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The 2-AziraCrow Theory

Maybe I should be calling this my head canon, and not even give it theory status.

But I’ll press on nevertheless. This theory had a seed planted when I saw this quote mentioned at the end of one of Sendarya’s videos in which she mentioned the Theologica Germanica concept of the soul having two halves.

The soul has two eyes When one makes an effort Without the other It shan't get very far, When they help each other They accomplish much. [William of St-Thierry]

Some time later, I began to see the pattern, a theme, that seemed to emphasize the concept of twos.

After noticing these, I started looking for other repeating, seemingly frequent ideas.

These ideas just keep crashing and bouncing and ricocheting around in my head. They just won’t coalesce into anything coherent. My apologies for the chaos and disorganization.

Theme – Two, Half, Split There are references everywhere, in dialog and visually, to “2”s, “halves”, and “splits”. Far too many to list, but examples include putting the lesser demons on half rations; being shown a demon’s split-tongue three different times, Azi & Crowley performing half a miracle each; Shax asking Crowley about the two yellow(!) lights on the boiler; the twin passions of Bildad; Crowley leads the humans out of the bookshop 2x2; even Uriel makes two complete revolutions pacing around Michael in the scene before Sq and Muriel arrive in E1. Honestly, the list is extensive. I suppose, however, that it could be referring to two of any number of things.

Theme – Inside/Outside Again, we have dialog and visuals that emphasize the idea of things being inside or outside, but especially inside. Azi to Crowley in the smitten scene “Why don’t you wait inside? You like to wait inside?” Nina’s “A lot of people in this head…”; And we have so many scenes of someone looking inside or out a window. I have quite a list in another document on my computer.

Theme – Spies This one starts right off with the spy sitting down at the wrong bench, next to Crowley. Shax recruits Crowley to try and find out what’s going on in the Up. Beez recruits Crowley to help find Gabriel, etc. Then there’s Jane Austen, master spy. The three zombies spying on them to get Furfur’s proof and we could even say that those go back to S1E3, 1941, “…half-witted Nazi spies running about London…” And, I also really, really don’t trust Michael. Could they be a spy for hell in heaven? But I don’t have any real evidence for that. Just a distrust of Michael.

Theme – “Bit”s Another word used throughout the season, and maybe even in S1. Well, we definitely have the final S1 scene with Azi saying to Crowley “…if you weren’t, at heart, just a little bit, a good person.” Searching the S2 transcript comes up with ~25-ish uses of the word. Is that a lot? Or normal? I have nothing to compare to it, nor base it on. So although Azi is not Crowley’s “bit on the side”, I thought, maybe Crowley is sometimes Azi’s “bit on the inside”.

Theme – Point Another well-used word throughout the script, appearing ~24 times. This is trickier, though, because “point” can have a number of reasons – the reason or conclusion, indicating direction, or the sharp point, of, say, a pin? I suspect that all are somehow applicable in this season.

But just looking at the last one, it could be a call-back to S1 and how many angels, or demons, can dance on the head of a pin. Where we learn that Crowley can make himself small enough to speed through a telephone wire.

I always vaguely thought Crowley’s line to Mrs Sandwich about whether or not she had her hatpin was a bit of an odd, maybe throw-away line and Mrs Sandwich responds so quickly and charmingly that the line gets passed over. But again, is it a reminder of what angels and demons are capable of? Or does this line mean something else I’m just not aware of?

Theme – Small Crowley Not as fully developed, and maybe not as obvious, but in E1 on the bench, for example, after the spy leaves, we see “normal-sized” Crowley immediately followed by seeing a “small” Crowley in Shax’s compact mirror (and he’s looking out of the mirror, see above) when she arrives. In the resurrection minisode, we see another “small” Crowley, when he’s off his head on laudanum.

Theme – “Invisible” Crowley As far as I’ve gotten to date, there are two definite scenes where I think Crowley is actually inside Azi’s head (or whatever) and not physically there.

First, when they leave GMCoGMD with the Eccles cakes in E1. As soon as they are outside the shop, Azi barely looks at Crowley, and Maggie doesn’t seem to see him, that brief conversation is only between Azi and Maggie. Crowley only “talks” to Azi once they’ve started walking again.

Second, and the bigger one, is in E5 when Azi heads out to solicit the shopkeepers to go to the meeting. Crowley asks “Can I watch?” and just follows Azi around and again, Azi barely looks at him; the shopkeepers appear to act as if they are only talking to one person, and Crowley is completely quiet around them, just hanging around in the background.

I also noticed that in these cases Crowley is on Azi’s right, the opposite of where we usually see him. (Oh, an exception is Mrs Cheng, where he’s on Azi’s left again, and he acknowledges Mrs Cheng when they leave, implying to me that Mrs Cheng can see him.) There could be more instances where we see this behavior, but I haven’t studied every episode yet to look for it.

Theme – S2 posters Just looking at these two for now. Azi and Crowley with one pair of wings, one white one black, behind them. I’ve seen the line “…and they aren’t talking…” I’m not quite convinced yet that they aren't talking. I think it could mean they aren’t talking face-to-face, physically. And I optimistically see their positioning as that they’ve still got each other’s back. Maybe I’m in denial, but I just don’t see the “break-up” as extensive as many seem to.

The other poster is this one of Azi and Crowley, each with the other in their heads/thoughts. Crowley is “seeing” Azi from a memory, from 1941. But Azi is seeing a current Crowley, draped across the bookshop chair. Also, I noted that the [double!] rings that surround them are linked.

My way-out-there idea, then, is that Azi and Crowley have “carved out” space for a duplicate but also somehow real, bookshop (a high-fidelity copy?) within Azi, within his mind, his brain, his soul, I don’t know. And he can enter and leave it as needed. It could also be a copy of Azi’s memories or something.

But it’s also someplace Crowley can visit, a place he can go in and out of (like the telephone lines in S1) as needed. I wonder, then, does Crowley in the end “split” himself, so that a “bit” of himself can go up to heaven with Azi? Referring back to Jane Austen, brandy smuggler – is Azi smuggling Crowley into heaven? All season, Azi usually has his hands closed, perhaps to imply he’s carrying and/or hiding something.

With this theory, it gets complicated, though, figuring out which “reality” we’re looking at. The external original(?) world? Azi’s copy in his head? Or a memory? Or none of the above and this is all nonsense.

Multiple sets of memories, possibly getting mixed together, could help account for the inconsistencies in flashbacks, the apparent “continuity errors” in various scenes, the changing POV.

We’ve seen the physical appearance swap. We’ve seen Azi’s physical possession of Madame Tracy in which they could both control the body. What I am considering is neither of those.

This is just a start. I’ll keep working on it unless someone already has some convincing evidence that clearly refutes the idea.

Cranking up the stars and nebula

Just out of curiosity, I grabbed a screenshot of Crowley's…schematic?… of the stars and nebula he was creating Before the Beginning. Kinda fun. Let your astronomical imagination go.

What jumped out at me right away was the obvious "W" (blue) at the top, which I immediately took to be the constellation Cassiopeia, the Queen. Then I noticed that there are two other instances of Cassiopeia's W, although one of them (lower-left) is ever-so-slightly different.

This is the myth of Cassiopeia: Cassiopeia was the wife of King Cepheus of Ethiopia. Her pride got the best of her when she bragged that her daughter Andromeda was more beautiful than the Nereids, part of Poseidon's retinue. As punishment for this affront, Poseidon sent a sea monster, Cetus, to destroy Ethiopia. The only way to stop the destruction was to sacrifice their daughter Andromeda to the monster, so they chained her to a rock on the shore. Just as Cetus approached to claim his sacrifice, Perseus, returning from his slaying of Medusa, saw the beautiful Andromeda, and saved her from the beast. Ethiopia was saved. Upon Cassiopeia's death, Poseidon placed her in the stars, where she was chained to her throne and must spend half of the year upside-down as further punishment.

As a side note, the constellation of Perseus is referred to, not surprisingly, as "The Hero". The vaguely "y-shaped" constellation to the left of the top "W" (pink) is reminiscent of the shape of Perseus, although not exact.

The other constellation that seemed fairly obvious is Crux, the Southern Cross (green), and I see it twice, one of them right under the crank. I couldn't find any mythology surrounding this constellation. But, the cross, right?

The odd prominent S-shaped "constellation" in the middle of the left circle (light blue), or is it snake-shaped, isn't any actual constellation. If I just barely glance at it, maybe I can pretend to see the curves of Scorpius, but I doubt it's actually meant to look like a real constellation.

Maybe some of the other constellations match up with real ones, I didn't spend all that much time on it. But some felt familiar. Like Corvus (the Crow) (top one in the black box), but it's usually depicted as a closed polygon.

The curved one right next to and below it reminds me of either of the Corona constellations, Corona Borealis (Northern Crown) or Corona Australis (Southern Crown).

Maybe someone else can imagine if any of the others seem to resemble real constellations.

Besides the constellations, my other observation was noticing that there were tints of yellow sprinkled around, and yellow always make me think of Azi.

Finally, Crowley then uses his crank and "mixes them all up".

It's hard to see the end result of the schematic after Crowley has stirred it all together, but now there are 4 overlapping circles, and all appear to have a lot more constellations in them than at the start.

I would love to hear about anyone else's observations or comments about the schematic. Or provide me with a link to any previous discussions about it.

This is so well-organized and well-written. Yet, I have just a few concerns that are preventing me from fully agreeing with it at this time. If you'll just humor me?

I'm currently still thinking that Maggie is very tightly related to Azi somehow. The word simulacrum keeps coming to mind, but I'm not sure that's exactly right or if I'm understanding what a simulacrum really is. Basically some manner of a "copy" of Azi. Which I just cringe even typing that.

My first concern is how would Azi and Crowley 1) recognize that she is Jesus and 2) know they need to hide her. Technically, Crowley only learns about a delayed Armageddon 2.0 in Gabriel's trial, nothing was said about it being in the form of a Second Coming (unless I missed something?). And Azi only heard about the Second Coming moments before getting on the elevator.

It just doesn't feel like something Neil would do, to hide such a huge, important piece of information from us. We the audience see the hints and clues about it throughout the season, but there's nothing that has jumped out to me to imply that Crowley and Aziraphale knew. That, and the fact that Maggie and Crowley hardly ever interact. If he's helping to protect her, wouldn't he be more attentive?

Maggie uses similar mannerisms that Azi uses. Well, mostly having the lightly closed fists, as seen when she's trying to decide between the two teas. But the more I watch, the more I see just how much she does it.

Also, she holds her "Please help us" sign similar to how Azi holds the Everyday record -- 4 fingers on the front, thumb behind (sorry I don't have a good screenshot at the moment).

Her odd comment about loving the record shop since she was a baby and not being a normal teenager are just weird period, totally agree. And, yeh, they sure point to her not being "normal". Ha! maybe she was "born" fully grown (thinking back to Job and how babies can arrive in all sizes, LOL) such that the record shop is her first memory. Sorry, just being silly here. I have no idea about these statements.

A few comments on some of the other points: Azi expecting her to be able to have heard the trumpets and sensed the arrival of Michael, Uriel, and Saraqael could also track if she was somehow similar to himself. Same as when she refers to Azi as an angel for forgiving her the rent. If she is somehow Azi-ish, she could definitely invite the demons in during the Ball. As for the horn honk, I have another interpretation/theory about it but I'm not ready to admit it to anyone yet.

Hiding is indeed huge in this season and all season long I've interpreted Azi, with his almost-always having lightly closed fists, as if he's hiding or holding something, as a major clue. But I think I've been seeing it as foreshadowing for hiding something to take with him up to heaven, rather than an on-going thing. I could definitely be wrong about this, though.

I so don't get Nina at all. And other than recognizing the name Mary Magdalene I'm woefully unfamiliar with her bible story to even be able to comment.

So for now, I'm tucking your interpretation into the back of my mind where it can sit and percolate and rattle around. Because I can definitely be 100% wrong.

Thanks for listening. I absolutely love these ideas and discussions.

Maggie, Maggie

#1 Do not take my theories to Neil! None of them, nohow!

#2 Big fat spoiler, which I suppose I should have said on my previous theories, but hey. Big fat spoiler!

Here we go, I think I know something new.

I've seen a few blogs where people have suggested that Maggie is Jesus 2.0. I didn't think so at first, but now I do. Maggie is Jesus 2.0, and Crowley and Aziraphale damn well know it. Here's my evidence:

See this post about how I think Crowley and Aziraphale are hiding something. Hiding someONE? Yeah, I think so. Who the hell would they be hiding? Who would an angel and demon who averted Armageddon be hiding, especially if they are expecting a second go 'round? The BIG one, as Crowley says? Fucking Jesus, that's who. Okay. Now we're cooking with gas.

Maggie is clothing-coded as both a demon and an angel. Y'know, much like Adam is described in Good Omens the novel. "Part demon, part angel, all human."

Maggie is a bit of a goodie two-shoes. "Never was that sort of teenager, never wanted to drink, no judgment." Oh, yeah? A little better than other people, are you? Not in a hoity-toity way, just, a little better than others. A little.

Loved that record store since she was a baby, huh? How did she remember it since she was a baby? Much like Adam remembered the other two babies he was in the hospital with, as described in Good Omens the novel. "You never forget your first friends."

Maggie calls Aziraphale an angel. Not as if she knows, but as if she subconsciously knows. If she is Jesus 2.0, I don't think she's come into her powers yet.

Aziraphale expects her to be able to sense the archangels when they come to ask about Gabriel and the 25 Lazarii miracle. And the whole time he's asking her about the record, he's looking out the window very nervously, repeatedly. I've seen a few people note that a car horn sounds and he looks at it anxiously, and that does happen, but he is anxiously looking out the window the whole time. What is he watching for? In case someone notices him talking to Jesus, maybe? And when she doesn't understand what he's talking about with the archangels, he shrugs it off and refuses to explain, as if he has suddenly remembered that of course she won't be able to sense them, not yet, anyway.

The ball: Not only does she want to stay behind and help without knowing what's going on (very brave and generous), she invites the demons in by mistake, AND Aziraphale can't miracle her to go with Crowely and forget all about this. He tries in a bit of a panic, then gives up, as if he's remembering that oh yeah, he won't be able to miracle her, she's freaking Jesus.

That's why "miracles don't work like that." It's not that Aziraphale can't miracle people to fall in love, it's that he can't miracle Jesus. At all.

That light in her record store. You know, the one that looks EXACTLY LIKE ADAM'S LIGHT in the first season? You know, the one that I can't find a picture of right now. Because of course I can't.

The main reason Crowley and Aziraphale are so nervous about Gabriel showing up is because they are scared he is spying on them and will notice Jesus. The audience assumes Gabriel is scary enough on his own, and pay no attention to the fact that A/C are trying to keep him clear of noticing ANYTHING out of the ordinary.

Nina is Mary Magdeline.

The question that I do have is: What did Maggie do that had the same power as a 25 Lazarii miracle?? Because my entire theory revolves around Crowley and Aziraphale knowing -- or suspecting? Or searching for and being closer than even they know? -- that Maggie is Jesus, or will be; Saraqael being in on it; and them hiding whatever the BIG miracle was actually for and the audience assuming they are hiding the Gabriel miracle -- which they are not, although they are ALSO hiding the Gabriel miracle.

I noticed this guy a little while back but all I saw was how easy his orange sweater and white pants, and being on the phone, made him easy to recognize. But now your post about all the orange makes it feel even more important.

E1, ~24:31, Crowley and Azi have left the coffee shop and Maggie stops him to thank him. Mr Orange Sweater walks by behind them.

Then, ~25:07, we're back with Maggie in the coffee shop where she's going to gift the album to Nina. Behind Maggie, out the window, there's Mr Orange Sweater, white pants and on the phone and everything.

But the weirdest part about this is... Azi and Crowley were supposed to be there too, based on the earlier scene.

So there is definitely something going on. Time shenanigans, reality shenanigans. Something else. I just don't know yet.

Hi, I’ve only read one meta by you yet, but you seem to be just the right person to ask this: did you notice how many people in the scenes outside the bookshop are wearing orange, in series 2?

Any idea what that’s all about? Is it just esthetics, an echo of the bookshop‘s columns, or does it have a filmographical significance? Everytime I watch the show there seem to be more orange clothes, once you start seeing that, it’s crazy how many there are!

Hey thanks for the ask! I mean, you have until 2026 to read more of my drivel so; pace yourself! Orange clothing is definitely an *interesting* choice for extras in film. You almost never see it in background actors clothing because... it draws the eye! The fact that they included so much orange, yellow, and loud patterning in the extras in season 2 is a real decision to throw film tradition and S1 cannon out the window.

I would like to submit my own theory that the choice was made as a deliberate nod to time travel. But first, a little background.

Compare two crowd scenes on Whickeber street from each season: It's kind of nuts that even at microscopic resolution we get such a HUGE difference.

That's not to say orange is missing. Here are the only two extras wearing orange in S1, and they happen to be in the same scene in episode 2, when Newt and Shadwell meet for the first time, discussing occult beings "hiding in plain sight". (witches in this case)

We also get some pretty obvious bright orange in main characters in S1: Madame Tracy and Beelzebub. We meet Tracy in orange as she immediately reveals to Newt multiple hidden identities, see her again wearing orange hair when she communes with spirits, and finally all decked out in orange when she is being possessed by an angel (a person hiding inside a person). Beelzebub wears an orange sash and medal as a high ranking Duke of Hell, so orange is maybe their house colour, or a prestigious colour for hell in general, but after season 2 we know Beelzebub doesn't always have the same face, and is hiding intentions of their own.

Orange doesn't have much biblical significance, mostly because the colour orange was mostly seen as "fire" or "bright" coloured until way after the bible was transcribed, and orange dye wasn't really a thing in the European world until significant trade with east Asia developed. Here's the only other bright orange thing to appear all season, (in a deleted scene): Crowley hiding in plain sight, posing as a maintenance worker.

I think we might be able to draw the conclusion from season 1 that orange is a colour associated with the "Hidden Occult/Power". Not necessarily only hell, but more as something otherworldly, that's hidden in plain sight. (Interestingly, we never ever see Anathema or Agnes Nutter in orange. So I wouldn't say it's related to witches at all.)

In season 2 however, orange is everywhere. More specifically on extras' clothing and the outside of Maggie's record shop.

Maggie seems to be the only main character to wear bright orange herself (E2).

But this is by far my favourite one: in the back of the crowd of demons getting a Shax pep talk in S2E5, there's a regular human extra wearing bright orange sitting amongst the army, completely unnoticed by both demons and audience, observing the plan.

This really set off alarm bells for me, because there's a very Terry Pratchett precedent for powerful and unnoticed orange-wearing characters in the discworld series : the time monks.

Terry's character Sweeper seen here on the original cover of Night Watch. The time monks' clothing and general philosophy is based on Thai buddhist monks, who (like in many buddhists sects) wear donated, saffron-dyed robes in orange and yellow/red to symbolize flames of purity, and to separate them from the world of gross matter, like a fallen leaf from a tree.

In the discworld novel Night Watch, the time monks are responsible for monitoring and cleaning up the timeline, pruning it like a bonzai tree. They are everywhere and yet unnoticed, inside the flow of time yet not of it. And they are the ones who guide the main character through the process of being stuck after falling back through his own timeline, into his own past.

(Excerpt from the book where Sweeper is explaning time travel to Vimes).

Extras circling in the background are called "background actors" because they exist to not be noticed. Put in extras wearing orange/yellow and bright red, and suddenly you can track them, and notice how they are part of the crowd, but stand apart from it. You can notice when they go missing from one cut to the next, or appear to circle or jump between frames. Many extras, including the demon army watcher, also seem to be circling, and monitoring the goings-on in the world of Good Omens. Based on the meaning of orange from S1, it would seem these mere background actors are more than they appear to be. Could they even be checking up on unwarranted time distortions or timeline ruptures happening around a certain Bookshop...?

Job flashback and foreshadowing?

I - Starting Assumption

First off, you must understand that this only follows based on my idea that there is a bit of Crowley going up to heaven with Azi, in some kind of microscopically small version of the bookshop.

A literal... compartmentalization: the act of separating something into parts and not allowing those parts to mix together. (Cambridge Dictionary).

Literally, a safe place that Azi can go to in his mind and possibly where Crowley is hanging out. I also interpret Crowley's F15 line "You can't leave this bookshop." to apply here. Sorry, I just can't shake the idea that it is so very important that they stay together. Somehow.

Anyway, for how or when or if this happens, here there be gaps, so just jump over them for now, please, if you can.

II - Flashback and Foreshadow

With that starting basis in mind, I began thinking about the Job minisode. E2 is quite prominently all about Azi because of Companion to Owls, even Neil says it's important for Azi, especially, I guess, for his historical character development (as per Sendarya's beautiful video).

But I keep feeling like it could also be metaphorically foreshadowing what might happen to Azi in S3 and what he may have to endure. Job's house, the courtyard, Job's clothes all seem Azi-coded to me, with yellows and pale yellow-brown. And while Job's house is being targeted with destruction and the storm rages outside, Azi and Crowley are hiding out in the safety of the cellar, eating ox ribs and drinking wine, respectively.

My leap then, is that in S3, we might see Azi and Crowley (that is, my idea of the "half-Crowley") hiding out in Azi's mind's bookshop, taking shelter in this safe place protecting him from what could be going on "outside" of it: and that there is an attack on the rest of his mind: an attempt to erase his memories, his "him", his Aziraphale-ness.

I like to imagine that during this time Azi is doing some "stocktaking" and the two have another good heart-to-heart talk while they wait out this "tempest".

III - More Foreshadowing?

I remembered the E2 deleted concept art boards that Sendarya asked Neil about and which was answered by him confirming that they were meant for E2. Apparently one of those was going to be used to perhaps imply that the relationship then being forged between them was to last until the end of the world or something like that. Can't know because he reluctantly let it be cut.

You know the ones. Like this one.

It has now occurred to me that those could also have been a metaphorical depiction, a metaphorical foreshadowing, of Azi's mind having been wiped, or an attempt at it anyway. But that this "compartmentalized bookshop" survived and protected him/them.

IV: Misc

One last thing. When Bildad is talking to Job in the burnt-out barn, it sure looks like Job is sitting on a big steaming pile of shit...dung. As in, the dung pits that Demon Josh didn't want to get sent to again. As in, hell.

If I follow through with this train-of-thought it might imply that not only do they try to erase his memories, but they might also send him to hell as well? If so, it would be a good thing to have Crowley with him. As Crowley says to Azi when they are hunkered down in Job's cellar, "See you in hell." Poor Azi!

So, there ya go. Yes, lots of gaps, lots of leaps. And if this is the case, in the end how do we get them separated and each whole again? Adam? Jesus? God?

All I ask is that you please be kind to me and all my crazy talk. It's just an idea.

Couple of thoughts on Pride and Prejudice

I was thinking about Pride and Prejudice in this season. I had just re-watched the 1995 Colin Firth BBC series (for the mumblenthmumble time) when this line sunk in, a line out of the book. Jane says it to Lizzy about Wickham and Mr Darcy after they learn that Wickham is not a good guy.

One has got all the goodness, and the other all the appearance of it.

I thought maybe it could apply with Crowley, as a demon, as the one who has all the goodness, and the Metatron, from heaven, with all the appearance of it.

Interestingly, there are 2 copies of P&P, 2 copies of Emma, 2 for Mansfield Park, and 3 Sense and Sensibilities, and 1 each Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. Which may not mean anything, just noticed it.

Arrivals - Compare and Contrast

I've been thinking for a while now how there seems to be parallels to the arrival of Gabriel (E1) and the arrival of Muriel (E3) to the bookshop. I imagine they've been obvious to everyone else already?

Anyway, I tried to lay out how I thought they were similar and where they differed, even if it's just an exercise for myself. But there's another arrival too: Michael, Uriel, and Saraqael in E2, and that one is quite different.

None of this may mean anything other than good story telling.

For Gabriel and Muriel:

Both arrivals are announced to us via someone in the coffee shop: Nina for Gabriel and Mrs Sandwich for Muriel.

Both arrivals are accompanied by car horn honks. With Gabriel it sounds like 1 long followed by 2 short (then a bunch more, lol). For Muriel it sounds like 2 medium-length honks and followed by a wolf whistle.

If I've got this right and please correct me if I'm wrong, Gabriel enters on Whickber St from the park (east?). Muriel, however, is coming in from the other direction, on Whickber St from the west(?).

For both, when they arrive and knock on the door, Aziraphale is listening to music, and wearing his grey sweater. With Gabriel, his back is to the window, and he's facing his old-fashioned gramophone listening to Shostakovich. With Muriel, he's at his desk facing the window and listening to Everyday on a boxed record player sitting on the end of the counter (where Gabriel's box was originally placed but which has now apparently been moved).

Azi opens the door for both Gabriel and Muriel and our initial view is from the inside looking out. Gabriel has his back to us and is facing away. Muriel is facing us.

Gabriel and Muriel both ask to be allowed to come in. With Gabriel, Azi initially says No, but then agrees, somewhat rudely telling him to get inside. With Muriel, he hesitates briefly, then invites her in politely.

Once inside, Gabriel is now seated with his back to the window and Azi sits, or stands, facing him and the window. He brings the hot chocolate and simply says "You drink it." Which Gabriel does. With Muriel they are seated 90* oriented differently, with the window to Azi's right and Muriel's left. He brings her the tea and explains "To drink." Which she doesn't.

Up until now, Crowley is not around for either arrival.

Later, Azi meets up with Crowley in the coffee shop to "not" discuss Gabriel's presence. I didn't really identify a parallel scene for Muriel.

Then we get Crowley's jump scare upon seeing Gabriel, and his surprise and amusement at seeing Muriel.

For Gabriel and for Muriel, A & C go into the back room to discuss the situation.

That's as far as I felt I could follow the parallels. Probably superficial, but that's what I got.

Now, in E2 when Michael, Uriel, and Saraqael arrive, it's quite different and may not even warrant being mentioned here.

Azi is not in the bookshop, he's not listening to any music, but he is in the record shop to find out about the Everyday song that Jim was singing.

While he's there, we do hear a horn honk which Azi turns his head to look out the window toward. Shortly after, he/we hear the trumpets [see below] sound.

Michael, Uriel, and Saraqael arrive from the park direction, same as Gabriel.

They arrive at the bookshop first and Azi gets to them just after, so they are waiting on him to arrive.

Jim is the one who opens the door and the view is from the outside looking in. Saraqael asks to discuss things inside and I'm not sure if Jim has invited them in or is just excited about having "customers" but then Azi agrees and invites them in.

No offers to sit, they just stand, Azi doesn't bother to offer them anything to drink, because, angels.

But later, A & C meet at the pub to discuss the situation.

As for those trumpets...what? Why are we hearing trumpets? I know we hear them in S1E4 after they beat up Aziraphale and that was to signal that Armageddon was starting. Was there anywhere else?

So why are we hearing them for Michael, Uriel, and Saraqael just dropping in to ask about Gabriel? Hearing them definitely concerned Azi. We don't hear them in E6 after the attack on the bookshop. Is that because Crowley was with them?

Please, I hope someone has a nice explanation for the trumpets and what those trumpets may mean at that point in the story.

I tried to search to find anyone else's take on this but I couldn't find anything. Probably more my problem of not getting the hang of searching in Tumblr. If anyone knows of a good post on this I would love to read it.

Weird Coffee Shop Guy

I first noticed the coffee shop employee guy in E1. He looks fairly normal most of the time, like when we see him while Azi and Crowley first meet at the coffee shop. I assume, but can't know for certain, that he is the one Nina mouths and gestures Crowley's 6-shots of espresso order to. He appears to be dressed with pale yellow and orange.

But then, things go weird. And again, later, in E3.

First in E1, ~25:00 time stamp, Maggie arrives as Nina is closing up the shop. Nina walks behind the counter talking with Maggie and off to the side, you see this guy put on what looks A LOT like Azi's grey sweater, turn, and walk behind a completely oblivious Nina. It looks like he is disappearing just as the scene cuts back to Maggie.

Next, jump to the beginning of E3 with Mrs Sandwich in the coffee shop, just prior to Muriel's arrival, ~00:30 time stamp. Again, this guy is there, this time in the red shirt and with a yellow apron.

tl;dr Don't watch Nina, just keep your eye on the employee.

play-by-play in the snippet:

To begin, out of view but off to the right, he has handed off an order to the lady that we only see the top of her head above the coffee mugs as she is leaving. Employee-guy has turned around away from the customer and is heading around towards Nina. We see him there all dark and smudgy off to the right of Nina right at the edge of the screen.

The scene immediately cuts to the opposite view and there we see him making the hand-off to the customer. Note that he is using a cell phone. At almost this same time, Nina gets her notification. I suspect this is just a coincidence to throw us off. I think.

While Nina reads her message, employee-guy walks around and behind her -- who is still basically ignoring him, not seeing him? He still has his phone in hand, looking like he's using it.

I've snipped out a couple of seconds of dialog between Mrs Sandwich and Nina where we don't see employee guy.

Now, here's the really weird stuff: when we return to viewing Nina, this guy basically just walks right out from the shelves behind Nina! All small and out of proportion, and I don't think he has his phone.

This is the weirdest thing I've come across so far and I have no explanation at this time. I only know that there is something very strange on Whickber St.

[Sorry for the poor-quality gifs and video. I'm brand new at this stuff and don't really have the hang of it.]

Unable to Reconcile

So, looking for any help. There are a couple of things that "bother" me that I can't reconcile. Well, there are others but I'll start with these two.

First, in E1, the tiny, surreptitious half-miracle-each to hide Jim that results in flashing red lights, and loud klaxons sounding off in heaven.

Compared to E6, when Aziraphale blows up his halo. This we are told is perceived as very nearly an act of starting a war, and all we get is a bright flash of light in heaven?

And second, in E1, Crowley initially refuses to help Azi with Jim and storms out. Returns after the chat with Beez, and he has to do the apology dance.

Then in E5/E6, Crowley tells Azi that he won't leave him on his own to deal with the demons attacking the friggin' bookshop, but then Crowley does just that, does not return to help. And apparently that's not egregious enough to warrant an apology dance? In fact, Azi never brings it up in any way. [Granted things got a little bit busy and emotional, but still.]

It feels like the consequences are mixed up with the actions. Or something. But I can't reconcile them, time-wise, chronologically, to match them up with how -- in my brain -- they "should" have been. For example: The miracle=bright flash of light. The "thing with the halo"=red flashing lights and klaxons.

I know that the idea is that Azi and Crowley working together are very powerful. So much more powerful than blowing up one's halo? I suppose it's possible, but it just still bothers me. Along with what warrants an apology dance.

Any ideas? Is it just me?

UPDATE: For a good laugh, follow up with this one about how ridiculous it sounds to swap things around.

Uncomfortable Ramifications

As a separate follow-up to my post about my perceived disparity between the actions and their results of the alarms in heaven and the apology dance, I'm going to try to describe - as if it isn't obvious - why these are so scary to try and resolve. And this is coming from someone who is all-but onboard with the possibility that there are two realities (for want of a better word). And/or that things are so very out of order. Or overlapping...or something!

So, yeh, I'm just going to put myself out here for ridicule and pity. But I think I will feel better just to get it out of my brain and out there.

If we I try to put the bright flash of light in heaven with the Jim-hiding miracle, that puts Crowley in two places at the "same" time... but at two supposed different chronological times (????): performing the miracle with Azi AND being in heaven with Muriel and Saraqael, which is supposed to be during the demon attack. WTH?

In my post comparing the different Arrivals, I asked about this:

As for those trumpets...what? Why are we hearing trumpets? I know we hear them in S1E4 after they beat up Aziraphale and that was to signal that Armageddon was starting.

If the trumpets that Azi hears in the music shop with Maggie in E2, are when Crowley and the angels return to earth as a result of Azi blowing up his halo and nearly declaring war on hell, rather than the "hiding Gabriel" inquiry...well, that obviously puts Azi in two places at the same...different...time. WTF?

As an aside, if the trumpets really correspond to Michael, Uriel, and Saraqael simply going to earth, to the bookshop, to inquire about Gabriel, that seems to contradict the Metatron's desire (order?) to explicitly NOT raise any alarms about Gabriel's disappearance.

SARAQUEL: Right. I can't… I can't find his memory anywhere. In fact, I can't find him in the building. He's left Heaven. Should I sound an alert? METATRON: Oh, don't be so wet. No, you're all just going to have to find him. That's all.

So, again, I ask, what's with the trumpets?

Anyway, I don't even know what I'm saying anymore.

If the apology dance is for not returning to help defend the shop against the demons, that puts the demon attack before they even perform the miracle to hide Gabriel. Not to mention before the kiss and Azi's departure.

So even though the actions (e.g., the hiding miracle/halo explosion, and what warrants an apology dance) and their results feel out of proportion, trying to swap those around just makes things worse.

And, yes, I am very much aware what utter BS this must sound like. I get it.

My own brain hurts. It's just that I'm having a problem taking the chrono order that we've been shown without questioning it. On the other hand, perhaps I have no choice.

I hope I have given you all a good laugh. And maybe this post just needs to sink into obscurity. Yeh, probably for the best.

I know someone who looks like you.

Good Omens Faces & Names, Labels & Identities

One theme that I see running fairly strongly through S2 is the idea of identity.

I'll start with Nina and Maggie precisely because they chose to use the actresses' real names as their characters' names. I'm sure the actresses are back because they are respected and liked, but it also works to serve a purpose. That of emphasizing identity. Who someone is beneath the outward appearance. And maybe to get us to slow down and question our assumptions about someone when we see their face.

It's Nina Sosanya, the actress. But also Nina, the coffee shop owner. And, Satanic Sister Mary Loquacious and Mary Hodges, Tadfield Manor owner.

It's Maggie Service, the actress. But also, Maggie, the record shop owner. And "Skinny Latte". And Satanic Sister Mary Garrulous.

Is it Madame Tracy or Shax? Is it Shakespeare or Furfur?

With Gabriel we have Jim, James, and of course "Supreme Archangel".

Aziraphale is "Angel", Mr Fell, Mr McFell, Mr Wherever-He-Is and your partner. Even "Hey you!" from Gabriel.

Crowley is Crawley, Anthony J Crowley, [Mr] Six Shots of Espresso, [Mr] Struck By Lightning, Mr Crowley. And, from the Metatron, Demon.

Did I miss any other nicknames for our characters? Let me know in the comments.

By comparison, we have Beezelbub, same name and same being inside, but with a different face. Interestingly, Crowley knew it was Beez and simply noticed the different outward appearance. But Gabriel did not immediately recognize the new face as being the someone he knew.

Some of this may seem a bit so what? It's a show, so of course the actors are not the same as the characters. But how many viewers, upon realizing that Nina and Maggie were also in S1, upon recognizing that Shax looked like Madame Tracy from S1, thought that maybe they were still the characters they were from S1, even if only for just a moment? Because they had the same face. Because they looked like someone we knew.

Returning to Gabriel. Or Jim. But he's actually both, at least in my opinion. I think Jim was always in there, but smothered by Gabriel The Supreme Archangel. And by setting aside the memories of how he behaved as the Supreme Archangel, we get to see the nice angel that he used to be, or could be.

I take all this as a warning to be careful with my assumptions about who's who based only on seeing their face.

Now this is the part where I veer off into my own theory-land with all of this. I currently still hold the shared-soul theory because I haven't seen anything to outright debunk it. The theory that a part of Crowley has gone up to heaven within Aziraphale. This is where I think the edges have been blurred and the face we see in the elevator, riding up to heaven with The Metatron, looks like Aziraphale, but there's more inside than just Aziraphale.

Connecting Two of Michael's E1 Scenes

A few days ago I noticed that Michael's position sitting at the desk when she's talking to Beelzebub is basically identical to when she's sitting at the desk when the alarm goes off.

I've put the two together, taking out everything in-between, into one clip.

The one scene follows surprisingly neatly into the other. Yet they are at opposite ends of the episode.

It could be a coincidence, a style choice, for these two scenes to be so similar to each other.

Or, these two scenes are actually one scene, in-universe, but we've been shown it split apart.

But if it is one scene, it raises questions.

Because in-between these "two" scenes we are shown the following happening, in the following order:

Gabriel getting named Jim, discovering cocoa, the Terrible Thing, and bringing in the box.

Muriel finding the matchbox in heaven.

Aziraphale and Crowley chatting in the coffee shop.

The fight in the back room and Crowley storming off.

Nina and Maggie getting locked in the coffee shop.

Muriel and Saraqael showing the matchbox to Michael and Uriel.

Beelzebub taking Crowley to hell to talk about the missing Gabriel.

Crowley returning to the book shop.

The I Was Wrong dance.

The hiding miracle.

If the full scene took place early in the episode, this might imply that the alarm went off before the hiding miracle happened. And if the full scene took place late in the episode, that implies that Beez talked to Crowley in hell before getting the call from Michael.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Do you agree that these scenes go together? Does it make you question any other sequences of events? Would it make you question what triggered the alarm?

Aziraphale didn’t have much time to read once he took up his duties in heaven, but, when he managed to, he found he couldn't read love stories anymore. They sent him spiraling into messy thoughts, useless thoughts, about what he may have destroyed forever. He could hardly breathe whenever he let a wisp of an idea slip by his defenses and take root. He spent long minutes frozen, unbreathing and unblinking, trying to figure out what to do with the fear and the grief he was so full-up with. 

The day he sat down to read Sense and Sensibility for the thirty-second time and was forced to close it again, without reading even a full page, is the day he realized the full scope of what he had done. Because Crowley was everywhere; in every earthly delight, but mostly he was tangled up with the thought of romance. Crowley always treated him so well in the way of their Arrangement – held the door, took him out, and helped him into his jacket. He spoiled Aziraphale rotten, and, as Aziraphale now knew, had managed to utterly spoil him for love. 

Because when Aziraphale cracked open the lovely pages of that novel all he could see was music and laughter and their fingers linked together over good food and good wine. He saw Crowley sleeping in his lap and wrapping himself close around Aziraphale’s offered arm as they strolled in St. James’s park. He saw happy, lazy kisses bathed in soft firelight. He saw everything that wasn’t, and he couldn’t breathe, and he closed the book