Man, I have so much trouble understanding the Gabriel love because he, like, reminds me of the cool kids that bullied me in school? The way he talks to Aziraphale makes me so mad. Which is a great job on Jon Hamm's part, and the writing, but I just can't see him in anything like a likable light? I'm iffy on the other angels and demons (really depends which one(s) we're talking about), and I'm not saying anyone *shouldn't* like him, but I can't grok it, yanno?
I have to admit, I don’t really see most kids who’re bullies as children as bad people, for the most part, having had my own issues in school, and known others who were bullied tremendously.
I think they learn from others, and don’t learn better, and I think the reason that they act that way, barring a handful of genuinely cruel little shites, is because they’re ultimately frightened of difference. It threatens them and makes them feel insecure in the world, like other people aren’t following an unspoken set of Rules, and they don’t like that their victims don’t appear to be governed by the same Rules that they are, because it means a) what if the rug is pulled out from under them? b) what if they’re not enjoying x embarrassing thing for no reason at all?
And I do think that’s a big part of Hamm’s Gabriel - he is frightened of difference and dissent. Of course he is. The last time an angel wanted to be Different, he split the world into two, dragged 10 million angels down into the Pit with him, and then started a war.
More than than that, Gabriel sees the world as Things That Are and Things That Will Be. It is a very linear, clearcut way of looking at the world. It does not account for Things That Should Be, because Gabriel doesn’t think in terms of Should - he thinks in terms of Certainty. It does not account for Things That Might Be, because again, Gabriel must be Certain. It does not account for Aziraphale feeling so much pleasure and affection for the world (or for a demon) that he betrays Heaven. It does not account for Aziraphale disliking him, even though Gabriel follows all the Rules of social engagement the best way that he knows how.
When it becomes clear that his clearcut worldview is incorrect, Gabriel breaks the fuck down. He loses his temper, he looks distressed and antsy as all fuck, and he freaks! He wants it all to go the way it was supposed to! He’s furious at Aziraphale because he trusted him repeatedly, and Aziraphale fucked it all up! And now everything has Gone Wrong!
I don’t mind if you don’t grok it. I also don’t mind if you don’t feel any desire to empathize with those people that bullied you before.
However, I… I honestly don’t even see Gabriel as a cool kid. The fact of the matter is that he seems to be very similar to Aziraphale and Crowley, in many ways - he has a temper and all these emotions, but also a desire to protect others (e.g. how he jumps in front of Sandalphon and Uriel during the hellfire scene); he thinks humans are weird, but has a certain affection for some of their things, and seems very engaged with them; he says pointblank that Hell has to be defeated, but when you see him talking with Beelzebub, he engages them constantly, he talks to them passionately and with a sense of rapport and trust (at least on his part), and he defers to them in conversation when they make good points. That isn’t blind hatred of the Other. That’s… liking someone you’re not supposed to even though the Rules say otherwise.
The main thing that sets Gabriel and Aziraphale apart in these things is how blandly and insipidly confident and self-assured Gabriel is.
Aziraphale is terrified he must be a bad angel. He knows all these things he does are wrong, and he knows it’s not what he’s supposed to do, and he freaks out about it, lashes out at Crowley, is awkward with the other angels, and so on and so forth.
Gabriel, on the other hand, is CERTAIN he must be a good angel. He knows these things are a little weird, but if he likes them, they must be fine! He’s an archangel, after all! He’s cheerful and bright and everything has to be alright. I don’t think the certainty goes bone deep, and I think he’s super insecure about rejection, but there’s a forced certainty that’s certainly deeper than Aziraphale’s shaky “it must be alright, because I’m an angel”.
And then you see the betrayal on his face when Crowley says “Where have you been?” about God; you see the way he absolutely shuts down when Michael says Aziraphale has been betraying him; you see his desperate anger in the final confrontation.
Even if I agreed with you that Gabriel was a bully, which I don’t (because in my opinion, bullying has to be something done on purpose and with intent, rather than just making someone feel bad without meaning to, especially when you blatantly don’t understand social cues), I would probably make the argument that Gabriel, like many other bullies, lashes out because he feels emotionally neglected and abandoned at home. It doesn’t make it okay, but without anyone else to teach him better, he won’t improve, and in the mean time he would be having a go at Aziraphale to make him feel better about his own insecurities, his own fear of abandonment, his own fear of doing the wrong thing.
And whose fault is that?
I don’t have words for how perfectly this explains Gabriel, I was always trying to put my finger on his motivations and overall personality, but I wasn’t able to find a good explanation till now. I never considered Gabriel a bully, he’s not an antagonist, he’s not a bad guy. He’s misguided, and he’s scared, he’s been prepping for a war that he believed was endgame from the beginning. He’s been trying so for so long to keep everything within this pre-destined mold that he can’t fathom anything else but it. As far as we know, the Good Omens’ god is not very active in the lives of her creations, and all Gabriel has is this plan of hers to go by, and it shapes his actions and motivations for 6,000 years. He isn’t maliciously targeting anyone to antagonize them, he just doesn’t understand them, because he never learned how. Gabriel has a false sense of security, a false sense of cheer, the world is meant to end, we are meant to fight, it has to happen, it’s going to happen, it’s the plan, it’s right. And if weren’t for that plan, he would be a different person. He has the capacity to be such a great guy if given the chance, it can be seen those small actions, him trying protect the others from the hellfire, admitting he likes the humans clothes, complimenting Sandalphon’s comment about war, commending Aziraphale’s efforts to reform the antichrist, saying there must be a reasonable explanation for Aziraphale to be with Crowley in those pictures, the way he speaks to Beelzebub as an equal and without a hint of enmity or disgust. But he has to be stuck-up and immovable in his beliefs, because what else is there? So once he learns that the plan has been altered, that it has failed, that maybe it was never even meant to be, can you imagine what he must be feeling then? So no, he’s actually a good person, he was just dealt shit hand in life and didn’t even know it.
I did totally overseen that Gabriel steps in front of Uriel and Sandalphon in the hellfire scene (was too focused on “Aziraphale”) so I rewatched the scene and you’re (obv) right
(that’s actually really adorable💕)
Oh- I thought you were joking but it's true
(why is that gif here? I mean it fits but I can't remember clicking on it....)
My (human) heart is not supposed to feel so much!!!!