Armageddon has arrived! Only seventeen minutes to go until the end of the world. In the second-to-last episode of Good Omens, all our many characters have to make it to an American air force base, where the actual apocalypse part of the apocalypse will take place.
1. You’re My Best Friend
Last week, Aziraphale’s beloved bookshop went up in flames after he ascended (accidentally) to heaven. Crowley didn’t know that, however, and as he races to find Aziraphale, presumably to try to get the angel to agree to run away with him for the third time. Queen’s “You’re My Best Friend” plays in the background.
The song choice is memorable not only because it’s a meta-commentary on Crowley and Aziraphale’s relationship but also because it joins the many other Queen songs on the Good Omens soundtrack. In the book, the joke is that “Best of Queen” CDs were so ubiquitous in the 1980s that any media left in a car for a fortnight turned into Queen. The joke is left out of the TV show, however, so the songs take on a more straightforward and earnest meaning, especially since Queen nostalgia has been popular in the last few years.
David Tennant gives Crowley’s heart wrenching scene in the burning bookshop all he’s got, writhing in agony and breaking his voice in that particular way he has whenever his characters are overwhelmed. This is followed by an epic drunken wallow that’s interrupted by Aziraphale himself, appearing without a body and explaining to Crowley that the book he picked up is the MacGuffin: the clue, to finding the end of the world. He just has to get to the suburbs while Azirpahale finds a “receptive body.” (Just, uh, insert your own joke here, if you’re so inclined.)
2. In Love With My Car
Finally, my favorite character in Good Omens! The 1933 classic car that Crowley drives was brought to life thanks to an automobile collector and special effects. The car is to Crowley as the bookshop is to Aziraphale. It gives him his sense of style and is one of the earthly pleasures that his bosses want to obliterate along with everything else. Crowley himself may not be cool (he’s definitely not cool, he just wants you to think he is), but his car is cool.
Unfortunately for current Crowley and the rest of London, past Crowley made some demonic modifications to the design of the M-25 and it basically turns into a ring of fire. (I’d say cue Johnny Cash but this is a very English show, so it wouldn’t exactly fit.) Crowley made the London Orbital Motorway into a slow, grinding ring of evil trapping unsuspecting drivers in its path in one of the most believable parts of this entire show. (I choose to believe the I-25 through Denver is part of an evil plot to drive humans insane, because the alternative is that it’s just awful for no reason at all.)
Crowley drives through the burning M-25 anyway and just keeps going, on fire, all the way to Tadfield. He arrives at the site of Armageddon, just in time for his beloved vehicle to give up the ghost in a dramatic fireball of automobile glory.
3. Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy
In the last episode, Witchfinder Private Pulsifer had just found his witch. Sparks flew between the two and in “The Doomsday Option,” we see the morning after (well, afternoon after) their liaison. It turns out that Agnes predicted their dalliance, a fact that doesn’t seem to perturb either of them as much as it maybe should. Newt does ask Anathema if she ever does anything just for herself, to which she emphatically says no. This sets up the dynamic between Newt and Anathema, where he’s a somewhat goofy man going about life as he sees fit and she’s had her entire life planned for her by her family.
Unfortunately, the chemistry between the two actors isn’t especially strong, so their scenes fall a bit flat. Their predicament mirrors that of all the other pairs in the show, where one is set to follow a predestined path while the other fights against such restrictions. But the characters don’t get enough time to develop beyond their one-dimensional roles in the story. Newt and Anathema’s romance is so overshadowed by the other parts of the story (and the many, many side characters) that I had almost forgotten they have a sex scene in the previous episode, silly though it may have been.
Continued below4. Now I’m Here
Adam and his gang of kids break up and then reunite, with red eyes, flying antics, and questionable CGI. The scenes where Adam uses his powers on his friends are a little strange, in that the special effects seem unnecessary and a little hokey. The actor who plays Adam has the curly-haired child star look down pat but struggles in lighthearted scenes. Where he really shines is in being creepy, and the special effects detract from the effectiveness of these scenes. Adam breaks up with and then reunites with his gang quickly, which works because that’s exactly how kids operate: best friends, then mortal enemies, then back to best friends. (And as a dog person, Adam losing his dog and screaming “Give me back my dog!” will never not get me. Your mileage may vary.)
In the end, though, Adam’s attachments to the world he lives in outweighs the influences of his demonic origins. (Of course they do.) He just, kind of, decides not to be the Antichrist anymore? But once the end of the world has been started, it must be stopped, and we still have one more episode to go. The kids arrive at the air force base where Armageddon will take place, sailing through some terrible security and meeting up with the Four Horsepersons of the Apocalypse, who have ridden there on fancy motorcycles. Episode five of Good Omens is basically all the characters arriving independently at a place, which means it jumps around a lot. Aside from the bookshop and Bentley fires, there isn’t much of a standout scene or theme.
5. Don’t Stop Me Now
Aziraphale is able to find a body due to Madame Tracy, Sargent Shadwell’s kooky neighbor, played by the excellent Miranda Richardson. She conducts sham seances and happens to collect a real spirit (Aziraphale) by accident. This scene is one example where the jokes from the Good Omens book just don’t always land. It’s not as clear in the show that Madam Tracy is a huckster, and Aziraphale’s tripping through host bodies isn’t included, so the séance scene goes on too long and feels like an awkward break in the pacing of the show. As with the previous episodes, most scenes without Aziraphale and Crowley just aren’t as compelling as the ones with them, so the temptation to skip ahead is strong. But each scene gives tidbits of information that all end up at the climax, so if you do, you’ll feel like you’re missing something at the end. This is true of the book as well but it makes watching the show a bit of a mishmash where it’s hard to remember which bits happen in which episode.
With all the main players assembled, the horsepersons of the apocalypse meet their bite-sized kid counterparts and the showdown is set to begin! (Next week, that is.)
In other Good Omens news, Harper Collins recently announced a new version of the audiobook that will be released November 2nd and features a full cast production, including David Tennant and Michael Sheen reprising their roles as Crowley and Aziraphale. This new audiobook joins the older audiobook production, a BBC radio adaptation, an Australian stage play, and the Amazon TV series. Luckily for Good Omens fans, if you don’t like one of the adaptations of the book, you can always choose another!
