#Good Omens: The Arrival

[orionsangel86]

Good Omens S2 Episode Review - 201 The Arrival

You know how here on tumblr we often voice our grievances about modern film and television? Everything is too dull and washed out, too dark and grimy, too muffled to the point we can barely hear, and the writing seems to be done in such a way that you can almost feel the contempt oozing off of the writers for their own fanbases?

Maybe Neil Gaiman came across those posts and had a good chuckle, before nodding in agreement and taking notes, because at least so far in episode 1, GOS2 makes none of these vital mistakes! I can already tell I'm going to fall headfirst into obsession over this series again, and I've only watched one episode!

Spoilers for episode 1 only under the cut. Safe for anyone who hasnt watched any further (because I haven't either at this point!)

Gods its gorgeous isnt it? To the extent that I think gifmakers wont have to spend hours and hours doing colour corrections for once! The opening scene blew me away. I wonder if we'll ever find out who Crowley was before he fell? Seeing as he was clearly a high ranking angel. This is where the Crowley-was-Raphael truthers are throwing a party lol.

From that first scene its clear they are going heavy handed on the AziraCrow romance. Zira's little double take when he thinks Crowley is calling him gorgeous before realising he was talking about the nebula was already less subtle than anything they gave us in the entirety of season 1. So we are off to a good start!

"How much trouble can I get into just for asking a few questions?" Oh Crowley, my poor naive little angel! :'(

It's interesting how already there seems to be a general mockery of creationism and creationists (which I love btw) because of how idiotic these beliefs are. Crowley is asking all the right questions of course. Creating the universe just to center everything around a little planet called Earth just seems a bit, well, silly doesn't it!

The title sequence is an absolute ball and I consider it sacrilegious to skip it!

This episode sets up an interesting new dynamic for Aziraphale and Crowley that raises questions. If we consider where things were left off at the end of season 1, you would think they would be on very good terms, happily enjoying their retirement together (whether as friends or something else) but that doesn't appear to be the case. It was already something I picked up in the promo scenes, but seeing the full episode now it really isn't subtle that something has gone sort of wrong or at least somewhat disjointed for them. There is a tension between them which is completely new.

"There's only three reasons why you ever call me.

You're bored.

You have to tell someone about something clever you did before you pop.

Somethings wrong."

Do I detect a hint of bitterness there Crowley?

That plus the clear jealousy towards Aziraphale's "naked man friend" and the anger with which he responds "SO DID I!" indicates that Crowley is very much not happy with the current state of their relationship. Why would Crowley not be happy with their relationship when he should have everything he wants? Freedom from Hell, relative safety in retirement... okay so he's living in his car which isn't ideal (but something tells me that's more because he's waiting for Aziraphale to invite him to live at the bookshop than that he couldn't find another apartment if he wanted to). What else could Crowley possibly want thats causing this tension? Hmmmm.

I love how with Crowley, there is at least consistency in his motivations to do anything. In that if it's something that he doesn't want to do, but Aziraphale is in danger if he doesn't do it, he'll leap head first into the fire just to protect Aziraphale. Beelzebub's threat about "extreme sanctions" is clearly a horrible thought, and what would Crowley even be if Aziraphale was erased from existence? It raises the stakes beyond the threats of the first season. Destruction is bad enough, but at least you'll have your memories of your friend/6000 year old life partner, but to be erased from the book of life completely? Ooof that's worse. Far FAR worse. Poor Crowley.

So he returns. Of course. The catty bitchiness between them when Crowley returns though and has to grovel with that silly little dance (and I do hope I see at least a dozen gifsets of that silly little dance when I eventually remove my filters!). OMG Aziraphale you are such a bitchy gay I love you! But does Crowley tell him about the threat? No of course he doesn't. Because draaamaaaaa babes!

I have to scream about Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy being the first Queen song to play. You gotta hand it to Neil, he clearly knows his fanbase well!

Moving on to Maggie and Nina, I find their dynamic lovely and awkward, though I do think the narrative parallels are more heavy handed than in a season 8 monster of the week Supernatural episode (which is an impressive feat of brick-wall-to-the-face obviousness believe me). Still, I love narrative parallels as a storytelling device, so I am of course gonna eat all this up and gorge on "the grumpy one is soft for the sunshine one" tropeyness to my hearts content.

Clearly Maggie is the Aziraphale and Nina is the Crowley (the twist being that Maggie fell first, whereas we all know Crowley has been holding a flame for Aziraphale since the Garden - then again, that opening scene puts Aziraphale's feelings in a new light!) so I am looking forward to seeing how else their budding relationship compares in future episodes!

Re the central mystery around Gabriel, I've gotta hand it to John Hamm, he's hilarious. I love him. I have absolutely no idea where this is going after only 1 episode, other than to giggle at the fact that if all of Soho didn't already assume Aziraphale was "as gay as a treeful of monkeys on nitrous oxide" then they certainly do now!

"You're funny. I love you." Amazing. No notes. Keep making Aziraphale squirm lol. Though doesn't it also pose an interesting question? Gabriel is still an angel right? Beings of love. They are supposed to feel love and I think part of the point of the beurocracy of Heaven is that the angels have forgotten their original purpose - to love others. Right? Maybe I'm just making that up, but I found it interesting that as soon as Gabriel found himself enjoying Aziraphale's company, he was so comfortable just expressing his feelings like that.

(side note that I love how in GO, they always give a fairly accurate representation of the streets of Soho, too many films and TV shows filmed in London underestimate just how bloody crowded the city is. You can't move without bumping into someone in the West End at any point and GO has gone all out on filling their film studio with extras which is a nice touch.)

So whats in the box? What's in the matchbox? I'm calling it now there is a connection. I also don't think either are actually "empty". Gabriel said his arms were heavy from carrying the box around, but if it was empty then it wouldn't have hurt his arms to carry it. A trick of some kind perhaps? Something invisible perhaps?

The Book of Job quote on the matchbox "Out of his mouth go burning lamps and sparks of fire leap out" Probably important. Isn't one of the episodes coming up about Job? Still, I am in no way a bible scholar I haven't even read the thing, so I'm not gonna attempt to analyse all this and I am sure some other very intelligent person on Tumblr has already done so!

It was a really good really enjoyable episode with some laugh out loud moments. I like the mystery, and all the new characters are interesting. So far nothing has bored me and I really am gagging to watch the next episode ASAP. Its wonderful having Aziraphale and Crowley back on the screen again, like coming home to see some old friends, but this time for some reason its all a bit awkward and the tensions a bit off and so I am sitting here wondering if maybe they got really drunk one night and almost fucked but then didn't go through with it and refuse to discuss it so now i'm going to have to subtly get them to talk about their relationship drama. Lmao.

I'm a slut for other peoples relationship drama though, and Neil Gaiman just handed it to me on a platter. ;-)

[loveinstreams]

aziraphale literally just realized his feelings for crowley and proceeds to spend the rest of the night planning a batshit insane magical act involving said love of his life shooting him on stage. he’s very normal

[yourangle-yuordevil]

He was just drinking his two totally normal glasses of regular wine 🍷

[vinylattes]

You defile beautiful things.

GOOD OMENS (2019-) // OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH (2022-)

[aduckwithears]

The way Crowley automatically starts toward the bookshop, then has to do an about face for the coffee shop.

Little things to love about Good Omens S2 (17/?) - Masterpost

[jxnxai]

hello good omens fandom long time no see

[mwagneto]

[golswia]

REVERSE CROWLEY IS HERE

his demon spouse still in makin

Some elaboration:

So, for sure in this au, angels also have an animal equivalent. They either choose it or are gifted by God, not sure here Kelevs ( i literally called him a “dog” in a different language, help-) animal form is originally a huge white wolf, but as humanity progressed and people domesticated them, he altered his form to that of a dog to not scare them off. Be closer to them. He adores earthly creations, protects them like a loyal dog and feels "leashed" by heaven. but also Crowley, the biggest simp. what is the simpiest animal? dog- In Heaven he is rather "respected" (ADORED by cherubs and other low ranking angels, they treat him like an idol sort of) for his demon-slaying (he does ✨slay✨ too, tho) Mostly recognized in hell by all demons as " that bloody, bastard, mongrel of Her's" Kelev was really dead set on whipping off as many demons as he could. He was ruthless in the Great Heavens War. Than he grew more and more conflicted, about the whole angel demon thing. Confused even, by a c e r t a i n demon. And God’s actions, that he had more and more trouble blindly agreeing with (smth like our Aziraphale). As he wanted be loyal to Her and Her creations.

That’s it for now ✨ but there will be more ✨ ✨ (I feel like, for the lil Fiat i have to do whole another post bUahah)

[haydenbadartist]

He’s shy

[halemerry]

So I was going through the season taking some screen caps for a different piece of meta when I stumbled on something interesting: the record Aziraphale listens to.

So in 1934, Shostakovich wrote an opera called Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. It was popular but after Stalin himself deemed the work corrupt he wound up banned by the Soviet Union. This had a huge impact of Shostakovich's life and was a very dangerous thing to have happen to you. There are even stories of him sleeping in stairwells to avoid arrest. So by 1937 he released the Symphony No. 5 in D minor. It is a piece written to get him back into the good grace of the authorities and as such it is informally called A Soviet Artist’s Practical and Creative Response to Just Criticism. This worked. Which on the surface makes sense but I urge you to go listen to this song. It starts out very angry. Then retracts itself into a very hesitant sonata. And then the music cuts into a harsh pattern of notes. It's cuts are jarring and there's something just slightly off in nearly all the melodies. Notably, most symphonies shift to a major key by the end. This one, despite spending a great deal of time leading up to the shift into one, refuses to. It's all false triumph. It's all about pretending to folk under the authority's pressure without actually making something that would glorify it. And it worked. Stalin approved of him again.

This was what Az was listening to. Az who is about to make a series of not quite right choices that to the right eyes look like him bowing back again under authority's pressure. He's listening to a song built to deceive those with power over the composer into letting him back into the fold. Whatever Metatron did to him and whether Aziraphale was magically and/or mundanely manipulated (I suspect and) I don't think it entirely took hold.

[melonalemonade]

teeny weeny

[fellshish]

Season three starts there’s a knock on crowley’s car window he slobbers out of post alcoholic sleep and opens his eyes we see the camera image sharpening whoa it’s jesus he’s naked he’s holding a cardboard box

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

Episode 1 is called 'The Arrival'? 👀❤

[lazulibundtcake]

Can't believe they just fucked in front of us like that

[vinylattes]

Aziraphale/Crowley + PRAISE

[aduckwithears]

Oh, how mysterious.

Good Omens S2/Ep1