I know a lot of us have chosen to treat only the book and Season 1 as canon, and I completely understand why. As for me, I've decided to keep the book, Season 1, and about 60% of Season 2 as my personal canon.
But you can't deny that this scene was executed incredibly well.
Michael is an absolute genius of an actor. It genuinely made me want to cry for Aziraphale. His shock, his fear, his pain, the way it feels like absolutely everything and everyone is pressing down on him from every direction, the sheer weight of what he's carrying. Those eyes, full of tears that never quite fall. That broken voice. His heavy breathing. The way his fingers tremble as he brings his hand to his lips, which are trembling just as much. The way he's holding himself back, pressing his lips together, clenching his jaw. There are so many emotions raging inside him, from the pain of wanting to stay with the love of his life to his frustration with Crowley: his recklessness, his failure to grasp the full situation, his assumption that Aziraphale is some naïve fool when he never was, and even, to some extent, the way he uses the kiss as a form of manipulation.
(Yes, I know Crowley had his own reasons, and I understand them. But if we're being objective, they both made mistakes here, Crowley included. I don't think it's fair to ignore that fact. Crowley calls Aziraphale an idiot and makes it clear that he sees him as someone naïve who still believes in Heaven and its goodness. But Aziraphale stopped believing that a long time ago, and Crowley, damn it, should have understood that, especially after everything they went through in Season 1. And it's very likely that it was Aziraphale who came up with the body-swap plan in the first place, because he knew they would come for them and exactly why they would.)
This scene is perfect. It's such a shame we never got a second kiss in a completely different context, with completely different emotions. But I can't deny that this kiss, and everything following it, is a masterpiece with enormous potential for further development.
A development that, sadly, it never received.
turnnoffyourmind
yousharknotpass
theartofmadeline
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