So I was thinking about how space is a big theme in the miniseries. Hell (in Good Omens) is crowded while Heaven’s HQ is uncomfortably empty.
This contrast in and of itself isn’t too unusual, Heaven with their elitist bureaucracy and misguided approach to “earthly” things (these guys can’t remember what the hell a book is) would pick the incorrigible rich person aesthetic of minimalist interior design with open spaces. Hell, on the other hand, is constantly packed with bodies and in a similar way is empty of objects but full and crowded with people. There is clearly a commentary on class dynamics going on because whereas heaven chooses to be empty, with large spaces between the individuals, Hell doesn’t have such a luxury, so people don’t have things because their only currency (SPACE) is taken.
BUT THEN I was thinking about Aziraphale’s home, packed with books and collections that he’s proud of. He’s got the best selection of wines (at least a good selection), he hoards books (usually first additions) and spends his miraculous wealth on things that make him happy, specifically underpinning the Heavenly choices for minimalism. I think you could lose a family of elephants in his book shop and not notice for weeks. It’s cramped, but not in the same way Hell is because of the tender care AZ puts into his home.
Crowley, in contrast, IS a minimalist, but a minimalist much more in line with Marie Kondo’s school of thought because instead of being empty for empty’s sake, he does keep the things that bring him joy. He pours his soul into things he cares about – his plants, his car, his “antique” answering machine – because he needs more breathing space after enduring hell.
Further, you can see how the two are rebelling against the prescriptive styles they are expected to have, and instead are creating hybrid spaces where they can have a bit of themselves in their landscape. I suspect, given these little rebellions, there is also a trauma and recovery reading that could be done as both are trying to cope with how their respective sides treat the “misfit” angel/demon duo.
Which brings me to my actual revelation. If (and by if I mean 100% when) Aziraphel stayed over at Crowley’s after the armageddon’t, then he would witness the vastly different stylistic choices in Crowley’s home and perhaps be uncomfortable with the similarities to the emptiness of Heaven. However, I wager, he would recognize that Crowley’s home is not, like heaven, actually empty. For one thing, Crowley has walls, but for another, he puts his heart into spaces that he can feel vulnerable in (again see his car, his home, AND the bookshop for evidence). If Aziraphel wasn’t feeling the palpitations of love in Crowley’s apartment, I think he might need a system’s check.
BUT in this point of the narrative, Crowley would not know what heaven looks like (at least not the contemporary headquarters that they keep post-fall). He would not know that the collector tendencies that AZ. displays is likely a response to not having an individual personality in heaven. Similarly, AZ wouldn’t know exactly how unkempt and crowded Hell is, and that it’s a big deal that Crowley feels comfortable if not SAFE in HIS cluttered bookstore.
Then, the swap happens, and layers of understanding are added to the ways the two react to their landscape. We can talk at length about how Aziraphel (disguised as Crowley) is in shock at the physical abuse going on. And we could talk about how Crowley (disguised) almost breaks character a series of times as he’s being emotionally or verbally abused by Gabriel on behalf of his angel. But both are unprepared for the kinds of spaces they’re entering when they’re kidnapped by their “side”.Â
The fundamental problem with how Heaven AND Hell function is that both are cold, abusive, and really, aren’t functional spaces. Nothing can get done reasonably in Heaven, it’s simply devoid of any personality and character. It’s not bland, it’s much more insidious than that. Rather, it’s false transparency, a “nothing to see here” while they are enabled to continuously belittle and attack Angels who question their motives. They are more than willing to use that space for hellfire torture for Aziraphale, but being left alone in that space is intimidating by itself. Under the guise of “good” or “righteous” is cold-blooded indifference to the health and wellbeing of the angels under their watch. Â
Hell is also insidious, but for more obvious and in your face kind of reasons. Granted, of the 2 Hell does actually offer a trial, but the depths of abuse and uncomfortably close quarters probably shocked Az, as Hell’s landscape shocked Crowley. The takeaway being that neither place represented either of them nor their needs. But, that they can come together and create new spaces – spaces that are inclusive to different experiences – that will help them cope with their own abuse and make it so a deep down good demon, and just enough of a bastard angel, can have space together.Â
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