I'm so happy to finally see an analysis thay calls out that Crowley was being unfair in asking Azirapheal to abandon everything and run away with him.

@ericamacs3875

9 ай бұрын

I get second hand embarrassment at all the fans messaging Neil Gaiman saying Aziraphale has to apologise next season. They want to see him doing the apology dance. (cringe) Also in the official instagram. I hope Gaiman realises that this is a vocal but probably small section of viewers. Aziraphale did nothing wrong so why apologise? Crowley was being extreme and he's done it before and he already knows the answer. I suspect that what will happen is as soon as Crowley learns about the second coming it will all be moot and they will have to get on with solving the problem. And if they talk about it they'll acknowledge that both of them were wrong and also right.

@elsamirre5322

9 ай бұрын

As you very rightly point out, Crowley asked Azi to leave everything and flee with him... While Azi asked Crowley to receive (accept) everything and stay with him. I can totally see how both of them got hurt in this terrible misunderstanding of who each one of them actually is... After six thousand years... Must be true that we dream the ones we love... Still I have no doubt their love is great enough to overcome this. I believe this is the hardest part in any relationship. But they'll make it, of course.

@susanmiller9317

9 ай бұрын

​@@ericamacs3875can you imagine a scene wher Crowley and Aziraphale have to maneuver through a complex setting, coincidentally conversing and aplologizing to each other, and it organically becomes a mutual apology dance? That could be so cool to see.

@ericamacs3875

9 ай бұрын

@@susanmiller9317 IDK for me it's been done. You can overdo things like that, like when a character has a catchphrase and it starts to get embarrassing. I kinda think writers as good as these will leave it, but we'll see. I feel like I'd have Aziraphale say "I'm sorry and this is what's happening.... or some other thing.. I need you, I need your help, whatever it is. I think they will have him say sorry, but not make it into a major thing because he didn't really do anything wrong...

@FFrenchTBrazillian

8 ай бұрын

Yes! I don't think that any of them are right, but I get so angry to see people saying that Aziraphale was the only wrong one and Crowley the right one

I will just add, as someone who relates to Aziraphale's personality, I feel like I can give an alternate insight into that smile: I often do _that_ when I'm trying to convince myself as well as others that "this is fine." This is good. Everything is fine and this will all be okay. I will be okay because I _have_ to be. Apparently my smiles are convincing like his looked, because people never seem to see through them when I don't want them to. He's trying to shut down his bad feelings because they're too much, and he can't show them once the elevator reaches the top floor.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

I love this interpretation of hiss smile. He's really just putting on as brave a face as he can, considering the emotional devastation he just went through, and is about to face. I'm sorry you have gone through things that caused you to have to do that, though :(

@kasiamleczarska9078

8 ай бұрын

I completely agree with your interpretation of the smile. We can see a few times while Aziraphale is leaving with Mettatron, that his face shows uncertainty and regret but then he puts on this forced smile.

@attheranch873

8 ай бұрын

I think this is correct!

@Valeria-sx7uv

8 ай бұрын

I agree. I also think that people tend to forget that while Crowly WAS directly betrayed by the God, Aziraphale was not. In every scene Aziraphale at first does not believe in God's cruelty and ignorance, while Crowly is ready to see things as they are. Aziraphale HOPES. He hopes so much that he just misunderstands something and truly God & angels are good, at least some of them. I think this is why leading the Haven forces is important to him. He believes that he can make everything better

@zararobnett8284

4 ай бұрын

I agree

Thank you for the great breakdown! For me, The biggest tip off that the Metatron knew Crowley would reject the offer, was: that he told Aziraphale “take all the time you need” but then immediately returnsd to the bookshop after directing Aziraphale to “go tell his friend the good news.” He shows up immediately afterward to escort Aziraphale to Heaven- right after their fallout, when Aziraphale would feel like there was no other viable option. Very manipulative! Great writing.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

This show has top notch writing. Every scene has a dozen things going on, all connected. Just brilliant! Great point about how Crowley is barely out the door before the metatron is right there, not giving poor Azi a moment to think things through. He is the WORST (but great acting by Derek Jacobi!) Being a villain in a popular show must be difficult.

@Rhi_k

8 ай бұрын

He had practice playing The Master briefly in Doctor Who 😊 If you've never seen it, watch it, especially Tennants Doctor, aside from so many little things that will make you think of GO you will see the similarity in character to Crowley, the traumatised and lonely powerful being, haunted by his past, afraid to love and seeking comfort amongst humans while trying to figure out how he fits into the universe and indeed if he ever can. It made David absolutely perfect, it's like one giant audition for GO 😄

I felt the smile was Aziraphale putting on the brave face. He has to sell his full cooperation in heaven to convince them and himself that he’s willing to sacrifice his love of earth (and Crowley) for the will of heaven. I think it’s the beginning of him trying to change things from the inside pretending he’s completely committed and happy with his choice.

@Allegro11Maestoso

9 ай бұрын

I'm on the same page. He is gaslighting himself.

I interpreted Aziraphale's smile in the elevator to be him collecting himself and putting on a familiar face/persona to bury the complex feelings he doesn't have time to work through. I felt it very relatable to those of us who mask around others when we are at odds with our surroundings/responsibilities vs our own personal needs which make us feel selfish to have. Since his entire identity hinges on him acting as an agent of "good" sometimes at the expense of his own wellbeing, it was most natural for him, once Crowley was out of sight and he was in that elevator, to put on a sunny disposition despite its hollow nature.

I don’t need to see Azi do an apology dance. I just want Crowley to get his kiss in the rain.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

Me too!! 😢 No apology dances at all. Just kisses in the rain.

@jelenafollweiler5329

8 ай бұрын

Though the dance is pretty awesome!

Something I love (hate) about the Metatrons manipulation is that when he's talking to Aziraphele and giving him the offer he says take your time and think about it, and then proceeds to give him absolutely no time to Think or Do anything. He arranges for Muriel to take over the shop, he rushes him into the elevator est. Also I'm I the only one who noticed that Aziraphel never actually, verbally, accepted the offer. Again the Metatron says think about it and then Aziraphele goes to talk to Crawley, and then the Metatron barges in right after declaring that Aziraphele is going with him and that the bookshop will be run by Muriel est, est. like Aziraphele gave him his answer but he never did. Just something I noticed

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

Someone else just mentioned that as well, and I hadn't actually noticed it, but very interesting detail! Well spotted. Something I'll have to think about. Maybe it will be important in s3? And yes, the metatron is the worst. A master manipulator.

@FrolleinFroschbein

9 ай бұрын

@@Sendarya never trust someone who claims to speak for someone who isn't there to be questioned.

@Tam4iAngel

9 ай бұрын

@@Sendarya it's the illusion of giving him an option without actually giving him an option. Gotta give this to the Metatron, he might be a trash person but he certainly is a excellent manipulator

@sciencemama6801

9 ай бұрын

Yep I've been preaching this gospel for a while. There are actually quite a few instances of Aziraphale TRYING to say no, (I counted 9 I think) but he NEVER says yes.

@kasiamleczarska9078

8 ай бұрын

​@@sciencemama68019?! Could you please describe those instances?

Anyone notice that when the Metatron throws dagger eyes at Crowley the music playing is the same tune that Crowley sang when trying to influence Warlock to evil in season one. Plus he's the only angel we ever see wearing black. It doesn't tell us anything new, but it does reinforce that there is no good intent there.

I just thought that smile at the end was Aziraphale composing himself into a heavenly mask but not quite getting it. Fake it til you make it

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

That is the most likely answer, I agree! Steeling himself for what is to come.

I read the elevator scene as a strained smile on first watch. Aziraphale is alone in the elevator with the Metatron, with both being totally silent. I don't know what he's thinking, but I feel like even if he didn't regret the choice, he still needs to force a smile for the Metatron, since he probably isn't happy to leave Earth (and Crowley) behind. A random detail: I'm pretty sure Crowley changes his name from Crawley after saving Job's children and particularly his goats, which he turns into crows. The next time (chronologically) crowley and aziraphale meet is when jesus is crucified, which is the scene where he tells aziraphale his new name. I think that really goes to show how important this event was to crowley - the crows are symbols of the start of his partnership with aziraphale.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

@echopeak5953 Awww, that's such a great idea about Crowley's name change, I love it!! It makes perfect sense for him to have done that. I'll have to add that as a random thought in one of my videos and will credit you if I do so, if that's ok with you?

@echopeak5953

9 ай бұрын

@@Sendarya That would be awesome, thank you! Although, I can't take full credit for the idea - I watched this video of crowley and aziraphale's meetings in chronological order, so I may have gotten the idea from another commenter there: kzread.info/dash/bejne/h6N1qrd-hqyxdpM.html&ab_channel=oOZewyOo

@sciencemama6801

9 ай бұрын

I think the crows may be part of the name change, yes, but I definitely do NOT think that they went over 2,500 years without seeing each other. We don't see any of their meetings on screen between 2500 BC and 33 AD, but I don't think for a millisecond that they would've avoided seeing each other, even if we're just talking purely accidental meetings, that's so beyond unlikely.

@echopeak5953

9 ай бұрын

@@sciencemama6801 I see your point, for sure, but even if he didn't immediately change from crawley to crowley I feel like this encounter would still be the biggest part of the name change. Crowley may have been looking back on the event fondly as their partnership and relationship developed, retroactively sparking the name change. With our current info, it seems like they just haven't met between these times, but I don't think the name change would make no sense if they had.

@susanmiller9317

9 ай бұрын

That might also have been the start of his path of independence from hell, when he starts mitigating harm and disguising his good works.

I just want you to talk about "You go too fast for me, Crowley," for like an hour, and in that same video to discuss, "Think of something, or... or I'll never talk to you again."

@Sendarya

8 ай бұрын

Isn't it crazy that we probably could talk for an hour about a line of dialog?? I like this idea, though! More small scene breakdowns would be fun to explore! I've made myself a note. Thank you ❤️

@jelenafollweiler5329

8 ай бұрын

I love that Crowley just comes up with something amazing every time Aziraphale asks. Every single time.

I have a theory on that last smile which is quite straightforward, I just think it's Aziraphale forcing himself to smile as they arrive into heaven, forcing confidence. For me it's the same smile he gave the metatron while leaving the bookshop. He can't arrive into heaven, as new archangel distraught, so he forces himself to smile

THANK YOU for this video, I've been trying to explain to everyone who will have this discussion with me why Aziraphale's choices here were 100% in character for him and actually not surprising in the least, but this video does it way better than I've managed to so I'm just gonna send them here from now on, hahahahahaha. (btw, Aziraphale's smile in the elevator ride reads as kind of pained and frantic to me, like he knows he needs to cover up all his turmoil and get his game face on NOW but he's definitely still screaming internally)

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

Oh, our poor angel :( I am worried about him up there! But he's got some badass in him as well. I'm so glad you enjoyed the video, and found it helpful to organize those thoughts. It's one of the reasons I started making these. I had a lot of jumbled thoughts and emotions, and I found that writing these scripts and rewatching carefully helped me process and organize everything. I'm very happy to be able to share that experience!

@cantantenoel

9 ай бұрын

@@Sendarya I mean I could be wrong about the smile, I don't know wtf Michael Sheen is doing with his face there either XD XD XD that was just my gut reaction based on what I imagine he's feeling at that point in the scene. I guess we will all find out sooner or later!

@fairywingsonroses

9 ай бұрын

Same here. I feel like some of these other theories about spiked coffee, etc. are grasping at straws because Aziraphale is acting in character for someone who believes in doing good at their core, someone whose life has just been turned upside down by a job promotions and a proclamation of love from their BFF, and (the video didn't discuss this but) someone who is on the verge of having a faith crisis. Aziraphale has always been conflicted over his beliefs, and he really struggles with finding moderation/that morally gray area by himself. He's very all or nothing in the way he does things, and this isn't the first time that it's led him down a destructive path. When you take all of this, it completely makes sense for him to show so many different conflicting emotions (let's face it, the life changes by themselves would have anyone on an emotional rollercoaster), and it would also make sense for him to behave rashly in a situation where he isn't given time to fully process any of it. Any sensible person would behave EXACTLY like Aziraphale does in these last scenes.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

@fairywingsonroses (great name btw!) You absolutely nailed it! And well pointed out, he does have crisis of faith incoming (well, he's sort of been in the middle of one for centuries, but he hasn't moved much on it). I haven't addressed that yet, but I'm certain it's going to be a big part of season 3! Poor Azi has a really rough road ahead of him.

@lexismore

9 ай бұрын

@@cantantenoel Yes! I also read his smile in the elevator as Game Face and not Villainous. But I also cackled at this point in the video because I know exactly what @sendarya meant. and we all know Michael Sheen is a chaos goblin. so.

Knowing both the authors who wrote the book this series is based on, yes, good sows the seeds of its own success. Preferably in a way that is a complete accident. And the rejection of both their solutions, Azi not wanting to run away, Crowley not wanting to become an angel, is that very seed. You see, I don't think it's the "power of love" that made two half miracles to blow up into something super powerful. I think it was the power of cooperation between two polar opposites, and love is just the vehicle for this cooperation. That power is going to be lost if Azi falls, or Crowley rises. They need to be angel & demon to have the power to counter whatever is going to be thrown their way. Terry Pratchett once described being human as being in that place where the rising ape meets the falling angel. Azi and Crowley together occupy that place. They, who they are together, create a whole more human than human. It is this humanness that has the only chance of standing against heaven and hell. (Just as it was humanness that stopped the end of the world in the first series)

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

I do like the idea that it's two polar opposites cooperating. Gabe and Bee and the lights had a similar effect. That gets me to thinking about heaven and hell in general, and what will happen in season 3. thank you for the great and thoughtful comment!

I wanted to say thank you to everyone here for all of the amazing and encouraging feedback and comments. I am overwhelmed by the response, in a good way. I couldn't be more grateful to be part of such a wonderful fandom! ❤

@BytheBentley

9 ай бұрын

I really love your insight into different things.....always good when somebody makes you think. LOL One thing I have noticed, and might be a "clooo" or might just be nothing....and you did ask for suggestions ;) Time. The whole subplot of S1 was Agnes Nutter and predicting the future. Crowley can stop time and so far I haven't seen any angel do that. In the Garden, Crowley says, "That went down like a lead balloon." Everybody knows what that phrase means, but they didn't have balloons back then. Then, when speaking to Mister Doctor Resurrectionist, Crowley suggested he start washing his hands, "it will be all the rage in a few years." How did he know that? I'm sure there are other references to time, like the bookshop's clocks and Crowley's watch is very weird too. Thoughts?

@susanmiller9317

9 ай бұрын

What a wonderful analysis! Informative, entertaining, captivating. I hadn't seen the significance of the ribs temptation before. Regarding the kiss, could it have been more than an expression of love and communication? Crowley knows Aziraphale is heading right into where Gabriel faced a memory wipe and a 38th level scrivner purgatory, but he's willing to let go enough for Azi to learn this for himself. Their sum is greater than their parts (25 Lazuri), and for a brief second during the kiss, Azi embraced Crowley -- long enough for a joint miracle to occur (perhaps signufied by the brief creshendo of angelic voices). Did Crowley put a protection on Azi? Did the kiss establish a connection that spans interdimensional distance? Crowley was bummed when Azi left but not devastated, just starting another long leg of patient isolation, albeit a lonely one. And what of Muriel? Will she read books questioning faith? Were her memories wiped at some point? Will she start remembering and become an ally for humanity when the final battle comes? Clues, or just wishful thinking? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

@susanmiller9317

9 ай бұрын

​@@BytheBentleyOh, interesting! Yes! The name Antony means Priceless One.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

@wilsonsheltie Oh, do I have thoughts!! I'm working on that video right now! I am not sure if it will be this coming Thursday or next, as that one and Right and Left symbology are both half done and taking up space in my brain, but it's coming soon in any case. :) I do love all the details you have included here, thank you! There are a couple I hadn't thought of (the lead balloon and the hand washing. It had crossed my mind that they were anachronistic, but yeah...they are also not explained!)

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

@susanmiller9317 That is a really beautiful take on Crowley's rection afterwards. Thank you for the comment, it's got me thinking!

I was thinking about Aziraphale smiling in the elevator. I would too after discovering that someone loved me back.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

Awwww. That's such a beautiful take on that smile!!!

Good analysis! I'd like to make very clear though- Aziraphale NEVER accepts the offer! Metatron doesn't take his MANY attempts to say "no" for an answer, and also never bothers to wait for a "yes". Aziraphale said, "I don't know what to say" to the Metatron who responded that "you don't have to answer immediately. Take all the time you need." That makes it rather clear, he did NOT say yes or no yet. Metatron saying he could take all the time he needs is one of his biggest lies, as he comes in and just whisks him off without bothering to get a real answer.

I think there's another aspect to why Aziraphale offers Crowley a place in Heaven alongside him. It's not just that he loves him (though he obviously does), but something else as well. After all, he offers Crowley to be his right-hand man. Considering how generally apathetic Crowley is all other times to structures of power, Aziraphale probably didn’t make this offer to feed Crowley’s non-existent ambition (neither of them are like that). After all, he could’ve just offered him a place as a regular angel. No need to make Crowley his right-hand man. No, I believe it’s because it was Crowley who first pushed him in the direction of examining his moral judgement. It was Crowley who pointed out the Flood was genocidal, it was Crowley who helped Aziraphale save Job’s children, it was Crowley who helped Aziraphale realise how poverty affects people and who helped a poor young girl live a better life and it was Crowley who first suggested they act to stop Armageddon. Aziraphale knows this. He knows Crowley is moral and that he can spot Heaven’s bullshit a mile away. That’s why he offers Crowley the position, bcause he spent so long pointing out the flaws in Heaven’s actions. Now Aziraphale has the power to give Crowley the tools to fix things. He knows Crowley’s a good person and he hopes by giving him power in Heaven, Crowley will finally be able to make things right just as he’s been saying all those thousands of years. (and just maybe, he remembers how excited Crowley was when creating the nebulae, and he wants to give him a chance to create things again.. even if the universe is already running).

@Sendarya

8 ай бұрын

Agreed! I even say basically the same in my recent analysis of Aziraphale. Poor angel, he just can't understand why.

Good lord this whole thing has overcooked my brain since seeing the ending. The only thing I'd add is that when Aziraphale crosses the street back towards the bookshop after his talk with the Metatron, he doesn't look happy. He huffs a sigh, his eyes dart side to side, like he's racking his brain, trying to find a solution to a problem. I think he knows Crowley won't accept this offer- so why does he make it anyway? For the time being, I'm under the impression that Aziraphale is playing into the Metatron's gamble, perhaps going so far as to act as a double-agent in Heaven and undermining their plans from the inside, and to do that convincingly, he _has_ to sever ties with his demon. They keep bringing up the Book of Life, which doesn't actually make an appearance this season, so I predict that Aziraphale will have something to do with it next season, probably stealing it and hiding it in the bookshop or giving it to Crowley for safe-keeping so Michael can't weaponize it. Aziraphale can think on his feet and be deceptive when he really tries [1941]. And I think Crowley wouldn't have asked Aziraphale to run away had Heaven not butted it's big floating head into their lives again. If things had just ended there, with the angels going back to Heaven, he could have confessed 'properly' [as far as Crowley is capable], but all of a sudden they were going to take Aziraphale away, so he had the kneejerk reaction to take his angel and hide him somewhere no one else could get to him, probably. Uuugh I just don't know!! At least the writer's strike is over so Neil can provide answers in.... three? years? _OhgodI'mnotgonnamakeit..._

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

I know, a 3 year wait seems impossible to handle! I do agree, there are a lot of weird little things that seem to hint at something else going on. Maybe I shouldn't be taking it all at face value. It is possible....Something I need to think about, and get all the clips together and look at them closely. Most of the metatrons offer we only see through Aziraphale, and that could be unreliable narrator. IDK, it's frustrating, I'm not sure how I feel about any of it, lol. Edited to add, I'm going to comb over all of this stuff, instead of being so dismissive about it. It could go either way, and I should cover both possibilities. Thank you for pointing out some of those details! (IS he bad at magic, or does he get it right when it counts?)

@RedMagius

9 ай бұрын

@@Sendarya Cathartic to discuss at least! I think that's the only way this fandom is gonna survive the wait.

@jkbutterfly3142

9 ай бұрын

That kneejerk reaction of Crowley's you talked about reminded me of a dog hiding its precious bone in a hole lol

I love your analysis of the scene and the Metatron’s manipulation of the situation with Aziraphele and Crowley. You mentioned that he wants to split them up. Did anyone else realize that the (let’s do a half of a tiny miracle each to hide Gabriel) miracle blew up alarm bells everywhere? Any miracle they work together is extremely powerful! The idea of them being a confirmed couple must be a huge concern for the Metatron. What could they do if they joined forces and weren’t worried about Heaven or Hell?

@Sendarya

8 ай бұрын

Yes! would like to point you to my very first theory video, One Body, One Epic Miracle. :)

@jelenafollweiler5329

8 ай бұрын

I knew you must have noticed that! I’ll go check out the analysis! Thanks!

I enjoyed this! We're on the same page about so much of this, but you explain it so much better than I ever could. This is the first time I've seen anyone point out that it was unfair of Crowley to ask Aziraphale to abandon everything to run away (against the more obvious unfairness of Aziraphale expecting Crowley to be happy to be an angel again). Also enjoyed how you pointed out the irony of the Metatron's meddling perhaps making more trouble for himself than if he'd just let them stay together.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

Thank you! I think the reason people are so hard on Aziraphale is because Crowley looks SO heartbroken at the end. It's much easier to see and empathize with. As you say, it's more obvious. Aziraphale is a bit more of a puzzle, but no more at fault for the fracture in their relationship.

@Allegro11Maestoso

9 ай бұрын

I agree with you 💯 Leah. To me there is also an extra level there. Gaiman loves these characters. He has loved them for 30 years now. They were the result of his collaboration with Pratchett, a labour of love. Terry's hat and scarf hang in Aziraphale's shop, and he commented that the angel would have preferred a banana daiquiri to a whisky, a cocktail which was Pratchett's favourite. I cannot and will not believe that he would make one of these characters a villain. Somewhere someone commented that the somber piano and cello theme we hear at the end of ep.6 is how Crowley feels, as if Aziraphale were insensitive and happy. He smiles, but as a person who has suffered of depression for many years, believe me there has been many a day when I have held back my tears, put on an amenable smile and worked dutifully despite feeling dead inside.

@Tam4iAngel

9 ай бұрын

That is one of the callbacks of the I forgive you scene (I think) since it's roughly the same, Crowley asking him to run away to Alfa Centori and Azi refusing to abandon everything. Difference is that while in S1, Azi was unquestionably right, and we were all on his side, in S2 we are with Crowley because we see the manipulation and wd know that Heaven can't change. Running away is wrong, but so is going to Heaven. But Azi can't let go of his idea of the "good guys" and Crowley still has an unhealthy tendency to tey to run when things get really sticky (so long as he has his Angel with him that is )

@mayhay102

7 ай бұрын

​@@Tam4iAngel I think that is one of the things in Aziraphale's behaviour that strikes us as unkind - it's the stubborn clinging to the good guys/bad guys-scheme and using that scheme on Crowley - probably without even realizing the offense. He doesn't say 'Obviously you said 'No' to Hell - THEY are the bad guys', he says 'YOU are the bad guys' and so is insensitively including Crowley in that group of bad guys he despises. After all they have been through together, and after all the things Crowley has done to save him and others!

I’m almost certain that Aziraphale’s smile in the elevator in the credits is unsettling because it’s a forced smile as he tries to convince himself that he’s satisfied with the decision he made (even though neither decision would have necessarily been the “right” one). He’s in despair at having to leave behind Crowley but he can’t let the Metatron see that and he doesn’t want to feel the regret over the choice he’s made, so he tries to smile, but he doesn’t really mean it, so it comes out kinda wonky and unsettling like that.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

That's so heartbreaking :( But a very good interpretation. I do think it's something like that, I agree.

Marvellous analysis! I had wondered myself if Aziraphale’s seeming conviction after hearing Metatron say “second coming” was him gearing himself up to do whatever it takes to make sure it doesn’t happen. But yes, Michael’s smile gave off more of a creepy villain feel (chances are he probably did that on purpose to make the scene feel more concerning.)

@BytheBentley

9 ай бұрын

I interpreted it in a few ways, one of which is the Scarlett O'Hara "tomorrow is another day!" smile but Michael and Neil are good friends and I saw an interview with both David and Michael where they hinted that they know how it all ends, so that's the smile of somebody with a plan.

@BytheBentley

9 ай бұрын

Which is also why I think that the ending of Staged is significant.

@lexismore

9 ай бұрын

@@BytheBentley Well now I'm intrigued.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

@wilsonsheltie All GO's fans should watch Staged, if they can. It's brilliant, it's funny, it's charming, it's touching, and it will make fans love these 2 actors even more (if that's possible!) I love the idea that the ending of Staged is sort of connected, or maybe it's...a clue! I'll have to think on that!

Been waiting for this video! Seeing it on my feed totally brightened my day. Aziraphale reminds me a lot of my children as far as taking things literally and at face value and not being able to understand the deeper meaning to what is being said. He’s so sweet and pure of heart, like a child, and as Nina and Maggie said, thinks everyone are basically good. Crowley on the other hand, being a demon and tempting people reads between the lines maybe too much and misses the overall meaning of things. Makes me cry every time.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

Aziraphale is very childlike, that's a great observation. We all love him for it, and I suspect it's part of what Crowley loves, too. They are so different, but compliment each other perfectly. I'm so glad the video brightened your day!

@aisleelovegreenwood6448

9 ай бұрын

Yes! Thank you for pointing out that even though we all see that Aziraphale can be naïve, the opposite can also lead to Crowley missing things. He misses why this is all so important to Aziraphale, because he's too busy being cynical and hating Heaven to realize that Aziraphale needs to do everything he can and explore every option to make a difference. The chance to change Heaven and make it a more inclusive place, not just for Crowley, or for angels like Muriel, who quite frankly seem like neglected/unloved children, but also, so that he can prevent Heaven from trying to destroy the earth again. He feels that he can do so much good, and to ask him to _abandon_ doing the right thing just to have what he wants is such a horrible misunderstanding of him as a person that honestly, if I were Aziraphale, I'd have been offended and hurt that Crowley didn't understand me well enough by that point to get that. Obviously Crowley also had things to be offended over, as far as Aziraphale not getting how upsetting the idea of working for Heaven was for him, but that's kind of the point of this whole scene: them fundamentally misunderstanding each other because they're too busy feeling hurt that the other is misunderstanding _them._

@shaynaformity1384

9 ай бұрын

@@aisleelovegreenwood6448 Crowley also gives Azi really mixed messages - constantly reminding Azi how much Azi loves the pleasures of Earth and can't leave them behind, and constantly saying leave all that you enjoy to run off with me somewhere else where those things don't exist, and abandon all the people you care about to being mistreated by toxic Heaven and Hell, just to be with me. That's messed up.

This was lovely and so well stated. I think there's a lot of wishful thinking in the speculation that Aziraphale is playing some sort of 5-dimensional chess with Metatron and I firmly disagree. This analysis is spot on with the ways Metatron plays him and why it works. And why Crowley's kiss doesn't. But Aziraphale's every impulse is to protect people. And now he will be perfectly placed to thwart the plans for the second coming. I look forward to seeing how he does it and how he and Crowley come back together!

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

Agreed. It's understandable why people grasp at those ideas, because it's hard to see someone we love, even a fictional character, make such painful choices. But it's completely within his character, heartbreaking as that is :( I do think it's going to make a fantastic season, when we see Aziraphale hopefully turn this situation around somehow! Season 3 can't come fast enough.

@claudiabowman6950

9 ай бұрын

@@Sendarya On my drive home today I found myself wondering if that mysterious smile at the end was related to the line about how rescuing him makes Crowley so happy, like maybe he is anticipating that and it's making him smile. We shall have to wait and see! Thank you for all your lovely videos.

@aisleelovegreenwood6448

9 ай бұрын

Yeah, you know, at first I was about to disagree, but he may have genuinely been thinking along the lines of, "I'll go up there and fix everything, and then when Crowley sees how much positive change I've made up there, then he'll see that I was right, and that he _can_ finally come be with me in Heaven!" I...honestly wanna scream in frustration if that was what he was thinking, but...ugh, I could see him thinking it.@@claudiabowman6950

@aisleelovegreenwood6448

9 ай бұрын

And yes, I agree that he needed to accept Heaven's offer so that someone can be there to thwart their plans, now that Gabriel is no longer there to say "nah" to Armageddon Part 2, lol. I even think that specific thought was what drove him to accept the offer (on top of wanting to make it a better place for people like Crowley and Muriel (as we see it's not just demons who were being at least a little mistreated by Heaven)).

I really love your analysis videos, as they fluently explain what I think about these theories. Aziraphale didn't need to be poisoned, the Metatron knew which buttons to push to get him back to Heaven. Aziraphale is the paragon of an angel, he internalizes their calling: doing good and helping the weak is not only a duty, but his own desire. So he could never pack his stuff and run away just because he is so minded- not even when it's Crowley asking him to run away together. I just hope they can be together again soon, because they belong together. They're one soul in two bodies. 💖

THANK YOU. I've had to read so much BS and hatred towards Aziraphale in the past weeks it was becoming overwhelming to interact with any GO fan comments or fan-made media. Just yesterday I happened upon a chat on Pinterest where someone who had not watched the series asked who these "sad gays" were and why was everyone freaking out, and they got the resonse that "Aziraphale got a promotion and chose that over Crowley". How can people get Aziraphale *this* level of wrong? Others were calling him names and declaring themselves "team Crowley". There is no "team Crowley"! As Crowley put it, there is only "a team, a group, a group of the two of us". Thank you for sharing your interpretation and making me feel less alone

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

Ack, that must be hard to see. I mostly stay off social media (except Tumblr, but I pretty much solely follow Gaiman there.) I've seen a bit of that in Discord, but mostly people there seem to understand that they are both at fault on some level. But yes, Aziraphale needs some defending, and I'm glad I could provide some insight. Maybe if those kinds of people spot this video, it might help give them some more empathy for Aziraphale? And yeah, there are no teams! There's just THEM! That would upset me, too :(

@Allegro11Maestoso

9 ай бұрын

tbh I am not mothertongue so maybe I don't get what "Aziraphale defender" or "Crowley defender" mean in the fandom. I love them both and it broke my heart to see both of them suffer. Of course we sympathise with Crowley for seeing through Heaven's lies, but Aziraphale is not suffering less than him. If there's something I feel like is worth defending, standing for, is their relationship. @@Sendarya

Michael Sheen is freaking Mona Lisa in the final credits! (love him, stay healthy, dear sir!) I'm not reading too much into Aziraphale's smile, though. It might be a mask to hide his true emotions in front of Metatron. Thanks for the video!

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

You are welcome! And that is a very likely possibility! It might not mean anything beyond that. Also, I 💖Michael Sheen so much. He's very underappreciated, and I hope this role brings his amazing acting to a broader audience and more public attention. He deserves it!

This analysis was so well discussed!! The way you can pick apart and unravel little things that would go otherwise unnoticed is pure talent!! I understand Aziraphales intentions but grrr it really is frustrating to have Aziraphale not think that despite the sweet offer to have Crowley back to the “good side”, he didn’t consider crowleys feelings and trauma. I don’t think Crowley would be willing to go back knowing the way heaven operates, how it responded to any questions or scrutiny and ultimately how it treated Crowley. I’m conclusion:these two need couples therapy DAMNIT!! LEARN TO TALK AN EXPRESS THEIR FEELINGS AND INTENTIONS;; it would save us all the heartache 😭

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

Absolutely. Let's start a gofundme to get them into therapy! lol. I am an Aziraphale defender, but he is frustrating. He's just terribly stubborn and needs to be shown things many times over before they sink in. I hope he comes to respect Crowley's experiences and trauma in season 3. And thank you so much for the lovely compliment!

@oniimely

9 ай бұрын

@@Sendarya Absolutely!! I’ll dip into my own savings just to get these two some help!! Also very valid!! I still love Aziraphale very dearly but grr this made me wanna shake him until he had common sense!! I really do hope they get to talk and explore their feelings more thoroughly and calmly on season 3, we need them to communicate 💔!

Ugh, your scene analysis videos are so thoughtful, so intuitive, and so warmhearted they make me swoon.😱 Your grasp of Aziraphale's personality, and his motives for turning away from Crowley was uncanny. As you pointed out, despite being comically easy to "tempt" with the mere offer of lunch, Aziraphale really is, body and soul, a GUARDIAN ANGEL. (One of the many things, I'm sure, Crowley likes about him.) He is genuinely a good guy. So when I saw that cynical bastard, the Metatron, shamelessly manipulate him into returning to heaven, I found myself yelling at the tv. Like, a LOT. 😋 I plan on watching this many more times just so my brain can marinate in your brilliance. 😊 Looking forward to more Good Omens videos from you, and thanks for making this.❤

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

That is really SO kind of you to say. Thank you :) I do think Aziraphale is taking a bit too much blame right now from some folks, so I'm glad I could help shed light on things from his perspective.

@gintzudai2979

9 ай бұрын

Everyone's doing the "armchair quarterback" thing with Aziraphale right now, but despite what his heart wants he is actually doing the hardest thing of all - he's being true to who he is.😢 @@Sendarya

Something you said about Aziraphale’s identity being based off being an angel really spoke to me, many moons ago when I was a baby adult I become a nurse and it wasn’t until I left that I realised it was an integral part of my identity. I was kind I was compassionate I put others above myself and I had a job where I made a real difference to people life’s, when I left I put myself first, I wasn’t making a difference anymore, was I even kind or was that just part of the job? I floundered lost in life. My point is if Azriaphale is more self aware than me and knows just how much he’d be giving up to run off with Crowley than your right that really impossible position for Aziraphale and it’s changed my understanding somewhat.

and metatron pointedly asks demon crowley if he knows who he is. im thinking metatron and crowley have a past that crowley doesnt remember it. gaimans been paid and IS working on season three. thank you strike ending. good news

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

Isn't that just wonderful news!! People getting paid what they deserve, and fans getting the content they want. :) It's a happy ending to that, at least!

@franstroud

9 ай бұрын

Now you’ve mentioned Crowley not remembering things, I’m sure there’s a few incidences of this, like fighting alongside Furfur

That smile was really creepy. Aziraphale is ready to fuck shit up.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

I sincerely hope he's going to go up there and be his best bitch self! Last season, we saw him lament that's he's soft. And he is, in the best way :) but he's also got steel under that cute, softness.

@FrolleinFroschbein

9 ай бұрын

@@Sendarya Well, he is, deep down, just enough of a bastard that it's worth knowing him. Although, I'm beginning to suspect the bastard might not that much deep down. I mean, he didn't have any scruples to kill his own would-be executioner.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

@@FrolleinFroschbein I mean...fair point!

It's the Catra and Adora dilemma. One sees the situation as bigger than the two of them, one sees no side but the one where they are together, both desperately want to be a group of the two of them

@Sendarya

8 ай бұрын

A She-ra reference! Love it, great comparison!

@theforgetfulalchemist

8 ай бұрын

@@Sendarya Thank you! It's the Two Birds on a Wire Syndrome 😭

The smile being in part a delayed kind of twitter pated reaction to finally knowing for sure Crowley loves him while Crowley himself is driving in silence looking like he's about to inject holy water directly into his veins is objectively the funniest interpretation, lol, I love it Like baby girl, you are under SO many instantaneously stacked layers of obliviousness right now 😂

Another AMAZING analysis. One thing I still have lingering questions about is why offer Aziraphale such a powerful position if his combined power with Crowley was the main threat, the main motivation for ripping them apart in the first place. I love the idea that Metatron is simply underestimating their love, as well as Aziraphale's fortitude, but still can't help but wonder if there might be another factor we haven't been shown, yet. And thank you for pointing out that Crowley wanting Aziraphale to just drop everything and run away is just as problematic as Aziraphale thinking Crowley would be happy back in heaven. They both need to find a middle ground between the two extremes.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

I'm sure there is much we don't know, some twists we'll get right away in season 3 to explain some things. For now my best answer is that I think the metatron thinks he'll be able to control Aziraphale more effectively, right under his thumb. He's not concerned about Aziraphale by himself, only teamed with Crowley. Although I think he is likely severely underestimating Azi and what he's capable of. Thank you, great question! I'm also glad your enjoying the videos :)

I think he smiled because he gave Crowley a sign. Their song plays in the Bentley and we all know Aziraphale has some control on the car like. In season 1 Metatron knows Aziraphale and Crowley talk to him when Aziraphale tried to contact god. SO yeah he totally knows he has to separate them...We'll see how long that lasts. Maybe he'll meet up with him at the Ritz. Though another thing he has asked Crowley for which hasn't happened yet is a picnic, I hope they go on one in s3 a NICE one.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

I LOVE this idea about the smile. Adding it to my list of possibilities! And I would also love to see them have a picnic. In a garden :)

Addendum: after watching again and again, saw that right after first blink in elevator, his demeanor changed, i think to calculating how to deal with all handed to him (rushed) by the Metetron. Final smile he feels more confident and in control.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

I like that interpretation. We all know Aziraphale can take control of a situation when needed! He thinks he's soft, but there is steely determination in there.

Another great video, thank you! I really like your analogy of the coffee, it works. I never thought it could've contained something. But please, that kiss wasn't manipulative. Let's remember that Crowley had already made up his mind to confess to Aziraphale, and it was love (the epiphany he had at Nina's words). He had prepared his little speech, he might even have thought "and then I'll kiss him". He really wanted to kiss him. And it's only when Aziraphale says "well there's nothing more to say" does he realize words are no longer enough, and uses the only way left to him to communicate. I think he knew Az wouldn't change his mind. He just wanted to go all in, because that's what Crowley does. Now I go to drown myself in my tears once again.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

I don't think Crowley intended it as manipulative, I agree completely, it was pretty much purely love. But I do think Aziraphale saw it that way, at least a little bit. Feel you on the tears bit. Will this ever stop???

1) i thought the Metatron was kind of a neutral character. but wow. holy villain ark 2) i think the smile is just him trying to make his face look like he's excited but he knows he may have made a mistake. the smile is just Aziraphale's attempt to convince the Metatron and more importantly, himself, that he didn't just make a huge mitake

S'funny thing, I had one of those Oh wait a minute, moments this morning while dipping into the book to look up something else. And catching this. "It's not that I disagree with you," said the angel, as they plodded across the grass. 'It's just that I'm not allowed to disobey. You know that.' Cos that immediately made me think, is this coffee or death ending that statement actually being played out for real here? But I left the question to ponder for another time so as not to lose focus on my original quest and lo and behold up you turned with this excellant analysis covering all the bases! OH and facepalms I thought the miracle had Siti pull out Job's actual ribs! Well noticed!

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

We are so lucky that one of the authors, who loved the other author and respects the work, is making this. Like, sooo lucky. So many marvelous details!

Honestly, to me, that smile is the smile of a petty, intelligent angel, who'll use all his strategies to f*ck the Metatron's sh*t up any way he can -- he's plotting something. The Metatron, possibly without thinking, very much primed both Aziraphale and Crowley to absolutely go apesh*t on him, and, as you say, if he hadn't interfered beyond shooing off the other angels, Aziraphale wouldn't have learned of the Second Coming, and Crowley wouldn't have yet another reason to hate Heaven's machinations.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

Aziraphale is a tough bitch when he needs to be, we've seen it time and again, despite his concern that he's gone soft. So yeah, I think he'll do what needs doing, and hopefully we'll get to see more of that steel under his cute, curly exterior.

I love your analysis! Coffee or Death I am guessing was inspired by the Eddie Izzard bit Cake or Death. It’s absurdist humor, yeah, just imagine someone choosing death over something delightful! Metatron asking whether anyone’s ever chosen death and saying No I don’t suppose they have, then the scene immediately cutting to Michael telling Aziraphale she will erase him from the Book of Life shows us the choice Metatron offers him later is this literal choice: “A chance to save everybody and help improve Heaven, or instead, Death.” We have to remember, Aziraphale probably never recovered from seeing Crowley dragged to Hell in Edinburgh in the 1800s and then not hearing from him for decades, having to assume he was being eternally tortured and being powerless to save him. And this is just as he’s really been subconsciously falling in love with him over the past hundred years or so. And I think the series goes to some effort to show how much more powerful Crowley is than Aziraphale, and so I think feeling powerless to help Crowley is a common agony for him. So Metatron’s offer, which SWIFTLY moves to include the offer to save Crowley and bring him along, is literally the same as Coffee or Death. Michael was about to kill you, I saved you. You can save yourself and Crowley and have everything I think you want, or go ahead, choose death for yourself and likely the one entity you really love above all. It didn’t occur to me the offer to bring Crowley was a lie, the fake “sweetener,” I thought the idea was either way at least Heaven has control over the pair. But I think you’re right that Metatron probably expected this offer to be refused by Crowley. There really was no choice for Aziraphale, and yet so much of fandom sees Aziraphale as abandoning Crowley, rejecting him. Aziraphale is taking the only possible option. Mostly I’m just repeating your thoughts with what my take has been. I will say I didn’t even consider until your video “the hook” - that Metatron intentionally mentions the 2nd coming KNOWING Aziraphale will be opposed, and thereby hoping to just get him into the elevator by saddling him with the implication that Aziraphale is now perhaps the only one who can save the human race - Metatron would know that Azir could not put his own feelings and pain about Crowley before the death of all humans! Metatron really pulled his strings perfectly! A note about Aziraphale’s “cognitive dissonance” - I don’t even believe that’s what’s happening with him. He knows Heaven is toxic and that the archangels are not very nice at all. He just believes that GOD is the ultimate good. And so any failing of Heaven or angels is down to them effing things up, not doing justice to God’s love and plans. For sure he is willing to scapegoat every bad thing God is responsible for onto Heaven (head office), so there is some denial there, but when he says Heaven is the side of good, he means simply that it is the side that is in service of God who is obviously good (in his eyes), and that any flaw in Heaven is certainly not a reflection on God. P.S. I love how you say he is “literally a guardian angel” - paired with Aziraphale with his flaming sword! It’s so true!! P.P.S. I am so glad to see someone analyze this from the perspective that Crowley is the one who got it wrong, that Aziraphale didn’t reject Crowley and that he’s ultimately choosing to risk/sacrifice his every happiness to protect Crowley and the human race.

@Sendarya

8 ай бұрын

I agree, that was likely the inspiration. I bet you are right, Aziraphale probably does powerless to help Crowley, a lot of the time. You make a lot of excellent points, and clarifications as well! I'm glad you liked the video. I agree, the fandom is too hard on Aziraphale in general, and he needs some defending!!

My only issue with this theory, is that Aziraphale did not want to go to heaven, and agreed for Crowley. Once Crowley says no, why go? I agree that he did not have time to think about it and was overwhelmed, agreeing to go because of this. I think Aziraphale understands the hint in ‘you have formed a de facto partnership’. In Hell, being friends with an angel is caused for death (as noted by Shax), maybe in Heaven there is a similar punishment for forming a partnership with a demon. I don’t see Aziraphale going to heaven to ‘save heaven.’ I can see him going to save Crowley.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

I agree, there is that gap. It's maybe, what, 2 minutes at most between the kiss and the lift? I think he might have turned back if he hadn't heard "second coming". Hence the hook. Yes, he's still going to save Crowley, agreed!

@aisleelovegreenwood6448

9 ай бұрын

@@Sendarya Yes! Because if Heaven is rolling out their version of the Antichrist, it likely means destruction for all demons, including Crowley. He wants to be in charge so that he might prevent this from hurting him. He was still debating going after Crowley until he heard the Metatron say that.

@butterflymuse2707

9 ай бұрын

Maybe he was thinking about the book of life threat and the Metatron and how disapproving heaven is of their relationship and so he goes anyway to try to keep Crowley safe? 🤷

This just popped up in my feed again, and weirdly enough, it was perfectly suited to something else I was just watching. I'm revisiting the show Lucifer, to at least see the hurt and trauma result in a happy ending (damaged, I know😢) and I noticed something interesting. Lucifer is a Gaiman world character, and there is a line that is almost identical to this "coffee or death" bit. Lucifer's mother, the Goddess, trapped in a human form, is mugged. Her attacker says "Your money or your life, b___!" "I..I.. choose money", she stammers, uncertainly. Then looking confused, she says, "Does anyone choose life? That doesn't seem very..." She is interrupted by him grabbing her bag and trying to wrench it away. She escapes, using her super strength to throw him into a wall. It's the same as the give me coffee or give me death question. An immortal being of immense power, questioning a mortal, as to whether anyone, when confronted with a choice between life or death, will answer with anything but to choose to live. It's even visited in The Sandman with Dream, believing that when confronted with immortality, a human will want to die, but the man to whom he gifts immortality, while he has setbacks and losses, chooses to go on living, and after centuries, Dream acknowledges that he has become a friend. In Lucifer and the Sandman, the immortal is really questioning their own existence, and why humans, with such short truncated lives, have such a will to continue. Will it be the same for The Metatron, or is he really a far more evil creature who detests humanity, and their propensity to survive?

@Sendarya

8 ай бұрын

Excellent connections, and excellent question at the end there as well! I do think this theme is one of those humans have explored for ages, so we would see it in lots of media (including comedy. Check out cake or death sometime!) Gaiman loves playing with classic concepts and putting a new spin on them! Thank you for this great comment!

OMG, Princess Bride? I love you. 😍😍😍 Wow, your analysis is quite keen and seems pretty accurate! The ribs, The ribs!!! I hadn't thought of that! 👏👏👏 Our opinions differ on two points. 1/About Aziraphale touching his lips after the kiss, I'm not sure he is trying to figure his own feelings. As I see it, he has been aware of his feelings for a while, but tried to hide them because it is *wrong* for an angel to love a demon. Remember how Jim says "do you ever feel that everything would be okay if you could be around just one person?" and Azi overeacts "No! absolutely not, what makes you think that?" (from memory, not sure if the exact words). Aziraphale's offer to restore Crowley as an angel so they can work (be) together felt like a proposal to me. If we're both angels, then we can be in love all we want! I think he touches his lips to make sure the kiss actually happened. He must have dreamt of it for a long time. It's not like Crowley to confess... *love*! Aziraphale doesn't know that Nina and Maggie were instrumental in this. Sadly, it happens in the middle of a fight... 2/The weird smile in the end... is fake. imho, it means. 😱OMG, Crowley was right, the Metatron fooled me, and now I'm in deep shit, but I'd better keep smiling because if I don't go and pretend I agree with the second coming, then who is going to sabotage the plan? Who is going to save my lover who is staying on Earth, unaware of what is coming? Thank you for starting such an interesting discussion, I kind of need this to keep going...

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

Hello! I see you also found the entire Princess Bride video as well as my little reference here. ❤️ Oh, sometimes I am not clear in my videos. Something I'm still working on and trying to improve. I 100% agree that Aziraphale knows full well he loves Crowley. I meant he was trying to figure out how he felt specifically about the kiss. I apologize that I wasn't clear on that point. Although you may be right, he might have wanted that for a long time, he has been touching Crowley a LOT the last few years, and the angry look at the end of the lip touch might have been him hardening himself to leave anyway? So he liked it, but he's also mad about it, lol. I do like your take on the smile. It is very possible! Aziraphale doesn't know that Crowley knows about the second Armageddon. And we do see him putting on a brave face in other situations. Great points, and a well thought out comment, thank you! I also need these discussions. It's the entire reason I make these videos! I'm glad I can provide that for other fans as well!

@elsamirre5322

9 ай бұрын

@@Sendarya don't apologize! Now I see that I got it wrong. Your vid is excellent. More, please! 🤩

For the smile i thought maybe it's him pushing down all of his doubts in a forced smile like he always smiles

I like to see all the explanations of what happened after the kiss. I really enjoyed this video and can't pick holes in any of it. Ooh! I like the theory of the ribs, yes, they needed three. This is such a good explanation. Personally I feel that god is still watching and guiding what is going on. Whether Neil agrees is another matter.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

Neil is a Death of the Author kind of guy. Unless something is explicitly stated, I think he's happy for fans to interpret things the way that works best for them. :) I'm very glad you enjoyed the video! It's funny, when I write these, I always notice something too small to make a whole video about, so it's becoming a little thing I always do, to add a fun fact/detail at the end, lol.

@aisleelovegreenwood6448

9 ай бұрын

I actually am under the sneaking suspicion that it will turn out that God planned it all from the beginning (and yes, even _wanted_ angels to rebel and learn to think for themselves) and only wants Crowley and Aziraphale separated right now because She believes they are the key to teaching the rest of her children how to be more like them. Aziraphale needed to be in power in Heaven, and wherever Crowley ends up next, that will also be exactly where he needed to be to have the greatest impact. She learned a long time ago that most of her angels craved some form of direction, and panicked when told to just do whatever they wanted (because they didn't know how to think for themselves), while some (later becoming demons) would rebel against anything she told them to do. She _wanted_ her children to think for themselves (to ask questions, like Crowley did), but realized that no matter what she tried to tell them, they would be who they were: half would insist that she _give_ them direction on what to do, and the other half would hate that direction and see it as her trying to control them. So, she gave the angels what they wanted: a loose set of rules (which they interpreted more rigidly than they were meant), and allowed the demons to rebel against her, knowing that eventually, a fallen angel and a wily serpent would form a bond, an learn from each other, as well as Humanity, how to think for themselves. She is so proud of them, and can't wait for them to discover their own power (as we saw a glimpse of with the bookshop miracle). The only reason she is separating them right now is so that they can be strategically placed for things to unfold according to the Ineffable Plan. She knows they'll ultimately work together again, but they each needed to be placed carefully in order to learn the right information at the right time, and be in position to have the greatest impact on the situation.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

@aisleelovegreenwood6448 That is such an interesting interpretation! I sort of struggle with fate vs free will in story telling, though. The idea of fate, consequences and outcomes we cannot avoid, is central to many stories (including this one, where time and "It's too late" are a central theme for Crowley), but then free will is also on the table. Aziraphale constantly asserts that God gave all of her creations free will, like in the Wee Morag minisode. But Crowley points out that the circumstances of their birth and station in life pretty much dictate the outcome of it. So, is everyone behaving according to God's ineffable plan, or do they have free will to go against Her? If Crowley and Aziraphale are separated because a higher power planned it, doesn't that take away some of their agency? I'm not saying you are wrong! Just sort of thinking out loud. It was a great comment, very thought provoking, now I'm sitting here wondering about that, because I'm currently writing the It's Too Late video, and this is soooo closely tied to those same themes. Thank you for the very interesting ideas!!

@aisleelovegreenwood6448

9 ай бұрын

@@Sendarya The way I see it is that it's both Her plan _and_ their free will: She can see into the future and learn what they will decide to do, but it is _them_ deciding it, and so she adjusts her own behaviors accordingly in order to create the best possible outcome for everyone. They all influence the Ineffable Plan, rather than doing what she wants them to, but she does her best to direct/influence things and fill in the gaps. She works with what they give her.

"It was inevitable: the scent of bitter almonds always reminded him of the fate of unrequited love. " This is the first sentence in the book 'Love in the Time of Cholera' by Gabriel García Márquez, which is one of the books from the shelf where Jim was placing books (S02E02).

@Sendarya

5 ай бұрын

WELL!!! That's on my reading list (along with all the other books on Jim's shelf). I will have to address that someday! Thanks for sharing that tidbit.

Wow, excellent analysis! Relating the lie about the "dash" of almond syrup to the lie about restoring Crowley's angelic status makes so much sense! This seems the best explanation for the almond stuff that I've seen so far! And thank you for such a great analysis of Aziraphale's character and of why that kiss didn't work! Thank you!

Metatron obviously knows who Crowley once was and of course knew that Crowley wouldn't accept the offer. But then one wonders, why? Crowley was expelled from Heaven for "asking too many questions". This could likley mean that Metatron doesn't want anyone looking to closely at projects in the works. It could also mean that Metatron does have a history with Crowley and not a nice one at that. On the other hand, Reinstating Crowley could make him just like the other angels. A semi-mindeless drone under the influence of higher powers. But Crowley does mention to Aziraphale that, "The angel he was is NOT him." This could lean to the choices Crowley makes is based on both his angelic beginnings and his current demonic being. Thus making him understand the manipulative nature of Metatron. Maybe he himself was a victim of such actions. This doesnt include the huge memory gaps that Crowley has regarding his time as an angel. But all this is speculation from a huge fan who just wants a spicy demon and a fluffy angel to get their happy ending.

This is the simple explanation I've given since S2 dropped. Thank you; eloquently argued. It's all wrapped up in a) Aziraphale's sense of identity, duty, as a being created to help humanity b) Crowley's hurtful rejection and scorn fo Az's love offering (to be with him in heaven) and mission (doing good) and c) Metatron's manipulation. No need for silly theories about magic coffee. I think he might be smiling because he's thought of a way to thwart Metatron.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

Thank you! Agreed, it's pretty straightforward. Your summary is spot on!

EXCELLENT as always. Everything you outlined is so true. I fully believe as I stated earlier that Aziraphale was the brains behind saving the kids. He didn't know it eating the ribs, but the symbolism of 3 clean ribs is evident. Can't wait for the next video.

Thank you for this analysis, I was feeling a little lost about this season finale, although I had concluded some of the points you mentioned, all my thoughts were scattered and I missed a bunch of details. You are on spot. At the end Metatron did offer coffee or death. I hope your last prediction about the Metatron not understanding how complex and deep Aziraphale and Crowley's relationship goes does play against him at the end. This was truly painful, so thank you for giving me some hope.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

Hold onto that hope, my friend. Neil promised us a happy ending, and now with the strike over, he seems very confident that he'll get to make season 3. The finale was rough. Like, I've never experienced anything like it. But, we can all get through the next few years together, as a fandom! And just cry a lot, probably, lol.

Thx again, and for including the smile. Drives me nuts. Watched it over and over and over again. And he goes through quite a turmoil on the elevator 😮

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

I'm going to have to cover the smile all by itself. So many possible things going on there. Including the fact that he doesn't do it until about 3 seconds before they blur it out and the credits end. It's like a hidden secret.

@odayin_gold

8 ай бұрын

Okay, am I the only one who sees a very clear distinction between this smile and all his real ones? Like it DEFINITELY doesn't reach his eyes. For me, it's obviously a mask he puts on, a brave face, maybe even to convince himself that he's fine, he has a history of convincing himself of stuff he doesn't actually believe after all. I consider myself quite the empath, but if you think the smile was real, please explain how, I feel like I can't trust myself.

I so enjoy your analyses of the themes, scenes, and character motivation in Good Omens. It makes me feel like my time is well spent rewatching the series over and over as I search out clues and just feeling exhilarated at the amazing writing, acting and production. Thank you.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

Thank you so much, and I'm glad these bring you more joy in rewatching Good Omens!

I thoroughly enjoy your videos! Thank you so much ❤️. I agree - the smile at the end is such a mystery and very disturbing. It reminds me of some of the smiles Gabriel used in Season 1, when he was his former smug, often cruel Supreme Archangel self.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

Yeah, I'm going to have to have to really look into it deeper. There's something there! Interesting comparison to Gabriel, something to check out!

There's something about "give me coffee or give me death" that I've been rolling around in my brain lately. The name of the coffee shop is an obvious allusion to "Give me Liberty or give me Death" from Patrick Henry's revolutionary war speech. We can also see the Statue of Liberty, or Lady Liberty, used as decoration in the shop and her torch is referenced in the logo. At first I was like "oh that's interesting, it's an American themed coffee shop," but now I'm wondering if there's some significance to all the Freedom imagery and how this relates to Aziraphale and Crowley and Heaven and Hell. Your video has me all inspired now and I kinda want to make an analysis of this, hmmm 🤔

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

@purpleliveoak1225 I say, go for it! It is an obvious reference to that famous line, but for the life of me, I wasn't able to see how it connected. Is Aziraphale choosing freedom by going to heaven? Or some form of liberty? And well spotted, there are so many things in Azi's shop, and in the intro credits, it's quite overwhelming! But you are spot on, Lady Liberty is in both locations. If you do come up with some connections and do an analysis, I'd love to see what you find!! Please, come back and share :)

@purpleliveoak

9 ай бұрын

@@Sendarya you got it! o7

Amazing analysis! ♡ Thank you for addressing Crowley beeing also unfair with his offer and the deep Aziraphale analysis. 16:23 "Crowley always comes back and Aziraphale always chooses Crowley in the end" ♡

Blimey, you’re good. Thank you for all your videos, especially this one! Nobody seems to have picked up on 1.) Michael literally threatening to wipe Aziraphale out entirely and Metatron coming in to "rescue" him, which puts him into Aziraphale's good books, understandably and 2) THAT DISTURBING SMILE! This is the thing that threw me off THE MOST. I was also thinking the kiss might be a body swap, but since we already had a body swap, it would be an old trick to repeat. It’s clear Metatron had to tear them apart otherwise they’d be too powerful. That half-miracle turned into 25 Lazari showed this quite clearly as well. Aziraphale’s smile just has something mad about it, something insane, that’s what throws me off. PS: I also believe that their love is way stronger than this, and that they will find back to each other and (hopefully) avert the 2nd coming, and that will be the story arc of s3. At least in my head, for now. Urgh. You're giving me all the feels. Hurty, hurty.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

Thank you! Yes, the metatron pulled off some master level manipulation right there. And that smile does seem a bit cracked! I'm so glad you are enjoying the videos!

Very well done! I agree with pretty much all of this. And I love that you referenced their argument in the beginning of the season, saying that Crowley always comes back. I think that argument is very important to understanding the ending. Crowley wants Aziraphale to abandon everything, including the earth (remember Gabriel and Beelzebub never being able to return), to just be with him and protect their own fragile peace. But Aziraphale, though he wants that peace they’ve carved out for themselves, will not abandon someone who is vulnerable, who came to him for help, even if that someone is “awful” and tried to kill him before. He wants Crowley to help him. And while Crowley refuses and leaves at first, he returns, not because he wants to help Gabriel, but because he wants to help Aziraphale. This is what he did in the last season, too, when he decided to go to Alpha Centauri alone when Aziraphale refused to give up on preventing the war and saving the earth, but decided against it when he realized it felt meaningless without his “best friend.” In the end, it’s Aziraphale’s call that causes him to drive through death, and it’s Aziraphale’s desperate plea to “think of something or I’ll never talk to you again” that pushes him to take them and Adam out of time, and pledge to together in the face of absolute destruction. Heaven asked for Aziraphale’s help. It doesn’t matter that they tried to kill him before or that he would walk away from them in any other instance. Heaven needs his help- they are clearly in chaos, and especially with the Second Coming, everyone is in danger, the earth, too. He wants Crowley to be with him, to help him, but if he won’t, Aziraphale will do it on his own, this time. That hesitation where Aziraphale and Crowley stood staring at each other before Aziraphale turned to follow the Metatron…I don’t think it was only Crowley hoping the other would change his mind and go with him. I think Aziraphale was waiting for Crowley to choose to come with him to Heaven, after all.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

Aw, that's such a great observation! People always say it was maybe Aziraphale hesitating and maybe deciding to stay, but he was hesitating and also hoping Crowley would change his mind. Love it! And yes, episode 1 has an enormous amount of set-up for the finale, and clues for season 3 in it, I agree! These characters have behaved very consistently for both seasons. Thank you for such a well thought out and thorough comment!

🐈‍⬛ I've never posted on a fan site before - only posting now because GO is just so amazing - so apologies if I accidentally get it wrong. I found your videos Sendarya and have subscribed because they are so thoughtful and enlightening. Make me really look again at things I had missed, so a big thank you! I'd like to add my own take on the Azi/Crowley choices in Ep 6. I agree it's not right to really be down on Azi - he is just behaving as his character and his guiding principals dictate. But I think Crowley is being a bit misunderstood here when he's accused of selfishness in this scene, by asking Azi to run away with him. I don't think he had intended to this time. I think, until Azi drops the 'Come with me to Heaven' bombshell. he's expecting life to go back to normal, with one exception - that he's told Azi that he loves him. When the Metatron invites Azi out for a chat, Azi looks to Crowley almost for permission. Crowley shrugs and says ' The day can't get any weirder.' When they've gone he says to Muriel: 'When Aziraphale comes back we're going to need some US time. Followed by an extraordinarily alcoholic breakfast at the Ritz.' He then tells Muriel 'You should go now!'' He wants some privacy with Aziraphale. Why? Because, prompted by Nina's questions in Ep 5, he's realised what the feelings he has for Azi actually mean. He loves him, and decides he's going to tell him so. Not easy for him, so when Nina and Maggie turn up stating they want a word with him he says 'It's not a good time.' I think he's gearing himself up to face his feelings and risk sharing them with his angel. I think - as we hear later, tragically truncated- he's planning to say 'I want to spend eternity with you. I Iove you. I want to be with you always. ' He's scared - listen how he starts when Azi comes in: 'I've got something to say. It's best if I do all the talking and you do all the listening, because if I don't start talking, II'll never start talking-' But he's brave enough to start in. Maybe he'd planned a kiss afterwards - followed by a drive to the Ritz for a celebratory breakfast. Maybe he's even primed the Bentley to play the 'NIghtingales sang-' as they drive off, knowing it's special to both of them. Tragically he never gets the chance to speak properly, so it all comes out in a rush and a panic and he bungles it . And the kiss? A last desperate attempt to communicate. I don't think he'd planned to run off with Azi at all this time. Anyway, the scene broke my heart, and as so many others have said, the acting of Sheen and Tennant is beyond superb. Loved it! Anyway sorry to have gone on for so long, and look forward to your next video!

@Sendarya

8 ай бұрын

My apologies that your comment was held up. I've approved it now. KZread does some weird stuff with comments sometimes. I appreciate your very thoughtful comment! I do not necessarily think Crowley is selfish in wanting to run away with Azi, and I am sorry if it came across that way in the video. Only that Azi might see it that way, in that moment. Trying to get in the characters heads, as opposed to a viewer perspective of their behavior. :) And he may have primed the Bentley! and it is tragic, it all happened so fast, neither of them got a chance to really say what they wanted to say, properly. I am glad you enjoyed the video!

Great video! Just popping in to offer that the weird smile is Aziraphale bracing himself/putting on his proverbial battle armor to reenter heaven. That's how I interpreted it

Urgh youve put so much about what Ive thought about Aziraphales choice into actual coherent words!!

Very impressive! That smile, though, at the end, really is disturbing... Seeing it now I got the impression that something may have snapped in Aziraphael and that we may see a slightly more...'unhinged' version of him in season3 and that he may really need rescuing this time. Also: how is Metatron always the bad guy? (side-eye to the SPN fandom).

I watched Metatron throughout this bit and I thought "Wow! That is some EPIC lovebombing!" OK, the smile: Aziraphale touches his lips, then the Metatron walks in. Aziraphale's face instantly changes. He is hiding his feelings from Metatron. Remember what heaven is like. For 6000 Aziraphale has been hiding his true self from heaven, due to being punished by them for stupid stuff. In my opinion Aziraphale may be scared of Hell, but he is petrified of Heaven! He cannot be himself around them. He can around Crowley. So, in conclusion the smile is an acceptance of no turning back. And since there's no turning back he will throw himself into the second coming. I think the smile is Aziraphale trying to indoctrinate himself with Heaven's propaganda and finially"being the good guys" he's dreamed of. It's possible that Aziraphale will be working against Crowley for a bit of season 3. That could interesting!

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

That is an interesting take on the smile I hadn't heard before!

This is a much more logical and likely theory than any of the other ones I've seen. It's very close to my own thoughts on the matter (though I still maintain there's something more personally significant in that final look back at Crowley, but we'll see, I guess). I believe that the ultimate evil in all of this will turn out to be the Metatron. I don't even believe he's actually speaking for God. I believe he's got his own plans, and everyone else is going along because they believe he's speaking for God. Uriel's frightened question about having done something wrong (so out of character when Uriel's been kind of the emotionless strong-arm of the group all along) makes me think Heaven has some VERY serious problems, and they all start and end with the Metatron. Have my personal theories on what'll happen to him (I admit, I'm a bit of a dark spark). Really looking forward to Season 3, to see whose theories end up most aligned with what Neil and Terry planned. :)

@aisleelovegreenwood6448

9 ай бұрын

Yes! I kind of wondered about this as well. Like, for some reason God either can't or _won't_ seem to speak to any of the angels, so the Metatron chose to step in and start pretending that he was speaking for God. Now, if my _other_ theories are correct, this is all actually a part of God's Plan, and so if he _is_ lying and tricking people, She is aware of that but also ultimately he's playing into her hand, so she's allowing it to happen, even if for entirely different reasons than his. She wants Crowley and Aziraphale to overcome the odds, but they ultimately have to have some life-experiences and also be placed in the right place at the right time to stop the _second_ almost-end-of-the-world, so she's allowing him to split them up because she knows it'll place them exactly where they need to be for that to happen. Can't wait for season 3!

@kalessinsdaughter5460

9 ай бұрын

More evidence of the Metatron's very questionable methods of leadership: After Uriel's terrified question if they did anything wrong, the Metatron cruelly leaves them in suspense. "Well, that remains to be seen, does it not?" There's also Muriel's nervous uncertainty when being found reading a book, and her disproportionate relief when the Metatron approves.

Thanks for bringing up the Aziraphale weird smile at the very end in the lift. It was sudden and jolting.

Thank you for this video so many people are trashing on the coffee theory when it's actually, just like the miscommunication of these two idiots, that theory is just not explained and not understood well enough😢😢

I love the depth of your analyses. It helps me suffer less

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

That is one of my main goals ❤️ The fandom needs a collective hug

you videos scratch the itch in my brain that has been there since watching the finale, so thank you

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

My pleasure! It scratches my own itch to make them, and I'm glad it's helping other people as well :) ❤️

I absolutely LOVE your GO videos!Completely agree with everything,except for one thing… I’m not sure what the Metatron’s motives are, but I do think it’s possible whether knowingly or not, that he’s acting on behalf of God’s plan. So he may not fail next season (not really), because getting Aziraphale back up to heaven for the moment is what God needs to happen. Whether the Metatron needs to continue to be an adversary next season, who can say? But I do think it’s all part of the plan.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

I try not to speculate on God's plan too much, since it is....ineffable. 😅 But I do take your meaning.

@TheLemonMeteor

9 ай бұрын

@@Sendarya very true. Hard not to in this case since the character is supposed to be the voice of God. It’s interesting to speculate on how aware he is of the plan and how much he is acting on his own.

also: like most part of the fandom, i really thought the coffee had something to do with all of this, but as i was seeing a lot of people saying things about it being poisoned or miracled or idk, it just didnt make sense, you know? something like this would just take away any responsability az may face in the future, it would be such a lazy outcome, and neil gaiman would never do something like that, but i just couldnt think about anything to counter that idea. but thank goodness you were here because the coffee being an analogy makes SO MUCH MORE sense, i really thank you for this insight

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

I am so glad I could help clarify that final scene. I agree, the ideas and theories that take away agency from either of our ineffable husbands can be frustrating to hear. I didn't want to spend time countering them. I thought about how to present this video for a while, and landed on just explaining the analogy, instead of trying to debunk other people's ideas. Neil is a very good writer, one of the best of our time, and I agree, he wouldn't resort to that kind of lazy outcome. Thank you so much for the thoughtful comment!

I have discovered and become entranced by this show only recently. The intricacy and layers and near perfect use of detail in word, scene, plot, set,lighting, etc is incredible. I’ve literally never wanted to watch a show over and over as I do this one. And I find a new gem in every one. Your analysis is fabulous and has opened my mind to even more things I’d missed and I can’t wait to watch the whole thing again. Thanks for the time you put into it. I really appreciate your effort and am grateful to have even more things revealed about my new favorite obsession. 🤩👏👏

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

Welcome to the GO obsession club :) We are all here for life. It really is amazing how good this show is, on every level! Every detail is astonishing and perfect. I am so glad you found this channel, and enjoyed the video!

That was EXACTLY my theory. The Metatron offeriing Coffee or Death. So... Azi didn't has a choice

My former BIL was a loss prevention professional. He used offering a stick of gum, making sure the suspect took it, whether or not he wanted it. It was a move that put BIL is a position of power.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

There are a lot of subtle psychological tricks people can use on others. thank you for sharing a real world example of how this one is used.

I love your videos and I love analyzing this fantastic story. I also love knowing that I am not the only one who is obsessed with these two. 😇 👿 ❤

I love your analysis! I have my own theory about the smile: there is another person who smiles so fake and awful: Gabriel before his relationship with Belzebub. And Gabriel after wiping his memory isn’t creepy at all - he’s innocent, cheerful, grateful and trusting. He even offers himself to save people in the bookshop! My point is: Aziraphale is faking, of course. Metatron gave him coffee, so the other choice would be death and Aziraphale knows that. Death for him and Crowley. I actually think that Metatron wanted Crowley to accept the offer to be an angel, because there would be no one, who could stop the Heaven from winning the war against Hell. In season 1 in ep6, Crowley said that it’s not over and the next battle will be them and humanity against Heaven and Hell. Aaaand Metatron has all the evidence to think, that Crowley (as a ooooh bad demon, oooh very bad bad helper of Satan XD) would be so angry at Aziraphale for going to Heaven, that he would choose to fight against him in a War between Heaven and Hell. And if Azira and Crowley are not on Earth, there will be no one to protect humanity. Gabriel found his Heaven in Belzebub, Belzebub found his Hell in Gabriel (their words, not mine). But Aziraphale and Crowley found themselves in humanity. Their love is blooming as humanity grows. They’ve created all of humanity and their history: without Crowley’s temptation they would never leave Eden, without Aziraphale’s sword they would never survive outside. Without those things, there would be nothing. Sorry, I am just so excited with your videos, I just wanted to share my own thoughts XD Thank you for your hard work ❤

Love your deep dives. And people willing to see things from Aziraphale’s pov as well. I found this season such a reflection on the very thing Aziraphale used to stop the apocalypse-the great plan vs the ineffable plan. We see Crowley through the ages getting Aziraphale to doubt Heaven and the angels aka the great plan, but nothing ever shakes Aziraphale’s faith in the ineffable plan, which honestly is mostly the idea of kindness and goodness that Aziraphale himself has always stood for, but is one that he still attaches to God. If Aziraphale is able to see God as good, and he still does by placing most of the blame for bad things on Gabriel and co., then Heaven is simply a reflection of the rot that is capable of change. And why shouldn’t Aziraphale believe Heaven can change and be better? Again with Crowley, but I think Aziraphale knows it’s because of him that he turned out a better angel, one who loves humanity and is good and kind and capable of forming new and better opinions through knowledge and experience, so he’s the proof that Heaven can be better, with a little demonic influence perhaps. And since God Herself has never punished Aziraphale even when he thought he should be cast down, since in all Her omniscience she would be aware of him and Crowley teaming up even as they hid it from Heaven and Hell, and since they stopped the Apocalypse without divine retribution, God must be good, right? Anyway this is rambling but Aziraphale will always be a force of goodness, a force of the ineffable plan he believes in, so he’ll sacrifice his life and happiness on earth because, like you said, that’s who he is. And I think that he really meant that ‘I need you’ in more than one sense. He personally needs Crowley, wants him, can’t imagine life without him, but also knows that Crowley has changed him for the better. Honestly, it might just take Aziraphale losing faith in God to truly cut ties completely with Heaven, and I don’t know if I want that. No longer being able to think of God as good would destroy his sense of self and put into doubt his entire existence. And yet…I want Aziraphale to realize Heaven is built on corruption and he needs to leave it behind. Either that or he stages an entire coup or maybe even gets cast down-there is so much personally at stake for Aziraphale now and it terrifies me. (I think the smile was putting on a brave face since he only starts smiling when they near the end, and he would probably want to be happy when entering Heaven with the intent of saving the world and changing everything for the better.) Anyway I love your videos and how you present stuff so clean and tight with attention to detail and I look forward to the next one! You give the best analyses!

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

@kyrakahn571 Thank you so much for the extremely well thought out comment. You really got me thinking!! You are so right that Aziraphale has more at stake than his love for Crowley, or even preventing Armageddon. I also want Aziraphale to realize Heaven is corrupt, and that he needs to leave behind the false ideas he's been carrying around for his entire existence. It's going to be hard, the hardest thing he's ever had to do. I love that you point out how the "I need you" has such a deeper meaning. Crowley really has made him a better angel, and he recognizes that. They bring out the best in each other. You said " it might just take Aziraphale losing faith in God to truly cut ties completely with Heaven, and I don’t know if I want that. No longer being able to think of God as good would destroy his sense of self and put into doubt his entire existence." And I sort of agree, let me explain. If this really is going to be a story about losing one's faith, then this is probably what needs to happen, but I don't think it will destroy his sense of self. He thinks it will, probably fears it will, and it will damage it for sure. It's going to be very hard to watch, if we get this bit of storytelling. BUT Aziraphale's identity is NOT dependent on Heaven, he only thinks it is. The journey out of religion is often accompanied by this fear, but people find, as I think Aziraphale will, that he's been a good person (angel) despite heaven, not because of it. He's going to be reforged in some terrible flames, but he'll come out with a stronger sense of self, knowing that it's been him making the right choices all along, with Crowley at his side helping. He never needed Heaven in order to be a good Angel. He needs to learn to love and trust himself. I think I may need to explore this more, but it's such a sensitive topic, I don't want to step on too many toes. :(

@kyratries

9 ай бұрын

@@Sendarya Oh you’re so right! I never meant to imply that I agree that Aziraphale is reliant on Heaven to be himself. He simply takes all the good work he does and puts it in the box labelled ‘angelic deeds’ rather than ‘things I did because I’m good’ and if he ends up losing faith in God, the box of angelic deeds is suddenly junk all over the floor that needs to be put in a box that might still need to be assembled and labeled correctly. And Aziraphale’s sense of self is so wonderfully strong, from his beliefs to his clothes to old books and records, unlike Crowley, who is so malleable and moves with the times. But strong things break all the more violently. It would be beautiful storytelling and heartbreaking to watch. Who he is would definitely remain, but everything would need to be reorganized and Aziraphale is a creature of habit. He so desperately wants to be affirmed and coming to realize he’s been in the wrong for 6000 years would hit like a truck full of self-loathing over his naivety. Of course, this will be the beauty of his relationship with Crowley. When Aziraphale is in the depths of believing he’s been on the wrong side, on Heaven’s side, there’s someone out there who knows they’ve actually been their own side all along, a group of the two of them, and that can be what Aziraphale is able to use to realize his own inherent worth, to reforge (beautiful word there you used) that new understanding of who he has been all along. I think you mentioned in one of your other videos that you think they will actually talk to God in s3? I completely agree now that you’ve put the idea forth. God’s narrative throughout s1 made Her absence in s2 very pronounced to me and it seems right She would make a return. However that conversation goes down will set Aziraphale off on one course or the other and you are also very right about stepping on toes but whether Aziraphale is able to retain faith or not will depend so much on that conversation. I love being able to talk about this character! He’s got so many layers of complexity that I think often get boiled down to the bones-some silly fandom idea that he’s just dumb or drugged instead of masterfully manipulated by the Metatron, silly angel who believes in goodness next to Crowley’s stylish cynicism-so thank you for putting up with me and my need to gush about all the possibilities and nuances!

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

@kyrakahn571 oh gosh, there is no "putting up with" at all! This is literally why I'm making these videos, I love these conversations! I do see what you mean, and I'm sorry I misunderstood your initial point. I love the descriptive language you use to about how Aziraphale is going to have to reorganize his view of himself. Scattered all over, reassembled and labeled. Very evocative. I also love how you describe Crowley as malleable and Aziraphale as strong but more violently broken. I'm currently writing about that very theme in the show, and you have nailed it! Everything about himself is going to come into question. I know, because Neil has assured us, that Azi (and Crowley) will come out OK in the end. Is it weird to hope he does go through it though? I mean, I'm not going to enjoy watching this character go through such a painful metamorphosis, exactly, but I think it will be cathartic to many viewers to see him, finally after a 6000 year long battle with himself, emerge all the more beautiful in the end. For us, like for him, hopefully the pain will pay off. And Crowley will be there to love him no matter what. (A group of the two of them. ❤️ How is it I can still tear up and feel all the feels about it all 6 weeks after the fact, just reading this little reference? This show performed some kind of magic, like Azi at the ball) I need to make a discord or something. I'm still working this all out, but I'm having thoughts about how to help expand the fandom, and give people a place for these kinds of deeper discussions. I agree, I am upset by some of the theories, though I am trying not to be judgmental. People were hurt, looking for answers. Plus, some modern media has really trained us to care more about theories than story telling. But there are plenty of in character and story focused theories to be found in this show of many layers! Thank you for this wonderful conversation, I'm enjoying it very much!

@kyratries

9 ай бұрын

@@Sendarya If you make a discord, I will be there in a second! So happy to hear the theme of another video too! I do actually want Aziraphale to go through it all-it feels right on his journey but is also such a wonderful idea of finding freedom from an institution or a group or even an individual who hurt you, of repurposing the love you had for the wrong thing towards people who actually deserve it and will love you back unconditionally. I know there are lots of people out there who can resonate with that situation and that’s the beauty of storytelling, isn’t it? Finding ourselves in a fictional 6000 year old angel. So yes, I am with you. I want to see that full journey and quite probably cry. Definitely cry. But then also cry when Aziraphale comes out reforged. I’ve used this analogy before with “broken” characters, but it’s kintsugi. Smash the pottery and put it back together so the cracks still show but now they’re filled with gold. So Aziraphale can put his pieces back together, and hopefully Crowley can take a look at his own cracks that maybe weren’t fit quite back right, find those answers he’s been seeking ever since he began asking questions, be able to let go of some of the pain he still obviously clings to because that sort of bitterness and spite doesn’t exist when someone has really truly made peace with a situation. And then our favorite group of the two of them get their soft and romantic ending. (And I cry even more.)

I have a thought about the weird smile... I find that it reminds me of a face that Gabriel makes, so right from the first watch I thought that he was trying to assume his new roll, though it's a superficial attempt. Literally putting on his game face.

Dang, your analyses are so good. They put many of my own thoughts into a coherent format while also bringing forth ideas I hadn't even noticed or thought about. That point about the ox ribs at the end was really interesting. I think you're completely right, too. While a lot of people are quick to bring up the fact that Aziraphale is asking Crowley to go against everything he is and stands for with his offer --- I don't think enough people address the fact that Crowley does pretty much the same thing to Aziraphale with his counteroffer. They are both so wrapped up in their own feelings and needs that neither of them is considering what the OTHER needs. If they had just stopped for a moment to think and listen, I feel like they might have realized that the issue wasn't the strength of their feelings for each other --- but rather that they had different ideas of what their happiness together should look like. As you said though, Crowley always comes back for Aziraphale eventually, and Aziraphale ultimately chooses Crowley when it comes down to it. There may be some pettiness and bad feelings at first when they meet again in season 3, but I'm confident their love for each other will prove stronger than any efforts to tear them apart.

@Sendarya

6 ай бұрын

Exactly! And also, thank you so much. I totally agree, their love will prove the strongest thing❤

I see Aziraphale face in the last scene as him being an optimist. I remember a line from the book referring to Crowley as “ in the end, he was always an optimist.” And I remember hearing somewhere that they were both referred to as optimists. So I see that his forced smile in the end is him trying to look at the positive, believing that he will truly make a difference, save the Earth, save humanity, and maybe one day, go back to Crowley. ⭐️Edit⭐️ I just realized you made a mini theory video on Aziraphale’s smile, which I haven’t seen yet. So I’ll watch that as soon as I can. But that was just my interpretation of it :)

@Sendarya

8 ай бұрын

@sheebeebug The mini theory is more of a compilation of theories I've seen floating around, rather than my own. There are just so many! I will have to take the time to do a full analysis of that entire scene eventually. But I like your take, and think it's likely something like that. Nothing like a body switch or anything too crazy.

Great analysis. I really love your attention to details and use of analogy. I conpletely agree that Aziraphale puts the good of others over his own best interests. That it was completely in character for him to have to try to make the world a better place if he possibly can. This is one of the aspects of him I really like. Concerning Aziraphale's rank, on Tumblr Neil said that Aziraphale was a Cherub at the Garden or Eden but later became a Principality which is either a promotion or demotion depending on which angelic scheme you adhere to. He's also said this:- "The Metatron is at the top, but he wouldn’t actually show up on an organisational chart. He’s just above everyone, and below God. Then Gabriel. Then the other Fancy Archangels (we’ve met Michael and Uriel). Then some somewhat less fancy Archangels (like Sandalphon). Then Aziraphale. Then all the angels as important or less important than Aziraphale. Then all the angels significantly less important than Aziraphale, all the way down to the least important of all (probably a 37th degree recording angel scrivener, but don’t quote me on that). And as to how the Good Omens angelic hierarchy maps onto the various contradictory human-made angelic hierarchies, pick your hierarchy (here are five contradictory Jewish hierarchies for you to get started with) and enjoy making it work." So Aziraphale isn't at the lowest level and has moved around.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

Quite right, he has moved around in the hierarchy. I did misstate that in my very first theory video (oops!), and I appreciate the correction! I have since then begun following Neil Gaiman on Tumblr so as to avoid such future mistakes, and made the correction in my following theory videos. :)

@talksandtales5824

9 ай бұрын

@@Sendarya Huge apologies, I meant to put this on your other video. So sorry to add to info you already had but Niel Gamen has been saying such great things which I though complimented what you had to say. I really enjoy your videos and think you have great insight.

I'd love to see an analysis of the reasons Crowley loves Azriaphale because there is a lot of emphasis in the fandom of Aziraphale being prejudiced against the very demon he loves. Also I think a look at both of their history with heaven and how it impacts them would be interesting but we can't know that until we know the rest of the story.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

Great suggestion, I have added it to my list! I think an analysis from both sides would make sense. As to heaven and hell, I agree, probably not something we can analyze very well until s3. Too much guesswork until then! Thank you for the idea :)

Such a great analysis. (And I've loved your other videos on GO2.) I do wonder, though, if there isn't just a tinge of ambition in Aziraphale's decision? To me, when dealing with or even talking about heaven (at least in the series - I haven't read the books), he seem to have a sortof overlooked-junior-executive frustration. And this may have been exacerbated by his understanding (as you so well explained) of the higher position Crowley had held before his, er, saunter.

@Sendarya

8 ай бұрын

Yeah, there might be! I don't think ambition alone was enough, but it's probably at least part of it. He did say he wanted to make a difference, and thinks he'll now have the power to do that. Excellent point, thank you!

Good analysis, love your videos. One thing that I would to explore more is : why is Crowley the only one in the bookshop to recognize the Metatron? Is it because he knows the evils of Heaven. (He also recognize Muriel as a good angel - they are palls now). And what about the "one prince of heaven makes a good story". When Gabriel says something like "I am the Supreme Archangel of the whole Universe". The camera closes up on Crowley. Ahhhh, so many questions. Maybe you could explore those points in the next videos? 😊

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

Thank you :) There is a lot of misdirection in this show. Neil has confirmed that the Metatron was referring to Lucifer with the "one prince of heaven" comment, and Gabriel would have been the second. Some of this is addressed in my Who was Crowley video, but not the camera shot mentioned. I do personally feel that shot was misdirection, but of course I can't say for certain! I do plan to do a part 2 to that video eventually! As to why Crowley recognizes the metatron, that's a good question. He did just see him in at Gabriel's trial. Also, it's pretty clear that Saraqiel recognizes him, as she starts praying almost immediately upon his entry. I'm up in the air if Uriel does, she seems to think it might be him, but is scared and unsure. only Michael and Aziraphale 100% don't recognize him (and Michael's a snob, lol). But again, this isn't to be dismissive, because it might be more than that!

Another enlightening breakdown! My initial reaction after watching the finale was anger at Aziraphale for breaking my boy Crowley's heart and going back to heave, but one time my attitude has softened and your analysis healed clarify his actions for me. So thank you!

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

I'm really glad I could help clarify the finale, and Aziraphale's actions. It really is my pleasure!

Perhaps I'm too late to think about this as others may have done already, but are we sure that Aziraphale is not putting on a show, "lying to thwart God's will" as he did before? He seemed pretty earnest but what if he decided to take things into his own hands, go upstairs and settle the situation. Without really thinking it through. Originally, when he asked Crowley to join him, he meant it because he was convinced he could make things work, but after Crowley's refusal he realized the only way he could protect himself and C ("us") is by being close to the fire. Then, the hint of the second coming threw him off guard, he was not calculating with THAT. I have this feeling that what we saw wasn't all truth from him. And I think he understood just how opposed to heaven Crowley is when the latter kissed him. That's when and why he decided he has to move upstairs to protect them both. He did not leave Crowley; he was protecting him the best and only way he knew how. PS This may have been mentioned in the video as well. I will only watch it later, just the thought occurred and I wanted to share it before my day started.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

I do plan to go over the lie theory in a later video. There certainly is a lot of lying going on this season with Aziraphale. I do like your version better than other's I've heard, as I think he was clearly very earnest in his initial offer to Crowley. But it is indeed in his nature to put other people's needs ahead of his own, and protect them no matter the cost to himself. Thank you for the thoughtful comment! I hope you found time to come back and check out the video 😊

This is a good breakdown! I arrived at a sort of similar place myself - though I didn’t interpret the mismatch between the dash/hefty jigger of almond syrup as a lie, so much as I thought maybe the Metatron did something to the coffee to make Azi more…uh pliable? I guess? But overall, really well done! I also have NO IDEA about the elevator smile. I have read so many awesome theories and I can’t say which one I think is the real one. Michael Sheen is a genius with his face, lol.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

Yes! The GO's fandom nominates Michael Sheen's face for an Emmy, please!

I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this video. I literally wrote a comment yesterday saying [ *i don’t understand the meaning of Give Me Coffee or Give Me Death if it’s NOT going to be thought of as Aziraphale’s reason for leaving.* There’s no reason on earth to put in such a weighty metaphor as the name of a coffee shop unless it actually MEANS something. ] *This* was THE answer, point by point, with reasoning, explanation, & and even the truth when there’s something of which you *don't* or aren’t sure you know the meaning. That’s incredibly rare. TYSM! I instantly subscribed to your channel. 🥰

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

Thank you so much! ❤️ I am no expert, nor do I pretend to be. Just a fan with a deep love of this show, and an equally deep love of analysis and examination of art and media. I do my best to explain what I see, and be honest when I just can't figure it out. I am so glad you found the video to be helpful and enjoyable. That makes me very happy!

That last comment about the significance of the ribs was a really clever thought I havent heard. Nice.

@Sendarya

8 ай бұрын

Thank you. It's funny, when I do these rewatches for an analysis of one thing, I inevitably find 4 other things I wasn't even looking for!

Great analysis. Interesting, I never made a connection between AZ indulging in gluttony with the cooked ox and the 3 ribs later saving the kids, cool, I just thought ribs were connected to Eve's birth from Adam's rib lol. Also, maybe I missed something in the story but two things I've been wondering: 1) I'm still not clear on why Metatron needed to go out of his way to come down to earth and tempt AZ into accepting the offer, can't he find other much better equipped angels to take the job? Is it just a matter of principle and he just wants to break up these two, just out of spite or is he just protecting the reputation of heaven (angles getting their way is becoming an institutional problem - Lucifer, Gabriel and now AZ)? 2)And the fact that the Metatron tells AZ right after their chat that he can take as much time as he wants before accepting the offer, but later on, after Crowley leaves the bookshop, the Metatron is on his throat rushing him out the door, when we never actually saw AZ officially accepting the position. This seemed a little odd in storytelling. Is it just me?

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

Not just you, great questions, and a great point, we don't see Aziraphale actually accept. Now that you mention it, I wonder if that will be important in season 3? My best answers to the questions are 1)The miracle in episode 1 clued him into something. They have WAAAY more power than they ought to, and he needed to break that up before they figured it out and used it to mess up his plans. He's literally terrified of them together. That's my best guess. But ALSO, yes, he's protecting heaven from more rogue angels. So, all of the above?

@AniMoted

9 ай бұрын

True, they never finished investigating that clue, so they probably are on the brink of discovering something big about the Metatron and he's just trying to distract them from doing so, good point!! @@Sendarya

@fairywingsonroses

9 ай бұрын

I think the answer to your question is multi-faceted. First of all, the angels send Muriel, a VERY inexperienced angel, to "spy" on Aziraphale and Crowley. Hell mentions being understaffed at one point. Heaven doesn't explicitly mention any staffing issues (other than Gabriel's disappearance), but the fact that they send Muriel as opposed to someone with more experience suggests that they might not have a lot of people to choose from either. Secondly, once Gabriel leaves, there is a bit of confusion amongst the angels over who is/should be in charge. Michael seems to think it's them, but they are a terrible and uninvolved leader, and the other angels seem hesitant and even resentful of the idea of Michael being in charge. That being said, the other archangels don't seem to have the same leadership presence that Gabriel had, and none of them really seem to be "up for the job." In addition to that, there are some advantages to choosing Aziraphale. He's outside of the regular angel circles, which means less infighting over who got promoted (though there will surely be hurt feelings and resentment). Aziraphale also has experience with humans, which the Metatron does point out is important for implementing the 2nd coming. Let's face it, just judging from the first season and the Job episode, it's obvious that heaven and hell alike have no idea what they're even doing or how to relate to humans in an effective way. The show has established in multiple instances, that carrying out Biblical prophecies is complex, and the angels' and demons' lack of knowledge about humans has caused their plans to fail on multiple occasions and has even allowed Aziraphale and Crowley to stop those plans with fairly little effort (3 ox ribs and a disgruntled Antichrist was all it took). By bringing Aziraphale and his knowledge of human behavior onto their side, this gives them a HUGE advantage going forward for a lot of reasons. Lastly, I think it's important to note that Aziraphale (when combined with Crowley) has a ridiculous amount of power; enough to have a real impact. Imagine that kind of power being allowed to exist unchecked by heaven. All of these things make Aziraphale the "perfect" person for the job, despite the fact that he's probably the last person they would choose for it otherwise.

@AniMoted

9 ай бұрын

haha, great explanation, chuckled a few times :) @@fairywingsonroses

@AniMoted

9 ай бұрын

The only thing is everyone in heaven is quite inapt and incompetent, not just Muriel, except for the Metatron lol@@fairywingsonroses

Thank you for talking about the smile at the end it’s still puzzling me!

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

I'm so intrigued, I'm going to do some side by side comparisons and see if there's anything to some of the theories floating around out there. It's always fun to look!

@groot710

9 ай бұрын

@@Sendarya I appreciate your response. He also blew up his halo. I’m not sure if that’s related, but his smile is wicked. Maybe it’s a kind of elegant malevolence idk idk… The only thing I’m sure of is that his smile is wrong. Its wriggling my brain when I think of it. I imagine there’s no heaven. I know I’m just a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

@groot710 I just saw your comment. I get the reference. Me too. ❤️ One of the reasons this show, AND what Aziraphale is about to go through hits soooo hard. We've been there.

This is an outstanding analysis, thank you so much! It's the first video of yours I've watched, but it assuredly won't be the last. Really looking forward to the "symbolism of left and right in western art" one!

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

Thank you so much, and me too! It's been in the works for a couple of weeks. There is so much to it. I've got a wonderful book called "The Sinister Side" I'm using for research. Fascinating stuff! I hope you enjoy my other videos. I'm still fairly new to this, and learning. Trying to make improvement with each new release!

Excellent! I obviously need to do a rewatch after hearing all your complex theories. Just wonderful. Fantastic.

Thanks a lot for this detailed analysis! You spoke directly from my heart and I agree in any line! I can’t wait for season three to come and see how this beautiful story finds it’s Happy End in any case. And I’m sure, that many or your conclusions will be confirmed.

Thanks a lot, such a fantastic word-by-word and taste-by-taste analysis! By the time you mentioned the bitterness of coffee, I was totally amazed by the metaphor Neil created, and the smart way you unwrapped it to us. Would never get there mysel. Finally, the ribs! Obviously, but how did you noticed it? Beautiful, beautiful points. I am afraid someone will find this channel and turn it into their masters thesis in cinema studies 😂 Now I am going find to watch your "Last strange smile analysis" ❤

@Sendarya

8 ай бұрын

Honestly, the writing for this show is amazing, and I only find it more and more so the more I look at it! I only noticed the Ox rib scene because I was doing a careful rewatch and taking notes so I could be very accurate, and it just sort of jumped out at me. I find a detail like this every time I go looking for something else entirely. Endlessly entertaining, I love it! And thank you so much for the lovely comment.

this was so smart. I feel like a fool for not seeing these themes sooner. However, I do hope that in S3 we get more insight into the Metatron as a character. If Crowley had been there when Az and him talked, he probably would have been able to see through the lie. He is used to working with Demons after all. When Az sees Metatron's true intentions, thats likely when the cognitive dissonance will be shattered. Better to be together alone than alone together. I think another reason people knowingly and unknowingly hate Metatron is because he is homophobic. Like, it's not hard to read a metaphor of a family member of importance 'accepting you back' as a way to separate you from your 'sin'. Because Meta views it as a 'sin' and not love, or to simply be kind to Az, that will be his downfall. What I'm saying is, within his attempts to look human, he shows how manipulative he is. he contradicts the Bible's teaching, God's teachings, as a way to save the institution. None of the angles, other than Azriaphle actually show kindness, even to each other. Maybe you could read something from that. Other than Azriaphle and Crowley, none of them are kind. Borderline 'nice'. Sorry if this is all over the place, I'll try and clear my answers in reply's if anyone has questions

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

No worries! Some very interesting thoughts. I completely agree that the metatron is homophobic, or at the very least representative of it. This show deconstructs religion, gender, and societal norms all so effortlessly it's amazing. An analysis of the angels behavior would be really interesting, because yeah, they are pretty terrible, except the low level ones who seem more innocent and naïve. I also really want to know more about the metatron. His character is still quite a mystery! But Gabriel becomes more kind once he starts getting some input that isn't cold, sterile, and bureaucratic. If only Crowley had told Aziraphale about the plans for Armageddon that Gabriel refused, this all might have been averted. They just don't tell each other some very important things. Frustrating ineffable idiots. 😟 But that's why we love them, they are so relatable.

@cimi1272

9 ай бұрын

On the note of Gabriel, he and Beelzebub are also reflections of Crowley and Ariraphle. A trans demon and an aloof angel. Not just Nina and Maggie. Ironically, Maggie wanted to confess first and not Nina, compared to Crowley confessing first. I think the best way to analyze Crowley and Az's relationship is by looking at all three. Gabriel changed the most as a character due to Bee's influence. The rebellious nature would probably make some angels see things more clearly. Az doesn't think highly of angels unless under the pretense of them being ' good guys'. Due to Crowley reexamining their cocky attitudes in episode 2 ( the one with Bildad). Bee mentioned in the show how much they like to be told they did a good job, or complimented, implied to be from Gabe. Crowley likes to save Az and thus is thanked by him continuously. And there is the surface-level stuff with Nina and Maggie. Nina is tough and lowkey traumatized by someone they thought cared about them or cared about. They are also tough and understand the modern day more. Maggie crumples under the slightest weight from love. The moment she finds out Nina has a partner, so cries to Az. She, also like Az, has retro sensibilities. They are also both blonde. You can see how similar all these relationship dynamics are from that perspective. Its also foreshadows the breakdown from the kiss scene in episode 6. There is probably a lot more to go into but that is all I could think of for now. If you need further analysis ask and ill rewatch the series and write a small essay. If I can remember how to write them? @@Sendarya

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

@cimi1272 I agree, both relationships parallel A and C! I personally find writing these essays to be quite helpful to both my understanding of the show, and to processing my own feelings about it all. That's actually why I started making these videos. Funny story, so I watched ep 6, was devastated, and went looking on youtube for some long form analysis to help me cope, and there wasn't much. So I thought, well, I NEED this, so I'll just do it myself! And...here I am, lol. So yeah, write that essay! It is certainly in the show for a reason, to help us understand the ineffable husbands even better.

@cimi1272

9 ай бұрын

THAT LITERALLY WHY I STARTED WATCHING YOUR CONTENT!! I use essays to cope too! TWINISES!!!!@@Sendarya

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

@cimi1272 That's awesome!! We should share contact info! but I don't know how to do it without sharing it publicly. ?? Do you?

I really love your analysis. You know how to put in precise words all of what I feel and more about the characters. They're also really complex and interesting as well as the story. Thanks for making this videos 💕

@Sendarya

9 ай бұрын

I enjoy making them, and I'm so glad you enjoy watching them! The characters and writing are so so amazing, I feel like we've just barely scratched the surface.

AHHHH the Princess Bride reference is giving me life! Amazing analysis!!!