a message that magic-loving Aziraphale WILL understand: here are the keys to your cuffs, sneaked to you by your beloved in plain sight.

That's it. That's what I got so far. I still have questions.

What did Crowley pass to Aziraphale? What's the plan? Why did it change? What does Crowley need to do that he can't go to Heaven again?

Wing Theory (not really im just thinking out loud)

Not having seen Aziraphale's wings since the end of season 1(chronologically speaking) has been haunting me. What would they look like after the appearance swap? After leaving heaven altogether?

Would they be black? Rejecting heaven and his angelic status resulting in his own choice to fall?

Would they still be white? A strong moral sense, a surety in what he's doing as the right thing keeping him from falling entirely(or just being God's specialest boy)?

Would they be gray? Not fallen per se, but still a bit on the fence? Caught between two worlds?Accepting that sometimes there are 'shades of gray?' (I think Crowley's would also be gray in such an instance maybe, which reminds me, im obsessed with what his wings might look like rn too.)

Do they even have wings anymore? Probably but I'm considering every damn possibility.

It's been making me wonder what's truly considered "fallen." I have more thoughts on the nature of falling itself but perhaps I'll save it for later.

Tell me your thoughts, I love wings!

Y'know this has actually been bugging me for a while now. Because in the Bible, the antichrist, the four horsemen, the Second Coming, it's all part of the same apocalypse. Maybe they didn't really stop Armageddon so much as delay it or slow it down a bit.

Watching Good Omens while working on Lilith's dress (nap time! Yay!) and something jumped out at me;

Aziraphale: Is there some other way of locating him?

Crowley: How the Heaven should I know? Armageddon only happens once, you know.

Except, that's not true. Now we're dealing with the Second Coming.

Strings tangled up in strings and I'm not sure exactly what they mean, but it is interesting.

The Two Crow Roads and Second Death

Neil Gaiman “Google can bring you back 100,000 answers, a librarian can bring you back the right one.” They also look at you funny when you request 2 copies of the same book through the inter-library loan. Even funnier looks when you insist on a hardback and paperback copy.

My quest inspired by @crowleysbookshop for the differences between versions of The Crow Road ended with: 1) two different publishers (Scribner vs. Abacus) and 2) different cover work artists. So not allot. If there is a difference, I missed it.

But there's double-meaning of Crow Road.

Crow Road is a street in Glasgow.

Crow Road is also a metaphor for death.

Two Crow Roads. Two Deaths. A second death.

Photo credit: @daria-meoi

Second Death

The phrase "second death" appears 4 times in the Bible, specifically the Book of Revelation. The one Nanny Ashtoreth and Brother Francis read to Warlock.

There's a first physical death. You've shuffled off this mortal coil and gone to meet your maker.

The second death is a reference to an eternal separation from God for non-believers and a swim in the Lake of Fire. Where bad folks go when they die.

A traditional interpretation is that the "lake of fire" and the "second death" are symbolic of eternal pain, pain of loss and perhaps pain of the senses, as punishment for wickedness.

Revelation 20:11-15

“Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

If I read that right those who experience this death are all those whose names have been removed from the Book of Life.

There's Hemingway's quote, "Every man has two deaths, when he is buried in the ground and the last time someone says his name. In some ways men can be immortal." Is that also a Book of Life reference? The power of a name.

I don't understand the Book of Life yet. It's just something you scare cherubs with. I've seen some great meta from @beebopboom on it and the Guardian of the Eastern Gate.

Photo credit @fuckyeahgoodomens

I'm still wondering about these seats. Left Crow Road has rabbit seated. Rabbits are a Fibonacci reference. Then the empty seat. Then second Crow Road with Elspeth's hat over the back.

Why is there an empty seat?

Is it for Death?

A missing book? A book between two deaths. That seat is for the Book of Life.

THANK YOU op for posting this!! Literally the amount of yellow that people are wearing in every single scene in Soho haunts my every waking moment. People do NOT wear that much yellow, they just don't! Makes me think about Crowley's eyes though 👀 and then you look at Edinburgh compared to Soho and the visual dissonance is so jarring

If it's anyone's memories, my money is on Aziraphale still, unless it's a red (yellow?) herring idk I'm just insane at this point

Thinking a lot about some memory parallels in season two...

About how everyone in Soho is dressed VERY ANACHRONISTICALLY, but not at all coordinated with each other. Clothes look pristine, brand new, unsullied, unworn. Caricatures of humans from the 40s, 70s, 90s, 2000s. Like an oversimplified idea of what Normal Humans look like.

Like uhhh excuse you white fur coat, leopard print skirt and platform shoes? Weird BRIGHT FUCKING YELLOW shirt, a flowy vest and leather pants? 70s crochet sweater with brown pants, crimped hair and chunky heels?

Rosie the Riveter over here is either wearing big flowy skirts or actual mechanic's overalls like the war posters. She's EVERYWHERE throughout the season:

Rainbow tie dye, big hat, overcoat with pinback buttons? Like the guys in the cemetery?

Lady why are you fully lurking behind a pillar and staring at the Hamm Hams

What's my point? Point is... point is...

Gabriel's memories are the same.

RUSSIA - big hammer and sickle neon sign outside, two guys in back playing chess, one with a big bushy beard and the other a flat cap. Background music sounds like traditional/folk Russian music played on a balalaika, but playback on a ratty old stereo.

USA - Route 66 sign, hubcaps, money wallpaper, budweiser neon sign, bar/pool table/pool cues, American flags fluttering in the wind outside, 50s style radio on the shelf, SAME TWO GUYS IN BACK but now playing cards, and the one on the right has a baseball cap instead. And I don't wanna be like "what modern bar would be playing Buddy Holly on the radio" but... after hearing the background music in the Russian cafe, that is a CHOICE.

Hell, check out Not-Billie-Piper back here and her GIANT 50s up-do:

SAME THING AT THE RESURRECTIONIST, YEAH? ALL THE SONGS ON THE JUKEBOX ARE SCOTTISH OR PERTAINING TO SCOTLAND. "Letter from america" by the PRoclaimers starts playing but it was released in fucking 1987

And of course we know this pub is COVERED in Pressburger references, which we know carry way more meaning than simple fun cameos or whatever. Barring that, this is the Scottishest-Pub-est-looking-pub I've ever fucking seen, and it's SO CLEAN.

A fly IN the movie playing on the screen while we watch Gabriel's memories being returned to him from the fly he receives in this memory? More likely than you think (I can't find the movie name! Not in the X-Ray apparently)...

Anyway all that to say I think the show is trying to tell us SOMETHING is wrong the entire season. There's evidence shit's out of order, everything is WEIRD and high saturation, even people's makeup (Crowley's bloody orange half the time), and it all feels Extremely Set up...

OR poorly remembered.

Gabriel's ineffable statue

Ooh time for my first ever post that isn't a reblog - exciting!

So, a while ago now, I came across a post about Gabriel's statue which pointed out what seemed to be a blatantly obvious continuity error. For the life of me, I CANNOT find that post again and so I am going to attempt to recreate it here because I just noticed something else interesting related to Gabriel's statue. If you are the original person who found this, please let me know and I'll credit you!

Edit: I found the original on reddit! https://www.reddit.com/r/goodomens/comments/17tjfdc/spot_the_difference_statue_of_gabriel_s2e6/ Right, so, have you ever looked very closely at the scenes of Gabriel and Beelzebub in the graveyard during Gabriel's flashback? No? Well, here are some clips of these scenes I want you to take a close look at, taken in order they're shown:

Why is the cross missing??? In the distance shot, there is no cross. In the closer shot, there is. Then we switch back to the distance shot and it's gone again. Just for clarity's sake, when we see the Gabriel statue in any other scene, yes the cross is present.

I know there have been many ineffable continuities mentioned by other posters (such as clocks, chairs, rugs, road markings, Crowley's glasses, Maggie's store signage etc). It's still up for debate about how many of these actually mean anything, or if they are genuine continuity errors. However, I find it VERY hard to believe this is a continuity issue... in any other show I could believe that, sure. But the Good Omens team is detail-focused and this is a huge missing cross on a statue that was specifically built for the show. Why would you have the whole scene set up in the graveyard, but without the cross ready, and then not bother to fix it in post? So the above is what I read in someone else's blog post and I'm really sorry that I can't recall where to find that. However, here's what I want to add. The Gabriel statue appears at the end of the opening credits and guess what... :

The cross is missing the top half! What does any of this mean? Who knows? Not me, that's for sure. Is it something to do with S3? Is it some comment on a religious theme? Are Gabriel's memories faulty when they're restored? Several others have pointed out that there are some suspicious things shown in the memory restoration sequence. Why is Gabriel bearing a cross in the first place? If you have any ideas let me know, I'd be interested to hear them!

Regardless of the statue, you might be wondering what is this part of the opening credits all about? The parade of characters is being led by Crowley and Aziraphale up this rickety mountain made of what seems to be a trash heap with a whole bunch of religious iconography scattered through it and a Lady Libertas (aka what the Statue of Liberty is based on) appearing opposite the Gabriel statue here. I always wondered what this whole sequence might be about, but I've seen very little written about it. If you're interested, here's this post from @lady-of-the-puddle. There is a lot of interesting imagery in the opening sequence, that's for sure!

The Opening Credits Pt.1 Jimbriel

Okay so as I'm sitting down to take a crack at ciphering the angelic language on the show, I've come tot the conclusion that I have so many clues and other things I found, that it's time for me to start slowly dropping these out because boy oh boy have I been collecting clues and theories like a dragon hoards golds. I've also added another member to this blog who will be posting theories and clues as well.

That being said, welcome to the Sequence of Opening Credits Post Part 1, or the I sat down and played the opening credits at .25 speed and took screen grabs of everything weird I found. (Which, brief disclaimer, my eyes are not perfect and I'm bound to miss things, even my glasses don't 100% correct my vision. There's bound to be things I miss and if you happen to find them feel free to add in your finds!)

Today I'm starting off with Jim/Gabriel. Since it was said recently in a panel he's in every scene of the opening, and I knew that cause I've found him...at least I think I found all his appearances... I'm going to start this series of posts off by sharing them with you.

Right off the bat, we have him in the scene directly after Crowley lights a match in a cave.

He's there, nice and clear and noticeable. Keep that in mind because I think that's the most openly we see him in the opening credits.

The next scene after the goats his the graveyard scene. He's already a little trickier to find.

And for those who don't see him in that picture, here's a closer look.

Next seen they enter the mausoleum and you see Gabriel as they decline

(I'm realizing now that if I use too many images there might be a parts 1.1 lol) Any ways after hiding behind that tombstone shaped similarly to (but not quite) the one that says 'Here lies the former shell of Beelzebub) we see him (or at least me, I'll be honest I don't see him when they're walking over the lake of fire) Is in London??? Getting bombed.

Now is you don't see him here that's okay, I told you it gets harder.

He's standing here in this window, even more interesting to me, once the plane drops the bomb that explodes into rabbits...

He's hiding his head in the box lol.

Moving on, I ALMOST didn't see him in the next scene (walking through West End) because I shit you not, he's tucked away in a little nook.)

He is actually hidden (paint me like one of your French girls style) IN THE FRONT of the scene. Makes me wonder if that's where he might be when they cross the lake of fire.

Moving on. Next time we seem him is in space, while Crowley and Aziraphale are doing an interesting little 'swapping sides dance.' Our mans is clinging for dear life lol

In the next scene is where I get confused. Crowley and Aziraphale are sitting on the roof aaaaand...

Jimbriel is standing above 'Give Me Coffee or Give Me Death?' Why not about the bookshop??

In his next appearance....he actually has wings? Which is sus to me again but what isn't sus about this show lol. Jimbriel is in an elevator, riding down as the line of people making their slow death march pass.

Using all my will power to acknowledge the blatantly weird things in this screen grab alone, I move on.

In this one, I will momentarily ignore our boys kissing in the opera box and instead show you, Jimbriel. ALSO in an opera box.

Now I'm not sure Jim is in the direct next scene cause no one is, but there is a falling apart? statue of Gabriel in front of Mount Zion.

Aaaaand finally we have him walking along with everyone else, preparing to seal his fate. I won't do a close up of this one because he's right there.

And that concludes The Opening Credits Pt.1. I would say something more, make a little theory or something, but I don't think there's much to say on Jim giving someone (whose name currently escapes me) said in an interview Jim is in every scene. So anyways. Here's this for you to hold as reference, or just look at, or ignore cause I'm not sure myself how important it is. (Yay me for fitting this all in one post!)

Anyways I'm going to get started on cracking this Angelic language. Stay tuned for more Opening Credits posts because believe me. I have more.

I wanna talk about The Angel Who Would Be Crowley.

Because I had a certain set of expectations, which got thoroughly trashed in the first five minutes of S2, and my genuine response is, "Oh, fuck, yup. You're right. That's WAY better."

Looking around at GO fandom, I'm not alone in this. So let's talk about it.

Basically, a lot of people (myself included) believed that he was a high-ranking angel, and therefore as chilly and remote as every other powerful angel we'd seen at that point. We pictured Crowley-To-Be as long-haired, regal and imposing --and the fanart at the time reflected this. I'd link some if Tumblr didn't hate links.

Something like this:

We were collectively drawing on a few things --mostly, Crawly's appearance and general bearing in the Biblical scenes of S1--

--But also scattered hints of his importance, backed up by conspicuous absences in Heaven and a few profound displays of power. That's all better covered elsewhere, so I won't reiterate the arguments here. All I'm saying is: I think our headcanons were justified.

But it turns out he was this:

!!!

With his curly little--!!

And his neat white--!!

IT TURNS OUT, he was an angel who squeaked and squealed when he was happy; who flailed his arms around and made explosion noises with his mouth to explain nebulas; who preened when told his stars were pretty. Furfur, who knew him before the Fall, says:

"You used to jump on me back, little monkey in a waistcoat..."

(The use of a diminutive there, 'little'...oh, that fascinates me.)

In a pretty huge subversion of expectations, we're given these glimpses of an angel who was sweet, and joyful, and heart-meltingly silly.

In sum...an innocent.

(Perhaps innocent to a troubling degree.

We see how he troubles Aziraphale, during their first conversation. He starts looking around and behind them, checking to make sure that no one can HEAR the blithe and reckless things coming out of this angel's mouth. This angel who talks like he's never been reprimanded in his life; like it's never occurred to him that anyone would want to hurt him.

Before the Beginning, Aziraphale understood Heaven better than he did. The danger is plainly occurring to Aziraphale.)

So now, we the viewers are in on a cruel joke that Aziraphale has known all along, which is that this --THIS-- is the angel who--

*checks notes*

--did a million lightyear freestyle dive into a boiling pool of sulphur. For asking questions.

...Imagine you are Aziraphale, and everything inside you wants to believe Heaven are the Good Guys, and God is Good and Everything She does is capital-R Right...and now try to reconcile that. Keep trying. I don't think he ever totally managed it in 6000 years.

All this gets further complicated when we learn that, despite all of the above, we were still right. That sweet excitable babby up there?

He WAS a powerful and high-ranking angel.

That much is explicitly confirmed, with significant evidence that he could have been among the mightiest of archangels...

...Who apparently accosted his fellow angels for piggyback rides. And was remembered millennia later by those (now fallen) angels as something 'little.'

What does that tell us about who he was? Is?

Hell, Aziraphale has known to be wary of the archangels (and the judgements of Heaven in general) since before the Fall even happened. He chooses to believe they are Good; he can't fool himself into thinking they are Safe.

Yet he's absolutely certain that Crowley won't hurt Job's children. Enough to stand in a burning building and say to them, "I can't save you, but don't be afraid. I won't need to."

And what reason does he give?

("I know you."

"You do not know me."

"I know the angel you were.")

What does that tell us about who he was? Is?

("The angel you knew is not me."

But how is Aziraphale supposed to believe that, when he can see him all the time?)

tl;dr --yes, this is better. I love the tragedy of it.

'Innocence died screaming' and all that.

Miranda from The Tempest and A Companion to Owls.

I remember some time ago a fan pointed out that this scene was incredibly reminiscent of “Miranda” by John William Waterhouse and added Aziraphale on the rock contrasted with the first painting (1875) However, another version of the same painting exists; featuring a red-hair Miranda, which was painted after in 1916.

The Miranda here is a character from William Shakespeare's The Tempest. She was detained on an island, together with her father, Prospero, for almost twelve years. This happened as a result of having been exiled from Milan by Prospero's power-seeking brother, Antonio.

The scene plays very blatantly with the word “exile” and Aziraphale fearing being cast into Hell (exiled from Heaven) and Crowley’s clear banishment from his position as an angel.

The picture has been painted in cold (red hair) and warm tones (blond), playing very much into the tones we get to see in A Companion to Owls. Aziraphale’s side on the rock, with the more conventional, peaceful look and Crowley’s with the rocks on the background.

A ship slices through the waves, causing a feeling of imminent loss; notice how that is exactly Aziraphale’s placement on the frame.

Unlike the paintings though, in Good Omens we get a view of both sides, of before and after the storm. The color palettes combine as both Aziraphale and Crowley are fitted into the frame.

Concluding with the wonderful shot directly mirroring their color palettes (sunnier on Aziraphale’s side; shadows on Crowley’s) again and reversing the order of the Miranda paintings (not chronologically, as we see red-hair Miranda appear later on, but in terms of placement and coloring).

Why all the ducks? 🦆

Good Omens has always been my favorite book. I've seen some posts from people wondering about the prevalence of ducks. I wanted to share my interpretation of why the ducks keep popping up* so that other people can appreciate how clever the writing in my favorite book is.

The word duck is in the book a lot. Aside from the actual ducks in the duck pond, there are several references to popular expression about ducks. Notably all the duck quotes are botched or incorrect in some way, so the reader has to know what the correct expressions actually are in order for the joke to work. For example:

Crowley forgetting the phrase "like water off a duck's back": "Ducks!" [Crowley] shouted. "What?" "That's what water slides off!" Aziraphale took a deep breath.

The same phrase is referenced later: whenever she tried to think about him beyond a superficial level her thoughts slipped away like a duck off water.

And we have "like a duck to water" to describe Aziraphale's dancing while he had initially taken to it like a duck to merchant banking, after a while he had become quite good at it

The English language has a lot of expressions about ducks and the book expects the reader to be familiar with them. The one that I think is significantly conspicuously absent from the book is "If it looks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, then it's a duck." I think that the point of the other duck expressions is to evoke this one, since it's the whole thesis of the book. Good Omens is about humanism and self determination. Adam isn't human, but he is shaped like a human so grows into being a human. He looks like a human and quacks like a human. He is a human. His parents are his parents. His hellhound is a cute dog. And he chooses to keep it that way. Aziraphale and Crowley get so used to being human shaped they'd prefer to keep doing that. They don't have to be enemies and can determine their own fate, just like Anathema and Newt and all their other mirrors. So by choosing humanity and embracing what I guess you could call human performativity, they all get to be what they want to be. So I think that's the significance of the ducks. *despite Crowley dunking them

No Nightingales (a Clue!)

Um.

I don't know why it took me THIS LONG to remember that this line is from Romeo & Juliet.

ROMEO: It was the lark, the herald of the morn, No nightingale. Look, love, what envious streaks Do lace the severing clouds in yonder east. Night's candles are burnt out, and jocund day Stands tiptoe on the misty mountain-tops. I must be gone and live, or stay and die.

Can I please just draw your attention to the last line, please?

I must be gone and live, or stay and die.

Romeo is telling Juliet that he has to leave now before he is discovered and they are forced apart/he is killed.

Hmm, sounds suspicious to me...

They've been talking in coded messages since... well, always. No nightingales means Crowley is trying to tell Aziraphale that has to go, he's trying to tell him that it's dangerous - but what's promising about this is that if he's speaking in code, Crowley knows they're being watched.

I still can't say for sure what's going on at the end of the Final Fifteen, but I do believe this is a Clue.

Just a little bit of out-of-character meta

In the first scene, Aziraphale tries very hard to convince the other angels that Crowley is an enemy. It doesn't work for all of them because Michael grows suspicious, but the others seem fairly convinced, he's telling the truth.

In the second scene, Aziraphale tries to convince Crowley that the Metatron is a good guy. The phrasing he uses is similar as in the first scene, and so is his tone of voice.

I think it's possible that at this point of the story Aziraphale already feels or even understands that the Metatron is not a good guy, but he either tries to convince himself that this feeling is wrong or he tries to keep up appearances.

Of course, it's entirely possible that the similarity between both scenes is a coincidence, but in GO there are so many hidden clues between the lines that there might be some significance to it.

Red-blue reflections.

There are a lot of red and blue colors in the film. Often these two colors mark opposites and/or couples in one way or another. Crowley and Aziraphale, Sergeant Shadwell and Madame Tracy, Adam and Pepper, Maggie and Nina's shops, and so on. A cup of coffee and an apple of Eden. My interpretation of these colors. I assume that the color symbolism is taken from the Christian religion of the Renaissance.

In this case, the Red color means everything earthly, sensual, full of life, sexual, chaotic. Sometimes it's something aggressive (Anathema saw the red aura of an angry villager). But aggression can also be righteous bravery like Pepper, who stood up to the War. The color red does not appear symbolically in Hell and does not directly mean evil. The Blue color means everything unearthly, reasonable, calm. This is order, discipline, loyalty and stability. The blue color also does not symbolize Heaven and does not directly mean good.

I would add here the fact about two Christian saints - St. George and St. Andrew. Saint Andrew is the patron saint of the Scottish flag. The flag of Scotland has a white oblique cross on a blue background. And St. George the Victorious (the man who defeated the snake /dragon) patronizes the flag of England (this flag has a red cross on a white background. Saint George and Saint Andrew are also opposites of each other - one is a warrior (red), the other is a martyr (blue), respectively. I think it would be interesting to see these characters in the second coming?

One more color thought. Here is a screenshot. (S1E3 [54:24])

This is an image of a monitor in an office at a nuclear reactor. At the moment, there is no fuel in the nuclear reactor, there is a yellow candy that Adam placed there. The monitor shows that this yellow candy gives energy by splitting into blue and red colors. Yellow (gold) color in Christianity is a Divine color, the color of divine energy and grace. People who see it say "it's impossible". They witnessed a miracle. I associate this episode with another one.

(all subtitles are original) In this scene our angel and demon exchanged bodies and Death itself says that it is "ineffable". Death stated that it was a miracle.

I will also mention White color in my color reflections. He appears in the series four times (something I noticed.) White in this theory means purity, innocence and/or sacrifice.

1.The third baby in the S1E1. He was wrapped in a white blanket. He was a victim of circumstances. I haven't read the book, but fish were mentioned in the movie in the context of the baby. These few little facts lead me to think that this child may appear in the third season. And he will play a direct role in the second coming, as the new incarnate Christ (the fish is a symbol of Christ and also the white color his symbol too.)

2. In the theater with a red interior (1941), Aziraphale takes out a white handkerchief and theatrically waves it. I think it reflects the purity of his intentions to help his demon. And also the fact that he is the only one in this "vicious" place (where illegal alcohol is sold and people stare at half-naked girls) is a pure immaculate soul.

3. Gabriel wears a white fur coat when he goes out to the demons in the second season. He obviously intended to sacrifice himself for the sake of saving people.

4. Muriel - everything is obvious here. She's a blank slate. I really hope she doesn't fall victim to any dramatic circumstances in S3. I love Muriel).

There is also a Violet color. I have already talked about him a lot in my other posts, for example in the post about Gabriel's eyes or about the joint miracle of Azikro. I'll just mention a funny little fact here. When Aziraphale gets inside Madame Tracy, her sleeves turn violet (because she herself is marked in red, and the angel is blue, respectively.)

Violet color appears once more at the end of S2E6. When we see that Shax and Furfur are up to something together, they unite. And we see them disappearing into a violet haze. I think we need to find out exactly what this couple is up to in S3.

I assume that the violet color here means unification, union, expansion, reaching a new level.