And also the narrative resetting to a status quo that unqueers the main characters (no longer Angel and Demon in human form and thus inherently trans-something), now a unambiguously male/male white greeting card couple who can go off to pucker kiss into the sunset offscreen where they won't bother anyone.
I don't necessarily agree that they might be completely cis as humans because I don't correlate gender presentation to gender queerness, BUT
That former point is very important and I feel like people forget about it when discussing the transness of them as characters
Many enbies me included liked their angel and demon selves because they were so fucking non-binary and trans and queer without even realizing it due to the fact that they were not human to begin with
Turning them into humans erased that perceived inherent gender queerness for us and it's such a difficult thing to explain but it's just fngnskfn like it fucks me up
Maybe I'll find a better way to explain it later but the people who get it, get it 🤔
I have had so many conversations with myself about my thoughts on the finale, so I figured it was round about time to actually sit down and type them out.
Some things I want to establish before I begin are:
If you wholeheartedly enjoyed the finale and were overall satisfied, I’m happy for you. I personally wasn’t, but that being said I didn’t HATE it, and in the grand scheme of things it wasn’t terrible.
Secondly, I understand that due to A Certain Author (Neil Gaiman, the fact that there are a number of authors who fit into the ‘A Certain Author’ phrase is very concerning and somewhat discouraging), the finale was always going to be rushed. I personally have not really engaged with many interviews with cast and crew, but I am in no way intending to blame or attack them personally. Yes, there are some things I wish had been done better, which I will discuss, but I don’t think there were any egregious errors, anything exceptionally harmful and I do not want to attack Rachel Talalay, or anyone else involved in production personally.
This also won’t be a scene-by-scene commentary. I can sometimes have a dodgy memory, so it will focus mainly on what I am remembering as opposed to me going back and coming through 90 mins of incredibly engaging biblical fanfiction on screen.
Finally, I don’t know the exact way making a movie/tv series works. At points I may say or suggest my own ideas that simply aren’t doable. In which case, such criticisms are null and void. Put simply, I may make mistakes due to my place as a viewer as opposed to someone involved in production.
Here we go. Spoilers under cut.
Firstly. I loved Jesus. I wish he had been utilised more. Of course, I understand this is due to Gaiman being a horrible person. But I question if the script could have been reworked so that Jesus essentially third-wheeled Crowley and Aziraphale on their mission to find the book of life and later Michael. Whilst I did love him bringing together everyone on the street again, it definitely felt like too many plot points shoved into one, something that might have been feasible with a series but possibly not with a show.
I make this next comment cautiously as I don’t fully understand the politics of how script writing occurs, in particular this script, but I do wonder why they didn’t sacrifice a lot of Jesus’ own plot and tie him in more closely with the Book of Life quest. Again, I know it would be very sad to see what we did get of Jesus go, but sacrifices do also have to be made for the sake of a cohesive plot, and we knew this movie was going to have to cut out a lot.
(Another minor point, does anyone know why they decided to kill of Mutt? It seemed very random to me. I wonder if this was something left over from an earlier draft when it was still meant to be a season).
Similarly, I loved the Book of Life plot but was disappointed that not much time was spent on it either. I would’ve loved a closer look into Michael’s motives beyond those last few scenes where she destroys the book. Again, I understand the reasons why, but I do question why they didn’t cut down all the storylines to one overarching one instead of trying to run two at the same time. I wish we’d seen Crowley and Jesus properly interact. Heck, I wish we’d seen Aziraphale and Jesus properly interact beyond heavenly bureaucracy. It felt very half ditched leaving Jesus in the street, and I don’t recall Aziraphale and Crowley actually finding Jesus instead just realizing he’s apparently safe. Though this could just be my memory so feel free to disregard this last point.
A side note I want to add; I didn’t like the Australia joke. I feel it could have been easily saved. But it wasn’t and I’m tired of British and American tv shows making snide remarks about Australia. Something as small as Aziraphale or Crowley entering and correcting Michael after she makes the “there’s nothing in Australia” remark could have saved it, but I knew it was coming the second continents started to disappear. It could have been a great way to expand on how far Aziraphale or Crowley had travelled during their time on earth (it’s here I unashamedly plug the Crowded House album Time on Earth (I suggest the deluxe)), with one of them maybe taking a chance to comment on some of our indigenous cultures, acknowledge their existence etc., but no. Once again, we are the butt of the joke. Similarly, I think an opportunity was missed to reference New Zealand/Aotearoa always being left off maps (particularly in fictional universes), maybe it was the first page Michael destroyed (which could maybe give more of a timeline to Michael’s breakdown)? Of course, similarly you would want there to be some sensitivity, such as not making NZ/Aotearoa the butt of the joke, but rather a comment about how an entire country was erased from the Earth’s memory as a result, whilst drawing attention to a real phenomenon (again, plugging Crowded House’s World Where You Live video clip as it shows briefly a map of NZ/Aotearoa in a book that seems to be nothing but maps of NZ/Aotearoa).
I would have loved to focus more on Michael’s breakdown and what led up to it. Again, I understand time constraints, but I do wonder if it would have still been possible if they let go Street Card Jesus (which again, I didn’t hate, and I really liked, but I just think that if they wanted to set this up to be about the Book of Life, which I’m assuming they did given the ending, Jesus’s storyline could’ve been altered to fit in better).
Another thing I wonder if it was necessary was the Bentley plotline. Again, I didn’t hate it and some of my favourite moments were from those scenes (‘Competitive Crosswords’!!), it perfectly encapsulated how hard Crowley was having it, but I wonder if there was too much focus on it that could have been spent further developing the Book of Life and Michael’s story line. Ultimately, I don’t think it’s a major issue, but I do ultimately feel like the Finale tried to cram a lot in, and as much as it pains me to say it ‘Kill Your Darlings’ might’ve been an approach that could have been utilised in ways other than the last couple of minutes. Again, this is probably a very ignorant statement, and I truly am grateful for what we did get.
The Ending. Personally, I didn’t like it. My first question is how did Crowley and Aziraphale not get destroyed. They didn’t save their own pages. I thought it was very cute when Crowley told Aziraphale to hold his hand though. I like a scared-protective David Tennant (if anyone who knows Mr Tennant in real life reads this, I am very sorry and I am referring mainly to his acting). I felt both God and Satan were brushed off as being ‘good’ (Satan less so, again Crowley’s reaction where I think he was almost jumping in front of Aziraphale was quite hot) was a choice. I have ‘good’ in quotes because its not quite the right word choice, maybe sympathetic would be better? After everything that Crowley, Aziraphale and humanity have been through, God seemed too sympathetic a character. I had a similar issue with Gabriel in Season 2. Sometimes there are things done that are largely unforgivable. I admittedly get a bit tired of redemption arcs for characters who are bullies/put others through extreme suffering. This is probably more of a personal thing, if not the most personal thing of my critiques so far so this is definitely a take it or leave it. Maybe if it had been somehow revealed that the Metatron had been twisting God’s words, and she hadn’t realised or had realised and had been fighting or something it wouldn’t have been so bad. Now is probably a good time to note that I was raised atheist but hold some sort of personal, spiritual beliefs, so that’s probably impacting this reading. Ultimately, I think God got off easy. I also would’ve loved to see more about Crowley and Lucifer (heck, and Crowley and Michael actually. I loved Michael’s character in this!), but again I understand time constraints, plus that’s what fanfiction is for.
I don’t think the ending with Aziraphale and Crowley becoming humans was inherently bad or unsavable. I understand (and would have enjoyed) an ending where they remained angel and demon together. I think that would have been especially beautiful for the Queer community as shows further that it doesn’t matter who you are as long as the relationship is consensual (is now a good time to curse a certain author), you can love and be with whoever you want. But I think the major issue was removing their memories of the entire event, erasing their history. As so many people have said it’s Job and his children all over again.
That being said, I LOVE my cheese sandwich husbands (that’s what I’m calling Asa and Anthony, because seriously, what was up with Asa’s hair? I’m assuming this was the season Michael Sheen discovered wigs) and I will definitely be seeking out fanfics with the two of them. I love those characters, but I also love Aziraphale and Crowley. And I don’t think they are the same. (I would love to read a fanfic of Crowley and Aziraphale meeting Asa and Anthony). In erasing their history it felt like an erasure of everything that both Crowley and Aziraphale had been through as people/angels/demons. Your past should not ever define you, but it does often help build who you are. Erasing their memories, their existence felt very much like a backwards step. Like the only way they could ever be together was if they changed something about the way they’d been born/created (especially with making them human). I didn’t like this.
It also didn’t sit too well with the end scene either in my opinion. The fact that all these heavenly/hellish forces just ended up in the same place. And it was an interesting song choice. I didn’t hate it. I love Cyndi Lauper’s Time After Time. If I’m being perfectly honest, I think the reason it didn’t sit with me well was that it was making me so sad, because the song always makes me cry and all of a sudden everyone was a blank slate.
Also, what was with the Metatron? It felt almost ominous that even in the human universe he was still observing and watching over Aziraphale. Again, could just be my personal issue with redemption arcs for characters that ick me out.
I loved the scene where Crowley and Aziraphale tell God their decision. The little finger kiss was so adorable (and I did not mind the absence of an on the mouth kiss; I get people were disappointed but for me it wasn’t a big thing). I kind of wish they’d been more physically closer, maybe hugging with heads on top of each other or something as they were erased from existence, or holding both hands (not just a single hand). But I also appreciate that many people appreciated the lack of touch, and romantic touchy scenes do tend to overwhelm cinema. I think it would’ve been beautiful if they’d been reincarnated with their own memories as humans and appeared in the bookshop in the same position that they were in in front of God (also, why was the New World Bookshop like that? I can assure I have been in very modern bookshops that are actually closer to Aziraphale's original bookshop. It still had charm, but it felt like it had been half sanitised by Heaven). I think it would’ve been quite cinematic, but ultimately that’s not too important. (Also, I feel Under Pressure would’ve worked quite well here, the bit where they sing
“'Cause love's such an old-fashioned word
And love dares you to care for
The people on the edge of the night
And love dares you to change our way of
Caring about ourselves
This is our last dance
This is our last dance”
If anyone who makes edits wants to use that as an idea I would love to see it)
Ultimately, I’m disappointed with the ending. Not necessarily the turned human aspect of it, though it wasn’t my first choice, but introducing two new characters who had no memory of the bonding they experienced. It was to me quite disheartening to see characters have to change intrinsic parts of their identities to be with one another, and more importantly to have to sacrifice the memory of love for the experience of love. That being said, I have heard that this is similar to the ending Terry Pratchett envisioned, which makes me question, why set particularly Season 2 up the way it was, especially with the Job analogy.
Also, on a side note, it is interesting how Crowley's official human name (which I know he adopts throughout the series) starts with an A like angel, and Aziraphale's human name is basically his angel name, but Asa Fell, like Asa fell to Earth. I thought this was cute detail.
To sum up, I don’t think the ending was bad, I just think it belongs to a different sort of show. As that one Tumblr Post said, I’d feel just as betrayed if a tragedy ended in comedy as a comedy ended in tragedy (or in this case, a bittersweet ending). At least with Season 2 it was open ended, this is a bittersweet ending, not a bittersweet cliffhanger. And I don’t want bittersweet or tragic in my comedy.
Also, if anyone wants Song Recs, I have a tonne of specifically Crowded House songs I feel are applicable to Good Omens (especially now with the finale). I know I'm being insufferable about this band but I really do feel like a lot of people in the Good Omens fandom would enjoy some of their stuff.
i absolutely adored the ending of good omens - obviously it was bittersweet but it was more in line with the heart of the show than people care to admit. good omens began as a critique of christianity and i’m so glad it ended the same way, yall don’t want to admit it but if the show ended with crowley and aziraphale still being immortal (or even remembering god tbh) it would undermine the point that a universe where people don’t have free will is amoral and terrifying. i feel like the fandom also forgets that in the book/season 1 crowley and aziraphale were a part of an ensemble cast, i fear if the anathema and newt story line was in season 3 everyone would freak out over how much screen time they’re ‘taking up’. i obviously adore the ineffable husbands but sometimes i worry people prioritize their favorite ship over eloquent storytelling.
terrified people will hate me for this i’m sorry im just an english lit student who loves cohesive themes 💔
I need to talk about this because like
Aug eur grrrrrrrrrrruuhhh
my heart hurts but in a bittersweet way not a super sad way, I like shed a few tears after I finished watching the episode
Anthony and Asa are absolutely endlessly adorable, THEY GOT MARRIED LETS GO, and I'm so glad we got that like happy-ending type thing especially since the end credits show that they're together in every universe which makes me so happy.
Muriel and eric my favs
My boy jesus, god I wish we had a full season. He was amazing but I wish we had so much more time.
Also him n adam getting drinks together at the end was so good.
Speaking of god, love the casting and I love how it depicts her as kind of like...harsh? I don't want to call her a bad person because I don't think that's right but I think she's selfish, which makes sense since she's literally god, but it's fascinating to me and I love this portrayal of god.
Michael is literally our crash-out queen, I honestly completely understand her because I would not be able to handle 6000 years w gabriel as my boss
Good to know that the showrunners are being very deliberate in keeping Murderbot aroace, since I've been some people being worried they would ignore that part of the books.
ellievsbear
stormborns
origamiaround
izzy806
discoholicmusic
