Good Omens S2 Transcripts

Been working on these for a few weeks now, and they're finally done!

I really missed having the Script Book to refer to, especially when writing fic, so I made the next best thing, which is some transcripts (+minor descriptions)

PDFs:

EPISODE ONE

EPISODE TWO

EPISODE THREE

EPISODE FOUR

EPISODE FIVE

EPISODE SIX

UPDATE: Google docs links below:

Episode One

Episode Two

Episode Three

Episode Four

Episode Five

Episode Six

Reunited at last

featuring: posts that look like they're connected but aren't

god forbid women do anything

this is also crowleys resume

WAIT

WAIT UNLICENSED MIDWIFERY YOU SAY

WAIT

In case you were wondering I'm still thinking about the composition of this shot. The absolute split down the middle between light and dark colors. The way that despite that both sides have their own lights and their own shadows because one cannot exist without the other. The fact Aziraphale's side is a warmer sort of light that compliments Crowley's colors and Crowley's is a blueish sort of dark where the windows even look like tartan. The fact Crowley's side isn't the green dark of Hell and Aziraphale's isn't the sterile white of Heaven but are both shades shifted slightly to the left into something distinct and totally their own. It's balance - even in the middle of heartbreak - and it drives me absolutely wild.

don’t drink laudanum, it might do weird things to you

So I was watching this old video again because the new Good Omens season triggered my obsession with Neil Gaiman's stories that creeps up periodically ( and his voice is soothing to listen to while I draw) And at about 1:25:30 there's a part that really made me giggle, cause this is what he says when asked about themes in his work:

"I remember once somebody asked me about the kiss that would occur in my books three quarters of the way through, to indicate that we were now moving into act three. And I said 'what'. And they said 'well you must be conscious of it, you do it every time.'"

And I mean...

It's never planned. It's always there...

“If you flee, traitor, Hell will send all its vicious animals to hunt you down.”

And I said, “here you go, flaming star system, don’t thank me. And don’t let the sun go down on you here.”

I'm still working out what the significance of this is, but I'm now surer than ever:

In season 2, Aziraphale's bookshop is the Garden of Eden.

What first tipped me off was the end of 2x01, when Gabriel asks about Outside, and Crowley urgently warns him that he needs to stay inside the bookshop. It reverberated against the themes of season 1, where choosing freedom over safety is symbolised by Leaving the Garden. Supporting this connection, one of the songs on the season 2 soundtrack is called Leaving the Bookshop; it plays in 2x06 when Crowley escorts Nina and Maggie outside.

There's an even clearer indicator of the symbolism, though, and I am so fascinated by the implications. When Gabriel first arrives at the bookshop in a state of undress, one of the things he says to Aziraphale is:

It's a funny line but it's also surprisingly biblically significant. In Genesis, Adam and Eve's loss of innocence after eating the fruit of knowledge is shown by their realisation they are naked. In this scene, Gabriel is like them before this transgression, innocent and unconscious of his own nakedness.

But it's even more on the nose than that, because in Genesis, when God appears to Adam after he eats the fruit, Adam hides, and then admits he's afraid because he's naked. And I quote directly, Genesis 3:11 (New International Version):

I'm sure this reference is intended. It's too similar to be a coincidence. So Gabriel's memory loss is comparable to the innocence that preceded the Fall of Man, and that's fascinating in its own right. This also makes the bookshop, where he is protected so long as he stays inside its walls, a clear parallel to Eden.

In relation to Gabriel, I think Beelzebub is Eve, offering Adam the knowledge of good and evil in the form of a fly holding his hidden memories. An argument could be made that they are the serpent to his Eve, but I think the partnered dynamic makes this a more fitting interpretation.

I'm still thinking on the roles that Crowley and Aziraphale play in this analogy. I keep coming back to Gabriel's line, "I don't go outside, and now I have two friends." If this is Eden, who are his friends? Are Crowley and Aziraphale reprising their roles as the serpent and the guardian? Are they God and Satan playing games with their own little universe, perhaps? Or are they Adam and Eve?

Obviously, if the bookshop is Eden, this has major implications for Crowley and Aziraphale too in the context of their break up. With this framing, Crowley telling Aziraphale, "You can't leave this bookshop" becomes a fascinating twist on his traditional role. He's asking Aziraphale to stay with him in blissful ignorance, rather than confront the truth of their world. I'm not arguing that this is the only level at which this line should be read, but it's one that's worth considering.

You may also notice that in light of this biblical reference, "Who told you I was naked" becomes the first time amnesiac Gabriel echoes the words of God. I'm really not sure what these echoes mean, but they sure do intrigue me.

Crowley also gave something away to protect Gabriel and Beelzebub when they left the bookshop.

Shut the fuck up I'm OBSESSED with this.

thinking about that post someone made about aziraphale being so brave to say "our car" and the weird giddy expression and tone he has when he says it and like. he literally is so brave in that moment you can tell he is fighting through the panic he feels at claiming something very closely linked to crowley's identity and independence as something they share and then telling him the bookshop is as much his as aziraphale's it is just so him taking the leap by saying "what's mine is yours" in the most married respect like what ever do you mean dearest this is OUR car and you should be moving your things out of it into OUR bookshop and like. from a guy who couldn't even admit to liking him at times that is genuinely so brave and it flies RIGHT PAST CROWLEY'S EAR

honestly I don’t think it does go past his ear. he just literally does not know what to do with the sudden change in boundaries push for intimacy, which is far bc a) it is sudden and b) aziraphale has a habit of pushing unheedingly forward then quickly after pulling back

when you look at the scene he sort of freezes and panics like he’s trying to process what just happened

the cogs are visibly turning like fuck this is new what is he doing how do i respond

and he’s crowley so he ofc he doesn’t know (and also it’s aziraphale so the wrong move could set them back like 60 years) so he just reverts to type and a playbook that’s safe ground

except aziraphale knows exactly what crowley’s doing so instead of reacting against it he plows on and offers crowley the reassurance he needs like yes look i mean i want it we can have this with his innuendo-laced insistence it’s also their bookshop

then aziraphale goes through the whole song of being incredibly over the top bc he’s so nervous but he’s also giving crowley a minute to adjust and he’s being adorable and it’s very persuasive. you can see crowley knows exactly what he’s doing and it’s finally starting to work

until we get to the end of this bizarre mating ritual that deserves its own attenborough commentary and the last shot is just crowley standing their in shock gripping his bentley for support because he knows aziraphale has absolutely won this and there was never really any doubt bc he was determined to win he’d already made up his mind and that what sends crowley reeling

then the next time we see them crowley’s snuggling up on his armchair and handing over his keys with barely even nominal protest and ‘don’t hesitate to ask me if you have any other questions about love’ so yes the mating ritual was successful

this was all still so fucking brave of aziraphale though for all the reasons op said but also because he anticipates and manages crowley’s defensive response alongside dealing with his own fear so they can actually successfully navigate this change together!! a rare single brain cell of emotional intelligence between the two of them!! they did a great job i’m so proud of them (aziraphale) let’s keep this energy going in season 3

metatron voice yeah the last guy who had this job was an absolute disaster, he fell in love with a demon and foiled an attempt at starting armageddon. hey aziraphale,

a friend from college is a pop culture writer for some website-magazine and thus got screeners of gomens but has apparently decided to protect the details like it's fucking watergate and all she'll give me is

I just remembered this. They sure fucking did, Sarah

Rewatching the bit with The Resurrectionist pub and the sign (along with all of the other clues throughout the season) is such beautiful foreshadowing for The Second Coming but also for Aziraphale’s choice in the finale (assuming the coffee theory isn’t correct.)

@azirafuck did a post (below) that is so spot on and makes so much sense to me -

- and I think that was such a pivotal moment for Aziraphale and his character development and that exploration of good vs evil and morality. I mean the whole season explored and built on that so wonderfully and the shades of grey idea.

And I think the idea of Dr Dalrymple leaving Edinburgh in disgrace and being seen as making the wrong choice even though he was trying to do good and make things better is a wonderful reflection of Aziraphale’s choice and motives in the finale so I think having those two sides of the pub sign is not only a lovely reflection of good vs evil and the different perceptions of which is which, but also a beautiful reflection and as I said, foreshadowing of where Aziraphale’s choice to try to do the right thing might lead…

I find it extremely funny that the entire Good Omens fandom is absolutely in love with Bildad the Shuhite for seemingly no reason. Can one of you please tell me why we love him so?

It's like distilled Crowley before his walls have come up entirely. He's clearly considered his place in the world and made some decisions about the kind of person he wants to be and seems more or less comfortable in those lines he's drawn for himself. He's goofy and having fun, teasing people and taking delight in being a little bit of a shit when Aziraphale first shows up. He's... lighter generally than modern Crowley but not naive like the Starmaker either. He's maybe the most Balanced we've ever seen him. Then he for just a little, once it's clear to him that he's safe to be a little vulnerable, lets himself be. He lays out in front of someone who should be his enemy, talking openly about being on his own side more than Hell's. Then reassures that same supposed foe in his own way that things are okay like this and that they can be alone together. He's excellent and an excellent insight into the kind of person Crowley is both within his own context and also once he lets himself open up a little more. At least, that's some of what it is for me.

A few more reasons, some frivolous, others less so:

So yeah. Bildad's my guy.

Thoughts on Angel Crowley & Healing from Trauma

(Minor Good Omens S2 Spoilers)

As someone who’s endured my own Trauma and dealt with the resulting PTSD, watching Crowley’s journey from a joyful, silly, and entirely innocent angel to a withdrawn, lonely, hyper-vigilant demon as a result of the Fall both shattered my heart and confronted me with the fact of myself, and I’d like to talk about it. 

When you* experience Trauma, you experience an existential disorientation and a profound sense of grief over the world you thought you knew–one where you were safe and nothing bad had ever happened to you. “Innocence died screaming,” and all that.

You're also therefore mourning the loss of who you were, and struggling to make sense of who you are now. Which is why this conversation is so gut-wrenching:

This dialogue admittedly still makes my eyes swim. It’s reminiscent of the many conversations I’ve had with people close to me who knew me Before and After. Not only are you grieving the loss of your own innocence, so are those around you, and it feels like you’re wearing their loved one’s face like a mask.

And then underneath the grief, there’s a river of–what you’ll later discover is misplaced–guilt. They want you to be who you were. Fuck, you also want to be who you were -- to not have experienced what you did -- but you can’t.

And when they catch a glimpse of something that reminds them of Before-You -- because it's not like that you has just up and vanished, you've just changed -- they say things like, “I feel like I have you back!” Like the After-You is a consolation prize, something to be tolerated while they wait for the Before-You to return.

It’s not malicious. They love you. They want you to be happy. But it just serves as a reminder of your loss and suddenly you’re acutely aware of how alone you are with the Thing that hurt you.

After trauma, you’re lonely and you're afraid. But those emotions make you feel quite naked, because both of those things would require you to depend on other people to feel better and, at this point, the thought of doing that is far too scary, so to the world, you’re angry. Thus begins the cyclical self-fulfilling prophecy.

And that cycle goes a bit like this: People see the mistrust and the bitterness and the volatility (the shield that keeps people at an arm's length and helps you feel safe). They don't see the profound sustained fear underneath, the desperate need to feel seen and accepted. And so people pull away.

And that real or perceived abandonment feeds the monster that’s taken up permanent residence in your ribcage and screams at all hours that you’re not worthy of love, that you’re irreparably broken, and you’ll always be alone. And you pull away from the people that love you. And the cycle repeats. And you start to believe all of the bad things about yourself that the monster tells you.

Being confronted with a character who you adore and who you also relate to closely is bittersweet in that it’s both immensely painful, but also offers you an opportunity to interrupt that cycle, to explore a different -- perhaps more forgiving -- lens through which to view yourself. To practice self-compassion by proxy, if you will. After all, we tend to extend far greater empathy and forgiveness to others than we do to ourselves.

Angel Crowley, "who squeaked and squealed when he was happy; who flailed his arms around and made explosion noises with his mouth to explain nebulas; who preened when told his stars were pretty,” (joycrispy) reminded me a lot of “Angel T,” or rather myself before Trauma.

And Crowley's story is tragic. I was heartbroken and angry for him; I felt the depth of the betrayal he experienced at the hands of someone he loved who he'd believed loved him; I found myself wanting to protect him, to comfort him. Crowley did not deserve what happened to him.

And, over a decade later, I realized that I’d finally accepted that I’d been an innocent, just like Crowley had, and I didn't deserve what happened to me, either.

And -- if you find yourself relating to this post -- neither did you.

Once we can tell ourselves that and actually believe it, we can start to lower the shield. We can allow people closer, including ourselves. We can bring the parts of ourselves we may have hidden away back to the surface. We can soften again. We can truly start to heal.

Crowley, at his core, remains the same. He is still kind, deeply loving, playful, silly, and – against all odds – hopeful. But his trauma has changed him; his innocence is gone.

He struggles to trust others; fears abandonment; engages in unhealthy coping mechanisms; finds it easier to prioritize and tend to Aziraphale's needs and desires than his own; and has difficulty expressing his emotions.

But he also gained an abundance of empathy, a deep love for humanity, and a strong sense of justice.

We adore Crowley exactly as he is now; we don't wish for him to be who he was before the Fall. And neither does Aziraphale.

In kind, we won’t be who we were — nor should we try to be — but we can be something new, a different version of ourselves that is equally good, equally worthy, and equally deserving of love. 

After over a decade, I think my Trauma wound has mostly healed, as much as Trauma wounds can, anyway; it’s a dull ache rather than an acute pain. Yet Crowley's story assuaged that remaining hurt like a salve I hadn’t realized I needed.

So thank you to @neil-gaiman for giving us such a beautiful story, and to David Tennant, Michael Sheen, and the rest of the cast and crew who bring the characters we love to life on screen.

Good Omens truly is a gift. May it continue to inspire us to offer kindness and love to ourselves and one another. 🖤

* I am aware that I say “you” when I should use the singular first-person “I,” but I still struggle with this when talking about my own trauma. So I’m using “you” and you, reader, will deal with it x