Good Omens season 1 cramped the entire book in one season with 6 episodes. I had my issues with the series – the birthday party scene was undeveloped, the four horsemen weren’t represented the best, and the climax was just sad. Season 2 isn’t in the book. It’s a completely different story (although I’m still not quite sure what the story is) and with Neil Gaiman as a writer of the season 2 script, I don’t know what I was expecting but what the series gave me surely wasn’t it.
As an avid Neil Gaiman reader, I like to think that I’m the ideal person for this review. Before I get started, I want to say that season 1 wasn’t bad but when you put it next to the book, it’s definitely not the best. For season 2, allI I can say is that I spent a good hour yelling at my computer screen out of frustration, another hour filled with disappointment on the phone with my sister and then being utterly flabbergasted for the days because of the last episode of Good Omens season 2. I was distraught and I also spent a significant amount of time yelling at the sky saying, “Why, Neil? WHY?”
Another note before diving into this review, you should definitely watch season 1 (if you haven’t already) and follow up with season 2. But if you’ve read the book, I suggest you try to separate the book from the series. I feel that the series, as a stand-alone, is actually quite good, but not when you sit down to watch it with the book in your hands. So, I highly recommend giving both seasons a fair shot with a blank slate.
Now onto the review. Beware of spoilers. Let’s start with the pros.
The dynamic between Aziraphale and Crowley is heartwarming. We get flashbacks into religious happenings where we see Aziraphale questioning God’s will and struggling to remain loyal.
His battle was one of loyalty vs. what he felt was right or wrong. It was interesting to see one of God’s most beloved angels internally struggling with God’s will in relation to his perception/ understanding of human beings.
Crowley, on the other hand, became a fallen angel because he vocalized and acted upon the emotion and doubts he was feeling regarding God’s will. Despite having two different angelic trajectories and being on the opposite side, Crowley is still someone who cares and consoles Aziraphale. There’s something about this duo that feels right, something about them that makes sense.
Crowley, as a fallen angel, is known for his ability to influence and manipulate others, and we see him do that to Aziraphale in the flashbacks. But we also see Crowley protecting Aziraphale from being a fallen angel. I think that says something about how deep their divine friendship goes, even transcending divinity.
Now, if you’ve read a lot of Neil Gaiman’s work, you’ll notice that the writer has a panache for taking religious icons and desecrating them. He did so in American Gods and in different stories of The Sandman. And it was executed beautifully. BUT, was it really necessary to do the same in Good Omens too?
I’m not saying imbuing homosexuality in religious figures isn’t something that’s amazing, it is. It’s a brilliant way of making commentary against how certain scriptures condone the LGBTQ+ community. In fact, I love the homosexual djinn-human relationships in American Gods, but Aziraphale and Crowley? Really? Since season 1 and even in the books, I’d perceived Aziraphale and Crowley as friends. Purely platonic friends operating together while being on opposite sides of the moral spectrum. Their friendship and dynamic is what made me watch season 2.
Now, it wasn’t just Aziraphale and Crowley who sort of got together (or more like, Crowley confessed to have feeling for Aziraphale), but Gabriel and Beelzebub did get together too and when I tell you that their union was not only beautiful but also made sense, I can’t stress this enough – it made sense. In fact, Gabriel and Beelzebub getting together and wanting to be together is the entire plot. The plot is triggered when Gabriel opposes doomsday. Now, the talk of doomsday doesn’t resurface in the main plot but rather remains hidden in the sub-plot, and we don’t know what really happens or is going to happen. So, who knows what the season will build on.
Most of season 2 was embedding seeds to build on in the next seasons (if there are any). However, just because the plot isn’t entirely clear, doesn’t mean it’s a bad show.
It’s a really good watch – it’s funny, the pacing is good unlike the first season, the direction and cinematography, brilliant. Oh, let me rephrase; it’s a good watch until the last episode.
I mean, Aziraphale and Crowley have spent the most time amongst humans compared to other angels and demons, and they supposedly understand humans the best. And yet. AND YET, it took a human to give Crowley ‘the talk about love’ and in the most cliched manner. In just a few minutes, Crowley was professing his love for Aziraphale while Aziraphale goes to heaven with a promotion, and barely even responds to Crowley’s confession. I mean, come on. That’s ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.
But like I keep saying, the show isn’t bad. Many viewers actually loved the possibility of a romantic relationship between Crowley and Aziraphale and I can understand why.
Season 2 goes back to incidents where Crowley and Aziraphale worked together, spent time together and had each other’s backs knowingly and unknowingly. We get glimpses of Crowley not being all that evil and heartless, and of Aziraphale not following all orders to the dot. The two have a long history that stems beyond just being colleagues (but is it really so beyond that they’d become a romantic thing?) and that’s what makes the duo unique and special. In fact the best way to put it, is that there’s hell, heaven and then there’s the Crowley-Aziraphale space in the middle which doesn’t entirely work for either side.
The space Crowley and Aziraphale create/share is special and unique, a union of good and bad, where the ideals of Heaven and Hell collide yet work together. Their individual perspectives into human beings and how they influence each other blurs the dichotomy of good and evil, and this combination can very well be reflected into our own lives.
So, to end my rant, Good Omens season 2 is good. But for me, it was incredibly frustrating and I can’t seem to get over it. It’s still a good watch and I recommend everyone to watch it and come to their own conclusion about how they feel. It’s either a hit or miss, there’s no in between.