Oh, wow, this was, surprisingly, a lot of fun! I don't know the books and, for me, American Gods was one of the biggest TV disappointments of the last few years. So, I decided to watch this without getting my hopes up (although Terry Pratchett's name did give me some hope)... And I ended up truly enjoying the amusing, light-hearted tone of the whole episode, while juggling gloomy things like Satan and Armageddon at the same time. Because of this (and the narration and colourful scenery), it even reminded me of Pushing Daisies, at times, so I'm surprised Bryan Fuller has nothing to do with this.
Both main actors excel in their roles (me being a fan of Mr. Blum on The Good Fight and, of course, Dr. Who and Killgrave), which only seems to make this show even more appealing, when there's already a solid chemistry between such a quirky duo at the helm of a show.
I think this is a mini-series (there's only one book, right?), so it saddens me that we probably won't be getting any more than these 6 episodes... But I'm sure they'll be some of the best 6 episodes I'll have the pleasure to watch for a while. And this is definitely the episode with the cutest lullaby and hellhound on TV, ever (probably)!
Now off to binge watch the rest of them!
[7.4/10] Chemistry can take a television show a long way. I’ll admit, in the opening stanza of Good Omens, I find myself not particularly interested in the mundane goings on of Heaven or Hell, or the baby switcheroo that leads to a spoiled normal child and a working class British antichrist, or even the impending armageddon. But I find myself very interested in spending more time “hanging out” with the indulgent but amusingly arch demon and the uptight but life-loving angel who’ve struck up an unexpected friendship.
I chalk much of that up to the performers. As David Tennant proved in Jessica Jones, he can make pure evil very compelling. And Michael Sheen has earned in his spurs in everything from Frost/Nixon to the god-forsaken Twilight movies. You could probably put those two actors in a room, have them play aluminum siding salesman, and still get something watchable and perhaps even compelling out of it.
But I can’t neglect the premise. I am a sucker for a good high concept pitch, and the notion of a demon who means to do evil but can’t help but do the right thing, and an angel who means well but inadvertently points humans in the wrong direction is a hell of a good one. While the narration puts things a little too much on the nose at times, the idea of these two diametrically opposed individuals who find common ground in their love of this flawed little blue orb, is one good enough to power the series alone.
There’s also something to be said for the idea that each is, in his own way, thwarting the will of their respective “home offices.” The notion that each is doing their best to do his duty, if only in name, while enjoying the quiet indulgences of earthly light, adds a sense of wryness to the whole thing. As my lovely wife pointed out, there’s a Hitchhiker’s Guide quality to the tone of this one, where much of the humor comes from the combination of the wildly fantastical and the utterly mundane (in the best British tradition).
The catch is that this is still a pilot, and thus there is lots of throat-clearing to be done. We have to establish an elaborate shell game with two regular babies and one antichrist. We have to spend time with the American diplomat who’s palling around with George W. Bush during his wife’s labor, and the ordinary British couple who end up with the prince of darkness in waiting. And we have to get to know the satanic order that’s making this all possible.
None of this is bad exactly. Frances McDormand’s narration as God adds a sense of humor to the proceedings, and many of her explanations are amusing enough. There’s still just a sense of perfunctorily setting the stakes and establishing the situation to it all. It’s necessary work, and the show endeavors to make it as irreverent as possible, but it can’t escape the sense that it’s the vegetables that must be eaten before we get to enjoy the sushi and wine single-malt scotch that is the day-to-day interactions between Aziraphale and Crowley.
The same goes for the literally apocalyptic stakes of it all. The glimpses we get of young Warlock’s upbringing are amusing for the costuming and prosthetics. The fact that Adam names the hellhound meant to herald the coming of the end times simply “dog” is worth a chuckle. And the view we have of Beelzebub and Gabriel in their light and dark home offices respectively is amusing enough. There’s just not much meat there, either in terms of comedy of plot. It’s the required putting of things into place, rather than pure enjoyment experienced elsewhere.
Still, the opening chapter of Good Omens thrives on the unlikely friendship between Aziraphale and Crowley. The mechanics of the apocalypse may not be especially interesting, but the notion that they’ve each been following the wrong boy, botched the hand-off and the efforts to thwart the other in perfect balance, has a lot of mileage in it. It portends the two having to work together to both prevent the apocalypse, while making it seem to their respective superiors that they’re still very much trying to bring it about.
That suggests more room for the chances to spark off of one another. The two of them debating the wisdom of the Eden story, with one questioning the edict to just “make trouble”, and the other emphasizing that the Lord’s plan is ineffable has the right balance between the high-minded debates of theologians, and the humdrum conversations of two guys waiting for a bus questioning the intricacies of the universe.
There’s hopefully more to Good Omens than just that -- truer commentary on the success and pitfalls of organized religion, and insight into our cultural stories and takeaways. But for now, the dynamic, camaraderie, and chemistry between a pair of exquisite actors, and spiritual creatures, is enough to fuel the show through the ensuing five episodes.
I have read Terry's work AND I WOULD love that he was still alive to see this, it really saddens me. At least Neil was here writing the episode. I am so thankful. I expected this kind of witty humor and I loved it. Loved the characters and how 50 min episode felt less than that :)
So far it's...fine. A weird clash of tones: one minute they're making silly jokes and the next it's all "whoa, here comes the scary apocalypse!" My wife and I have to keep pausing it to discuss the ins and outs of the plot, which takes interesting turns here and there but can't decide if it's scary or funny. I guess the best way to describe it is a "light-hearted take on the apocalypse." We'll keep watching, hoping it gets better. Random thoughts: I can't figure out why Crowley walks so funny? I guess the "Queen" songs are from the book. I liked the Garden of Eve and hate the Frances McDormand narration. I understand she's God, but everything is a joke to her, which just seems cruel to all the little people on the planet. The bone-dry humor might come through better if it were being read by someone with a more commanding voice, I'm thinking. Crowley says that went over like "a lead balloon" in the Garden of Eden long before lead or balloons have been invented. "Two demons lurk at the edge of the graveyard. They're pacing themselves, and can lurk for the rest of the night, if necessary, with still enough sullen menace left for a final burst of lurking around dawn." Okay, this is a good example. It sounds scary but then has a funny joke at the end. The tonal shift is jarring and unexpected and happens all the time in this show and (presumably) the book as well. So are we laughing or scared or both? Not sure. It's like Seinfeld with an occasional bloody murder. So there are three babies? What happened to the third one? All we know is that he "probably wins prizes for his tropical fish." The President Bush impersonator was dead perfect. I liked the nun suggesting evil names. David Tennant as Mary Poppins was just ick. And wow was that devil dog CGI horrible?
I forgot how amazing this show is. Decided to rewatch season 1 before watching season 2 and I am glad I did. It is so damn funny
"Of course they won't notice [the hellhound]. It's reality, Angel."
Did the bad dog transform into a good dog and that's key? Or perhaps Adam's love changes the dog. At any rate, nice switcheroos. And generally I'm up for a good voiceover.
This show is the bamb y'all .
David Tennant is amazing in every role he does. gives his 100%then some more!!
Narration, visuals, concepts 11/10 must watch.
Those Soi Boi Christians should shimmer down or perish! as ART/Creativity >> "Your believes" if you think otherwise bitch slap yourself hoe.
Hmm. So far, just about every scene with our two leads, Crowley and Aziraphale, is some degree of fun. Some better than others, but those two seem to have truly nailed the characters and the tone. Every other bit... well... some is kinda funny, some is kinda flat.
It seems a bit rearranged from the book (which I read a few months ago), but more or less the same stuff, so far.
My wife, on the other hand, while agreeing that the Crowley+Aziraphale scenes are better than most, has deemed the whole thing just too "stupid" to continue. That's basically the same reaction I had to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (which, when we saw it, she had previously read and I had not). Which leads me to suspect that this will have a much greater chance of being entertaining to someone who has read (and found at least somewhat entertaining) the book beforehand. (Based on my terribly unscientific sample size of two, that.)
But, I suppose, we'll see. Or, at least, I will.
I am rather looking forward to seeing how, when we get there, they depict that car and that fire...
Edit (after watching episode two): Keep watching; it gets much better.
Something is seriously off about this show.
Rewatch: am reminded of how when rereading the book I only ever reread the crowley and aziraphale bits
-despite aziraphale's verbal description of crowley of being bad, crowley is generally more of a mischievous prankster vibe
-the whole married couple vibe really isn't that strong at the start (or in this season?)
I'm on my THIRD watch of Gomens [which is saying something cause I never rewatch shows] and I'm absolutely adoring it again. Comparing this pilot to season two and I'm definetly much more at home in the story. this might be an unfair comparison because this is a rewatch but the pacing and the plot and the broader cast of characters just speaks to me so much more
It is curious this camaraderie between a good angel and a bad angel. The plot itself is curious, we will see how it goes
Shout by wolfkinBlockedParent2019-06-02T20:58:34Z
It's a strong opening but nothing that supremely wows me. At worst though I'm pretty interested in this characters. They're unique and fun. It's classic cheeky interpretations of religion. Like oh hey The Lord loves bowling doesn't that make us just so unique and different? It's nothing you haven't seen in 50 different irreverent episodes about religious characters before.
But I didn't hate it. It's a great setup. If this was network TV I'd be worried about it being picked up but we're in a new world. Shows can have merely okay openings and then grow them into something deeper.