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so David Tennant is cool and I thought I'd go watch a bit of him as Doctor Who right? It'll be chill she says it'll be a bit silly and fun and a nice way to relax she says ONLY THE EPISODE HIT ME LIKE A HECKING TRUCK

See, I watched s2 ep5 "The Girl in the Fireplace" because it was recommended as one of the better Tenth Doctor episodes. And not only did it basically rip out my heartstrings, it's even worse because the whole doomed romance thing is also CHOCK FULL of little details that remind me of the ineffable divorce (which I am very much not over btw) -

I mean, look at this. Bro stumbles into a hostage situation DRUNK with the Glasses (tm) saying absolute nonsense and still manages to pull of a rescue... which explodes in his face about a minute later. If this is not pure Crowley I don't know what is..

sooo many parallels there. something something, they're both immortal beings going through the ages with everyone around them short-lived and ignorant, they're both nearly the only ones who both understand something bigger that's going on and care to stop it from ending the world. Crowley may be a demon but he's still very nearly an angel at heart, a beautiful wonderful lonely angel in the midst of a whole Hell of demons...

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can’t read anti-jedi posts because they bash the jedi by making unfavorable comparisons to the Catholic Church. can’t read pro-jedi posts because they spotlight the jedi by saying they’ve got absolutely no ties to, and then trashing, the Catholic Church. sobbing

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kayyy this is gonna be long sorry

Alright. Rewatching Good Omens 1 and realizing that Aziraphale says brings up forgiveness repeatedly when they argue. But is it a personal sort of forgiveness, like forgiving hurt feelings, or like forgiving a moral transgression? Does Aziraphale mean it sincerely, or is he judging Crowley and doesn't want to admit it?

It comes up three times:

a) The Bandstand (reporting their networks' findings; Aziraphale has the book and hasn't told Crowley)

b) Outside the bookshop (Crowley is in big trouble; tries to convince Aziraphale to go to Alpha Centuri with him)

c) the Big One (season 2 finale. too sad not explaining it but if you know you know)

On the bandstand, Crowley curses the Great Plan and Aziraphale says, "may you be forgiven". That's a pretty clear moral wrongdoing and it's a disagreement they've been having since the Garden of Eden. Really it's kind of what separates them in the first place - Crowley openly questioned the Plan and Aziraphale didn't.

More importantly, it isn't Aziraphale doing the forgiving, he's just expressing the hope that Someone (God, probably) will forgive him. Crowley reminds him that he's a demon and he'll never be forgiven, "that's the whole point."

Fast forward an episode to outside the bookshop - Aziraphale is just sure he can fix things if he just reaches the right people and Crowley is just sure that he's being naive -

in the script book it says something along the lines of "Aziraphale decides not to be offended." This isn't moral, this isn't really talking about any particular SINS. Aziraphale is personally forgiving Crowley for insulting him but also for not supporting him, for disagreeing with him, for trying to get him to give up when he has a duty to set things right. He's feeling hurt but making a conscious decision not to be upset at Crowley for it.

Meta though it's also significant to me that Aziraphale has made the switch from "I hope you are forgiven" to "I forgive you" because it's like he's saying "yeah, maybe Heaven won't ever forgive you. But I disagree. No matter what Heaven says, I see the good in you and I'm not going to judge you for your flaws."

Of course, Crowley sees none of this. He probably hears that and thinks it's the same thing as before, the angel taking the moral high ground over the demon and refusing to even consider his option. It's the angel taking Heaven's side over him. Which is tragic.

The season 2 finale "I forgive you" is just a dreadful mishmash of both of those, and also worse than either. Unlike the bandstand where Aziraphale can only hope that Someone forgives Crowley, he's an archangel now. He can do it himself. Like outside the bookshop, Aziraphale is feeling hurt that Crowley not only disagrees but is actively trying to dissuade him from doing the Right Thing.

And on top of both of those, Crowley also just kissed him and he's going INSANE and he can't think straight and he's never felt so tempted in his LIFE but he has to do the Right Thing. It's an impossible decision and if he even lets himself think about what he's feeling he won't be able to go through with it. So he takes refuge in moral high ground, but he also loves Crowley and doesn't judge him and says the nicest possible thing one can say on the moral high ground: "I forgive you."

(Crowley absolutely does not take it that way *sobbing*)

(season 3 had better fix this SO HELP ME)

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Excerpts from the SyFy Wire & Film School Rejects interviews with Claire Anderson, the Emmy-nominated costume designer for Good Omens:

[ Film School Rejects - by Ciara Wardlow]  “I worked through it with gut reaction images. So, two guys. Two guys, kind of close, nearly in love, if you like,” she said. “I just went in and we had a really big, very open conversation about how you related to these people in the script and how we would make them real and plausible, but give them a fantasy element. Give them something otherworldly.”

While Anderson says that she ultimately took this approach with more or less all of the characters, mixing period and modern elements to give characters somewhat timeless, yet also somewhat fantastical “out of time” looks, in the early discussion stages it was all about Aziraphale and Crowley. For one thing, Sheen and Tennant were already cast, which was a major help in determining their looks. It took some time to settle on the duo’s main, contemporary looks, but once these were locked in they played a significant role in determining everything else they wore.

[…] Aziraphale maintains a look with significant nods to the late Victorian era. Crowley too, although he manages to put an edgier twist on things than his angelic contemporary. “We re-appropriate bits of period stuff so that it echoes. [Aziraphale and Crowley] echo one another in their visual identity with pieces from their past—where they’ve touched each other in the past perhaps, or bumped into each other.” Regarding how Crowley manages to keep more of a modern, cool vibe, Anderson gives David Tennant’s performance the lion’s share of the credit. “He’s a very nice man, but he’s very sexy. He brought all of that swagger, that rock star, snake-hipped sexiness, and we built on that.”

[ SyFy Wire - by Jennifer Vineyard] GARDEN OF EDEN, 4004 B.C. -  Anderson looked at everything from Pre-Raphaelite paintings to Al Pacino’s hippie clothes in Serpico to determine just the right flow for Aziraphale’s rough-hewn robe, which has gold embroidery on the shoulders and side. Aziraphale is also wearing a golden ring, which later becomes a signet ring stamped with wings in the Victorian era.

NOAH’S ARK, MESOPOTAMIA, 3004 B.C. - “As aged as I am, I wasn’t there,” Anderson says, laughing. “And there wasn’t any painting or documentation from this era. But what we do know is that tunics remained pretty simple, and the earlier shape would have served them well for many years.” Aziraphale’s robe becomes more streamlined, and he wears gold beads at the neck.

THE CRUCIFIXION, GOLGOTHA, 33 - By this time, both Aziraphale and Crawley — now Crowley — are wearing turbans and head wraps, which Anderson attributes to “a bit of vanity.” Plus the wrap helps Crowley conceal his snake-like eyes (it’s too soon for glasses). Aziraphale dons a soft leather coat over his tunic, while Crowley wears female attire of the region — an abaya.

ROME, 41 -  Switching from tunics to togas was difficult, since togas contain 6 to 12 meters of fabric, which is a lot to carry around on camera. Anderson reduced the size by cutting the togas to fit for the character’s movements, and she gave each actor a thematic decorative pin to hold their togas together — Crowley a serpent and staff, Aziraphale a pair of wings (both courtesy of George Easton at Danegeld Historic Jewellery). Although history might argue that it’s too soon for sunglasses, Crowley starts to shield his eyes with a very small, eye-shaped lens. “It’s suggestive, rather than historically accurate,” Anderson says. And as a sign that Crowley is adapting to the humans around him, he also wears a silver laurel wreath.

ARTHURIAN ENGLAND, THE KINGDOM OF WESSEX, 537 - Anderson sent character descriptions and visuals for Aziraphale and Crowley to armor specialist FBFX, which sent a van to London full of pieces that could work for angelic and demonic armor. Instead of focusing on historical accuracy, Anderson looked for shapes and fit that suggested an ethereal — or snakelike — quality, once the pieces had been painted black or silver. For Crowley, she found a helmet that had a smaller face that could suggest a snakehead, and for Aziraphale, shoulder pieces that were slightly wing-like. To add to the wing effect, Anderson added a white fur caplet to Aziraphale’s armor. “It was terribly grand, but not very practical,” she says. “And the poor guys, it was murderously uncomfortable to stand around in that armor.”

GLOBE THEATRE, LONDON, 1601 - Crowley and Aziraphale catch an early version of Hamlet, looking more period-appropriate than ever thanks to the Globe’s vast archive of costumes. Aziraphale’s wardrobe, which includes a neck ruff edged with gold thread, has a metallic look with a hint of iridescent blue, which opens up his color palette. Crowley, meanwhile, wears a cleaner neckline and leather on his doublet, as well as fabrics that provide sheen and luster to suggest his snaky origins.

REVOLUTIONARY FRANCE, PARIS, 1793 - This is not a period to be dressed like an aristocrat, but Aziraphale couldn’t resist a lace collar, gold brocade and fitted jacket — which explains why he’s stuck in a prison cell (at least until Crowley intervenes). Crowley, more mindful of what revolutionaries would wear, dons a dark red jacket that’s almost as dark as his usual black. When Aziraphale miracle-changes his clothes, he wears the red cap of liberty. “It’s a soft beret that falls somewhere between a modern French beret and a pirate headdress,” Anderson notes.

ST. JAMES’ PARK, LONDON, 1862 - This is the time period with which Aziraphale gets most comfortable, fashion-wise, and settles into a Victorian look with tartan flair. Anderson also bestowed some heavenly nods to his angelic nature — a feathery velvet top hat, a stopwatch with angel’s wings on the chain, and the signet ring. Crowley, meanwhile, wears a pair of long, elegantly cut trousers that we will see again in the 1960s. “The trousers repeat, which is basically what fashion does anyway,” Anderson says. “And it’s what the story does. There are notes backward and forwards.”

THE BLITZ, LONDON, 1941 - Aziraphale’s tartan necktie becomes a bow tie, and his penchant for wide lapels, a nod to his wings, continues, this time with a spear-point collar. Crowley, who comes to save Aziraphale once again, is dressed more formally, in a full double-breasted wool suit that must have been hard for David Tennant to wear in the South African heat. “The rest of the crew were in flip-flops and T-shirts, and David was in the suit, hat, and those big boots,” Anderson says, recalling the shoot.  “He had to be very physically active in that scene, and yet David didn’t complain about the heat or anything. He’s amazing.”

SOHO, LONDON, 1967 - Crowley, as noted, continues to wear his Victorian trousers, which are right up to date, and which he pairs with a black paisley velvet jacket with contrasting lapels. His sunglasses now have more of a John Lennon vibe. Aziraphale, perhaps inadvertently, is also looking stylish with his Victorian topcoat, spear-point collar, and cravat (modified from his scarf in Victorian England). “You can’t avoid being affected by changing trends,” Anderson says. “However bookish you are, you still notice other people. And you would have had Rolling Stones and Beatles fans wearing that kind of thing. That was our argument for Aziraphale wearing his Victorian topcoat all the way through, and Michael Sheen loved it. He said it inspired him. And the cravat rang in the changes and helped us with the passage of time, rather than always having him wear a bow tie.

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bonus...

well THAT was on the nose

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nononono there's symbolism here too! last time Aziraphale just shielded Crowley from the rain but this is literally fire, it's flaming meteors burning up and rather than let Aziraphale get hit he puts his own wing in the way. something something crowley faces the hard facts, asks the damning questions, while Aziraphale remains happily ignorant --

SOBBING

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why would Aziraphale give away books? he never gives away books - I'm certain he wouldn't even give away books if it was to save the whole world so surely he doesn't care that much about Nina and Maggie???

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I keep finding little hints that they actually switched in s1 ep6 and it's delightful-

"Crowley" sees the Bentley, smiles like anything, then hails a taxi and doesn't drive it. Maybe Aziraphale doesn't like driving, maybe he doesn't want to bang up Crowley's baby. Either way it's telling.

The little exchange at the ice cream stand! "Aziraphale" asks about the car, "Crowley" answers not a scratch. "Crowley asks about the bookshop and "Aziraphale" assures him that it's fine but he also does the lil thing where he goes from one side of Aziraphale to the other very much like Crowley did in the Globe Theater...

"not a smudge. not a book burnt. Everything back to the way it was."

And that's the other thing is think for one moment about what Crowley means when he says everything back to the way it was. He almost got Aziraphale to stay over at his apartment and probably would have succeeded if not for the bookshop coming back. And what about the rest of their relationship? Lovely that he ain't going to die a horrible death but what now?

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well THAT was on the nose

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you know you haven't truly lived until you wake up naturally at 5:45 after going to bed at 12 because your body's just too much of a hecking morning bird to sleep in

and you go downstairs to check something you should have checked 2 days ago and pass a roommate who is JUST going upstairs to bed now. Still dressed in yesterdays clothes and everything. recall that it is 6 am

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"oh, you're an angel. I don't think you can do the wrong thing." hits different when you remember that Crowley was an angel. He was an angel and he was just curious, he wanted to know why, he was so happy about his lil nebula and sad it wasn't going to get to reach its full potential

and now he's a demon. Clearly, an angel can do the wrong thing and he DID. and he still doesn't understand why and here this angel who didn't fall is worrying about a little thing like a sword.

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i think The Powers That Be (the big media) are failing to understand that not everything has to be a franchise. not every n years old piece of media needs a reboot, or a version in a different medium, a sequel or a prequel or a midquel, or a live action version.

and i think that we're seeing this at it's worst right now with things like the minecraft movie that is lacking soul enough that it makes our animal brains shriek and recoil because the uncanny valley sense lights up - but not in an 'it's a mask or a doll that's close to realistic but not close enough' way but in an 'oh my god, this is a corpse' way. it's shaped like something you love but doesn't act like it, doesn't move like it, doesn't feel like it. the main component of what made it it is missing. it's entirely money-motivated and we can tell just by looking at it, it's like a zombie.

(putting most of the post under the cut because it got like. long long. embarrassingly so.)

it just kinda feels like we're mid-stagnation of culture. original stuff just isn't being made as much anymore because it's seen as "risky" by the industry. and there isn't even any experimentation going on, just adding on things or getting rid of stuff, and the goal of all this is to make the final product more Digestible, but the side-effect is just this blandness. you're adding water and taking away the seasoning because what if it's too salty for some people, what if it's too spicy because some are more sensitive to that than others, and you end up with a vaguely tasteless sludge. nothing is gained. there's just a ghost of an aftertaste.

and the executives that mainly decide on all this want to continue doing this so much, and for the audience to be like little money-generating sheep blindly watching the same thing over and over again. but unlike sheep, we cannot regurgitate the same thing ad infinitum. we don't have the stomach for it. there's no substance and, arguably, no art in all this.

eisner was kinda onto something when he said that to make money it's necessary to make history and art, and some kind of a statement but it kinda feels like they're trying to skip this step, just keep serving us the same thing. but even the most delicious food, given enough time, gets old and boring, grows stale, and, eventually, goes bad and spoils.

i think that all that is additionally sad because it will inevitably lead to the current media cannibalizing themselves. they're already reaching for laughably young cultural texts like moana and harry potter. what will they do once they catch up to the point of history we're at right now?

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k so I've just been bouncing around the good omens book, opening to random pages and such and I'm struck by the fact that nearly ALL of the best moments of the show were not in the book at all. I suspected going in that the book wouldn't be as good just because it doesn't have the delightfully odd music and it doesn't have Michael Sheen or David Tennant, but it also doesn't have any of the little cute moments between the guys that I liked so much! One of my favorite little parts of the show was when Aziraphale was stressed about his shirt getting ruined, and Crowley fixes it for him. And Aziraphale's face just lights right up. It was SO CUTE! and the book doesn't have that bit at all.

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two insightful quote from the book version, nearly back to back with each other:

very very interesting, because one could easily argue that all three of those assertions are incorrect. Aziraphale may be an angel but he is ineffably both English and gay, you can't change my mind on that. The one thing he's not is intelligent - sorry buddy but I've seen six episodes of you and you really are dumb as heck (no offence intended)

I greatly enjoy this detail about him. Both because Aziraphale absolutely seems the type to spend ridiculous amounts of time on finances, but also because of the implication that he's so put-together and correct that he MUST be hiding something. Which, either points to the fallenness of human nature, that when they see something perfect like an angel they just reject its existance out of hand.

but even better is the fact that they're kinda right. that Aziraphale is getting away with quite a lot, right under the heavenly authorities' noses. The human authorities automatically get a gut feeling that something's off, that he's hiding something, but the heavenly authorities? They're totally oblivious. Which in and of itself says something about human nature, that I think in some cases humans might actually be wiser than angels or demons.

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"Hello again. Still alive, I see."

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SOBBING

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OH MY HEART ITS ANGEL CROWLEY