So. That ending.
(Obligatory disclaimer that these are just my own thoughts. I know this was a polarizing finale, and I don't want to pretend that my opinion is the only correct one. Also, as long as everyone stays civil, I'd love to hear other people's perspectives in the tags/comments!)
I honestly liked the first 70 minutes of the finale. This might be a bit of a hot take since I've seen a lot of people say it's totally off/poorly written/etc, but personally given the short time frame and the fact that I knew it would be rushed going into it, I was pleasantly surprised.
Some things I liked:
Aziraphale snapping at Sandalphon and the other angels
Muriel and Eric
Pathetic drunk Crowley
Jesus was so likeable and I wanted more of him (never thought I'd be saying that as an atheist, but here we are.)
Aziraphale claiming he's given up food and then immediately caving when he sees the dim sum
Crowley looking after Aziraphale's bookshop and being willing to sacrifice the Bentley for it
Aziraphale being an absolute legend at cryptic crosswords and saving the Bentley
Callback to the apology dance
Crowley’s angel outfit (which Aziraphale chose for him!)
Pointy teeth Aziraphale
Aziraphale's stupid long haircut
What I DIDN'T like was basically everything from when they arrived at the eternal flame onwards. The first time I watched the movie, I was too stunned about watching my favorite characters DISAPPEAR INTO DUST to even remotely enjoy the ending scene.
On rewatch, there are admittedly a few parts of it I can appreciate:
Aziraphale (or Asa) being the one to take the leap and pursue Crowley rather than the other way around
Crowley being an astrophysicist. He's always been a nerd at heart, and he will always love space
At the end of the day, I'm a sucker for a sweet gay meet-cute. I liked watching them flirt
The acting is amazing as always, so it's very believable
It ends in the South Downs cottage, with a garden with an apple tree
There are nightingales
The wedding rings
I love human AUs (I've even written one). If this show had extra time for a filler episode, this would have been a fun little “what if?”. If they wanted to get a little more sci-fi with it, they could even make it so that main Aziraphale and Crowley get a glimpse into this parallel universe and meet their human selves. That would have been fun.
What they shouldn’t be is a replacement for the real main characters of the show. When I remember these guys are in their place, I get frustrated and sad. While these two may have similarities to Aziraphale and Crowley, it doesn't change the fact that they're NOT them. They don't have the same memories, and they don't have the shared thousands of years that shaped them into who they are. That version died forever, and never got a happy ending.
We could have had a lot of these same moments without Aziraphale and Crowley sacrificing themselves. They could still be married, happy, and living together in a cottage, sharing a peaceful retirement.
That, ultimately, is what frustrates me the most: the fact that the ending is so unnecessary.
There are SO MANY scenes from the series that blatantly contradict the idea that Aziraphale and Crowley sacrificing themselves (and the current Earth) is somehow the only way for humanity to be truly free:
Laudanum Crowley’s whole anti-suicide speech
The arc scene where Crowley despises the idea of starting humanity over
The story of Job. Killing off three children and replacing them with three new ones is not, in any way, a fair substitution. Aziraphale's moral stance on this was so strong that it was one of the first times he actively defied his orders
It also just seems incredibly out of character for either of them to be fine with sacrificing each other. I truly don’t believe that the characters would ever willingly make a decision that led to the other one’s demise. They care about each other far too much to allow that to happen.
I also feel that this sends the message (whether advertently or inadvertently) that queer/neurodivergent/different people are inherently less deserving or less capable of happy endings
Aziraphale and Crowley's non-human nature can be read as a metaphor for neurodivergence (I wrote a meta about that here if you want to read it), so the idea that this part of them needs to be erased in order for the good of the people around them stings
I'm sad they never got another kiss. While I know that kissing isn't the only way to show that characters are in love, the inclusion of a tragic, angry, on-screen kiss in season two does set up the expectation for another, happy one. Especially because Aziraphale enjoyed bits of that first kiss even despite the tragedy of the moment. In Rob Wilkins’ words, Aziraphale was literally thinking to himself, “do it again”. So to never include another, happy one, is certainly… a choice. There are some weird, slightly homophobic undertones to the fact that the only gay kiss that was shown in the series was a tragic one.
Going off of the last point, there wasn't even a tender hug. I feel like at the very least the characters could have used that.
I’ve also seen a few people argue that this is a happier ending, since their human selves likely didn’t have to experience the same trauma and isolation that Aziraphale and Crowley did as angels and demons. This, to me, feels off. Having past trauma does not somehow make someone less deserving or capable of happiness and joy later in life. In my opinion, the story is much more powerful when Aziraphale and Crowley have been traumatized and hurt, and yet still manage to find joy anyway. Crowley doesn't need to be a human to have a happy, ending just like he doesn't need to be an angel again to have a happy ending.
I'm so, so sick of queer stories having unexpectedly sad endings. We deserve better than that. Happiness should not be exclusively delegated to straight people.
Above all: this story didn't NEED to end in tragedy.
This is a comedy show starring two supernatural beings. Aziraphale and Crowley, as characters, are immortal. They were the one thing in the world that literally COULD have lasted forever, and frankly, after thousands of years fighting for a happy life together, they deserved to get that.
Representation of queer joy is so important, especially now, when we are surrounded by queer tragedy in both fiction and reality, when our rights are being targeted and our voices are being suppressed.
I'm heartbroken we never got to see Aziraphale and Crowley get their happy ending. I'm grateful for the many amazing artists and writers in this fandom who have softened the blow.
For me personally, I'm not quite sure where I'm going from here, but I can say with some degree of certainty that I'm still going to make some comics and fanart of these two, at least for a while (making this one, for example, was wonderfully cathartic). Despite everything, Aziraphale and Crowley hold a special place in my heart. I'm not sure I'll ever fully stop enjoying these characters, even as I explore other stories and other interests.
To everyone who has supported my stupid comics throughout the past few years. To the fandom. And, of course, to the world.
And, as always, fuck Neil Gaiman.
