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ineffablydelighted · 8 months

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[How exploring the Ineffable Husbands' dynamic in Good Omens can help us figure out what the show/book is all about, Part 1/?]

Also called: This human has, apparently, too much time on her hands and will be trying to Effable the Ineffable for [...] hours.

Ah, Hello! 👋

I'm ineffably delighted to meet you all! 😇

Let's cut to the chase and bear with me as we try together to analyze further the subject of the day:

Aziraphale is in love with Crowley and I am pretty sure he is aware of that fact BUT

[yes, there is a "but", do not erase me from the Book of Life just yet, let me explain first, homie 🥺]

I do not believe he can comprehend WHY he is just yet, and what that would mean for him in terms of... well... EVERYTHING he ever stood for.

It will also be the perfect roots to answer the biggest question yet :

What is Good Omens all about, exactly?

[Yeah, it's a tough one. When I say "bear with me", I really insist on the fact that it will be LONG. I will try my best to make it fun to read and to allow some "natural breaks" but know that I would appreciate your unshared attention if you're willing to give it to me. 😇]

Although, would you have the chance to ask him about it (probably looking at a cup of tea as we would all do in Earthy fashion), Aziraphale would have somewhat of an answer to give you, probably in the range of:

"Because, deep down, Crowley is the nicest being I've ever known."

Is it false? No, Crowley IS nice. Swaggeringly nice, occasionally unhinged, but still. Nice.

And that is somewhat the core of the... "problem" for our soon-to-be Supreme Archangel [Yep, the pain is still fresh, thanks for asking, you're welcome for reminding you 😭👍] because, as much as Crowley learned nuances due to past experiences (Falling being, most likely, the most traumatic one,) Aziraphale remains bound to think in absolutes. And everything relates to THIS perfect meme right there:

[Whoever you are, person/entity who has done that, you have forever my utmost gratitude and respect]

I'm far from bringing anything new to the table here, but to Aziraphale, Crowley should NOT have fallen in the first place. Because of how nice he is. Crowley IS an angel, to him. In fact, I'll go even further by stating that, to Aziraphale,

Crowley is more of an Angel than ANY Angel in the "Main Office."

Let's present our other contestants, shall we?

When he ruled, Gabriel was an absolute a** and had an ego the size of, idk, at least A DOZEN GALAXIES. He made Aziraphale feel like... well... poop most of the time they interacted.

That is why, in S2 when Gabriel/Jim tells him "I love you", Aziraphale, even being and considering himself a "creature of love", happens to be utterly unable to either reciprocate or take the compliment. At this moment, later enhanced when he reminds himself of the Job case, he realizes he is able to feel, if not hatred, NOT love NOR admiration for somebody he should somewhat consider a role model.

That is very important for Aziraphale's present and future character development, especially considering Gabriel/Jim's own fate, so please keep that in mind.

Michael? Oh God, Same if not worse: too condescending and ambitious in the wrong way to inspire anything nice to anybody.

Sandalphon just does what they are told but can totally throw a punch if necessary.

Uriel is mostly cold, occasionally cruel, and can also be physically threatening.

[I love the actress, though. Gloria Obianyo deserves a Ph.D. in Resting Bitch Facing for her performance in Good Omens alone and I'm here for it.]

S2 Saraqael seems to be more layered but has also been hurtful to Aziraphale (especially when she ironized that he couldn't possibly be the 25-Lazarii-magnitude-miracle caster).

Overall, S1 Aziraphale refers to the "Main Office" Angels as "BAD ANGELS!" after their hostile encounter. We could see from his face he would have wanted to use harsher words but couldn't get past his forgiving, decent nature.

Before we talk any furfur-ther [Am I proud of this so-called pun? A-BSOLUTELEH 😎🤭], let's add a really important stone/layer to our favorite Angel's thinking: to him, it is simple maths:

GOOD = RIGHT, BAD = WRONG

And let's save it for later, shall we?

[Killgrave dear is just here to remind you you can take a break anytime to drink a glass of Talisker if you'd like, or, more so, if HE'd like. Also because that character is THE best David Tennant role on television - 10th Doctor being the worthy third, I let you guess which character is our second now - and I might have wanted to use this gif just to be able to say that, who knows? *whispers* Mysssteryyyy...]

Anyway.

To a being like Aziraphale, who mostly thinks in dichotomy, being an Angel requires one main requirement: being GOOD.

[Buy a farrrrrm and be good! Not just "pretendy" good but. properly. GOOD! - NO, I couldn't find the gif and YES, I'm mad about it, but since I'm also unable to make one myself, I'll just shut it.]

That is why he refers to the Main Office Archangels as simply being BAD.

At that moment, they had been mean to him, threatening, and, by doing so, they became somewhat active in Hell's Armageddon project. Making them "bad" angels, but, more so:

Bad at BEING Angels.

Aziraphale, on the other hand, is, at heart, the penultimate goody-two-shoes: he does feel bad about himself whenever he does something bad/wrong such as lying (it has started to change, and I'll nuance that statement another time, but you get the grip).

He is constantly scared he might fall whenever he somewhat defies God's will or the idea he built in his head of what an Angel should be(have).

But have you paid attention to how his "Angelmates" NEVER seem to CARE about their own displays of, let's say "unconventional characteristics" for what should be the highest "Representatives of the sole concept of Good"?

Have you ever seen Gabriel or Michael being self-conscious about their narcissism and condescending tendencies? Uriel about their coldness? Saraqael about their sarcastic nature? Any of them about their use of violence? Of course not! They seem to be perfectly fine with it!

They own their characteristics, good AND bad.

Aziraphale does not.

Aziraphale is... soft. Even if he, at times, expresses regrets to be just that, he also applies it to his Angelic nature.

You know who else is soft?

Crowley.

Crowley is soft because he cannot kill children and takes it upon himself to LITERALLY DEFY BOTH GOD AND SATAN'S WILL TO SAVE SAID CHILDREN, including two annoying ones [especially the one who DARED to hit on Aziraphale but that is a topic for another day]

[MASSIVE Bildad the Shuhite fangirl here, consider yourselves warned.]

Crowley is soft because he cannot even kill GOATS.

Defying both God's and Satan's will to save kids? Yeah, eventually, okay.

Defying God's and Satan's will to save goats? Man, that's so effingly. more. powerful.

[Oh, look! A bird flying, normal thingy, nothing to see here, buh-bye!]

Crowley is soft because he proposes/"tempts" Aziraphale to "eat a spot of lunch", especially whenever his Angel experiences stress.

We have barely seen him eat, which might indicate he does not have such a strong taste for it personally. He only goes to the Ritz to enjoy Aziraphale's company and to watch him happily eat scrumptious, comforting foods.

[Okay, also because it morphed into a proper kink at some point but that is NOT today's subject, so stop trying to make me deviate from it! 😣]

Oh, and, before you bring that up, no, the alcohol motive is not relevant since he can, in all probability have a glass of Talisker in ANY sort of pub/restaurant in London.

[As a proper peated whisky lover who happens to be French, let me tell you this is NOT the case in my country and I'm super duper jealous of you, lads.]

Crowley is soft because he takes care of both Gabriel and Aziraphale's bookshop, even if it is clear he loathes the first and expressingly said he would not be a bookseller "even at gunpoint."

And, by "taking care of", know that I MEAN IT: he kept an eye on Jim, didn't wake him up when he heard him snore, answered any question he had, no matter how seemingly stupid they were [Even if Crowley, of all beings, cannot be anything but a raging "There is no stupid question, only stupid answers" representative] and offered him hot cocoa. As for the Booksho-P[uhhhhh *exhales in asthma*], he attempted to repair Jim's messy ordering twice and meticulously rearranged the place after ✨the Ball✨

[What do you mean, "he also Killgraved him into jumping out of the window?" HE ALSO STOPPED HIM FROM DOING SO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. #NotBiasedInTheSlghtestIndividual]

Crowley is soft because he shares his Bentley with Aziraphale. Which is a VERY. BIG. DEAL. considering it was, at the time, HIS LAST ONE AND ONLY PRIZED POSSESSION.

[Should I mention that the Bentley FALLS IN LOVE with Aziraphale or is debating on whether or not that falls into the Oedipian complex territory off-topic? Yes, I'll see myself out.]

Crowley is soft because he rescues Aziraphale on countless occasions, even though, 99% of the time, that is pretty much unnecessary.

For real, guys: if Aziraphale had been discorporated in the course of his 6000+ years on Earth at any other given moment BUT on the eve of THE WAR with a capital "W", nobody in Heaven would have flinched.

[I do have a theory, though: maybe being re-incorporated takes quite a long time, which would have meant too many years apart from each other, hence the growing Damsel in Distress kink in Aziraphale, idk THAT IS NOT TODAY's SUBJECT, OKAY?!]

Also, Crowley is soft because "doing that makes him so happy".

Do you know who is supposedly "so happy" to save living things, aka GOD'S CREATIONS? Angels.

Crowley is soft because he rescues Aziraphale even when it is ACTUALLY ENDANGERING for both of them

He risked: his life, his pretty comfortable position "he carved out for himself", both his Earthy and Infernal homes sort of speak, AND EVEN HIS CAR to save his Angel's bottom/help him out in the direst situations (like stopping time to stop SATAN HIMSELF.)

[Also his past/present/future existence altogether, but the Bentley is more important, as I'm sure we'll all agree.]

[That is a Class A Protective/Helpful Husband, right there.]

Crowley is soft because he encourages Aziraphale to follow his passion for ✨prestidigitation✨

Even though he is pretty... amateurish at it. Not only does he encourage him, but he also HELPS him when he accepts to be his dashing assistant on stage.

[Yes, he does tell S1 Aziraphale to stop doing magic because he "has no idea how demeaning that is" but I'm pretty sure it was BECAUSE of S2 1941's events. Also, #WeStan1941Crowley here.]

Crowley is soft because he works pretty hard to make two humans he barely knows fall in love.

Yes, he also does it to cover his and Aziraphale's 25-Lazarii-magnitude-miracle lie BUT don't tell me his amazed expression when he thought he was about to witness Nina and Maggie actually falling for each other was not the purest, sincerest of all.

Finally, even if I could come up with more examples,

Crowley is soft because he saved Aziraphale's books JUST because he KNEW and CARED that Aziraphale CARED about said books.

That also, in Michael Sheen's very own opinion [as stated by Neil Gaiman in S1 GO DVD commentary], shared by many fans, and myself very much included, marks the moment

Aziraphale falls in love with Crowley.

[I DARE you to tell me THIS is NOT THE LOOK OF LOVE PERSONIFIED, go on, fight meh.]

So. WHY did it happen at that moment in particular? Well, because, first of all:

As a proper Jane Austen fan, Aziraphale is a slow burner.

Also, to him, an actual Angel, love is everywhere, so differentiating one love from another might be more difficult for somebody who can feel it whether or not it is even their own.

BUT [have you started getting used to my "but"s yet or should I harass you some more?] Let's go back in time to see how every previous encounter (that we know of) led to that pinnacle, shall we?

[Oh and, YES, this sort of essay will be long, and NO, I had no idea how much it would be when I started writing it, and still haven't, tbh 🤷‍♀️]

During part 2, we will also dive a little bit deeper into what Good Omens is all about.

[Yeah... I figured we would all need a break at this point.]

More on that later, then!

Hope I kept your interest at a reasonable peak. See you soon, Angels ❤

Need help to find the rest of this analysis? I've got you covered! Follow me, Angel 😇

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#Ineffable Husbands #Good Omens analysis #Good Omens #Good Omens S2 #Aziraphale in love #Good Omens theory #Aziraphale #Crowley #Aziracrow #Effable the Ineffable #Philosophy #Good Omens is a philosophical essay disguised as comedic/satyric/romantic Fiction and I am here to prove it #A maniac woke up one morning and decided to overanalyze everything about her current favorite thing #even though that will not help her control her hyperfixation in the slightest #also too many hashtags but you know I have issues already

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ineffablydelighted · 8 months

Text

[How exploring the Ineffable Husbands' dynamic in Good Omens can help us figure out what the show/book is all about, Part 2/?]

Also called: This human has, apparently, too much time on her hands and will be trying to Effable the Ineffable for [...] hours.

'Ello, 'Ello, 'Ello! 👋

Hope you are doing well since Part 1 😇 If you have not read it, you're losing a significant part of this analysis and I encourage you to please read it first 🥰 [because, well, it has been called Part 1 for a reason, hum-hum]

Now that we are in the sole company of Part 1's survivors, let's dive into Part 2 [THIS PART MIGHT BE LONGER, YOU'VE BEEN WARNED, ANGELS!] 😎

[This gif is here to entice you to grab a snack and a drink you might fancy because, TRUST ME, I do not know how to shut up when I'm analyzing things and you're here for a long a** time. I know it is super hot outside for some of us but we can totally PRETEND it rains and cosy up in our favorite blanket. Remember: Autumn/Fall is a mindset, not a season.]

As I previously announced, the next bit of my analysis [and the next idk how many parts tbh, I'm a mess, but I believe I'll treat two encounters by part - told you this was gonna be LONG, don't hate me, homie 😣] will treat Aziraphale and Crowley's every S1 & S2 encounter, explaining why Aziraphale slowly falls in love with Crowley and using their dynamic to try my best to explain what Good Omens must be about as a whole.

Ready?

Let's go!

Before the Beginning

In S2, Aziraphale meets Then-Angel "Crowley" (as we do not know his angelic name, we'll have to stick to that) and that is also the first and only time we, the audience, see him.

What does Aziraphale see in Angel Crowley?

First, he is super dynamic and cheerful: he really seems to ADORE creating stars [ask me to show you a nerdy dork before nerdy dorks even existed and Angel Crowley will always be my #1 from now on] but, also, he is already very frank, straightforward, and innovative (he invented the suggestion box sole concept, I believe 🤔)

[By the way, my take on this is that Angels, having been an active part in Creation, have the ability to create Concepts out of nothing but their own minds, and since they also have a "beehive system" [As S2 Crowley states when he is "arrested" by Cinnamon-Roll-In-Chief Muriel and is "brought" to Heaven], the Concept created becomes instantly real for every other Angel in the universe.]

That worries Aziraphale instantly: he watches everywhere around him, afraid someone higher-ranked is listening.

This scene is very important because that shows us what differentiates Crowley and Aziraphale the most throughout the entire book/show:

Aziraphale has somewhat of a Fear of God (which is encouraged by most religions: God is Right, always, you are nobody to state the opposite) that Crowley does not have because he has Trust (which is still having Faith, just a more optimistic one - most times.)

Crowley is, first and foremost, a creator at heart.

He loves creating things, he develops a bond with his creations, and cannot fathom how the Creator with a capital "C" wouldn't either.

That is why he does not mind stating out loud that creating a star factory for it to serve nothing is "idiocy"; even worse, to not even let it follow its natural course? It feels utterly wrong to him!

Then-Angel Crowley already has his own understanding of what Creation is all about, while Aziraphale, being a "people" pleaser through and through, follows the mass, no questions asked, definitely no suggestions.

That first conversation holds their first debate as well:

Are they, as Angels, simple executors or are they collaborators? And, to go further: what is the point of THEM altogether?

Although, Aziraphale does not engage in the said debate for long.

Especially when Angel Crowley says:

"Well, you know, if I was the one running it all, I'd like it if someone asked questions! Fresh point of view!"

That is the precise moment Aziraphale starts PANICKING out of the Fear of God I mentioned earlier:

In his eyes, Crowley commits the utmost BLASPHEMY the minute he tries to PUT HIMSELF AT GOD'S PLACE.

That is precisely how Angels FALL: In the Bible, God expresses their wrath whenever Humans and Angels alike defy/deny their authority/their Almightyness.

Out of terror, Aziraphale tries to distract Angel Crowley by bringing his attention back to his creation. He ends up genuinely worrying for him and expresses it:

"Look, word to the wise; I'd hate to see you getting into any trouble."

Angel Crowley thanks him for his concern and says this sentence so full of dramatic irony because we, the audience, already know what will happen to him:

"I wouldn't worry, though; How much trouble can I get into just for asking a few questions?"

Then, Angel Crowley will show an act of kindness and concern of his own by protecting Aziraphale from the explosions (Fire).

It will also create Alpha Centauri in the process.

[I'm not sure why he does it but I do have a theory:

Since he never created a Nebula before and Aziraphale had not been a part of this project at any point, he might have been afraid that God and/or the Nebula's creators had somewhat forgotten to include all the other Angels in the "do not harm" category.]

But would it be what Aziraphale remembers the most about this encounter? I do not believe so.

As he will constantly do over the ages, he will miss the POINT:

I believe Aziraphale mostly associates this encounter with the moment he saw Crowley as his HAPPIEST.

And joy, both as a concept and a state of mind is something really, really important to Aziraphale.

[PURE JOY right there. Also, I need my doors to creek like that.]

4004 BC, Garden of Eden

In S1, During this encounter, the Cherubim/Guardian of The Eastern Gate Aziraphale meets the Demon Crawley for the first time since the latter has fallen.

What makes me think that is that Aziraphale asks for his name.

But there are indications they have met prior (both as angels, I mean, and not just at the Beginning): Crawley asks Aziraphale about the flaming sword that has been given to him in the past.

More so, it is most likely that Aziraphale showed him the sword.

"You did, it was flaming like anything, what happened to it?"

I'll even go further by stating they must have been somewhat friends during that elapse, for two reasons:

One, because of this sentence Crawley says:

"Lost it already, I mean?"

Meaning: you have a tendency to lose things and I would not know that if we hadn't met plenty of times.

Two, because Aziraphale answers HONESTLY to Crawley's question.

That becomes even more baffling when we discover that, being asked the same question later on, Aziraphale proceeds to LIE TO GOD'S FACE.

What really interests me about this encounter, in particular, is how at ease (even if he is experiencing stress because of the flaming sword's situation) Aziraphale feels by Crawley's side, even though he is now a Demon.

Sure, he does insist on Crawley's new nature and that is most certainly because he is thinking in dichotomy, but

He feels safe enough around him to be honest and, more importantly, vulnerable. Deep down, he already knows Crawley will never use that information against him.

[And that, Angels, is the cutest thing ever, amr?]

Also, as they always will over the years, they will

Have a debate on what is Right and what is Wrong.

Aziraphale is worried he might have done the wrong/bad thing by giving Adam his flaming sword.

However, he acted out of kindness and empathy, which Crawley is very receptive to. Aziraphale can see that and also that Crawley tries to reassure him by saying:

"Oh, you're an angel, I don't think you can do the wrong thing"

But then, being his honest self, he contemplates whether or not HE might have done the right thing, crushing Aziraphale's brief moment of rest.

But, contrary to Aziraphale, it does not worry him that much: he had fallen already, so he learned a thing or two about Heaven and Hell and has started not to care about their opinions at all since they did not care about his when he was actually invested in the Ineffable Plan.

[Also, I just love how Crawley, by being the one who gives Eve the apple, is the official Earthy Creator of Free Will™ (even if God and Satan must have been its sponsors) - it does align with his sense of self since the suggestion box falls into the same thinking pattern.]

During their debate, Aziraphale totally misses Crawley's whole POINT (again):

Crawly states that God WANTED Free Will to be introduced.

Otherwise, they would not have made it remotely possible for humans to gain access to it. By that, he also implies (at least) three things:

One: God created the Tree that holds the Forbidden Apple, even if they called it Forbidden. They'd put it on sight, in the middle of Eden, not outside of it. They let Satan send Crawley to tempt Eve who later temps Adam.

Meaning: God and Satan are, on occasion if not all the time, working TOGETHER and playing their own game, so why wouldn't THEY?

Two: If there is such thing as Fallen Angels/Demons, it is because God WANTS it in the first place.

Meaning: Therefore, how can their actions be BAD as in "wrong" or as in "shouldn't happen"?

Three: If a Demon can, in fact, do Good/Right and an Angel can do Bad/Wrong actions, are they, really, that different? How much do their actions matter anyway? How is that even possible for them to do the opposite of their apparent purpose? Unless, of course, God WANTS it that way.

Meaning: Good and Bad are much more INTERTWINED and CODEPENDENT than what Heaven and Hell appear to make them believe.

In fact, Crawly is already starting to believe Good and Bad MUST. ALWAYS. COEXIST. no matter WHO does it.

UNLESS, of course, they... do not exist at all?

Is there, really, Good or Bad anyway?

[I've tried to warn you through the tags: philosophy haters, the floor is now LAVA.]

Aziraphale does not think like that at all. That kind of belief shakes him, but being his Angels = Good = Right self, he refuses to believe it.

Also, he considers it as Blasphemy and Temptation.

But, guess what, that is normal. During this debate,

Aziraphale does not interpret why God put the Forbidden Fruit in the middle of Eden the way Crawley does.

Aziraphale does not think of the Ineffable plan like that: to him, he is supposed to do what he is TOLD.

In other words, Aziraphale's theory is that

God is TESTING its creations, and the creations/subordinates in question must prove they are stronger because they respect/fear God MORE than they are inclined to follow their own wishes.

It is a very common religious belief if not THE most common.

Crawley is more... let's say "Oscar Wilde-ish" in his thinking. [The -ish is important here, the man was very paradoxical but that was the first that came to my mind]

[I would like to drop in here some glimpse of cinematographic analysis as well [because this is MY essay and I can do whatever the Hell that I want.] :

During the debate per se, they never share the screen, even though they are willing to talk peacefully and respectfully - hence the fact both actually turn to each other, look at each other, etc.

Basically, their debate is a true one, but none will change their minds anytime soon.]

They find common grounds to "Agree to Disagree" when Aziraphale protects Crawley from Earth's very first Rain (Water)

Why does Aziraphale do it? In my opinion, probably for the same reason Then-Angel Crowley did it: The rain could have been God's way to destroy the Demon who was there, since Fire is, at that point, already related to Satan.

[Well, even if it was God who gave Aziraphale a flaming sword... Good and Bad are ALWAYS totally mixed up in Good Omens. See?]

It was a gesture of protection, courtesy, and empathy. A "just in case this is a danger for you" act.

[I might go back to this part to add some things as I will soon rewatch very carefully both seasons in case I miss something - and I will, because I'm chaotic AF. Although, this girl likes to think of herself as being thorough when she puts in an effort.]

So, yeah, this book/show is very interesting to me because, as I've stated in the tags and as I'm trying to prove to you (and to myself) in this very lengthy analysis,

Good Omens is a philosophical essay disguised as comedic/satyric/romantic fiction.

It does not mean it is NOT a comedic/satyric/romantic fiction, though. Of course not! It is both. And many other things in between.

[Now, I'll let that sink in and give both of us a well-deserved break.]

[Friendly Space Ninja, I know you'll never see this but I'm manifesting all the admiration and respect I can to wish you a good day.]

During Part 3, we'll treat the next two of our favorite pair's encounters:

S1 3004 BC (Noa's Arch, The Flood) and S2 2500 BC (Job's case).

Can't wait, I'm a big fan of the Job's episode.

Toodles, Angels! See you soo-oooooooon!

[Do you hate me by now? Nah? It will come.]

Need help to find the rest of this analysis? I've got you covered! Follow me, Angel 😇

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#Ineffable Husbands #Good Omens Analysis #Good Omens #Good Omens S1 #Good Omens S2 #Aziraphale in love #Good Omens Theory #Aziraphale #Crowley #Aziracrow #Effable the Ineffable #Philosophy #Good Omens is a philosophical essay disguised as comedic/satyric/romantic Fiction and I am here to prove it #I really have too much time on my hands #Y all hate me now #I am using WAY too much hashtags for my own good

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