After four nail-biting years of waiting and wondering what mischief our favourite angel and demon duo are getting up to, fans of Gaiman and Pratchett’s Good Omens were finally able to stream the second season this summer, and the reactions could not have been more varied. While the Gaiman-esque atmosphere was pleasantly familiar and the characters were up to their usual shenanigans, something about the season as a whole may have felt slightly off, as it did to myself and others. Could it be that Good Omens has suffered the curse that good TV often runs into?
While book adaptations seem to generally be a big success on the screen, they run into issues once further seasons are commissioned to be made without relying on original source material. Luckily, Gaiman (one part of the original creative duo) oversaw the production of the second season, but there still seemed to be something missing; maybe it was the snarky narration, the tangent sub-stories or just the fact that, once you’ve written about the end of the world, anything that follows tends to pale in comparison.
Also, it’s my opinion that this season felt slightly like it had come straight out of fanfiction; mimicking the canon rather than continuing it. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I have to admit to squirming involuntarily during some scenes. Having said all this, I thoroughly enjoyed it overall, and thought that delving into Crowley and Aziraphale’s history was so heart-warming and brought us so much closer to this couple of characters that fans are so attached to. Their backstory and catalogue of adventures through the eras alone is worth the watch (and their final scene together wrapped it all up so nicely – but I won’t spoil anything for future viewers). On the point of the ending; you will be devastated, both spiritually and emotionally, but in the most deliciously poetic way possible. Many fans will recall how Hozier’s new album Unreal Unearth came out shortly after Good Omens S2, providing an ethereal soundtrack to many tumblr edits and fanart/fics- which plays into the sublime desolation left by Gaiman’s artistry.
On the point of the ending; you will be devastated, both spiritually and emotionally, but in the most deliciously poetic way possible.
It’s not all depression and doom, though; the red thread weaving itself between storylines and various characters is love, that eternal and unforgettable theme able to unite or divide audiences and either propel a story to fame or jeopardise its success in every way. Viewers will have to decide for themselves whether Good Omens S2 is worth their time, but this viewer heartily encourages giving it a watch, because, even if it may not quite match up to the first season, it still emanates that unique charm that only Gaiman and Pratchett can summon into existence – Gods in their own right, creating a universe I feel lucky to be privy to.
