Good Omens has been nothing but good-hearted fun. The show, a surprising love story about two oddball best friends: an angel and a demon, is a pure love story that, along with its Tolkien-esque conclusion for its zany cast of characters, provides a sweet and sincere conclusion in hilarious yet fitting fashion.
You can listen to us talk about episodes 4-6 of Good Omens in detail on The Workprint podcast’s TV Talk. Available on iTunes and Google Play. Warning: This podcast will be filled with spoilers.
RECAP
The second half of ‘Good Omens’ is a race to the apocalypse. As Adam’s powers began manifesting and started influencing all of reality, he causes havoc on the world. Doing things such as raising Atlantis, summoning aliens, and creating the sea Kraken — all of which, are influenced by the spitting images of the magazine covers he’d seen from Anathema — her influence, indirectly responsible for Adam’s destruction.
Likewise, the four horsemen of the apocalypse are summoned to begin the end of all things, just as all the characters are in place to prevent the world from ending.
It kicks off the way most of the story has, with Aziraphale and Crowley. Their friendship is tested as Hell catches wind of their historical failures, particularly, their losing track of the Anti-Christ throughout the past decade and the last-ditch efforts to fix things. With demons on their heels, Crowley asks his best friend to run away together, while Aziraphale tries reasoning with Heaven, in a sincere moment that showcases some of the best of the show’s differences between demon and angel.
Meanwhile, Anathema and Newton fulfill a love prophecy, as the two find each other before the onslaught of a destructive tornado, sharing a moment of passion that also proves to be foretelling, as they come to the realization that Adam is the Anti-Christ.
This leads to a comical assembly of sorts, that culminates in the four horsemen’s riding out to the Tadfield Airforce base to launch all the world’s nuclear warheads. We also get to meet Pollution and Death, the latter of which is a famous Terry Pratchett character, as they partner with War and Famine to meet with Adam.
Meanwhile, Aziraphale encounters Witchfinder Sgt. Shadwell at his bookshop. He is looking for Newton and accidentally, takes Aziraphale for a witch, ruining a ritual that the angel had set out that discorporates Aziraphale and leaves the angel for dead – the bookshop burning all around him.
It’s a beautiful scene that took a long time to shoot, as the reenactment of London’s SoHo Bookshop, required a street was artificially created and the bookstore. Much of the set, including the many books, being literally burnt down.
All seems lost by episode five until our heroes put everything together, Aziraphale embodies Madame Tracy, who is Shadwell’s neighbor, and the three of them ride out to the airforce base. Just as Crawley foils the demon Hastur one last time as he rides off with his Bentley through the M25 highway, which is enveloped in a ring of fire.
By episode six, everyone races to the airforce base to prevent the Apocalypse, including Adam who thanks to the reprimanding from his friends, has had a change of heart. In the grand finale, Adam vanquishes the horsemen, though all is not well, as the forces of Heaven and Hell, led by the angel Gabriel and demon Beelzebub, tell on Adam and summon Satan.
One of my favorite aspects on the show is the strength of its casting. With a surprising gem in episode 6 featuring Benedict Cumberbatch, who was chosen to voice Satan as a result of Francis McDormand’s casting as God.
With Adam’s reality-altering powers, he tells Satan off and claims that he’s not his father, not his real one anyway, resetting the events of the apocalypse.
We then get a conclusion that sees everyone happily ever after, with the exception of Aziraphale an Crowley, who are called for execution for their crimes. In a shocking twist, thanks to an excerpt from Agnes Nutter’s book of prophecies, the best friends switch places and survive their respective executions.
They decide to live their lives on earth, teaming up with the humans for the oncoming eventual attempt to bring about the apocalypse yet again.
THE TAKE
Overall, if you love Good Omens you’ll love Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s writing styles. It’s definitely an homage to both authors and their friendship, embracing a story of love above all things… in God’s strange ineffable plan.
Score for Episodes 4-6: 9.8/10
You can watch ‘Good Omens’ streaming on Amazon Video
