As I’ve seen a lot of negative reactions about the GO finale, I’m of course here to put my own two cents in as someone who liked it a great deal. This is not going to be a bash about the people who don’t like it, because you know what, I 100% see and understand where they’re coming from, and they are making great and valid points. They aren’t wrong, their interpretations are just different from mine, and that’s okay!! I do feel sad that it wasn’t what they wanted or expected, and now it is tainted for them. But also… because of that… as someone who DID enjoy it, I wanted to articulate (and by that I mean word vomit) my own positive thoughts and takes to help with the way I’m feeling disheartened. I want to keep my positivity and those feelings I felt while watching it. So! If you’re here to argue with me, or try to tell me I’m wrong, please don’t. I’ll ignore it and move on with my day. I’m not here to convince anyone of anything – just here to offer my thoughts and why I enjoyed it. It will be rambling and all over the place, and stupidly long…omg so long, so bless anyone who reads it.
I love that Crowley got to be a salty bitch. I’m sad that they didn’t get to have a real conversation about it, but he sure did milk it for everything it was worth, and I love that for him. Ms. Sandwich giving Aziraphale a dressing down was also delightful, Ms. Sandwich and Crowley friendship ftw.
Jesus was precious and I adored him. Also, Adam at the end?! I screamed “IS THAT ADAM?!” at my screen and had to rewind it. I adore that they put that in there, because that was one of the most amusing fan favorite pairings I saw and they DID IT. Romantically, as friends, it doesn’t matter, they were hanging out.
Muriel and Eric!! I loved that as well, and Muriel’s hell get up, please, I love her your honor.
I desperately wanted to know who Crowley was before he fell, because WHY does he know so much?! His powers?! WHO WAS HE. But leaving it open is fun too, creativity can go as hard as it wants.
The opening flashback? Obsessed. Absolutely obsessed. I don’t care if it was corny, I LOVED the long hair and braids on Aziraphale. First and only hair switch up we see on him?! I live. And first instance of helping the enemy? Crowley giving the sword back? The theory I saw that the bandage became his scarf???? OBSESSED.
Now for more sticky points for the negative reactions I’ve seen:
The no kiss thing. I am also bummed about it, it was really the ONE thing I was hoping for, I came into this with no expectations. And maybe that’s helped me to love it, I watched s2 later, and haven’t had as long to sit and stew on it, to plot out my own endings or build things up in my head like I think people may have. As gently as I can say it, when things sit for as long as GO, I fear that headcanons are born across the fandom, and they are taken deeply to heart. That isn’t a bad thing, I swear, there are some amazing ones that are born. But I do think it can impede or set people up for failure when it comes to the show coming back online. Anyway, back to the kiss! I wanted them to kiss badly, I really did, and I’m bummed they didn’t, but you know what? It’s ok. I can live with what did happen. I’ve seen some posts on it, and kudos to others with the same thought. The kiss last season was Crowley initiating, and it was desperate, overwhelming, full of so many things. And this time… Aziraphale got to initiate that little finger kiss/return kiss. He got to do it at his speed. Azira- “you go too fast for me” -phale got to do it in a way that felt consistent to his character for me. This is a man who adored Jane Austen and her love stories, a fucking slow burn lover. Not kissing Crowley full on in view of god, but doing something very sweet and gentle feels on brand.
The lack of a fully explicit “I love you” thing. It would have been absolutely lovely to hear the actual words, don’t get me wrong. But also… I felt like they showed their love and the understanding of that love in so, so many ways. “We can be an us.” “If Gabriel and Beelzebub can do it, so can we.” “Why would you give me Crowley, make me complete?” “I only want one thing.” “I forgive you.” “Heartbroken.” “Your love for him…” Crowley’s “I forgive you.” Etc. etc. etc. Personally, I didn’t need the explicit words, the grand declaration. To me, they already knew. They’ve probably known for a long time.
I actually quite loved that their roles were so reversed for this. Aziraphale getting to rescue Crowley, and swoop in to save the day. Aziraphale got to be the one with the plans and making shit happen. In the end, Crowley, who the last two world ending disasters said "screw humans and earth, let's run away together and ignore it all," gets to turn around and say "actually, no, let's save them." Aziraphale, who the last two times made the hard decision to do what was right, to stay and fight and try to save humans and earth even if Crowley left, got to admit that he really only wanted Crowley and this time he was willing to abandon earth and humans to be with him if that's what Crowley wanted. Crowley got to be the hero, and AZIRAPHALE TAUGHT HIM THAT!!! If the options were everything disappears or everything goes back to the way it was and you’ll probably repeat this process for the rest of forever (I will come back to this point, promise), Crowley knew that they would never be at peace. Do you think Aziraphale could live with abandoning humanity or sentencing to this cycle ad naseum? The same angel who put humanity before his own wants again and again? And do you think Crowley could live with the knowledge that it would make Aziraphale unhappy in the long run to not do The Right Thing? Their sacrifice shattered my heart, but to me, after thinking about it, it did feel in character.
The choice. I need to rewatch it, after some recovery, but it felt like, to me at least, that God was giving them some less than ideal choices… It seemed like she implied that “sure, I’ll let you choose, here are your options: sucky ass option 1 or sucky ass option 2!” Do I wish and think that there could have been a third, way better option??? YEAH. Of course I do. But it did sound a bit like they could choose to let God end everything, close the chapter, that’s it the end, the way she wanted and was planning on before Crowley stops her at the last second (and I have to make the Chuck/SPN comparison, I really do – She was bored of this particular story, she was done with it, time to end it, main characters to US be damned, they’re just dolls to her), OR that the board is reset. It all goes back to the way it was. Heaven and Hell chomping at the bit for some great war and end times. Humans caught in the crossfire. Apparently Metatron fucking with things himself. Aziraphale still under heaven’s influence and what the image of a good angel “should” be per heaven’s views, Crowley belonging to his own side. God playing ‘a solo game of solitaire’ anyway with no promise she won’t just laugh and end it all at a moment’s notice. Again, do I think there could have been a better third option??? Absolutely. People pissed about that, you’re absolutely right. There could have been a different work around, I bet. Sadly I’m keeping in mind that they had to cram 6 hours into 90 minutes, had to wrap everything up that they could, and if I remember correctly, they had to scrap anything NG had contributed? So here we are. I think Crowley and Aziraphale making the decision to make a new board where people can decide their own fates, really and truly, even if that cost is themselves, and god won’t interfere either, feels… fairly on brand, really.
The human ending. I 100% understand why the human au ending was upsetting, and part of me definitely agrees with the sentiment that it’s not them. I’m devastated that they won’t remember those 6,000+ years, at least not that we know of. I would love to see endless years and contents of them as an angel and demon in love. But you know what? Here's what I'm going to take from that ending. Not only was that just one lifetime/universe we were shown (I’m of the camp that sees the credits scenes as implying there are tons of other worlds and universes we didn’t get to see, and that Crowley and Aziraphale were there in all of them), we got to see a version of Crowley that wasn't punished severely for asking questions, who wasn't isolated and didn't fit in with the angels OR demons. Who wasn’t deeply traumatized and all too aware that heaven and hell are the same fucking thing, two sides of the same coin, who has to perform a constant balancing act. We got to see a version of Aziraphale that wasn't super conditioned/brainwashed with religion and heaven, who didn't have to spend thousands of years being terrified of showing even the smallest amount of affection for Crowley, who wasn’t ashamed of the human things he enjoyed in the face of other angels, and because of that, we got to see AZIRAPHALE actively pursuing Crowley! He made the first move! Went after him! This version of them got to love openly and get married and get that South Downs cottage ending. If they had stayed as demon and angel, who knows how long it would have taken. I would have loved seeing that and watch it develop, don't get me wrong, but it was sweet to see Aziraphale doing the chasing and initiating. They literally became the embodiment and personification of ‘I will find you in every universe, and love you in every lifetime possible’ and that is so gut wrenchingly romantic that I need to lie down for a few hours.
All in all to say, clumsily, that I loved the ending. It was absolutely bittersweet, and their expressions and words making their choice had me SOBBING. I’m heartbroken, and I am sad for the things we did not get, the things we will not see. But… but. I like what we did get. I feel like there was a happy ending too, along with the pain. I thought they did a pretty damn good job given all the factors, and personally, I think it could have been so much worse, or that we didn’t get anything at ALL and would have been left on that s2 final 15. I do understand that, for some people, this WAS the worse that could have happened, and I’m so sorry. I hope you can still find things to enjoy about it, and the best part is, with a multiverse theory? It just means that every fanfic ever created IS well and truly canon too.
