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extremeexhaustion · 9 months

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My Take on Aziraphale's Decision (GO 2 spoilers!)

Ok, y'all, it's time to pull out my psychology degree and my own experiences with trauma. This is gonna get a little heavy, but I feel that these extra details are necessary. I put my theory in a "read more" tab in order to not clutter the already messy fandom posts.

TL;DR - Aziraphale was manipulated by the Metatron to go to Heaven of his own free will because the Metatron wants control over him/Heaven again. The Metatron likely knew how Crowley would react and pushed for a suggestion that would cause a miscommunication/separate the pair to leave AZ in a vulnerable position that's easier to manipulate. Our angel is going to go through Hell trying to get back out of that situation and could potentially face life, er, soul-threatening danger if/when he tries.

First off, I do fully believe that Aziraphale went back to Heaven of his own free will. However, I also believe that he was in fact manipulated into his choice. I'll be honest, the scene with the Metatron almost gave me a panic attack because it reminded me so much of what extended family members used to do with me. Swooping in unexpectedly, giving a gift (the coffee in this case), putting me in an isolated position away from people who would defend me, and then demanding something in a roundabout way despite showing little to no interest in me before. This is an abuse tactic that's fairly common in family dynamics between an older, more powerful member and a younger, more ostracized member.

I'll deconstruct this manipulation strategy in a moment. For now, I am going to address the coffee theory going around.

There is a slight chance that AZ was given cyanide (which tastes like bitter almonds) to alter his mental status. This is based on circumstantial evidence as at the coffee shop, the Metatron asked for a "dash of almond syrup" yet he says it contains a "hefty jigger of almond syrup" when he hands it to AZ. While that isn't a true measurement, it does indicate a change in the amount or presence of something in the coffee that would cause a stronger taste of almonds. I may not know what a "jigger" means in British English, but I certainly do know what "hefty" means.

It was shown to us, the audience, that poisons don't kill or even really hurt demons or angels. They act more like a hard liquor where inhibitions are lowered and emotions run much more rampant than logical thought. It is a known manipulation tactic to get the other party tipsy or drunk to make them more vulnerable to suggestions that they may not agree to normally. There's a good reason why people go to bars to find hook-ups. And, as we all are aware, drunk people are capable of making their own decisions yet have a higher tendency to make poor ones. That's why a sober friend is usually put in charge of everyone else for safety.

How can this be used for manipulation? Simple, the abuser can claim that it was your, the abusee's, decision(s) all along which shifts the responsibility off of them and onto you. While I can't say for certain due to the fact that we didn't witness their actual conversation, I can say that guilt and shame have always been efficient means of controlling Aziraphale and that it is very likely that the Metatron knows this. So, using a tactic like this where if AZ tried to pull back from it then Metatron can claim that it was AZ's decision and he shouldn't back out of it.

Now that I've addressed the coffee theory, I'm going to break down the steps of the abuse tactic I saw in this final episode.

Step 1: Catching the victim off guard

Abusers are always trying to have the upper hand in a situation. Showing up without warning is an actually extremely common way for a perpetrator to attempt to get their escaped victim in a position where they are forced to interact. The Metatron showed up to the bookshop, unannounced, and asserts himself right away. Although it's played for a bit of a laugh, this scene felt very eerie to me. This being that wants to be seen as powerful establishing himself as the most powerful one in the room by getting the previous powerhouses to scamper away. As someone who has experienced this in real life, it is a terrifying feeling.

Step 2: Giving a gift/Start of Love Bombing

Gifts and flattery are meant to get an abusee to relax in the presence of their abuser. Naturally, a victim of abuse who recently got away would be hesitant. We see that with just how wary AZ acts when Metatron first shows up and is asked to take a stroll. We can see how Aziraphale actually looks to Crowley for permission/comfort before he dares to step outside of the bookshop. The coffee was a way to get AZ to say "yes" to something, an initial submission, and a token of sympathy. Especially with the added "I've ingested things in my time, you know." This statement aims to show a sort of comradery, an "I'm-on-your-side" and an "I-understand-you-unlike-them". All meant to lower Aziraphale's guard for the talk they are about to have. Sometimes it is also used to start a conversation even when it is unwanted which I have experienced quite a few times.

Step 3: Isolate the victim/take them out of their comfort zone

Isolation is one of the most significant elements of abuse. It's how an abuser retains control over a person alongside the fear of violence/rejection. The Metatron doesn't attempt to get AZ away from Crowley initially through trying to get the demon to leave. He knows full well that the demon won't leave the bookshop of free will nor relinquish the position of protector. So, he targets the more vulnerable person in the relationship: Aziraphale.

He gently encourages AZ to come with him outside of the bookshop (where the Principality feels most comfortable & therefore the most capable of standing up for himself) and away from Crowley. When AZ gives in and starts to leave, the instrumentals in the background kick in and they paint a rather scary picture. The minor key/dark music that plays as the Metatron glares harshly at Crowley indicates that he knows that the demon is an obstacle in his plans and he needs to drive them apart. There are plenty of stories in real life where the toxic parents of a married couple are the cause of a divorce because their abused grown-child is convinced to do/think in a certain way that is harmful/hurtful towards their spouse. All because the spouse was "stealing" the abusee away and perhaps for even defending said abusee in the past.

In essence, the Metatron wants Aziraphale back in Heaven and under his control (since he's the one the archangels answer to). He can't achieve that if Crowley is around because Crowley will always protect Aziraphale. It's much simpler to get AZ to drive his demon away through a misunderstanding and basically insulting the other (think all the fics that have Crowley saying "Of course he couldn't love me, I'm a demon") by insinuating to Crowley that AZ would only love him if he was an angel again. The Metatron's offer is phrased in a way that he very likely knew would cause a rift and make him the winner in the end.

Step 4: Flattery/Continuation of the Love Bombing & Use of guilt

The only bits of their conversation that we, the audience, are permitted to see is practically saturated with flattery. Words of how Aziraphale is the only candidate who makes any sense, that he's a leader, he's honest, he's the angel for the job, and so on. This is practically an excess of praise considering how AZ was normally treated in Heaven. We can actually see how thrown off he is by his body language and protests because of how contrasting it is to the status quo. When this doesn't work, the Metatron changes his tactic to taking advantage of AZ's sense of guilt that's been around since the Garden of Eden. He targets the angel's biggest weakness; Crowley who fell for asking questions that Aziraphale caused him to ask (from what AZ knows).

It is a bit more of an uncommon tactic, but offering a seemingly "perfect" solution is something that manipulators will use. The Metatron offers a "solution" to Aziraphale's dilemma and guilt. He offers a place for Crowley in Heaven as an angel that AZ could be the one to order essentially reversing AZ's "mistake" and allowing them to be together without fear. The Metatron is also offering Aziraphale a position where he can "make a change" and a sense of belonging that he has never had. An opportunity not only to make Heaven better, but a true place within Heaven.

The best real life comparison I can make would be a man with five wives losing one and turning to a former wife to come back to replace the void. This man promises all of the love in the world and better treatment than before. The ex-wife goes back because she is lured in by these promises and the status quo that came along with the abuse. Often, this woman ended up murdered in the end.

Step 5: Make the demands in a way that it doesn't seem demanding

The Metatron, once he has Aziraphale in his sights, is very yet subtly pushy from the start. It could be initially seen as impatience like when he insisted that AZ drink the coffee so he could move onto the topic of their little talk. However, this same pressure is present throughout his screen time. When they head out to walk, during the talk (that we've seen), when they headed out of the bookshop again, and when AZ didn't get on the elevator/lift at first.

His sentences may not be phrased as demands, but the intense pressure of a demand is laced beneath his words. This puts Aziraphale in a very uncomfortable position where it likely feels like he has no right to refuse. Not when he's already basically said yes. And that strained, painful grin on his face during the credits is an expression I've made myself doing a task I really didn't want to do, but felt like I had no other choice. Because now it was my responsibility to do. Because now I couldn't waste the opportunity. Because I'm such a good person, how could I refuse a request from family?

I was very fortunate to have a non-abusive immediate family, so I got away from these threats once I was old enough to decide to not attend family events or decline invitations. I had a support system to lean on and get me out of those situations.

Unfortunately, Aziraphale's only defender was Crowley and now he has no-one to protect him. To drag him out of the depths of the toxicity of Heaven. As I pointed out earlier, IRL victims in these types of situations often end up being murdered the next time they try to get away. So, I have a feeling that Aziraphale will be in a lot of trouble when he realizes that he really can't change anything. That he'll try to get away, but will be dragged right back in and his only hope will be that Crowley can somehow sense his distress then come to his rescue. But after the way they separated, would his demon come to his aid?

Potential Season 3 just screams angst for over half of the runtime.

#ineffable husbands #aziraphale/crowley #crowley/aziraphale #good omens #good omens season 2 #good omens 2 spoilers #theory

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