Good Omens
I wrote this for my FB page, but thought I'd post it here, because really, this is still the venue where I feel most free to express love and enthusiasm.
There might be some spoilerish bits in here, but nothing more than you'd see in the average review.
I know that some people have trouble understanding my ... mild (?) ... obsession with the Amazon Prime series #GoodOmens.
So here are a few of my reasons, my thoughts about the show.
To begin ... the book. I bought my first copy in 1991. It now looks somewhat tattered and extremely well-loved because it's been read so often. The only reason it's still holding together is that I bought another copy to lend out and a hard copy for when I need to re-read it. It has been one of my go-to books at times when I need to be reminded that the world is a good place and that there is so much to enjoy in life. Including Sir Terry (and Neil)’s wicked sense of humour.
Then there is the fact that Neil Gaiman wrote the screenplay himself and kept close control of the whole process to ensure it was true to what the wonderful #STP (Sir Terry Pratchett) would have wanted. This, as it happened, included making sure that everyone who watched it would understand that the story is essentially a love story between Crowley and Aziraphale; that although they may be angels (fallen and otherwise) and that it therefore may be expressed differently to any human relationship, it is still a love story.
Then there was the casting. Because really … not only David Tennant but also Michael Sheen. How could that possibly be any better?
There is the use of so much of Queen’s music. I love Queen. I was at their first big London concert at the Rainbow in 1974. And there is a central joke in the book about how whatever music Crowley puts on in the car turns into the Best of Queen. So many songs are absolutely right for the soundtrack and most of them are in there.
There is also a simply wonderful original score - especially the titles theme. I can’t remember whether it was Michael or David who said that when you first hear it it seems like something you’ve always known, but that’s true. And I’ve reached the point where as soon as I hear it I start to smile.
And of course, there’s the show itself. It’s six hours of pure joy. My personal view is that the love that went into making it - the selflessness of Neil’s love for STP, the love of so many people for the book, all simply glow from the screen. That love has transformed the series into something unique. A type of television experience I’ve never had before.
The first sequence ends with a little snippet of Aziraphale sheltering Crowley under his wing that just brings me undone every time I see it.
The show has some very funny moments, many of them between Crowley and Aziraphale, but by no means all.
It has a number of little “Easter eggs” of Terry Pratchett tributes - his infamous hat hangs in Aziraphale’s book shop, his name appears on a video game screen, and there are a number of others.
It also addresses some very serious issues. One that it seems to raise is associated with the Angel Gabriel (Aziraphale’s boss). As Gabriel’s role in bringing about Armageddon unfolded, I for one realised that the story clearly demonstrates that unquestioning obedience to anyone, to anything, is simply a form of fascism. And for a Christian, that raises some very serious questions. Perhaps it does for anyone of any religion. Even for agnostics and atheists. Being absolutely sure you are 100% right and justified is incredibly dangerous and almost certainly means that you are going incredibly wrong.
However, the show does not take a hammer to any of these points that it raises, it just lets them float through your mind if you’ve got the kind of mind that welcomes such thoughts, and leaves you to ponder them at your leisure.
Along the way there are many laughs, a few “ooh”s, a couple of “ah”s, an “oops” or two and more than a sprinkling of “awww”s.
I almost forgot ... the show at one point has a long sequence dealing with Aziraphale and Crowley's relationship through the ages. The sequence includes an Arthurian scene and one set at the Globe theatre for the first performance of Hamlet. These are two of my favourite literary "things" and I loved that they were included here.
A particular joy for me is that towards the end there is a Crowley/ Aziraphale scene filmed in one of my favourite parts of London - Tavistock Square. This is across the street from the hotel that for many years was where I stayed each time I visited London. I’ve spent many hours in this square, reading, resting, writing, contemplating the universe. In the centre is a small statue of Gandhi which has become like a little shrine; there are nearly always flowers there and it has become imbued with the peace and serenity you would expect from such a space. (You can just see the Gandhi statue in the background in one shot during the scene.)
And then there’s the final A/C scene at the Ritz … performed to the background music of “A Nightingale Sang In Berkley Square”. (When you see the nightingale it’s actually in Tavistock Square but that make it even better for me.) It’s a delicious scene - sweet and a little bit funny and (to use a BK quote) just about ridiculously romantic. These two might be an angel and a demon and therefore the love between them may not be expressed in physical ways, but it is there, and in this scene it is clearly manifested. Underlined by the unashamed romanticism of the song lyrics.
It is the perfect finish to a wonderful show. Something that shows us what TV and movies can be, can do, when they do not go down the well worn paths of either dwelling primarily on darkness and violence or else tipping over into mindless saccharine, manifesting endless cliches of what love is and can be.
I can only say that I strongly recommend it to everyone. I promise you, you will not regret the time or the cost to watch it. It will repay you with a lift to the spirits, with many smiles, and with a very gentle touch to your heart. What more could anyone want?
And if all of that isn't enough to convince you, here is a lovely little Tumblr post of Crowley being adorably inarticulate. You can watch it without fear. Trust me, he never says anything coherent enough to even come close to giving any spoilers.
It's from the-djinn-inside
.
There might be some spoilerish bits in here, but nothing more than you'd see in the average review.
I know that some people have trouble understanding my ... mild (?) ... obsession with the Amazon Prime series #GoodOmens.
So here are a few of my reasons, my thoughts about the show.
To begin ... the book. I bought my first copy in 1991. It now looks somewhat tattered and extremely well-loved because it's been read so often. The only reason it's still holding together is that I bought another copy to lend out and a hard copy for when I need to re-read it. It has been one of my go-to books at times when I need to be reminded that the world is a good place and that there is so much to enjoy in life. Including Sir Terry (and Neil)’s wicked sense of humour.
Then there is the fact that Neil Gaiman wrote the screenplay himself and kept close control of the whole process to ensure it was true to what the wonderful #STP (Sir Terry Pratchett) would have wanted. This, as it happened, included making sure that everyone who watched it would understand that the story is essentially a love story between Crowley and Aziraphale; that although they may be angels (fallen and otherwise) and that it therefore may be expressed differently to any human relationship, it is still a love story.
Then there was the casting. Because really … not only David Tennant but also Michael Sheen. How could that possibly be any better?
There is the use of so much of Queen’s music. I love Queen. I was at their first big London concert at the Rainbow in 1974. And there is a central joke in the book about how whatever music Crowley puts on in the car turns into the Best of Queen. So many songs are absolutely right for the soundtrack and most of them are in there.
There is also a simply wonderful original score - especially the titles theme. I can’t remember whether it was Michael or David who said that when you first hear it it seems like something you’ve always known, but that’s true. And I’ve reached the point where as soon as I hear it I start to smile.
And of course, there’s the show itself. It’s six hours of pure joy. My personal view is that the love that went into making it - the selflessness of Neil’s love for STP, the love of so many people for the book, all simply glow from the screen. That love has transformed the series into something unique. A type of television experience I’ve never had before.
The first sequence ends with a little snippet of Aziraphale sheltering Crowley under his wing that just brings me undone every time I see it.
The show has some very funny moments, many of them between Crowley and Aziraphale, but by no means all.
It has a number of little “Easter eggs” of Terry Pratchett tributes - his infamous hat hangs in Aziraphale’s book shop, his name appears on a video game screen, and there are a number of others.
It also addresses some very serious issues. One that it seems to raise is associated with the Angel Gabriel (Aziraphale’s boss). As Gabriel’s role in bringing about Armageddon unfolded, I for one realised that the story clearly demonstrates that unquestioning obedience to anyone, to anything, is simply a form of fascism. And for a Christian, that raises some very serious questions. Perhaps it does for anyone of any religion. Even for agnostics and atheists. Being absolutely sure you are 100% right and justified is incredibly dangerous and almost certainly means that you are going incredibly wrong.
However, the show does not take a hammer to any of these points that it raises, it just lets them float through your mind if you’ve got the kind of mind that welcomes such thoughts, and leaves you to ponder them at your leisure.
Along the way there are many laughs, a few “ooh”s, a couple of “ah”s, an “oops” or two and more than a sprinkling of “awww”s.
I almost forgot ... the show at one point has a long sequence dealing with Aziraphale and Crowley's relationship through the ages. The sequence includes an Arthurian scene and one set at the Globe theatre for the first performance of Hamlet. These are two of my favourite literary "things" and I loved that they were included here.
A particular joy for me is that towards the end there is a Crowley/ Aziraphale scene filmed in one of my favourite parts of London - Tavistock Square. This is across the street from the hotel that for many years was where I stayed each time I visited London. I’ve spent many hours in this square, reading, resting, writing, contemplating the universe. In the centre is a small statue of Gandhi which has become like a little shrine; there are nearly always flowers there and it has become imbued with the peace and serenity you would expect from such a space. (You can just see the Gandhi statue in the background in one shot during the scene.)
And then there’s the final A/C scene at the Ritz … performed to the background music of “A Nightingale Sang In Berkley Square”. (When you see the nightingale it’s actually in Tavistock Square but that make it even better for me.) It’s a delicious scene - sweet and a little bit funny and (to use a BK quote) just about ridiculously romantic. These two might be an angel and a demon and therefore the love between them may not be expressed in physical ways, but it is there, and in this scene it is clearly manifested. Underlined by the unashamed romanticism of the song lyrics.
It is the perfect finish to a wonderful show. Something that shows us what TV and movies can be, can do, when they do not go down the well worn paths of either dwelling primarily on darkness and violence or else tipping over into mindless saccharine, manifesting endless cliches of what love is and can be.
I can only say that I strongly recommend it to everyone. I promise you, you will not regret the time or the cost to watch it. It will repay you with a lift to the spirits, with many smiles, and with a very gentle touch to your heart. What more could anyone want?
And if all of that isn't enough to convince you, here is a lovely little Tumblr post of Crowley being adorably inarticulate. You can watch it without fear. Trust me, he never says anything coherent enough to even come close to giving any spoilers.
It's from the-djinn-inside
.