Starring: David Tennant, Michael Sheen, Jon Hamm, Sam Taylor Buck, Jack Whitehall, Michael McKean, Adria AdJona
My Rating: 5/5 Stars
Rotten Tomatoes: 84% Critics, 90% Audience
Rotten Tomatoes Description: “This fantasy series sees fussy angel Aziraphale and loose-living demon Crowley team up to form an unlikely duo. The two have become overly fond of life on Earth, and they are forced into forming an alliance in an attempt to stop the approaching Armageddon. To do that, they have to find the missing Antichrist, an 11-year-old boy who is unaware that he is meant to bring the end of days upon humanity. Michael Sheen, David Tennant and Jon Hamm star in the series, which is based on the book of the same name by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.”
Short Version:
A comedic take on the end of the world that makes the story less dark and more entertaining as we see how much danger two bumbling buffoons place our world in. I loved the religious irreverence and refusal of hopelessness throughout the film. The play between our main characters, Crowley and Aziraphale, is charming and hilarious. It reminds us not to take life too seriously, even if it is the end of the world.
Long Version:
So, lets just start with the fact that I love this series. It is a brilliant mix of religion, comedy, and smart plotting utilizing source material and literary conventions to create a show that just captivates. Even from the start of the series, when we see the blunder that led to Adam being with the Young family instead of the ambassador’s family, there is this mix of humor and heart and drama that is a little intoxicating to watch. So I want to break down some of the stylistic choices that made this series what it was.
Let’s start with the obvious. Good Omens is about the biblical end of the world, and it follows an angel and a demon through history who are envoys to earth to convert people to their respective side. As such, there is a distinct humor set in the show focused specifically on Christianity. As someone who was raised Catholic and now aligns with a strong agnostic point of view, it was brilliant. The jabs and jibes between Crowley and Aziraphale made me genuinely laugh, and occasionally snort. Especially when it came to God’s ineffable plan and how everyone thought they knew what that plan was, but it was impossible to know, in the end. Except for by one particular witch who was burned, but whose prophecies survived.
Next, lets talk a little bit about the structure of the show. The point of view is an omniscient third person that moves between our characters, aligning with their perspectives at key moments, while our narrator, God herself, fills in some of the holes and guides the viewer’s understanding. This allowed us to get to know Crowley and Aziraphale, but also let us see Adam as a child, and Anathema’s history to understand the larger story. We didn’t have to stay with one or two characters and their knowledge set, we were moved wherever we needed to be to understand the story unfolding. This also allowed for a broader humor set and for the viewer to see how Adam was shaped into the antichrist, but also shaped in spite of his power. It made the show more cohesive and kept the pacing and stakes mounting.
Then, we combine this with the fact that our “Good” and “Evil” teams might not be as divided as we like. For a long portion of the film, Heaven and Hell are aligned in their desire to begin the apocalypse. Even more, Crowley and Aziraphale are longtime companions. They may even be common law husbands for the way history has held them together. There is an inversion of expectations in this relationship. Crowley helps Aziraphale more than once, and he uses miracles for “good” like with Shakespeare. Crowley is the one most offended by the biblical flood not sparing the children. Then Aziraphale makes poor choices in his companionship with Crowley influencing him. They are not true embodiments of good and evil, but instead align more closely with optimism and pessimism, or perhaps even optimism and cynicism. They are allowed their friendship, even if it is a badly-kept secret. Even Crowley and Aziraphale work toward the end of the world, attempting to keep an eye on the child they believe to be the antichrist, then to unravel the location of the real antichrist and how they can salvage a plan. Their friendship is against everything we believe about good and evil, things that are not meant to be ambiguous, but somehow still are.
Which brings us nicely to the escalation of stakes in this series. In a clear and obvious way, the stakes are ratcheted up from the beginning, when the antichrist is given to the wrong family. This blundering progression as the apocalypse begins and the horsemen ride is what makes this show so lovable, because you have no idea what might happen next, mostly because the characters themselves know the big picture, but are just doing their best to try to get there. It makes the story funnier and more improbable, but also intensely more interesting. I can’t leave the room and come back, knowing exactly what I missed even if I didn’t see it. You have to pay attention to this show, the structure demands it, and it is so worth every minute you give it.
Favorite moments:
- “Ciao” It’s Italian, it means food.
- Crowley constantly blasting Queen on his car stereo.
- “I know what you smell like!”
- The hellhound transforming into a yap dog.
- Crowley helping Shakespeare as a joke.
- Crowley criticizing his plants.
- The memorization of the prophecies by young Anathema
- Anathema’s TSA disclosure
- Crowley high-stepping on holy-ground to save Aziraphale.
- The Last Unicorn joke
- Newt meeting the aliens and being told “You’re not an alienfinder, you’re a Witchfinder.”
- Anathema telling the witchfinder she knew he was a virgin because it was in the prophecies
- Aziraphale accidently discorperating himself
- Aziraphale possessing the psychic
- Adam’s friends standing up to him and leaving when he manipulated them, including his dog
- Flying scooter
- Aziraphale and the psychic fighting for control of the body.
- Crowley’s flaming car driving out of London.
- All the kids facing off against the horseman for their favored social causes.
- Adam speaking satan out of existence.
- Crowley* asking for a rubber duck when he was bathing in holy water.
- Aziraphale’s bookstore being restored.
I loved this series. What were your thoughts?
As always, all images belong to the show and the production companies. Thanks for stopping by!
Megan’s Musings 