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Everything Is Meant (long S2 analysis, part 1)

I cannot figure out for the life of me how to make gifs so this will have to be a gif-less essay. If anyone more tech savvy than me wants to reblog with relevant media, please do!

I've seen a lot of people saying how Aziraphale's actions in the final ten minutes come out of left field and are OOC, and when I first watched the episode I felt the same, but now I think I couldn't have been more wrong. And I don't think Aziraphale is being controlled... I think the entire season showed us exactly what was going to happen.

On first watch, what struck me was the number of plot points that seemed disconnected. I couldn't figure out how Job related to the present, or the Victorian era, or the Nazi zombies (still at sea on the zombies part tbh). I didn't know where the Maggie/ Nina subplot was going, or why we were bothering with it. Then I put my "psych hat" on and it was like seeing one of those 3D pictures come into focus. It's a psychological networking rather than a plot-driven one, which is what Neil told us to expect.

Detailed analysis under the cut, with spoilers:

I went back through the season in my head and started asking myself: why is this element there? What does it contribute?

1. Start with scene one. Why include it? Does it matter for the climax that Az knew Crowley as an angel? YES. It's actually huge. Angel Crowley was joyful, he was bursting with delight at creation, he was idealistic. He wanted to be a part of everything rather than run away from it, and that's still how Aziraphale feels. He loves being a part of things. He's a joiner. He's a landlord. He dances at clubs and he makes human friends and he learns magic. Crowley the demon doesn't seem to want any of that, and I think that's hard for Az. He wants Crowley to be free of the cynicism he thinks prevents him from enjoying life now. At some level, I think he senses that Crowley is depressed (empathy's not his strong suit but I'm sure he's aware that Crowley's in a "what's the point of it all" kind of mood; see the eccles cakes scene). He wants to fix it. Aziraphale is a fixer. Metatron offers him a chance to do that.

Another thing is that Aziraphale knows Crowley ended up Falling just for asking questions that seemed innocent. That's not okay with him. He thinks that with the two of them in charge they can actually MAKE the changes that Crowley wanted to see way back at the beginning, starting with a suggestion box.

2. Okay, now Jim. Obviously Gabriel/ Jim is the central mystery, but why does he matter? First and foremost: he's there to show Aziraphale that angels can CHANGE. Gabriel terrorized and threatened Aziraphale. Az has been terrified of him. He ordered Aziraphale's execution. And now here he is, drinking hot chocolate, doing noble self-sacrificing things, with morals that suddenly align with Aziraphale's. What an absolute game-changer that must have been! He thought Heaven was unfixable, but here's Gabriel in his shop for weeks, slowly convincing him otherwise.

Then two other things happen. First, they find out that this all happened to Gabriel essentially because he fell in love. He was fired and his memories were stolen and the only reason he recovered was because Beelzebub happened to give him the one thing that could save him. That must have seemed like incredible luck. Now, how does Aziraphale feel about memories? He lives in a bookshop that is stuffed to bursting with the records of all of human history, essentially. His memories of his time with Crowley are incredibly precious. He sees, there at the end, that everything he is can be taken from him as a punishment for falling in love. Aziraphale doesn't have a magic fly container. He'd be forever robbed of Crowley, his life, himself. It's a very real threat in his mind when Metatron intervenes.

Which brings us to the second thing. Metatron saves Gabriel. Not only that, he prevents him from being punished for loving Beelzebub and lets them both go. What better way to win currency with Aziraphale? HE doesn't want to go off to Alpha Centauri, he never has, but suddenly he sees that Metatron might protect his relationship. And he's probably the only entity with the power to do so.

So we come to two conclusions: Aziraphale, when he goes off to talk with Metatron, is feeling like maybe it's not intrinsically bad to be an angel. He believed all the angels sucked, and only God was good... but now he sees that even Gabriel can change. He met Muriel, and he likes them. (He also had a huge crush on angel Crowley, which is neither here nor there but he loves Crowley in all his forms.) So if Crowley became an angel again, would that really be so bad? In his mind, it wouldn't change who Crowley is. It would just make them both safer and allow them to be together. (He's wrong! And Crowley doesn't see it that way! But this is a key miscommunication. Aziraphale doesn't really believe that becoming a demon changed Crowley. Back to the first scene, which Aziraphale references during the Job minisode. In his eyes, Crowley is the same person (just more cynical because of what's happened to him)-- so why would it matter if he's an angel again? I truly don't think he was trying to save Crowley, or saying that Crowley would be Better as an angel. To him, it doesn't matter what Crowley is. Which is reductive and harmful, but not the same as thinking Crowley needs rescuing from himself.)

Second conclusion: he sees that an angel and demon can be in love, but they have to run away to be together. Gabe and Beelz couldn't go home again. Earth is Aziraphale's home, but after the attack on the bookshop he learned that without Heaven's protection he can't really keep them safe there. Metatron says: "Come with me, do this thing, and you can have guaranteed safety AND be with the love of your life". Poor Aziraphale wants this with every fiber of his being. All he's ever wanted was for Crowley to be safe. He's never been able to offer it. Over the past four years, he thought they were safe, but he's just learned that he was wrong.

This is getting long. Continued in Part Two!

[ineffablebookstore]

it’s insane to me the Choices michael sheen made following the kiss. it’s not disappointment like the audio description states; he’s furious. anyone else would NOT play that moment with anger because the implication of the religious character getting angry after a queer kiss is (in most media) fueled by homophobia and disgust. but michael didn’t shy away from how people may misinterpret it, and in the end it makes so much sense. because aziraphale IS angry — angry at having his beliefs dictated for him and STILL misunderstood, angry at the injustice in the world, angry at heaven most of all. angry at the fact that this is how you leave us, crowley? the potential YOU’VE given up for us when i could have lived my life pretending we still existed in the ambiguous? crowley finally voicing what they are to each other after rejecting aziraphale’s offer is the only thing he could have done as a character and also the worst possible thing he could have done to the person he loves. sooo insane for aziraphale’s character arc and what good omens represents as a whole.

[ineffablebookstore]

he can't keep doing this to me!!!!!

[ineffablebookstore]

for years and years they will tell you the angels aren’t gay. and then when you least expect it they will just make them gay. which you knew but in your heart but you didn’t expect them to say it.

[ineffablebookstore]

hi mr gaiman, first question why would you do this to me :’)

second question, and a slightly less emotionally charged one - if due to circumstances you’re not able to televise good omens season 3, would you consider finishing the story in any other medium (book, audio drama, etc)?? and, as long as your answer doesn’t spoil anything, what medium would you prefer to do it in?

side note, it’s so crazy that you’re just… on tumblr. the fandom is very grateful for your engagement, i hope you’re having a nice day :)

Absolutely. I wouldn't want to leave it mid-story.

[ineffablebookstore]

y’all season 2 of good omens was like having a nice relaxing bubble bath with scented candles and bath bombs and shit and you’re just enjoying it so euphorically that it leaves you super vulnerable for when someone throws A FUCKIN TOASTER IN

[ineffablebookstore]

If there’s one thing about David Tennent confessing his love, it’s that he’s going to break millions of hearts in the process

[ineffablebookstore]

Pov you’ve just watched s2

[ineffablebookstore]

it’s about aziraphale as mr. darcy in the failed confession scene in p&p saying “i love you despite your circumstances and marrying you would fix you anyway”

[ineffablebookstore]

good omens 2.06 (2023) // fleabag 2.06 (2019)

[ineffablebookstore]

ah so it looks like nina are maggie are gonna be the parallel that’s so painfully obvious that it forces aziraphale and crowley to confront their own- MY GOD IT’S BEELZEBUB AND GABRIEL WITH A STEEL CHAIR

[ineffablebookstore]

also may I just mention the FUCKING VILLAINY OF METATRON.

he knew what was going to happen, of course he did. He saw the omnishambles that were Az and Crowley over the years and he knew how each would react, he knew the right buttons to push, just gave enough information to Az to have him take the jump. Motherfucker managed to do what heaven and hell combined haven't been able to - pull Aziraphale and Crowley apart.

[ineffablebookstore]

@neil-gaiman you owe me money now

[ineffablebookstore]

what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck

[ineffablebookstore]

what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck

[ineffablebookstore]

what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck

[ineffablebookstore]

what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck