In the words of Terry Pratchett’s Moving Pictures, “Passione in a Worlde Gone Madde!” Good Omens’ second season is a tale of love and friendship. It is a joyous, beautifully crafted film that resembles a warm cup of hot chocolate and a hug, with hints of macabre humor and sketch show comedy hidden beneath the surface.
With a love story that seems to have been written with Neil Gaiman fans in mind, the second season of Amazon and the BBC’s adaptation of Good Omens joyfully marches into known yet uncharted territory.
Good Omens Season 2 Review
Season 2’s central idea, or simply “Good Omens Season 2″ as it is stylized, is that Archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm) shows up at Aziraphale’s (Michael Sheen) bookstore completely nude and without any knowledge of who he is; all he knows is that Aziraphale will help him, and he does. Az calls Crowley (David Tennant), an old demon friend from earlier millennia, rather than Heaven because he is still at odds with them.
After hearing from Shax (Miranda Richardson), who has replaced him as Hell’s London representative, and Beelzebub (Shelley Conn) that anyone discovered hiding Gabriel will be wiped from existence by “those above,” Crowley changes his mind. Initially hesitant to help what is technically his kind’s greatest enemy. Because Crowley does not want Aziraphale to be destroyed, he returns to the bookstore, where he and the other patrons work a “tiny miracle” that renders Gabriel invisible to anybody in Heaven or Hell save “Jim,” the bookstore employee.
Aziraphale and Crowley’s Deceptive Maneuvers
To try to hide their tracks, Az claims the miracle was to make nearby coffee shop owner Nina (Nina Sosanya) fall in love with nearby record shop owner Maggie (Maggie Service). Unfortunately for them, though, their combined might meant the miracle’s power was so great it was easily picked up by the various angels up in Heaven. Thus, to get away with their deception, Aziraphale and Crowley must now make two people fall in love with one another. What they have to deal with in the present is figuring out what happened to Gabriel while also trying to make two humans fall in love.
However, just like the previous time, there are some extremely hilarious flashbacks to Crowley and Aziraphale’s times together. My two favorites were the opening one, which is set at the universe’s creation and in which the two meet, in which Crowley expresses his displeasure about the universe’s short lifespan and how only Earth will have life on it (and presumably gets cast down as a result), and one that “adapts” the story of Job (played by Peter Davison), making fun of the idea that God will take everything from him and test his faith.
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Sheen and Tennant’s Outstanding Acting Brilliance
Everything in the season pales in comparison to Sheen and Tennant’s incredible chemistry. The main plot revolves around Aziraphale(Michael Sheen) and Crowley(David Tennant) realizing they have feelings for each other that go beyond friendship—a strange realization that the demon makes first—and thanks to their outstanding acting, it all comes together so beautifully. Beyond Gabriel and the two shop owners. That does not detract from the quality of the other acting performances, perhaps except for Miranda Richardson’s Shax, whose purposefully exaggerated portrayal falls flat due to an odd tone in her voice.
However, it wasn’t overly disturbing, and individuals such as Jon Hamm, with his innocent, childlike portrayal of Gabriel, more than made up for it. In the last episode, Derek Jacobi plays the Metatron or God’s mouthpiece, and he does such an impeccable job that he almost steals the moments from Sheen and Tennant, which is saying something. I have to commend him for that as well, as I always do on this blog.
Summary
The second season of Good Omens unfolds as a tale woven with threads of love and friendship, akin to a joyous, beautifully crafted film that offers the comfort of a warm cup of hot chocolate and a hug. Beneath its surface, the narrative reveals hints of macabre humor and sketch show comedy, adding layers of delightful complexity. As “Good Omens 2” unfolds with laughter, love, and celestial antics, it stands as a testament to the enduring charm of Neil Gaiman’s creation, leaving audiences eagerly anticipating further celestial escapades.