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praxeus-13 · 1 year ago

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Nononono but also in that scene at the end of season 1 when they switch back I always felt the vibe was quite weird but I understand why now AND ITS BECAUSE AZIRAPHALE SAW IT AS A FUN LITTLE GAME, HE ASKED FOR A RUBBER DUCK, HE GOT MICHAEL TO MIRICALE HIM A TOWEL,, BUT CROWLEY HAD TO WITNESS AS HEAVEN, THE “GOOD GUYS” TRIED TO BURN HIS FRIEND TO DEATH !!! AZIRAPHALE DIDNT THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT THE DEMONS WANTED TO MURDER HIS BEST FRIEND BECAUSE TO HIM THE DEMONS ARE THE BAD GUYS AND THATS JUST WHAT THEY DO!! TO HIM CROWLEY IS THE EXCEPTION!! HE DOESNT THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT HIS “SIDE” THE SUPPOSED “GOOD GUYS” TRIED TO DO THE EXACT SAME THING TO HIM!! HE WAS RAISED IN WHAT IS ESSENTIALLY A CULT SO HE HAS BEEN BRAINWASHED TO BELIEVE THAT HE IS ALWAYS THE ONE IN THE WRONG, THAT HE HAS TO APOLOGISE FOR NOT ONLY HIS ACTIONS BUT HIS THOUGHTS!!!!!!

And furthering on that point Maggie constantly thought Nina’s relationship issues were her fault, to the point where she just immediately apologised every time Nina mentioned the relationship issues! And that’s SO Aziraphale, that’s how he has been groomed to think and act. It is something that it at his core, right near the center of his being, it is a reliable belief system to fall back on every time he becomes unsure of himself and his actions - especially when he goes against what Heaven have told him to do!! They tell him that something is bad, he does it anyway, he feels guilty and believes he should be punished, because that is what he has been told. When he does something that goes against Heaven, he doesn’t automatically think about all the good that that action has caused in the aftermath of it, he thinks about how awful he has been because that is what he has been trained to think.

This of course meant that The Metatron simply had to use good old fashioned manipulation tactics like the whole honeymoon period thing in the manipulation cycle or the “you have finally proven yourself worthy and we are going to give you everything we have ever told you you wanted”. Which also feeds into Aziraphale’s whole “I am different I can fix the institution” line of thinking, because the Metatron just told him he was special and essentially gave him a very big present to make it seem like they were sorry or whatever for how they treated him, but actually it was just more manipulation.

NOT TO MENTION!!! Aziraphale didn’t just look conflicted after that kiss, I’m pretty sure he looked disgusted (I am autistic and not good at facial expressions sorry if I’m wrong on that)! Crowley had, in Aziraphale’s mind, just told him that he did not want to be an Angel, a good guy, and Aziraphale has been told his whole life that that is the worst thing anyone could ever be - and Aziraphale thinks that’s what Crowley wants!! He is so so conflicted and he feels guilty and disgusted because that is what religious cults do and, in the Good Omens universe, that is what Heaven is - they literally fit the BITE model of authoritarian control!!

Uhhh so bottom line is Aziraphale has essentially been raised and manipulated in a cult and his character is in no way out of character at any point in this season.

#I am so sorry if this is incomprehensible #I would usually just text these kinda thoughts to my bestie #but they cannot watch it for a few days #so my doctor who blog is turning into a good omens blog briefly #good omens season 2 spoilers #good omens spoilers #good omens #gos2 spoilers #gos2 #effable spoilers

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sonnetnumber23 · 1 year ago

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Good Omens Season 2 Rewatch.

Episode 2.

So, I’m going on with my rewatch. Most of this are my thoughts and feelings, and I don’t sure they’ll be very original or something. But I needed this anyway.

At first I tried to be brief (spoiler: I failed), so the first comment I have is about the scene with Shax and Crowley in the car.

Crowley can have so much willpower. I mean, he did have thousands of years to practice keeping a straight face – lying to Hell, hiding his true feelings from Aziraphale.

In this conversation with Shax where she asks if he understood her threat, I just feel so proud of him. Like, there’re a lot of jokes about how Crowley is not as cool as he thinks, but actually he is very cool. It’s just not about trivial things; it’s about something that matters.

[Also, compare that to the way he is in the last episode where he makes his speech to Aziraphale, and how he’s absolutely incapable of staying calm. Oh, Crowley, you’re so brave, my dear. T_T]

I am very slow, so I only now paid attention to the opening credits, and the way Crowley strikes the match there. It is a reference to Angel!Crowley who says “Let there be light”, isn’t it? But it is also a reference to the way Crowley carries his light through the darkness of Hell even, I think. Love it. That it’s Crowley, not Aziraphale, who does it.

(Really, this show pays so much attention to details, it’s hard to believe there can be things that don’t make sense or are OOC, so there must be a reason for them??)

25 Lazari – that basically means A&C can raise 50 people from the dead with one full miracle done together. Holy hell! That really is something to fear, isn’t it, Metatron? And if they throw a hint to Gabriel and Beelz that an angel and a demon in love can do that, the Earth might have a very good protection next time anyone tries to start an Apocalypse or something. Also that looks very much divine to me, so that’s obviously a God’s plan, and it’s ineffable, or rather quite effable: God bloody well wants angels and demons to fall in love with each other (love thy enemy for God’s sake pun intended), and they get rewarded for that!

I caaaan’t:

Aziraphale tells Crowley that they have to make Maggie and Nina fall in love, and Crowley isn’t immediately: “Ffs, Angel, don’t we have more important things to do?” or at least: “The hell you were thinking? I’m not getting into this farce!” He’s immediately engaged and providing his plan, as if he had had it ready all along. (Oh I‘m so not thinking of Crowley driving up to Aziraphale’s bookshop every time it started to drizzle over the past four years! Which was – considering it’s London – five days a week.)

“Surely the great thing about being a demon is that you can do whatever you want.”

So here Aziraphale has a pretty vague understanding on what it means to be a demon. He thinks that if they rebelled than they might be free to wreck whatever havoc they want. He doesn’t yet think that there are any consequences if they don’t.

There is sooo much in that dialogue in Job’s house, actually. Crowley notices that Aziraphale’s words sound like jealousy.

A: “Certainly not. I get to do what God wants.”

C: “Like killing innocent children to win a bet with Satan?”

A: “I don’t think that is what God wants.”

Then comes: “And I don’t think you want it either.”

Aziraphale believes. He believes in God – even when he doubts Heaven and Archangels. And he believes in Crowley. And these are two main pillars of his existence. Everything else is shaky and questionable. But these things are solid. And that’s why it’s so hard for him when it seems as if they contradict each other. Like during the Apocalypse. Aziraphale (seemingly) has to betray Crowley to do God’s will. But in the end it turned out that God wasn’t against their actions at all.

But here, in the early days, Aziraphale is already sure that Crowley deserves his belief.

A: “I knew the angel you were.”

C: “The angel you knew is not me.”

A: “Then you tell me you want to do this…”

It’s an interesting scene, because what happens is that Crowley lies to him. Very artfully, but he still lies, and it looks a bit unlikely that he thinks that Aziraphale won’t find out the truth. So basically, Crowley (half-willignly) admits to Aziraphale that he is not that far from the “angel he knew”.

It’s easy to understand Crowley: he’s desperately lonely, and he likes Aziaphale a lot already. So… He must hate himself so much for being weak and admitting that he was better than he claimed to be. But if it takes this to make a friend?..

Aziraphale must be triumphant in this moment. He was right. And the angel really is still in there, doing what good he may even being a demon.

“That sounds a bit… lonely.”

Again, as I wrote earlier, Crowley is so good at keeping composure. Aziraphale has spotted the core of his sufferings, his greatest desire, and he acts like nothing happened.

Also, when he asks: “What side are you on?” Aziraphale says: “God’s, of course!” Not “Heaven’s” – “God’s”. Mind what I said earlier.

The scene with rewarding Job is really weird.

Starting with Crowley coming to the rescue at the very last second. Don’t get me wrong, I love it. In fact I’m enjoying Crowley so much this season – it’s like here we got all his soft parts that we were supposed to get in season 1 but didn’t. But really, isn’t he too brave? Too reckless and too sure of himself to appear just like that in front of a group of angels?

Well, I guess we can confirm that when in season 1 Sandalphone smelt “something evil” in the bookshop those were indeed Geoffrey Archer’s books. We already have some other proof that angels can’t detect Crowley – in the 1st season in Heaven (though taken alone it could be due to him being in Aziraphale’s body), in this scene with the angels and Job, in the bookshop with Muriel, and later in Heaven.

So okay, he is counting on angels being daft and his own cleverness. He isn’t very well prepared though – he has no real plan though he had clearly intended to return Job his children.

So even though it’s so obvious, I’d like to point that out specifically: Crowley was counting on Aziraphale. If you think about it, it’s pretty scary how much he was counting on him. If Aziraphale hadn’t lied along with him, Job and Sitis would have either fallen, or the angels would have discovered Crowley who then would be a criminal for both Heaven and Hell.

Like, I’m sure, if Aziraphale hadn’t found out about the goats, Crowley would think of some other way to return the children to their parents (maybe that would have been after the Fall of Job though). But now Aziraphale has asked him for help. And Aziraphale was so happy that Crowley didn’t kill the kids. And for some reason he just can’t stand the angel being sad or disappointed in him. So he risks his existence for something he believes in (that Job and Sitis don’t deserve to Fall for loving their children) and also to get closer to Aziraphale – to show him that they are not that different.

What is also strange in this scene is that Michael clearly understands both what is happening and that Aziraphale is lying to Gabriel. She doesn’t say a thing after Gabriel believes him, but you can see the look on her face, and it’s clear that she thinks Aziraphale is going to Fall any minute now. Just like Aziraphale is sure about it himself.

That doesn’t happen.

Funny thing by the way – the mechanics of Falling and unFalling. On one hand we know that it is like demotion and promotion. On the other hand, Aziraphale kind of thinks that even though the archangels believed his lie, God will know the truth. But Crowley says: “I’m not gonna tell anyone, are you?” And so again, it’s like God wouldn’t know or They don’t really have a say in that matter.

Which is really weird. Like the original Fall certainly had to happen because God decided that, right? But then Metatron and the archangels just took all that matter in their bureaucratic hands or what? What is it with Michael not bringing it up then? She just didn’t want to point out Gabriel’s stupidity to him?

I think it’s all so vague because the angels and demons aren’t completely sure about it themselves. Both Crowley and Aziraphale are so amazed that God is actually talking to Job. They don’t know for sure if God can learn about Aziraphale’s sins. Probably not, or They just don’t care. After all Aziraphale has already lied to God once and got away with it. As he lives (and sins) some more he gets more proof that God isn’t looking.

But don’t They really? If you think of God’s presence all over Season one, you’ll have to admit that They do.

They just don’t have anything against it!

Aziraphale is trying so hard to fool Heaven all the time, but maybe he doesn’t think is fooling God. As I said earlier, for him God is the ultimate authority, and he believes that They are actually really on his side. Just like he is on God’s side. He just can’t get through to Them because there isn’t a suggestion box.

It’s all so interesting to think about, because for me this partly explains Aziraphale’s stupid unwavering belief in the supremacy of Heaven over Hell. He sees God as someone who can tell real right from real wrong (“I don’t think that is what God wants.”), it’s just the angels and the demons who constantly mess it up.

Now, I’m not saying he’s right. To be honest, I don’t think Good Omens God cares much about right and wrong. What They care about is playing. (And shades of grey) God put the players on their positions, gave them their set of characteristics and weapons and let them play. It’s fun and I don’t think it has any other purpose other than being fun. Which is great. All the purposes in the world are made up by people on the Earth. And sometimes by angels and demons who are not really that different from humans as they think.

What I also want to think about here is the way Aziraphale refers to demons and the Fall.

Because it’s also relevant to the problem I’m trying to solve for myself – why does he think Crowley would be better off as an angel.

So Aziraphale thinks he’s a demon, a Fallen angel after he lied to thwart the will of God.

He thinks that was the right thing to do but he still believes he’s done the wrong thing. So it must be about him. He must have something corrupt deep down if he doubts his God.

And he is so scared. He is extremely scared because he wants to be good. He wants to do good. And it’s so painful for him that what he believes to be good is different from what God wants. (As it seems to him in this particular moment) Because if you can’t rely on God what can you rely on? It’s lonely, and hard, and so uncertain, and he just wants to do good and make people happy…

“I’m like you now. A demon.”

Even though he thinks he and Crowley did the right thing saving the kids, he still marks this as demonic. Because it was against the orders.

Crowley laughs at that. He knows it takes much more to become a demon, and it’s not even about bad deeds. It’s about someone wanting to cast you out. Just as it’s not enough to do good to become an angel. You need them to forgive you, and they won’t.

So Crowley is generous enough to give Aziraphale a choice: “Are you?”

If Aziraphale confessed before the angels or if Crowley told about him he would have probably been cast out. But thanks to Crowley Aziraphale can decide – to Fall or not to Fall. This is the choice that Crowley didn’t have. No one looked at him and measured his bad deeds and asked him if he wanted a second chance.

Surely Aziraphale must understand this and think of this in this moment.

Crowley told him that he was fine being alone on his own side. But here he confesses that he lied. It is lonely. Crowley is lonely.

And it is interesting that from that moment of openness already they understand each other differently. What Crowley means by his confession is: “I wouldn’t be lonely if you were with me.”

What Aziraphale thinks is: “He deserves not to be lonely. He is good enough not to be lonely, he deserves to be in Heaven, not less – if not more – than I do. If only he had the choice too…”

Why doesn’t Aziraphale hear Crowley when Crowley says again and again that he only needs him, he doesn’t want Heaven?

Isn’t it obvious? Aziraphale is utterly, completely and sincerely certain that he himself is not good enough.

Yup. Despite all his “I’m a great deal holier than thou” rhetoric, he actually thinks very little of himself.

There are so many moments scattered around both seasons where Aziraphale is reminded how unimportant and incompetent he is.

The angels all look down at him, he is not ever consulted on anything, he is fooled by the Nazis, even children can insult him as the magician at the party. And what’s worse, even Crowley sometimes contributes to that. Add to that his ever-present understanding that he is not always carrying out his duty as he is supposed to. I feel like throughout his whole life Aziraphale is constantly fighting for his self-esteem, both with people around him and with himself. That’s why sometimes he overcompensates, especially lashing out at Crowley, unfortunately, because he feels safer with Crowley, he feels almost competent, so sometimes he gets intoxicated by it and does something he really shouldn’t.

But the point is, I don’t think he ever thinks he can be enough for Crowley, that he can do what Heaven can do – to be his home. If he could read Crowley’s soul he would understand that he definitely can. But he can’t do that. And Crowley doesn’t even say enough or show enough before the last minutes of the show for Aziraphale to start understanding it.

(I’m not saying it’s Crowley’s fault, by no means it is! They are both very bad at communicating. Crowley might just be a little stronger and braver to come to terms with his feelings a little bit earlier.)

And when Crowley says it, Aziraphale is too far gone in this newly opened possibility – he can give Crowley the chance that Crowley gave him all those years ago, after Job! Surely this will be better? They can be together, and be in Heaven. They will have their place in the universe. They don’t have to be lonely.

And besides that, the Metatron’s offer doesn’t just give Aziraphale a direct opportunity to save Crowley from loneliness via returning him to grace. It also gives him the realization that he, Aziraphale, might after all be worthy. If he is good enough to lead Heaven, if he is trusted to do good on Earth, if he can help Crowley, then maybe he’ll be worthy of Crowley’s love after all.

I might get back to it when I’m watching the last episode, and I might disagree with myself from the past or find some other evidence to my thoughts. But that is what I’m feeling now.

#good omens #good omens 2 #good omens 2 meta #long post

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