One of many roots of ineffable husbands' misunderstandings
There are many reasons why the S2 finale took us by surprise so much, and one of them is that we gaslighted ourselves into believing that Aziraphale and Crowley understand each other on the deepest possible level.
Because they never talk. Not openly. Not about things that really matter.
I'm sure they've made a plethora of accurate observations about each other over the millennia, yes, but at the same time missed just as many things and formed just as many wrong assumptions.
For the last five months, we've been collectively shattering the illusion (most of us, anyway), and today I wanted to add to that noble effort. Something occurred to me while I was working on another post and I think it deserves to be its own thing rather than a sidenote in another lengthy meta.
It's probably going to be an unpopular opinion, but here I go.
Crowley doesn't actually understand how Aziraphale makes decisions.
I was rewatching season 1 to confirm some things for my next analysis, as one normally does, and I had a minor epiphany about the scene where Aziraphale agrees to get involved in stopping Armageddon.
Let's recall how it went.
- Crowley started listing things Aziraphale would lose along with Earth, and things he would have to endure in Heaven.
- Aziraphale rejected his idea and tried to leave.
- Crowley hooked Aziraphale back in by inviting him for lunch.
- Crowley let Aziraphale enjoy his meal and relax.
- Crowley bought himself more time by inviting himself over for drinks.
- Crowley started giving more examples of things Aziraphale could enjoy on Earth that he wouldn't have in Heaven.
- Crowley went on a rant on how nasty Armageddon would be.
- Once more Crowley described just how miserable Aziraphale's life would be after Armageddon, for eternity.
- Aziraphale cracked and admitted he didn't want Armageddon to happen. However, he insisted he could not disobey God's will.
- Crowley pointed out that it might be God's plan for Armageddon to be prevented, that Aziraphale's duty as an angel was to stop whatever the demons were planning to do, and since right now they were planning to bring about Armageddon, he should stop that.
- Aziraphale finally agreed and shook on it.
Until now I never questioned that it was a masterful temptation by temptation master Crowley and every stage was purposeful and absolutely necessary to achieve the final goal.
First Crowley made Aziraphale really want to prevent Armageddon and then helped him reframe the situation in a way that would allow the angel to do what he wanted. He gave him an excuse. A plausible deniability.
But what if that wasn't it?
What if what Crowley was actually doing was taking one approach after another until something finally worked? What if Aziraphale didn't really need any softening or priming, and Crowley had just wasted a whole day on ineffective tactics because he didn't know what would do the trick until he finally chanced upon it?
The more I thought about it the more convinced I was that that was the case, and right now I can't believe I was clinging so tightly to the idea that Crowley knew what he was doing with Aziraphale.
Because if he really did understand his angel as well as I used to believe, why would he be so unsuccessful at reaching him when it mattered the most?
A popular interpretation is that in those crucial moments, Crowley simply lacked time, and convincing Aziraphale always required time. When time was lacking Crowley's finesse was useless against the angel's stubbornness, so he failed.
I can see how that makes sense, but as I've said, personally, I changed my mind.
The interpretation I'm suggesting is that Aziraphale never needed all that much time to be convinced of something. It only took Crowley so much time because he was pushing his buttons blindly until something worked. Because he didn't know what the right one was, and when he had only one chance he would always push the wrong one.
So, how does Aziraphale make decisions?
He chooses what he thinks is right.
Yes, it can get rather complicated. On the one hand, he is heavily indoctrinated, and it impacts his judgment. He can just embrace the most ridiculous piece of celestial propaganda on occasion and stick to it stubbornly. On the other hand, we know that his sense of right and wrong isn't really tied to Heaven or even God. We know because we've seen choices he'd made in the Job minisode.
But while it may not be easy to predict what Aziraphale will deem right in any given situation, the fact remains that this is what it comes down to. This is what ultimately informs his choices, especially the big ones, and the most effective way to persuade Aziraphale to do something is by proving to him that it would be the right thing to do. Or that the other option wouldn't.
I don't think Crowley realizes it. And there's a good reason why.
A great many choices aren't about right and wrong. They're just choices between two equally neutral options. Sometimes two equally ambivalent options. Either way, not really moral choices.
The problem with Aziraphale is that while he's managing perfectly fine small morally neutral choices, he's not very good with big ones. I believe that he expects all big choices to be moral choices and he has trouble making them when they're not. I've seen quite a few posts here arguing that Aziraphale is incapable of choosing his own happiness for its own sake, and I wholeheartedly agree.
And Crowley doesn't understand it.
He's not that far off the mark when the choice really is a moral one. When he was trying to convince Aziraphale to the Arrangement his arguments were about how the end result would be the same, ie. how it wouldn't be wrong. When he was trying to convince Aziraphale to kill Adam, he was pointing out how it would save everybody.
But when the choice isn't inherently a moral one, he doesn't understand why it's difficult for Aziraphale.
And in the most dire situations, he doesn't understand he could maybe try and go this route.
