#also Anon 5 i would believe Michael is pregnant with David's baby before I believe AL is

[ingravinoveritas]

So...AL is pregnant...

So...whew. These are all the initial Anons that I received about last week’s news. (A few more have come in recently, but I will answer those separately.)

Before I get into the meat of my response, I want to put a few disclaimers and/or caveats out there. My goal in responding to all of this is not to tell anyone how to react or to feel some type of way about this news, but to share my own perspective. I love that there is such a range of responses in the Anons above and that folks felt comfortable enough to share their thoughts and feelings with me, because all of these responses are valid (well, I might have to put Anon #5 on notice, because that last sentence is SO CURSED). And while I intend to speak frankly and honestly and not sugarcoat things, I do not wish any ill on Michael, AL, the pregnancy, and so on. (I shouldn’t even have to say that, but I wanted to make it clear from the outset.)

All that being said, my reaction to the news--both initially and now several days later--is a mixture of disbelief and confusion. And I think at least part of this stems from not the news itself, but how it was announced. So let’s get a few screenshots up here, because it seems like this all started with a tweet of Michael’s that came even before the announcement:

A few hours before the pregnancy announcement, Michael posted this picture in honor of St. David’s Day. What may not have been immediately obvious (though is more visible in the larger version of this pic) is that there is an open suitcase in front of Lyra, and in the suitcase was a green bottle of prenatal vitamins. So the question then becomes, was Michael’s hand forced because of the bottle/people noticing, or was this posted deliberately to get people talking? Because only a few hours later, the announcement happened (followed by AL posting about it on Instagram/Twitter, also shown below):

This is the point where I started to struggle with all of this, and I think it’s because rather than being genuine, heartfelt statements, these come across as specific, PR crafted social media posts. I knew immediately that I’d heard or seen #AngelDelight (which is a dessert) used by Michael somewhere else, though I couldn’t place it right away. But I soon realized that it is very possibly (likely) a reference to the last episode of the first season of Staged, where Michael and David are talking about Dame Judi Dench’s presence, and Michael says, “It’s sort of like being consumed by Angel Delight.” So that was sort of multiple references in one, as it were.

Then, of course, there was also the direct Good Omens reference in AL’s caption, with #StillNotTheAntichrist (which, if I remember correctly, is also a reference to Georgia’s post from three years ago with pictures of Michael and David from behind respectively holding baby carriers). Knowing how much Michael cares about and is protective of GO and Aziraphale, I really don’t think he would be one to use GO/Aziraphale to promote a pregnancy (or vice-versa). But the fact that this announcement was made on the day GO 2 wrapped filming, with those references in it, feels incredibly deliberate and calculated on someone’s (probably PR) part.

(Side note, but I’ve had Anons message me previously about absolutely not wanting Anna or Georgia to have anything to do with GO 2, and even though she is not in the show, it now feels like she is inextricably tied into it, which...taints Good Omens for me a little, if I’m honest. Because GO is something special and unique, and connecting the pregnancy to it sort of cheapens what GO is supposed to be about, which is the relationship between Aziraphale and Crowley. Just my opinion, anyway.)

I think what we also have to talk about is that, when it comes to pregnancy and kids, people make assumptions based on certain preconceived ideas. It may seem like having another kid means that the relationship is in a good place, but sometimes people have a baby for other reasons. A sense of obligation, or duty, is one. Another reason can be that the relationship is not in a good place at all, and that having another baby will save the relationship (which, for the record, is an extremely bad idea and almost never works).

The other assumption that often seems to be made is that having a baby is about love, and how much a couple love each other. But it doesn’t take love to have a baby--all it takes (and all it proves) is two people having sex, and not doing anything to interfere with the biology of it. And I think, for me, that is what I see in this particular situation. So in truth, we have no idea why Michael and AL are having this baby, only that it is happening, and we have no idea how they really feel about it from PR-generated posts, and I don’t think we will know until we see them in public together again.

I know a lot of folks have mentioned the age gap, and if that is an issue people have, I do completely understand it. For me, however, the issue has never been the age gap, because I was also involved with an older man when I was around AL’s age. The problem for me is what I mentioned in the previous paragraph: That Michael and AL are just not on the same page, do not seem to have much chemistry or anything in common beyond these children, and that this does not feel or seem like something that happened out of love but rather out of indifference. Michael has not really shown any demonstrable passion for AL (certainly not compared to what he has shown for David), and I don’t believe it’s because he’s matured or changed, nor do I think he was so expressive in the past because he wanted to show off those relationships. I think he was so demonstrative simply because he felt that way about those people, and he can’t hide the way he feels when he genuinely loves someone.

And the fact is, despite having countless opportunities to do so, Michael has never once publicly said that he loves Anna. Not once, in three years. I’m not saying he has to declare his undying devotion in every interview, but when he calls Anna his “co-star” and then five seconds later say that he loves David...it just really makes you wonder about things, and far less willing to categorize this news as having anything to do with love.

So I think if there is any reason Michael has been so happy since the Fall, it’s almost assuredly because of filming Good Omens 2, and being with David. The change in his demeanor was nearly palpable--first at the NTA Awards in September, and then from the very first behind the scenes pictures and bits that were released--and stayed visible all through the last six months. And after those hair dyeing pics that were posted, it’s hard not to see the change again--but this time, not necessarily for the better.

Again, all of this (lengthy as it was), was my opinion. I know that I may not see eye-to-eye/disagree strongly with some Anons, but my hope is that we can have this discussion respectfully, while still disagreeing. I would also certainly love to be wrong about my perspective on this, and if I am, I will readily admit to being wrong. But this was the reaction and the feelings I had, and I wanted to share them with you all honestly. Thanks for writing in, Anons, and now I’ll try to go finish the five zillion other Anons still waiting... x