Spoilers ahead, but not before the cut.
Season 2 of Good Omens AFFECTED me. I’ve said it online a few times, but it bears repeating.
The last time I went online specifically looking for how fans were unpacking and speculating about a show, it was around Season 4 of The X-files and tumblr didn’t exist yet. I was also a young teenager, just to make sure I feel appropriately old now, 27 years later.
Season 2 affected me enough that I’m writing this up on July 31st despite knowing that my first post for Blaugust will be the traditional “Hey, I’m doing Blaugust!” post, and the next one really ought to be some form of introduction. It probably only took this long because I work 10+ hr shifts Friday-Monday so I wasn’t able to give myself the time until now, after work on Monday.
This season of this show affected me to the degree that I started listening to the character music playlists they put up. I put on Season 1 when I’m not watching Season 2. I put on the audiobook for the millionth time. I’m searching to find podcasts covering this season, and posts online discussing it. It affected me to the degree that I’m pretty sure I literally dreamed that the [redacted] situation was all cleared up the night after I watched it, because apparently my brain just deeply needed more closure.
Friends and neighbors, I don’t get like this about shows. And yet, here we are.
I expected I’d enjoy this season. I did not expect to be smoted by smitten with this season. Add me to the list of people having “unexpected feelings” after this one.
And yes, it was partly those last 10 or so minutes, which we’ll get to in a bit. But it was also how things kept feeling…wonky. Not bad (though if you feel that way, s’fine) but…off. Not quite real, even in an in-universe sense. But most of the season was so generally pleasant that it was easy to just shrug and keep watching.
“Huh, that was weird. I wonder what…”
Neil distracts me with puppies
“Oooo, puppies! I get to watch puppies now!” [Puppies were not an actual distraction tactic employed, you have one last chance to bounce before real spoilers.]
***SPOILER TERRITORY***
So, we’ll start off gently with the general weirdness in the show this season. There’s a great tumblr post I came across on Monday, that links to an even better essay. I’ll drop the link here, partly because this essay was HUGE for me in helping suss out some of those moments of wonkiness that I was having trouble putting my finger on. https://www.tumblr.com/ariaste/724311712381222912/the-magic-trick-you-didnt-see-being-an-analysis The overarching theory is neat, unsure how I feel about it, but even if the theory doesn’t click for ya it’s a great rundown of a lot of the “Huh…what just happened?” moments. And it’s a neat thought exercise if you like that sort off thing.
In short, it’s not just the sort of unfinished plot threads you expect from a part two of three. There’s a lot of moments in the season that just feel off, not quite “real.” The disappearing Eccles cakes. Maggie in general (yes, I’ve seen the theories that she’s a demon). The staged way a lot of the flashbacks feel as opposed to flashbacks in Season 1. The weirdness that suddenly alcohol is BAD when it was fine last season.
Something the post doesn’t mention, that tugs at my brain, is those damn texts. The way they show up as in world messages on the walls. I keep seeing people mention it was really cool framing, but the characters seem to see, read, and interact with them. But they don’t mention how profoundly weird that is. So are they really there? Or are they not? Unclear. I expect a certain amount of magical realism in the series, and that could be all it is, but that particular choice catches at my brain.
Another thing I don’t see mentioned much is the very pointed, “Stop screwing with our lives and trying to make us get together, we’re real people!” right before the narrative pushes Aziraphale and Crowley together to see if it can make them kiss. Like, we’ve just had this conversation.
It’s probably nothing mystery related. Most of the “Wait, what?” moments are probably artistic choices rather than puzzles to be solved. But they’re there, and they’re noticeable, and they’re neat, especially on repeat viewings.
I feel like there is something this season is saying about memory, and magic tricks, and sleight-of-hand, and unreliable narrators, and reality – even if it’s not supposed to be “proof” of a conspiracy to change things.
There is something deliberate in the way most of the season is so gently pleasant, so you don’t really stop to look at the weird bits. And then the last 10 minutes is such a brick to the head that it’s easy to get caught up in that and not go back to look at the rest of the season.
I don’t know about anyone else, but I was happily cruising along there, “Awww, isn’t this sweet? It’s a little light on plot but there’s so many cute moments; I even like Gabriel now! Gabriel, of all people!” and then that ending just decided to destroy me like it was no big deal. Certainly that’s how it goes if you marathon the episodes like I did by accident, and which I swear I read Neil Gaiman himself suggested was not actually the best way to watch this season. (Oops.)
As for the last 10 minutes, I’ll freely cop to some of my initial reaction likely being from actual personal relationship trauma in my life. I don’t think I need to get into details on that, but I’m pretty sure at least some of my visceral first reaction to Aziraphale’s reaction to Crowley’s kiss was me just being suddenly and unexpectedly triggered. No fault to the show, just one of those things. I can’t imagine a good way to trigger warning that. I saw a lot of it coming and it still wrecked me, so hey.
After rewatches and sorting my personal feelings out, I am freaking fascinated with the way that scene at first felt out of character, but the more I think about it the more it fits. It initially seemed like all of Season 2 (and heck, a good chunk of Season 1) had been leading to things going rather better than they did, right?
But then you think, these are Beings who have never Done Any Of This Before. Why should I expect either of them to know anything about relationships other than What Has Worked For Them So Far and What Works In Movies and Books? I mean, it’s kinda called out right there in the narrative.
Plus, this is an angel being told by the actual Metatron that he is a Good Angel and he is being Called To A Higher Purpose. If you come from certain types of religious backgrounds, you are literally supposed to give up family and loved ones for that kind of call, let me tell you. And to me, at least, Aziraphale reads a little untethered this season, without Heaven backing him up.
I doubt I need to elucidate on why Crowley is on Team Hell No for going along back to Heaven (no pun intended). It’s not just because he knows better, it’s because by all appearances he’s been more hurt by Heaven specifically. Yes, my heart melts that some of it is seeing what they’ve tried to do to Aziraphale, of course it does.
(And he has his sunglasses back on when he goes for that kiss, did you notice? I only did the second time I watched. For this particular character, that changes the tone.)
Anyway, Team “Theories About How The Characters Both Have Major Trauma To Work Through” have some valid points here, is what I’m saying.
And I have read some really amazing theories, fwiw. The theory that something was in that coffee (everything about the coffee was weird, I’ll agree to that much), the theory in the link I added that the Metatron is screwing with the Book of Life and Changing Things, the theory that having anything mysterious going on takes away from the point of the characters processing their trauma in their own messy ways…
(I mean, I think you can have both. I doubt the Metatron looks at them thinking, “These poor dears, I better not start up any plots to separate them after everything they’ve been through!)
I love how I can see how the theories might be onto something. But I can also see how these characters could have gotten themselves into this mess all by themselves. But I can further see all this unexplained weirdness throughout the season, what’s going on with all of that? And which parts are Important? And does it matter if I can solve the puzzle when I’m busy feeling feelings about it all?
Why is Crowley suddenly wearing sunglasses in Biblical times all of a sudden, anyway? Oh look, cute lizards! And the cute child made a pot! And now the lizards are in the pot! What was I saying again?
Despite not usually digging for fan theories anymore, I’m well acquainted with how they generally go. Usually at least someone spots at least part of The Plan, no one catches it all, and it falls somewhere in between “Nothing at all was going on” and “Secret Author Theory #900 where they actually literally went back in time to place plot points because they are so clever.”
I love that I’m intrigued enough to be interested in the speculation.
I love that the finale DID gouge out my heart like it did. I love that even though I will swear to you I saw most of that coming I still WAS NOT PREPARED.
Seriously. When the Metatron went for a walk with Aziraphale, I said out loud to my screen, “Oh shit. They’re gonna [deliberately] promote him away from Crowley.” When Nina and Maggie went to talk to Crowley, “Shit, and now he’s gonna Big Confession at Aziraphale and it’s the entirely wrong time for it, bc of course it is. Disaster.”
Still. Was. Not. Prepared.
I love that I walked away from my first viewing unhappy with the ending and that it took me a few days to realize it wasn’t because it was a bad ending. It’s because the ending made me feel uncomfortable emotions I was not prepared to feel.
And it maybe struck a little too close to real life moments when everything seems to be going great and then everything goes to shit all of a sudden and you stand there thinking, “But everything was fine just earlier today, how did things get like this so fast?” It made me FEEL that. Not ponder what the narrative was trying to convey, I FELT that in the core of my being.
I walked out of my office and told Nash I liked the season, but it seemed wrong to make it so character-driven and then end on such an unsatisfying note. Only…it wasn’t really that it was unsatisfying. It’s that it hurt. I was really saying I trusted everything to end up ok, and then it wasn’t, and that’s not how I planned to feel.
Also, something else clicked while writing this. Something about the way Aziraphale behaves at the very end of the episode and how I, personally, literally cannot do Personal Drama and Work Stuff at the same time. My brain melts down and I just…I can’t do it. I have to manage them separately so if Personal Drama happens right before work, I turn part of myself off and go to work. How crappy I have felt in the past having to go off to work in the middle of a personal disaster. I mean, you can see he really needs a moment there, a moment which he does not get after the Metatron bounds happily into the shop to escort him upwards.
And something about Crowley and the way I feel when my ADHD brain has nerved itself up to say something Very Emotional that I also Need To Say Right Now but oh no, wait, the other person wants to talk first and oh no now it’s more complicated but I need to Say It Anyway and… Also something about the way he does not storm off this time, he hovers just across the way. (Oh no, now I have it in my head that Crowley is ADHD demon because now I’m all projecting myself onto the characters.)
(Have I mentioned the acting is amazeballs? The acting is amazeballs. From Crowley having to stop in the middle of a sentence to Aziraphale barely starting to whisper something something that sounds suspiciously like, “I lo-” before collecting himself into, “I forgive you.” Just so good, so painful, but so good. The more subtle acting throughout the rest of the season is also stellar.)
I have more thoughts – How come in Season 1 it’s all, “Oh the bookshop burned down, you can stay at my place!” but this season it’s Crowley living in his car? – but I’ve probably hit the high points by now. Maybe I’ll do another post as more theories come up? I know I’m Having Some Thoughts rewatching Season 1 after coming off Season 2.
But we’ll save that for another day. This got ridiculously long and all I can do now is shrug and say, “I don’t get like this about shows anymore. But I’m apparently doing it with this one.” And I’m legitimately impressed by that.
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LFGryph 