#and compared to the 1941 minisode

[crowzirawho]

Heaven: Wow, Aziraphale, I am impressed. It's a miracle how your Absolute Worst Enemy, the demon Crowley, has not noticed you for 6000 years.

Hell: so do you guys fuck or what

[thesherrinfordfacility]

woah hang on a second, pause one moment. we are all fairly agreed, right, that the pre-fall scene and the minisodes are all slightly off, that they don't quite ring true, and certainly indicate the work of an unreliable narrator... but why are we assuming that it's aziraphale?

the openings

opening title cards read like movie epics, compared to the neat little white placards in s1, and also all open with crowley as the first character in screen, with the exception of the resurrectionists - which has neither*.

now god knows that my film knowledge is probably rather limited, but if nothing else, i definitely got space odyssey-type glee from the pre-fall scene opening, and maltese falcon definitely sprang to mind for 1941 (and godzilla, weirdly). this... seems like the little bit of pizaz that crowley would employ in telling his own flashbacks.

this, to me, is even more apparent when compared with the white placards in s1, which feel more like aziraphale - orderly, and neatly filed. now, arguably you could say it's god's narration, and that certainly may be true, but the kicker for me is that the majority of the hard times flashbacks, and the eden scene, begin with aziraphale on screen.

in fact, iirc i think only 1862 and 1967 open on crowley, but with 1862, aziraphale is walking towards him in the opening shot anyway, and 1967... well, it doesnt surprise me that we don't get a shot of aziraphale before crowley is in the donkey. these are pivotal scenes for the both of them, but in some respects more so for crowley. it makes sense that the perspective would shift slightly here.

hero role

but back to s2; we then have the fact that crowley is portrayed, arguably, as the hero in each of these minisodes. he does have a tendency, i think it's fair to say, to assume the role of the hero especially in response to aziraphale placing himself, thinking that it's what makes crowley happy, into the part of the damsel-in-distress. but it goes beyond this; it's his scheme that saves the children/job's plight, he prevents elspeth from suicide, and then, yeah, he overcomes the miracle blocker and manages in a feat of well-timed skill to miss shooting aziraphale in the face.

he then is also the one to teach aziraphale certain lessons, especially around the nuance of faith and morality, and whilst it makes sense for this to be told from aziraphale's perspective, it's equally viable from crowley's; that he is the mentor in these minisodes, helping aziraphale to develop his own sense of right and wrong - particularly in the job and resurrectionist minisodes.

the 1941 minisode is different, because it feels more personal; crowley starts trying to teach aziraphale conviction in himself. but it all goes awry when he withholds the truth about having shot a gun, and when he is unable to save himself in the dressing room. crowley has a tendency to monkey-paw himself, and this is never more evident that in this minisode. his hero narrative unravels, aziraphale saves the day, and crowley plays it off smoothly and suavely back at the bookshop, without a word of thanks (if anything, he doubles down on insulting aziraphale - a contrast to his attitude at the beginning of the minisode - and the very trick that saved his hide).

but why does all this suddenly read to me like crowley's perspective? tbh, i can't quite put my finger on it; it's not like crowley doesn't deserve a positive light in the story, because he absolutely does, and in many ways is an incredibly good influence on aziraphale, but these minisodes... feel like crowley is trying to prove something. to himself, aziraphale, the audience, all three - idk.

this is compounded for me, however, in the pre-fall scene. no doubt, aziraphale did in fact develop an instant crush on this genius and brilliant angel, and again this would ring true if this scene is in fact being told from aziraphale's perspective. but in a way, to me, i think it is more sensical from crowley's; he's a bright and likeable angel, building stars, has another angel fawning over his brilliance, and - the kicker - it's of course set up to suggest to the audience that he fell 'just for asking a few questions", when we're equally led to believe from s1 that this is, perhaps, not the whole truth.

dramatics

this is another where i can't quite put my finger on it exactly, but - the minisodes feel... different. there was a brilliant meta on the job minisode, that i will find and link back, where the op remarked on the stark costume difference between the relatively simple costuming for crowley in mesopotamia and golgotha, and even that for aziraphale, compared to the biblical glitz and glamour of uz.

and if we look at the job minisode especially with his perspective in mind, he even takes stabs at gabriel (the lord farquaad haircut and arguably dumber-than-usual that i don't-quite-believe-he-was-this-dumb demeanour), that he doesn't seem to extend to michael - to the point that it feels like a vendetta against him... which tracks, given his less than favourable disposition towards gabriel/jim throughout s2.

in the resurrectionist episode, he doesn't have such an outlet or target, but some of his lines feel almost needlessly funny/over-exerted - "might have slightly overdone it on the hole" is one that springs to mind. im not even going to go into the specifics of the whole laudanum-induced state of ridiculousness, that ultimately feels way more amped-up than it maybe ought to have been, but in a way, it almost feels like crowley has started telling this bit of the story to a child. the immediately sober way in which he remarks on the "stunning view", contrasted to him growling down at elspeth and aziraphale, feels like this was a catch-moment of 'present-crowley' remembering on just how nice it actually was.

1941 again feels different, mainly because it doesn't quite follow the same narrative tone and pattern of the other minisodes, but his interactions with aziraphale in the car and bookshop, the fear at firing the rifle, and his not remembering furfur all feel that he's remembering this flashback a little more deeply - that not only is their fondness because of what the events of that night meant for him and aziraphale personally, but also it reminds him that his memory is still not wholly complete*.

memory-wipe theory*

this is relatively short and sweet, but... i think we can all agree that crowley has some issues with what he remembers of heaven and/or his fall. this feels so obvious when you - again, if we assume this perspective hypothesis is true - look at the way he portrays heaven; it feels very deliberate. god does not appear to be present in heaven, this is even somewhat confirmed within the god-job scene itself, but the Lighting Is Everything.

is this what crowley remembers of heaven of old, before he went up there on reconnaissance? did the change come as a surprise to him in 2023? the golden glow, the white and gold spangley robes? and muriel - why does aziraphale not seem to recognise muriel in 2023, if his memory is still intact and, by all accounts, accurate? does crowley actually remember muriel, and that's how he knew their rank? or did crowley just fill in the blanks, give muriel a starring role when retelling this flashback (given he was, obviously, not there)? is he telling it to muriel themself, in the context of s3? are these the clues that muriel is patching together, like the crow road?

the diary*

when we look at the following lines for the opening and closing of the resurrectionists minisode, and read it like it's aziraphale's retelling, the wording seems... odd. it implies that a month - a month - is a long time for aziraphale and crowley not to see each other.

"Dear diary,

Last month, Crowley and I both happened to be in Edinburgh. And he insisted I visit a local graveyard... at midnight. He had come upon something, he said, that 'might amuse me'..."

"...and that was the last I was to see of Crowley... for quite some time..."

of course, we can take this as aziraphale being dramatic, and goodness knows that he leans into his own brand of flair in s2... but is it completely in character? to assign a month as being a long time?

and does it really fit with the tone of the canon? because, we see at the end of 1827 that he gets sucked down into hell. and then in 1862, he's shaken and nervous and paranoid, and asking aziraphale for holy water. this seems too much like cause-and-effect. it could well be that crowley returns from hell after a month, meets aziraphale, shrugs it off etc., but then... keeps getting sucked back into hell? tortured? enough that he breaks in 1862, and asks for a weapon?

it reads to me more that, if this is from crowley's perspective, that he is essentially taking the piss out of aziraphale in the opening, painting a picture of him practically lying on his belly on his bed, legs kicking, writing his diary with a pink glittery gel pen. and aziraphale's lines at the end of 1827, about crowley getting into trouble, are delivered so... fondly, and adoringly. now, that's not to say it's impossible for aziraphale to have delivered it like that, couldn't have been seeing/feeling for crowley like that, and god knows aziraphale is mercurial, but... on reflection, i can't say that it doesn't seem like an exaggerated version of himself.

the self that (yes, theres a lot of context missing between 1827 and the below moment that would account for aziraphale 'regressing' in character, i realise that) reacted like this to getting shot, compared to crowley's reaction:

so let's read those lines back again - is it possible that the opening lines are crowley speaking with aziraphale's voice, imitating and making a caricature of him, leaning emphasis on the spooky, dramatic words (similar to how aziraphale actually does when he's a 'newspaperman') and then the 'quite some time' trailing off is, in fact, quite some time?

[on-till-morning]

Checkov’s 1941 Apology Dance

We were very noticeably told, by a noticeably irate Azirapahle, that he did an apology dance in 1941. And then we were very noticeably not shown that apology dance throughout the Nazi Zombi minisode. I’ve seen some theories that something happens AFTER their drinks at the end of that night and I 1000% agree (as I’ll get to down below) but I also think that something happened BEFORE they meet at the church, and maybe it was the apology dance itself. I’ll now conjecture wildly:

Theory #1: Dance happened PRIOR to Nazi Church Explosion

I think something has happened between when we last saw the ineffable duo in 1862 and when we see them again in 1941. 1941 is all about is trust and intimacy and 1862 shows the opposite of that.

Crowley asks for holy water; Aziraphale accuses him of wanting to kill himself; Crowley says that’s not what he wants it for and Aziraphale does not believe him and says “do you know what kind of trouble I’d be in if (heaven) knew I was fraternizing—“ which gets a reaction from Crowley. We’ve seen him angry but rarely at Aziraphale - the other time being when the word “nice” was used. Here we see him react with what seems like genuine anger to the word ‘fraternizing.’ He throws it back at Aziraphale “I have plenty of other people to fraternize with angel.” And adds “I don’t need you.” Which is a pretty heavy sentiment from someone who will later refer to Aziraphale many times as both his best and only friend. Aziraphale tells him the feeling is mutual and storms off. Crowley scoffs after him and continues to seem upset.

(And I don’t blame him. It’s implied that hell has been punishing him for his good deed in Edinburgh for some amount of time over the past 30 odd years. Aziraphale also knows that Crowley did “a good deed” by stopping a girl from suicide, watches him disappear into a pit before his eyes, does not see him for many years after that, and yet when they do meet and Crowley asks him for holy water Aziraphale jumps to the conclusion that Crowley wants to use it on himself, which seems like a strange leap to make for someone we’re told is very smart (but obviously he is an idiot when it comes to Crowley))

That’s where things end in 1862 - distrust, disbelief, misunderstandings and genuine anger between the two of them.

Compare that parting to their behavior the night of 1941 after the church bombing - an evening brimming with mutual trust and a surprising level of competence from both our ineffable idiots as a result. Perhaps it all turned around for Aziraphale solely because Crowley saved his books (and I guess Aziraphale’s corporation too, although the angel presumably could have miracled himself out of an actual life or death situation both here and at the French guillotine, so how much is Crowley truly saving and how much is it “but rescuing me makes him so happy.”), but what would inspire Crowley to suddenly trust Aziraphale again? Later, at the end of the night when Aziraphale thanks him for coming through on stage, Crowley says “Well you said trust me.” As though it’s obvious that Crowley trusts Aziraphale. But the last we saw them there is no evidence of this kind of trust from either side.

And Aziraphale now trusts Crowley so much that he not only to initially ask him to be his confidante in the magic act but chooses to keep going without miracles and with disincorporation on the line.

I also think it’s noticeable that there’s no reference to their 1862 fight at any point as the evening unfolds. We’ve seen that they keep track of these things (“don’t I owe you lunch from…” “Paris. 1793,” And “Whatever I did I’m sorry. Work with me here, I’m apologizing.” “I did the apology dance in…”) Did the apology dance come before these events and somehow inspire this renewed friendship and deeper level of trust than we’ve yet been shown in their chronology?

Theory #2: Apology Dance happens POST magic show

Other people have speculated before me that something else happens that evening or afterwards and I agree. There’s a very noticeable change from how things end between them on this night and where they pick up in 1967 and then 2008.

In the Nazi Zombi minisode we see a new side of Aziraphale. He calls Crowley his friend not once but multiple times. Not only that, but he gives space and credibility to Crowley’s world view, for possibility the first and only time apart from the end of not-armageddan. At the end of the evening as they’re sharing wine, Aziraphale trots out the usual tired old argument of ‘you must be at least a little good’ by saying “You could have walked away if you were truly as evil as you like to paint yourself,” and Crowley corrects him, as he always does, by saying “Nah. That’s the trouble with you lot. You tend to see things in black and white. Sometimes you just gotta blur the edges.” But then something remarkable happens. Aziraphale actually acknowledges Crowley’s words and even raises a glass to them - “maybe there is something to be said for shades of gray.” - which is a HUGE departure from nearly every other time we see them interact and a major step forward in their relationship.

How do we get from there to “you go too fast for me Crowley.” How do we get from there to “We (heaven) will win (armageddon). Heaven will finally triumph over hell. It’s all going to be rather lovely.” To not wanting to help Crowley initially with the antichrist. To “I’m an angel, you’re a demon. We’re hereditary enemies.” To “We’re not friends…. I don’t even like you… There is no our side.”

If I had a word to describe how Aziraphale is when he recounts his apology dances and demands a proper apology from Crowley in s2e1 that word would be ‘bitter.’ What was he wrong about, and what did Crowley do about it? Perhaps Crowley took him being right and Aziraphale being wrong about something too far which broke down the trust and openness we see Az developing over the course of this evening. I do think something happens after this evening that we’re going to be shown in season 3, and it being the missing apology dance makes a lot of sense, but I also think something significant happened off screen between 1862 and 1941 as well, so perhaps both centuries will be revisited in season 3…

Thoughts?

[sonkitty]

Crowley S2 Hair Post #0 - Before the Beginning

Introduction

I'll actually be talking about more than the sideburns throughout these posts. I don't know if I'll really go through the minisodes later because I just plain don't get these parts, but I'll decide that when the time comes. For this one, I figured I could take the extra time to do it even though I highly prefer present day Crowley to any and all versions of him.

...

Sideburns Check

The sideburns are longer than we've known them to be on Crowley compared to season 1. They are even in length and similar in texture whereas later present day scenes in season 2 will actually show subtle differences even between the sideburns themselves.

Compared to what we'll see in later scenes, these sideburns are not the longest-length we'll be seeing in the bookshop and close to the end of episode 6 when Crowley is standing at the door to his car.

They more closely match a length like what the car gives with a demonic presence and what they will be for Crowley during extensive parts of episodes 5 and 6 when they don't reach their longest-length.

So, generally that puts them at a supernatural reading in this open space. Well, Earth and humans don't exist yet, so that matches some understanding of how they operate in the present day storyline.

If there is any rank idea to just play around and guess at, in the context of this scene, I would go with Throne.

Generally, I figure Crowley's highest rank was "First-Order Archangel," due to the deliberate framing in episode 6 when a recording of Gabriel claims to be the only one in the Universe. Still, his rank could have changed during his time as an angel, and this version of Crowley doesn't seem to be as high as what I would expect for a First-Order Archangel.

The Throne idea is from a few clues combined from both seasons. He had a noticeable ornate throne in his flat in season 1. Beelzebub summoned him directly onto a throne in S2E1. Muriel specified "Throne" as one of the ranks required to possibly unlock Gabriel's file. Stuff like that.

...

Streak Check

There is no evident more saturated streak of red in Crowley's hair here, which is to be expected in this context. The streak is mainly on for a great deal of the present day story and 1941 minisode but not in other memories. He's got an energetic active curl on the top of his head though. There's also a part in his hair that is above the center of his left eye. Above the center of his left eye is a key place to generally find that streak later.

...

Earthly Objects

For myself on trying to figure out Earthly Objects, the three objects present were eventually understood as a clue to the existence of the Rule of Three within the game itself. Likewise, Crowley's use of the book, for me, was eventually a clue that a supernatural touch onto an earthly object still counted as a touch.

Earth gets a special mention during the scene.

...

Story Commentary

Before the Beginning starts us off with an angel who eventually becomes Crowley. We are intentionally not given his name. While I've seen other posts refer to him as "Starmaker," I'm just going to stick with calling him "Crowley" anyway because that's what the subtitles did. If I remember things properly, I think it's noteworthy that Crowley himself never says his own name the whole season, for any given time period.

Nonetheless, we have entered season 2 a lot differently than season 1. God is not here to narrate. For this segment, no one here is to narrate. We saw Crowley first. Crowley is going to effectively bookend the entire season overall.

We learn some new things, but we're going to learn more clearly later that this story is not to be trusted as it is directly presented to us. Something is very, very off with reality. Among God's last lines to us in season 1 was, "Perhaps the recent exertions had had some fallout in the nature of reality, because while they were eating for the first time ever, a nightingale actually did sing in Berkeley Square." The second part sounds sweet, but the first part with "fallout" and "reality" is something to keep in mind, given what we'll be seeing later.

Not only is something off with reality, something is off with memories. This part is a memory.

It's generally over my head on whatever is going on with this memory beyond stuff already mentioned. I have loads of speculation but nothing I really find worth sharing.

Personally speaking, I don't care much for this scene. I have an extreme fondness for the demon part of Crowley that is Crowley, especially the snake. I'm also a total sucker for black-feathered wings, which are purposely not here. I hope that, given the context of the scene itself, this part is setting us up for seeing Crowley's actual Fall in season 3. It's not exactly an expectation, but that's what this scene makes me want to see.

...

The Sideburns Scheme

[rocco-ko]

I just realized that the whole plan of averting The Apocalypse in S1 and aziracrow's interaction back then, looked if they had recently* "broken up" (who knows what "recently" means for a couple of immortal beings).

"Everything we see in Good omens is important". And I do believe there's a reason why during that 30 min sequence in the episode 3, their 6000-year journey/relationship was paused on "You go too fast for me Crowley". What if that was the last time they saw each other before the birth of Antichrist (in TV universe). Because when you look at their relationship in S1 (main plot line), it seems as if they try very hard to keep everything professional "for the sake of Arrangement" (and failing miserably). What we really could observe there is a way how people who meet each other after a break up usually behave.

You can see very clearly how different their relationship look in S2 compared to S1 main plotlines. There is a perfect explanation really – they believe to be temporarily free from their respective offices, and that's right, of course. But then there are minisodes in S2 with a culmination being The Bulletcatch and 1941. What makes S2 so different is that we got a chance to see them enjoying each other's company outside of The Arrangement or given assignments. If you look at S1 again, it's them working together (Heaven/Hell assignments). S2 is different. Both, minisodes and the main plot line, showed them staying together because they wanted to and because they chose each other's company, unlike S1 where we saw them being literally codependent as their whole existence depended on it.

It brings the important question. What the hell happened in 1941? It seemed to me that 1967 scene was happening after the "break up". They were both too vulnerable and too emotional (especially Aziraphale who usually is more of a rational type out of them both). Something happened which made them build the walls once more and what will happen again in S3, but this time it will demolish those walls for eternity. 

[beebopboom]

So a while ago I made a full timeline for the show just to keep up with the craziness with all the minisodes and started to analyze them

And I just want to point out places we could possibly get new ones - this is going to be long so strap in - also just kind of a ramble don’t take this too serious

So first off could be the Fall/Great War - it would make sense to get a "middle" part to their story before humanity - we have the beginning and the end (where their story on earth starts) - it would just be a nice wrap up

Now for 4004b.c.- 2500b.c. I think we are pretty good on that time period and them only meeting up those three time based on how they make references to their previous meeting like they haven't talked in between them

Then we come to 2500b.c. - 33a.d. which is quite a jump of 2533 years compared to the previous around a 1000 years - and it is the time Jesus is born and his first life which could end up being important next season - but l assume it is also a time of a lot of biblical moments not great on Bible stuff me - so just a lot of possibilities here during this time

I don't see a lot happening between 33a.d - 41a.d yknow with less than 10 years apart - but you never know

Then 41a.d - 537a.d. a bit more time between the two - could get to see something that gets Crowley thinking about suggesting the arrangement - but I don't really think anything would go here

Now 537 a.d. - 1601 - ooh boy it would be great to see one of the dozens of arrangements that crowley mentions they have done in this time period

And next is 1601 - 1793 which I'm a big fan of getting something from here - once again it is an almost 2000 year gap - and you have 1650 that Aziraphale mentions as maybe the first apology dance and the only date we haven't seen anything from that list (also look here for maybe why it’s important for Crowley) - but could also do a continuation thing for 1793 like what was done for 1941 - oh or Crowley finding out about Aziraphale opening up the bookshop - so many possibilities

Ok so 1793 - 1862 we already got an addition between the two so idk if we would get another one - but it would be cool to see something with Jane Austen like the 1810 robbery (that is not an actual thing that happened so why add it if not to expand on it) - or the bookshop opening scene

And the period between 1862 - 1941 they weren't talking but I wouldn't count out seeing them on their own considering yknow the possible parallels

Again 1941-1967 a shorter period of time -I don't really see a need for anything here tbh - but could be interesting to see aziraphale's attitude shift

And finally 1967 - present, a big jump i know but honestly wouldn't mind seeing anything from here, think it could be fun - we've already seen some of 70's crowley which was great - but probably would be more of a short flashback or mention than a full minisode

[issela-santina]

you know what, I want to see hair color 668 on Crowley for Good Omens 3

just for fun because we already got 666 and 777 previously and then the title of the book sequel could have been 668 so why not right

Comparison between Season 2 (left, crimson dyed quiff) and Season 1 (right, copper shoulder length wig) appearances of Crowley, played by David Tennant, in Good Omens.

Swatches of hair colors, described below from left to right.

777, Schwarzkopf. A rich orange-copper shade, one of the usual hues coming to mind when describing someone's hair as “ginger”. 777 is symbolic of Heaven.

666, Revlon. A deep crimson red, befitting the famously devilish symbolism of its code number.

668, Schwarzkopf. A shade of chestnut brown. Among the three colors, this one would be most commonplace. A planned literary sequel for Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch would have had the (working?) title of 668: Neighbour of the Beast.

I know it's a bit drastic to compare to his usual looks and it's too close to David Tennant's actual hair color but dear fuck doesn't that say a lot already????

in the first season Crowley sports a natural ginger while he's close to Aziraphale and thus putting on a show for the two sides of the coin that is Heaven/Hell

he's also ginger as an orange cat in most flashbacks (Eden, Uz, Golgotha, Edinburgh, Paris, M25 planning)

but then come the second season there are 2 flashbacks where he's crimson: the nebula minisode and 1941 when his hat was off)

post-lockdown Crowley sports that crimson hair in a very slicked quiff as he's trying his hardest to stay close to and be himself more around Aziraphale, but finds an ever present rift between the two of them

because while Aziraphale still believes in the system that Heaven/Hell runs on, Crowley stopped a long time ago and became his own person, and the choice of a less earthy color on his hair seems to reflect it

so what's it going to say if Crowley, now truly alone and severed from the abusers and their system that his partner had chosen over being with him on Earth, sports a darker hair color that finally makes him blend into the planet that he helped save from Armageddon at least once upon a time?

I mean it's not book Crowley kind of dark hair but you get the idea

[iamnotcreativeijustplayitontv]

Notes regarding 229401

Just a quick note: I realize this post is coming much later than planned, so I apologize for that. It's also a little long, but there are multiple parts. This post will very likely get edited in the future, but if I don't post it now, I may not ever.

After the initial "Before the Beginning" part of S 2 E 1, Good Omens 2 opens with Aziraphale receiving a note from his record-shop tenant, Maggie, owner of The Small Back Room.

The note is written on an invoice slip, and we see the number printed in red in the upper right-hand corner is 229401. We know details in this show are demonstrated/indicated for a reason, so I decided to do some Internet-digging. I'm sure these are reaches, but it was fun, so here it goes.

(found here, posted by HereBecauseOfGoodOmens)

Another note: this post (other than the tartan bit later) is specifically about 229401, not the note itself. There may be more about that in a future post, but I'm not sure yet.

Since the invoice number is the only part of the page in red compared to the rest in greens/blues on a white background, I Googled the number to see what I could find.

One result was this interestingly-shaped shelf support:

which looks a bit like the design on Crowley's tie in the 1941 minisode:

(GIF by gothamstreetcat)

I also checked hex codes, and got this interesting, grassy shade of green:

Comparing the color on my laptop screen to the color on my TV while watching, it most looked like the cemetery grass in S 2 E 3 when Aziraphale calls the bookshop from the stranger's mobile phone, but doesn't match when I compare them both on my laptop screen. It is also similar to various greens from The Scottish Register of Tartan's PDF of Tartan Register Colour shades, but it also seems so specifically familiar and I just can't quite place it.

EXTRA-REACHING SIDE NOTE: CLAN MACDONALD TARTAN COLORS In that same scene, right before Crowley answers the ringing phone, we see him toss a stack of books he had been carrying. The books were varying shades of blue, green, and red. We know that David Tennant is proud of his Scottish heritage, so out of pure curiosity, I did some Googling and found this, "the oldest recorded version of the clan sett" (it says it is dated 01/01/1819, prior to the launch of The Scottish Register of Tartans), the same colors:

Also also, I couldn't make out the title or the rest of the names on the book, but the second book from the top of the stack definitely says "David" on it.

Yes, I do know that his family name was McDonald and not MacDonald, but when I first did the search, this is what it showed me. It's probably (definitely) a reach, but hey, it was fun!

And finally, I am completely new to numerology, but added the digits together and got 18, so here's some numerology related to 18. I realize it is written to sound applicable in general, like horoscopes, but why not go for it?

According to affinitynumerology.com:

The numerology essence of the number 18 has to do with humanitarianism, independence, and building something of lasting benefit. The underlying idea of the essence of the number 18 is the welfare of humanity. 18 is tolerant and compassionate, mixing easily with others, including planning and executing projects, yet tends to do the actions of what it considers the most important either by itself or as the leader — at its own determination.

Could this possibly be representative of Aziraphale going to Heaven at the end of S 2? Maybe it would have something to do with action he takes regarding the Second Coming.

According to numerologistpro.com:

In imbalance, the number 18 is conflicted, angry, choleric, and fanatic. Many with 18/9 energy seem happy, light-hearted, and open on the surface, but there is nothing light about the inner life of 18/9. There is a lot of guilt, shame, fear, and insecurity. For example, there can be a lot of internal conflict with a shifting attraction and repulsion to money and power. In balance, the number 18 has energy, focus, willpower, and drive.

This can be applied to Aziraphale, as well, especially as he gets better at lying over time and in S 2 E 6 after he finds out that he will be leading the Second Coming. It will be interesting to see what happens with Aziraphale as Supreme Archangel, having to try to balance his responsibilities/duties to humanity, Heaven, and of course Crowley.

[postsforposting]

az says he did the apology dance in 1941, but we don't see it.

the scene in s2 reopens at the church just before the bomb falls, but it's cut off, a huge chunk is missing compared to s1. we could believe it's only because they're just trying to reference the previous season, not pickup where we left off, but i don't think that makes sense--everything is on purpose. even in the bits we get, things are changed, lines cut out.

you don't mention a dance and then not show it during the scene it's supposed to appear. that's not just "there's a whole extra season yet", like the gabriel statue, this is a blaring siren of a Clue.

this is also the flashback where they have the "shades of gray " discussion. if metatron is editing stuff, that's pretty shades of gray and blurring the edges. this flashback starts with shax bringing up that furfur had tried to use the 1941 photo of the magic act to climb the ranks, in the conversation in the car between az and shax, where az also says crowley can't be hiding gabriel because "where would crowley put him", as in, az knows full well that crowley isn't living in his former flat.

the camera also shakes terribly during the whole flashback. it does not do this in any of the other ones. it can't be because we're seeing this as az's memories, because the others are also his memories--az narrates the resurrectionists one. the camera does start wavering a little bit in the middle of the resurrectionists minisode, at 23:20. it's not much, not nearly as dramatic as the zombies, but it's definitely not steady. it does more shaking when they take morag's body to dalyrimple at 28:09 and through the end of the flashback. 1941 is the most modern/lasted dated of the flashbacks, so perhaps, if the book of life editing theory is true, then the memories are being destabilized and the shaking is evidence of that--the shaking would be how much editing is done on the memory itself, and how much cumulatively before the particular memory, results in it no longer making sense.

another weird thing that keeps happening is the use of "sunshine". in s1 gabriel uses this against az when they're trying to murder him with hellfire. it shows up several more times in s2, against eric the disposable demon said by shax, and said by crowley when shax is taking over people on the street to find gabriel just before the attack on the shop.

[fraseris]

okay no matter your opinions on that one theory there are definitely a lot of weird things in s2 and i dont think all of them can just be due to bad writing or production. the lack of drinking compared to s1 and alcohol being looked down on as morally wrong. the fact that nina and maggie and shax are all played by actors from s1 and its never brought up even though thats the exact kind of thing that good omens would have a joke or two about. the melodramatic music in some scenes (compared to how melodramatic the s1 music was.) the fact that the first thing you know about maggie is she makes spelling errors, and then in the final episode she acts completely nonsensically in the bookshop while nina is going ??? we cant just fight a horde of demons??? like a normal person. crowleys appearance in the job minisode doesn't match up with his appearance in the s1 flashbacks. aziraphale specifically mentions he did the apology dance in 1941, but they dont show it in the 1941 flashback. they show these nazi zombies and stress the fact that they will live forever but then they dont show up again. "ask him properly" is repeated so many times but what does it even mean. aziraphale blew up his halo ?? or something ?? and that was apparently a declaration of war. at least two book titles are shown off to the camera but their meaning for the plot is confusing. they both know in the scene where they meet as angels that the universe will be ended 6000 years afterwards but then theyre surprised about it happening Right Then in s1. crowley apparently fell just by being friends with the wrong people and being curious but he has very blatant conflicts with god in that scene. why does nina not get sucked into aziraphales jane austen thingie but maggie does, and then later he cant do a miracle on either of them??? even though maggie fell for it earlier that day??? <- i would bet a solid 2/3 of this is just because this season was bad but what about the rest of it ??? so many chekhov's guns that never got explained it should be illegal. whats going on here

[sonkitty]

The Sideburns Scheme - LINK - Update

-Added "especially pockets" to this part:

Another important component in my theorizing is that Good Omens 2 is especially interested in these three things: doors, windows, and pockets—especially pockets. We'll be seeing these things a lot within the spaces when studying the sideburns, especially once I get to making more in-depth posts.

-Added a new section titled "The Past". Here are the contents:

The Past The Season 2 present day storyline is broadly solvable for the sideburns without examining the minisodes. Even so, once those minisodes are examined, other aspects of the spaces come into play as what may affect the hair or sideburns. These things suggest even season 1 had factors affecting the spaces to make his sideburns look more consistently short for its present day. For instance, he never wore a hat when driving and never had plants behind him in the car when driving either in season 1. These things affect how the sideburns change in season 2. In season 2's present day, they shorten during his drives in episode 1 when the plants are shown behind him both times. That happens yet again before the closing credits start in episode 6. In 1941, the car is surrounded by fire, Aziraphale is with him, not wearing a hat, and Crowley's wearing a hat. The sideburns lengthened instead of shortened for that drive. Nonetheless, the content below is primarily based on the season 2 present day storyline. You can find more about the minisodes in the links at the bottom.

...

-Updated about the "Standing with precision" at the ending part for longer sideburns. Here are the contents:

-Standing at the threshold with utmost precision in the season's ending The sideburns are at their longest-length in the season's ending up to the final cut right before the credits start. I currently think it is because of a combination of stillness, his left arm's exclusive touch on the threshold, his right hand pocket touch, and having his legs crossed. Every cut of him from the front ensures a symbol of fire from the coffee shop to his right, and a hat-wearing human somewhere visually to his left, even if it's all the way across the street in the first of the three cuts.

...

-Updated about how the present day sideburns shorten during the drives while specifically including the plants behind Crowley. Here are the contents:

-Driving the Bentley for a long enough time after de-activating it as a home base. His plants are ensured to be behind him as well.

...

-Updated that in addition to thresholds being able to force or counter the effect of shorter sideburns in human spaces...so can hats...still working through fire and roofs:

-Being present in human spaces. Thresholds can both force and counter this effect, dependent on their design. In the past, hats can also help force or counter the effect. There are things about fire and roofs I'm still working through as well.

...

Added the following as an activation point for shorter sideburns:

-Standing with his left hand in his pants pocket as Maggie and Nina are leaving while Aziraphale enters the bookshop in episode 6. He is shown blurred from some distance, so it's easy to miss him. He's to the camera's right behind Nina. Both humans are no longer looking at him. It's a cut that ensures Crowley is briefly visible before the next Muriel scene.

...

-Got more specific about where the car is actually parked each episode when it's near the bookshop.

...

-Committed to saying the border expanded.

...

-General light re-wording in various places. I did remove the "former" of "former demon" since he technically claimed "demon" twice in front of Muriel compared to the one "former demon" in front of Shax. As noted many times by this point, I think Crowley has a deep trust in Muriel.

...

-Added the following when talking about Crowley being alarmed at the demons arriving:

There is something about layering and switches they seem to have in the games they play that I don't fully understand.

-Added the following about the pub and music shop encounters:

Each encounter mentions lights of a similar nature.

-Updated the section on the simple answer to Heaven as part of The Bigger Thresholds Trick to the following:

I don't know the true simple explanation for Heaven though as more time passes, I lean most toward "pretended to be arrested". That's because it's emphasized as how he gets in with Muriel. His own dialogue brings it up once he's actually inside the threshold. It has a little rhythm to it. The problem with that solution is that the ideal one would include a noun, such as "buttons" or "cells" or "doorknobs," to represent the Triple. Another good solution would be something like "engaged in misdirection", especially given the context of the entrance scene itself. The "LETTERS" mailbox is a potential clue as is the doors closing in so specifically on Crowley's watch. So, I'm not fully convinced "pretended to be arrested" is the answer. It's still the one I lean the most toward as of the latest update.

-Added some more wording near the end about the "Separately Together" theme. So, generally updated that part to the following:

Crowley is giving everything he has in himself to see Aziraphale off without truly giving his full self up in the process. Aziraphale is going to a place Crowley will not follow. Even so, the demon of the pair has put pieces in place to help Aziraphale from the distance they will have between each other in the foreseeable future. They both contributed to creating and maintaining a connection with each other during Good Omens 2. They also had to work together separately. They both love Earth, and they are going to work to protect Earth in Good Omens 3. In my view, there's a hidden "Separately Together" theme in Good Omens 2 that one cannot find—or will very much struggle to find—unless you figure out at least some of the pocket puzzles. Linked to The Door Trick is something truly magical called The Door Catch. I found it on accident through never fully solving The Pocket Trick.

[thesherrinfordfacility]

LWA with a short-winded addendum to a recent set of posts about what the characters know & don't know about each other: the fanon "they've been pining for 6000 years" and, for that matter, Crowley's "they've been friends/a balked couple for 6000 years" not only don't conform to what we see on the screen, as I said before, but also don't conform to anything the /actors/ have said about what they're playing. DT and MS both describe what's happening in terms of two characters being drawn together slowly and inexorably over millennia, not two characters falling in love at first sight (with MS noting in one S1 interview that the one-character-split-in-half bit absolutely informs what he's doing). Aziraphale really doesn't fall in love until 1941! (It may even be mutual: Crowley's decision to buy the eagle lectern suggests that he realizes /something/ important happened to their relationship there, even if he can't name it.) Crowley really doesn't have any idea that he's in love until whenever S2 is! You can even make a good case that he doesn't consciously understand how /much/ he feels about Aziraphale until the bookshop fire in S1.

hi again LWA✨ little lie down and strengthening tonic (see: wine) have been administered and i now have the strength to answer this, although it will be a bit more succinct - exactly this! i think you've said about this before (your asks blur into one sometimes im afraid, even without the wine) and it really is just that: i do hold that they are somewhat fascinated by each other (to varying degrees, at different times, and nearly always one sided until the later years), but they are not in love.

i am particularly concerned about the eden scene; is aziraphale that put off by crowley having become a demon, compared to his little crush he sported pre-fall? almost seems a bit unkind and disingenuous of him (and maybe that's the whole point, but [insert memory wipe theory]), and even though we have the "i remember the angel you were" line, i do wonder if aziraphale is recollecting the same scene we were shown? idk, probably over-analysing it and haven't thought it through properly, but he does go remarkably cold from eden onwards, up until job i guess, and that seems a little... odd.

the lectern is a good point re: where crowley's head might have been after the events of the 40s minisode... still fairly certain that there's more to come of this snapshot in their history, because whilst on one level the tension of the 1967 scene does make sense to follow the events of the 1941 minisode, it also... doesn't? i feel like we're still missing something key here that truly hammers home why aziraphale seemingly does a 180 from his behaviour in 41, and ends up with, "you go too fast for me, crowley"... willing to bet a fair deal of money that that snippet of their history does not end with the dinner.

but yeah in any case; absolutely i do not think they were in love from the first, as lovely as that might be to think. attraction, interest, intrigue - yes, all possible... but not love.