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swirlingthings · 4 months

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that’s my blog!! wahoo! ❤️

Ooh! A wonderful interview with Rich Keeble who played Mr. Arnold (the one with the Doctor Who Annual :)) in S2! :)❤

Q: In Good Omens 2 you play Mr. Arnold, who runs the music shop on Whickber Street. Were you a fan of Good Omens before joining the cast, and is it challenging to take on such an iconic story which is already loved by a huge fanbase?

A: “There’s always pressure if you’re working on something with an existing fanbase and people might have an idea already as to how you should be approaching something. To be honest I was aware of the show but I hadn’t actually seen it before I was asked to get involved. I knew it was something special though! I remember talking to Tim Downie [Mr. Brown] about how when you tape for certain things you know if something’s a “good one”. Of course by the time I was on set I’d watched Season 1 and read the book.

I had an interesting route into the show actually: I was asked at the last minute to read the stage directions at the tableread on Zoom, and Douglas [Mackinnon] the director called me up to discuss pronunciations of the character names etc. To prepare further I quickly watched the first episode on Prime Video, and I was very quickly drawn into it. A couple of hours later I was on a Zoom call with David [Tennant], Michael [Sheen] (with his bleached hair), Neil [Gaiman], Douglas and the whole team, including Suzanne [Smith] and Glenda [Mariani] in casting. After that readthrough I asked my agent to try and see if she could shoehorn me in and she came back with a tape for Mr. Arnold saying “you play the piano don’t you…?” They wanted me to demonstrate my musical playing ability, so I rented a rehearsal studio room in Brixton for an hour and filmed myself playing piano (and drums just in case), then I did my scenes a couple of different ways and I guess it wasn’t too terrible!”

Q: During episode five you mimed to music written by series composer David Arnold alongside a real string quartet – this must have been very immersive! How did it feel to work with David, and bring the ball to life?

A: “I actually didn’t meet David Arnold sadly, but I did work with Catherine Grimes, the music supervisor who is lovely. David was at the London screening but I missed an opportunity to go and say hello to him which I kicked myself about.

I remember before I was in Scotland there was a bit of uncertainty as to whether I would need to play anything for real or not, so I practised every day playing loads of Bach and other music I thought was era-appropriate just in case they asked me to do anything on the fly. So yes, it was very immersive as you say! They sent me three pieces of music to learn which I practised in my Edinburgh apartment on a portable folding keyboard thing I bought. They introduced me to the string quartet (John, Sarah, Alison and Stephanie) and I tried to hang out with them when I could. On the day we all had earpieces to mime to. I had to mime while listening out for a cue from Nina [Sosanya] from across the room, then deliver my dialogue and carry on playing, which was tricky! The quartet and I helped each other out actually: Douglas would say something like “let’s go from a minute into the second piece of music”, I’d look at the sheet music and whisper “where the hell is that?” and one of the quartet would say “we think that’s bar 90” or something. Here’s a little bit of trivia: the shooting overran and the string quartet couldn’t make the last day, so they found some incredible lookalikes to replace them for the scene when we get lead out of the bookshop through all the demons, although I think they also kept them deliberately off camera.”

Q: What did you think of your music shop when you first saw the set? Did you have a favourite poster or prop?

A: “I thought it was incredible! It could’ve been an actual music shop with all the instruments hanging up with the “Arnold’s” price tags on. The attention to detail was incredible, well IS incredible as I understand it’s all still there. It’s hard to pick a favourite to be honest. I did a little video walkaround on my phone at the time so maybe I’ll post that if I won’t get in trouble. Interestingly the shop interior itself was elsewhere on the set to the shop entrance you see from the street. You walk out of Aziraphale’s shop, over the road, through the door of the music shop and… there’s nothing.”

Q: Mr. Arnold is tempted into the ball by a Doctor Who Annual and is playing the theme in the music shop scene – are you a fan of Doctor Who in real life? And what was it like making those jokes and references in front of the Tenth Doctor David Tennant?

A: “I’ve always dipped in and out of Doctor Who over the years since Sylvestor McCoy, who was doing it when I first became aware of it when I was growing up. Even if you’re not a fan it’s one of those shows you can’t really get away from, so doing that particular scene in front of David was really fun, and of course Douglas had directed Doctor Who as well. Apart from the amusing situation of two supposed Doctor Who fans talking about Doctor Who without realising they’re in the company of a Doctor Who, I also seem to remember Michael being the one to suggest that he would deliver his “due to problems at the BBC” line directly to David.

Oh, and I think it was actually my idea to grab the annual off the harpsichord before joining the queue behind Crowley at the end of the ballroom scene (which we’d shot weeks earlier at this point). When we were blocking it out and rehearsing I knew I had to leave my position and get to the front for my “surrender the angle” line, and then later it just felt like I wouldn’t leave without the annual so I ran back through everyone to grab it. Nobody seemed to have a problem with me doing that so I just carried on doing it when we shot it! I do remember it being a fun set with Douglas and the team being very open to suggestions.”

Q: How did you balance filming both Good Omens and BBC Ghosts at the same time?

A: “Luckily both shows were a joy to work on, and everyone seems to know about both of them. We were shooting them in early 2022 and I also had a little part in an ITV drama called ‘Stonehouse’, starring Matthew Macfadyen. I usually never know when I’m working next so to have three great TV jobs at once was very unusual. There was all this date juggling and I actually almost had to turn down Ghosts due to clashes. Luckily both shows had to move some dates so it worked out. But yes, I spent two weeks up in Scotland shooting all that Good Omens ballroom stuff, then I came back down to London to do Ghosts, knowing I’d be back up to shoot my scenes in the music shop in a couple of weeks. Now, when I found out who was playing my wife in Ghosts I couldn’t believe it: Caroline Sheen – Michael Sheen’s cousin! She was amazing and that was another great set in general. I say “set”, but it’s all filmed in that house which surprised me. I’d worked with Kiell [Smith-Bynoe] and Jim [Howick] before, and Charlotte [Ritchie] was in the Good Omens radio play a few years ago and a big fan of the book. Charlotte’s very musical of course and we got talking about my folding keyboard I had for practising my Good Omens stuff, and she ended up setting it up in the house for us to have a play on!

Now, when we’d shot all our internal scenes there was this big storm forecast, and our external scenes were scheduled for the day of the storm, so that had to be moved into the next week. It meant I ended up shooting those scenes outside the house, then going straight back up to Scotland to shoot the Good Omens music shop scene the next day! When I mentioned to Michael I’d just worked with Caroline he said “ooh she��s in Ghosts is she!” and revealed that she’d texted him about me which was rather surreal. Then later after the Ghosts wrap party Kiell gave me a part in his Channel 4 Blap, so at the time I felt like I was killing it career wise, but the industry quietened a bit after that and my workload eased off over the year so I was in my overdraft by November.”

Q: What are your plans for the future – can we expect to see you in something else soon?

A: “This year, after a bit of a quiet start, I was very fortunate to work on a Disney+ show called Rivals which stars… David Tennant! I think I’m allowed to say my character is called Brian, and I shot five episodes so that was another really amazing job, and great to work with David again (I told him he must be my good luck charm, although I hope he’s not sick of me). That should be out at some point in late 2024. Other than that I’ve filmed a few other bits I presume will be out next year, one of which is called Truelove on Channel 4 which actually looks really good. That starts early January. Of course now Season 3 of Good Omens has been greenlit, I would love Neil and the gang to have me back on that… but I can only keep my fingers crossed!”

#good omens #good omens 2 #bbc ghosts #swirlywords

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swirlingthings · 4 months

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GOOD OMENS (2019 - ) I The Very Last Day of the Rest of Their Lives

#good omens #aziraphale #crowley #and they aren’t talking #good omens 2 #good omens 3

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swirlingthings · 4 months

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We are ineffably elated to confirm that Good Omens will return for a third season! This calls for a round of hot chocolate and sweet treats!

@neil-gaiman

#good omens #good omens 2 #good omens 3 #crowley #aziraphale #neil gaiman

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swirlingthings · 5 months

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I don’t usually get involved in things like this but as most of you know I’ve discussed Aziraphale being an autistic-coded character in a fair amount of detail, and some people are already starting to mention me and my essay. I’ve got a couple of things I’d like to say.

It’s clear that OP doesn’t see Aziraphale as autistic/autistic-coded, and that’s totally fine. “Resentment” implies that people in the fandom are being forced or pressured to agree with this interpretation when they otherwise wouldn’t want to, and if this is happening then it shouldn’t be. Everyone gets to think whatever they like about Good Omens.

“Autistic” is not a bad word or a bad thing for a character to be. To be clear, this doesn’t mean that you’re doing a bad or ableist thing if you don’t agree with the interpretation of an autistic-coded character. I think that feeling upset and angry that other fans are doing something wrong to your favourite character by saying they are autistic is the issue here, not just a disagreement on the autistic coding.

Saying that a character is autistic is not a negative thing. It’s a neutral thing, and you can decide if you agree or not, and that’s fine. For example, I could say that I think Aziraphale deliberately painted the inside of the bookshop gold because he wanted to remind himself of Crowley’s eyes. Lots of people think this is the case, and there’s some evidence in the show to suggest it might be true, but we don’t know for sure because it’s not been discussed explicitly. You might think he chose that colour for a different reason. You might think that the designers chose that colour and there isn’t any reason written for the story as to why Aziraphale chose it. All of that is fine. It’s a neutral headcanon which people can agree or disagree with. There’s nothing to feel resentful about, because nobody has been wronged.

In regards to the fairness or accuracy of a condition like autism fitting an angel or demon, this was something I briefly touched on in my essay. Many fans, including myself, feel that Aziraphale’s identity as an angel on Earth actually creates some of the coding we see in Good Omens (Part I). There is also evidence to suggest autism could affect occult/ethereal beings - there are multiple angels with visible physical disabilities in Good Omens, so disability is something which exists in Heaven canonically (Part III). Furthermore, I explained my view that an explicit diagnosis of autism does not hinder the ability to view a character as autistic-coded, and sometimes it can be completely irrelevant to positive representation. Even if Aziraphale could not be autistic because he is an angel, this does not change the fact that a lot of autistic fans like me see ourselves in him, both in terms of his behaviour (Part I) and the way that his character arc progresses throughout the story (Part II):

“A character can only really stand alone as themselves, and then it is up to us as audience members to relate to that individual’s traits or experiences (or the story more generally) if it feels relevant. I do not think that a character who is explicitly autistic within a piece of media would automatically be “better” for the community than an autistic-coded character, because their diagnosis being explicit does not actually tell you anything at all about the quality or accuracy of the portrayal. If coding is done right, it can be far more valuable to people within the community because it actually represents us, or we connect to the character in some other way.”

“We are seeing ourselves in [Aziraphale], and that’s the important bit. It’s not explicit, but it doesn’t really need to be – both in terms of having value to the community and because Aziraphale is not human. Autism is a complex spectrum, so often seeing a character who has similar traits to you, portrayed in a positive light, is more impactful than just seeing a character with the same diagnosis as you (as again, this doesn’t actually tell you anything about the character’s personality or behaviour, or the way this is put across to the audience). This is also why it’s so important to have diversity within representation, whether the diagnosis is explicit or not.”

Autism might never be mentioned in Good Omens. It might be mentioned, but not in relation to Aziraphale or another angel/demon. The point of seeing Aziraphale as an autistic-coded character is not to force people to believe that he has a diagnosis of autism. The point is that we are relating to him on a personal level, and as a community. Aspects of his character which are seen as autistic traits by many are integral to the story and beautifully portrayed. That has a real, positive impact on many autistic people and can also help to reduce misconceptions neurotypical people have about autism. This is all without any explicit mention of autism in the show - we still don’t know for sure if an autistic angel could even exist, let alone whether that might apply to Aziraphale.

“Good Omens does not combat preconceived ideas of autism held by neurotypical people because there are no explicitly autistic characters. This limits how much it can actually challenge stereotypes or make people think differently, as most of the audience will not connect what they are seeing to their idea of autism. However, I do think it does help to challenge the notion that certain personality traits or behaviours which are common in autistic people are “weird”, or some other kind of negative thing. Stimming in particular is often viewed as “strange” or “childish” by neurotypical people, but in Good Omens you are supposed to notice how heavily Aziraphale masks when in Heaven, and you’re supposed to see how comfortable he is around Crowley because their love story (and Aziraphale’s journey of accepting himself fully) is at the very centre of the show. He usually stims the most when he is engaging in something which brings him joy, like magic, and seeing him do this openly in front of Crowley is heartwarming.”

“It is refreshing and beautiful to see an autistic-coded character be so completely and passionately adored, and for this to be at the heart of the piece of media. Autistic characters are rarely shown as love interests; they’re often not adults at all. Aziraphale and Crowley are very different from each other, but again, this works naturally as part of the story and is not done as a way of “othering” either one of them. Despite their differences, they understand each other, and their love for each other will triumph in the end. Aziraphale is completely free around Crowley and doesn’t mask any aspect of himself when they’re together – if that’s not true love, then I’m not sure what is.”

Nobody here should be pressured to think that Aziraphale is autistic. If you don’t agree, you’re welcome to say that and explain why. But asking the author to disprove something which has a) never been explicitly stated and b) brought a lot of joy to the people who do agree with it is not necessary in my opinion. It’s a neutral headcanon like all other headcanons people have about Good Omens, but this in particular really does make a positive difference to a lot of people in their real lives.

Anyway, like always I’ve written more than I planned to about this lol. If you’re unfamiliar with the interpretation of Aziraphale as an autistic-coded character I’d recommend reading my essay Good Omens Is Heaven For Autistic People - An In-Depth Look. I discuss examples from the series which I feel portray his autistic traits, analyse how Aziraphale’s arc more generally throughout the show can be viewed and understood from an autistic perspective, and there’s some stuff about representation towards the end which applies to other shows and characters as well. I’ll put the link here, and it’s also pinned on most of my social media and on my blog swirlywords. It’s just turned 100 days old, and I’ve been so thrilled with the response. 💗🥂

https://swirlywords.com/2023/08/20/good-omens-autistic-idl/

Ciao, Neil!

You've probably heard a lot of people calling Aziraphale autistic and Crowley a whore. Could you please give a rebuttal to this, because an adequate part of the fandom feels resentment for their favorite characters when they hear such things. We have a lot of respect and tolerance for absolutely everything, but we feel it's unfair because these labels don't specifically apply to angel and demon.

Thank you!!! x

Nope. Not getting involved in fan arguments. Sorry.

#good omens #aziraphale #good omens 2 #neil gaiman #autistic coded character #autistic aziraphale #autistic #autism #swirlywords #good omens analysis

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swirlingthings · 5 months

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I will diverge from posting Nuala only this one time, but to me, it is of tremendous importance to note that Desire is wearing Mugler ss/20 corset blazer (as seen in the picture):

The choice of using s/s 2020 Mugler for Desire is particularly interesting. This collection explores the bold discourse of human sexuality in our hypermodernist society. It is urgent and uninhibited. Casey Cadwallader proposes a new view on Mugler following the passing of the house creator Thierry Mugler, for whom art and the sensuality were at the forefront of inspiration. Casey suggests each of us is granted a clarity of choice and freedom of self-expression. Much reminiscent to Desire's role as an Endless.

You can read more about the new still on @swirlingthings blog! The article is up (with a small paragraph by me 🩷)

We are so happy to be back!

Love,

Li 🪷🩷

#desire of the endless #dream of the endless #the sandman season 2 #brief lives #the sandman #sandman #sandman netflix #netflix sandman #sandman on netflix #mason alexander park #mugler

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swirlingthings · 6 months

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thinking about “we can be together” again.

this wasn’t “together” as in “with each other in the same place”. this was “we can be together - we can be in our relationship. i’ll be running heaven, so we’ll never have to hide from them ever again. we can be together.”

and crowley knows that. so he looks away, because when aziraphale looks at him he can’t say no. but here he has to say no. because he knows heaven won’t change.

#good omens 2 #aziraphale #crowley #good omens meta #good omens

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swirlingthings · 6 months

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Aziraphale looking at Crowley

@dailyineffablehusbands' Appreciation Week Day 3 - Aziraphale Appreciation

#good omens #aziracrow #aziraphale #crowley #good omens 2

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swirlingthings · 6 months

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YES WE COULD BE TOGETHER BUT WE COULDNT BE US

thinking about “we can be together” again.

and crowley knows that. so he looks away, because when aziraphale looks at him he can’t say no. but here he has to say no. because he knows heaven won’t change.

#ellie YOU make me insane #this damn show makes me insane #good omens #crowley #aziracrow #aziraphale #good omens 2 #neil gaiman

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swirlingthings · 6 months

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I WAS SCREAMING READING THIS LIKE YESSSSSSSS

adding a small section of my own explanation/analysis on the metatron’s game from my essay here for those interested!!

‘In S2E6 The Metatron deliberately gives Aziraphale the offer he cannot refuse; it allows him to have the two things he has always wanted, and always believed were incompatible. One: repair Heaven by reinforcing all the values it should stand for. The Metatron does a fantastic job of implying Aziraphale’s issues with Heaven’s management are valid by immediately dismissing his suggestion Michael take charge. If Aziraphale is running the show, Heaven can be a force for good like it’s supposed to be. He also wouldn’t need to mask in front of other angels anymore, or feel lonely for going along with them “as far as he can” (which he never truly wanted) – Heaven want him as he is. Two: maintain a relationship with Crowley. They can be together freely, and Aziraphale would never have to hide his feelings or worry if he was straying away from his values by loving a demon again. Crowley would be welcomed back to Heaven as an angel, and this solves the issue of Aziraphale’s inability to fit Crowley into Heaven’s ideology. In Aziraphale’s eyes, Crowley becoming an angel would be better for both of them from a moral standpoint, and it would also reassure him that seeing and believing in Crowley’s goodness was the Right Thing all along. If Heaven restore Crowley’s angelic status, he becomes compatible with the black and white rule system.’

‘The Metatron knew exactly what to say (and how to say it) to get Aziraphale to agree, and he is so filled with hope that he may finally be able to have everything he wants that he becomes blinded to the fact he’s been lied to. Crowley knows how Aziraphale thinks, but so does The Metatron. So: Aziraphale is given an offer he could not reject, but also one Crowley could never accept. Then, when Crowley inevitably leaves, The Metatron plays into the black and white nature of Heaven’s framework and Aziraphale’s own doubts about it by suggesting Crowley could never truly be good, and Aziraphale can’t do anything about it so should not try to change his mind.’

Metatron: Well then, go and tell your friend the good news.

[LATER]

Metatron: How did he take it?

Aziraphale: Uh, not well.

Metatron: Ah, well, always did want to go his own way. Always asking damn fool questions, too. Right, ready to start?

The Metatron’s gambit.

Let’s talk about this bitch (derogatory).

“Firstly, God does not play dice with the universe. I play an ineffable game of my own devising. For everyone else, it's like playing poker in a pitch-dark room, for infinite stakes, with a dealer who won't tell you the rules, and who smiles all the time”.

So, god is playing her game, which neither we nor anyone else involved, included angels and archangels, is able to understand. I like the theory that Aziraphale and Crowley together are the ineffable plan, but that’s another story.

And the Metatron? As much as he presents himself as god’s spokesman, I don’t think he is. After all, he prevented Aziraphale from speaking to god in season one, and was very eager for the battle to begin. I believe the Meyatron’s playing another game, his own game. He’s playing chess.

The board is the second coming, and now he has laid out the pieces and made the opening move. He is, or at least thinks to be, an incredible player: everyone else is so predictable.

So, let’s take a look at his game.

Who is the Metatool’s first and maybe most important piece to place on the board?

Aziraphale, of course.

He needs to place him far, far away from Crowley.

Why?

The 25 lazari miracle. That tiniest, most insubstantial, fractional half a miracle which ended up being an incredible display of energy, an unexpected force to be dealing with. Now, this miracle has already been talked about extensively. There are those who believe it was so powerful because Azi and Crowley were holding hands with Jimbriel, an archangel. Others remind Crowley’s conversation with Shax and believe that the reason was that Crowley himself may have been an archangel, or at least a high-ranking angel. Others believe that Aziraphale has some sort of hidden power. All valid theories and I don't want to disprove them. My favorite theory? I think that the miracle was so powerful because they performed it together. Which doesn't rule out that Crowley may have been an archangel or that Aziraphale may have a great hidden power, but we've already seen them perform miracles separately. This is the first time, other than the body swap, that we've seen them perform a miracle at the same time. I don’t want to be cringe and say stuff like: they’re more powerful together, the power of love, the miracle was supposed to be minuscule, let’s think about what would happen if they’ll hold hands with the intention of performing an immense miracle… but yeah. That’s the point.

So, the Metatrash needs Aziraphale in the one place Crowley won’t follow him. Heaven. He needs a fracture between them. But how can you break this? (Look at Aziraphale: empty head, only love).

First move: take on a sober, innocent, human appearance. Nothing pretentious, like Gabriel’s suits.

Look at this innocent old man! Ignore the fact that he’s almost completely in the shadow!

Second move: place the other pieces. Get rid of the Archangels, who for the record seem to be very afraid of him, and keep Muriel close.

“Well, go on, off you go, the lot of you! Except the dim one. I may need you.”

Third move: being friendly. Aziraphale loves earth, he loves food. Let's pretend to be empathetic.

“I brought you a coffee from the shop. It's an oat milk latte with a hefty jigger of almond syrup. […] Are you going to take it?”

Oh, the Metashit is really good at tempting, isn’t he? Much more than the demons. This is such a clever way to say: look, I’m not like the other angels…

“I've ingested things in my time, you know.”

Yeah, let’s not elaborate on that.

Fourth move: try to be even friendlier. Let's indulge Aziraphale a little, discarding Michael (the Metronome knows very well that Azi doesn’t agree with Michael's methods) and add some small praise.

“There's only one candidate who makes even the slightest bit of sense. And that's you. […] You're a leader, you're honest, you don't just tell people what they want to hear.”

Here’s the problem: Aziraphale is constantly belittled by others…

Shax: “Aziraphale, what are you? Crowley's emotional support angel? The softest touch. The one who went native. Do you need more big human meals, Aziraphale? Shall we send up the sushi?”

He is teased for everything he loves: umanity, food, his soft appearance, his bond with Crowley. As if he should be ashamed, and maybe there is a small part of him that is ashamed, that part still tied to a black and white dichotomy, which knows how a “proper” angel should behave. Look at him.

The Metatron, being the manipulative bitch that he is, takes advantage of all of this. But Aziraphale resists: he doesn't want to go back to heaven.

“Where would I get my coffee?”

Aziraphale tries to keep the conversation light and impersonal, far from the topic that truly matters. But the Metabitch gets straight to the point.

“I've been looking back over a number of your... previous exploits, and I see that in quite a few of them you formed a de facto partnership with the demon Crowley. Now, if you wanted to work with him again, that... might be considered irregular.”

The Metatron (I've run out of insults) manages to maintain his friendly and understanding facade, while in fact he’s telling Azi that his relationship with Crowley is irregular, something an angel should be ashamed of. The subtext isn’t subtle.

And here’s the gambit, the calculated move: the Metatron appears to be making a big concession, but will actually gain what he wants.

“It would certainly be within your jurisdiction to restore your friend, Crowley, to full angelic status.”

Here we are. The Metatron has already won. Now all he has to do is to sit back and wait for the outcome of what he has set in motion. They're all so predictable, right?

He pulled Aziraphale back into his old patterns, the same patterns that heaven has instilled into his head for six thousand years. Sin/guilt/forgiveness, black/white, angel/demon. The Metatron offered to Aziraphale something that he couldn’t refuse: a chance to reconcile his angelic status and his feelings for Crowley, a chance for them to be together. And the prospect of doing good. He knows that Aziraphale will run into the bookshop to give Crowley the “good news”. He knows that Crowley won’t accept. He knows that Crowley will go away (Ah, well, always did want to go his own way). He knows that Aziraphale’s only objection left will be the bookshop and he has Muriel ready for that. He knows that Aziraphale will be distraught and maybe he’ll take a bit fun of him, saying something like Anything you need to take with you? being well aware that the only one Aziraphale wants is a tall, thin, red-haired demon with sunglasses.

Aziraphale will come back into heaven’s abusive arms. No more institutional problems. Everyone’s so predictable.

But why? Why take a risk, putting Aziraphale in a position of power?

Because the Metatron, like others, underestimates Aziraphale. He believes that he’ll be easily manipulated, again and again, he believes that Aziraphale can be his puppet, brainwashed by heaven and maybe threatened with the book of life. The Metatron makes fun of the “soft ones” (he calls Muriel “the dim one”), he thinks that kindness and sweetness of the heart are synonymous of weakness. And he's wrong.

Now Aziraphale will be able to see the situation with his own eyes, he will be forced to deal with it. Maybe at the beginning he will be all duty, maybe he’ll try to reform the system, but I’m sure he’ll see its flaws. Aziraphale is clever and capable. He may be soft, but he’s also a warrior and soft people get angry too. He will be angry. He’ll understand his mistakes, he’ll learn from them and he'll fight. The Metatron doesn't expect that.

Just as he doesn't expect that Crowley will be on Aziraphale's side. He thinks Crowley's feelings are so feeble to have disappeared just like that. Or maybe he believes that Crowley is incapable of love: he's a demon after all.

This blindness will be his downfall.

#good omens meta #good omens #good omens 2 #good omens essay #good omens analysis #aziraphale #crowley #the metatron #metatron #aziracrow #good omens s2e6 #ineffable husbands

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swirlingthings · 6 months

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Crowley, fear of rejection, of not being enough: how will our hero cope?

A sequel to this post. A quick introduction: this is my attempt to understand Crowley's emotional journey during season two. I don’t mean in any way to diminish Aziraphale's feelings, which are equally strong and complex. This is gonna be long, emotional and sad, so be sure to be in the right mood to read it.

Let’s start here.

Look. No, really, LOOK. First of all, this scene is so unapologetic romantic that it could very well belong to an old movie, to a time when not everything had to be dark and edgy, but could be sweet and romantic, without fear of being cheesy. This is the quintessence of romance: the set, the lights, the music, the champagne. And them. As an audience, we fall in love with their love. Can you look at them without thinking they are desperately, humanly, in love? “To the world”, the world they saved, the humanity they care so much about and the “world” that is just the two of them. I've read so many times that angel!Crowley is the happiest Crowley. And it's true, as an angel he was a ray of sunshine, but look!

His stars are here, in his expression. Heaven and hell are out of the picture and he’s with Aziraphale. In that moment, he belongs, he’s safe, he’s at home.

But we can never have nice things, can we?

First time we see present!Crowley in s02 is sitting at the bench in St. James Park, in the usual Aziraphale’s spot, as if he wants to fill his absence (is it foreshadowing?)

“What's the point of it all? Heaven, Hell, Demons, Angels. That it's all... well, pointless”. He’s so tired. He’s living in the car and things are getting messy again, with Shax asking tips for how to be a proper hell's representative. Crowley doesn’t want to be an angel, doesn’t want to be a duke of hell. “Former Demon, hated by Heaven, loathed by Hell. How will our hero cope”? Former demon, you see, he doesn't even identify as a demon anymore: he just wants to be himself, but he doesn't belong anywhere. Except… Aziraphale. “Just the two of them” is where he belongs, right?

So why living in the car? Why didn’t he sit down and have a proper talk with Azi about that? Because Crowley… oh, he’s so human. Asking for help, even (or especially) to the people you love, can be incredibly difficult. On an unconscious level, you want to be taken care of, but asking for help feels kinda… well, not an option. The fear of rejection is too strong and you basically believe that you don't deserve to be helped. I think that’s Crowley: he’s still not willing to talk, not ready to open up, playing the cool one to hide the fear of getting hurt.

But why the Bentley? He could have easily miracled a more comfortable living situation. The fact is that Crowley is living in survival mode here: being in the Bentley he can escape at any moment, and eventually bring Aziraphale with him.

Furthermore, and this is important, the Bentley is a safe place, a place where Crowley can be himself.

And what about the bookshop then?

Enters Jimbriel.

OF COURSE Crowley wants to get rid of Jimbriel! He doesn’t trust him, he’s bad news, he has invaded the bookshop, a safe space, and Aziraphale seems determined to help him. I’ve talked about that here. “If you refuse to help me, then of course... you're at liberty to go”. Oh, that HURTS. If you are very guarded and you’re trying really hard to let your barriers fall with someone you love, how devastating can it be to hear something like that? Oh yes, you have the liberty to be alone. Great. Fear of rejection, remember? Well, he’s feeling rejected here.

We’re seeing him without the usual swagger. He’s hurt. Vulnerable. And tired. He’s living in survival mode and he’s exhausted. But, despite saying he wants nothing to do with Jimbriel, once he realizes that Aziraphale is in serious danger (book of life), we see Crowley trying to help throughout the entire season. Despite his attitude "I don't need anyone, I can stay on my own and run away if necessary” he stays and does everything he can for his Angel. And they ARE stronger together, not only performing miracles, but because they’re really an “us”.

Fast forward to THE scene. He’s SO brave here. See, that’s the tricky part when you open up to someone. It’s more intimate than undressing. When you allow yourself to be vulnerable, you’re giving the other person the power to wound you. Of course you’re doing it because you’re in love with that other person and, deep down, all you want in return is to be reassured that you’re also loved, you’re important, you are SAFE. Now, we know that Azi loves Crowley: he genuinely believes to have sorted all out and found the perfect way to be together. But what Crowley is hearing is “YOU are the bad guys, I misjudged the metatron, heaven is the source of good” (well, we’ll see about that). “Come with me... to Heaven. I'll run it, you can be my second in command”. Second in command? Come on, Aziraphale, you ARE better than this! Yes, Aziraphale wants to make a difference, wants to help people and doing good, but Crowley wasn't talking about business here. He had his heart on his sleeve. Yes, he doesn’t explicitly say “i love you”, because the fear of rejection is always there, but not only he allowed himself to be vulnerable, he was literally exposing his soul. But… “nothing last forever”. In Crowley's mind the “nothing” is the two of them, their fragile, peaceful existence on earth. So he puts on the glasses to hide that vulnerability he just shown: he’s experiencing the horrible feeling of having dropped his defenses in front of someone who is rejecting him. Of course Azi’s not really rejecting him (we know that he’s breaking his own heart as well in that scene), but in Crowley’s mind Aziraphale wants angel!Crowley back. Crowley’s fears become real: he’s not enough, unloved and unlovable. He deserves rejection.

Now, the kiss. The kiss isn’t sexual. It's not the proof of their love. But it is desperately, hopelessly human. A last attempt on Crowley’s part, since words have being useless, to show what the two of them could be. It’s like he’s saying “that’s who we are, please try to understand it, to see it, to see ME”. We know that Aziraphale is feeling a billion of emotions here, I do believe he loves Crowley deeply, but the only thing he manages to say is “I forgive you”. “Don’t bother”. Don’t you remember? “Unforgivable, that’s what I am”. Crowley doesn't say anything else, it's useless: what's the point of talking about the heart when they both know they are heartbroken?

Crowley is in survival mode, again. Rejected, again. Time to go to his safe place, the Bentley. The bookshop is not that anymore.

So Crowley goes away, but not really. All the mutual trust between him and Aziraphale, all their shared history, all the casual touching and flirting, gazing at each other with heart eyes… that was REAL. Did he misunderstand Azi all the time? No, he couldn't have been wrong to that extent... right? So Crowley waits.

But, when Aziraphale’s steps into the lift, that is the moment when Crowleys realizes to be truly, really alone. His Angel is gone.

Now he can run away. But he doesn’t run. He drives slowly, defeated.

#good omens #good omens meta #aziracrow #crowley #good omens 2

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