Mythical Beasts of Galifrey

David Tennant as Crowley from Good Omens (for a late Tennant Tuesday - or whatever day today might be)

people asked for a matching Crowley to the Aziraphale from yesterday so here he is

Season 2 is bookended by two scenes where Aziraphale is the one breaking his heart.

Season 2 is bookended by two scenes where the machinations of Heaven are the reason why.

Season 2 is bookended by two scenes that are thematically linked in the soundtrack (the song that plays when he creates the nebula, and the song that plays when he kisses Aziraphale: same song).

Season 2 is bookended by two scenes where the long-awaited and longed-for moment, punctuated by the song, ends in disappointment.

I just thought about this -- Crowley had planned out everything he was going to say, but it wasn't supposed to be sad. It was supposed to be this big revelation, this wonderful step together in a new direction.

He was nervous but this was supposed to be a good thing.

This was supposed to be boozy brunch at the Ritz.

And then Aziraphale said what he said, and Crowley knew. He could see it all slipping away from him. He knew, and he tried anyway, and he almost cried during it, but it wasn't supposed to be that way.

It wasn't supposed to be sad.

Gabriel and Beelzebub have chosen each other, yet the show is very careful in not having them kiss or even hug romantically; they are Superior Beings, not humans, so they don't conform to humans' way of performing, showing, or possibly even feeling love. If they were humans, I'm sure they would have happily kissed before disappearing into their happy ever after, because that's what (most) humans want to do in such circumstances, and also because it's a fast and sure way to clarify the feelings to the audience.

This is in contrast with the kiss Crowley chooses to give -a very rushed, passionate, not though through, human kiss. He had already talked about his feeling (as Nina suggested), he had already made a confession, no one at that point was in doubt about where he stands for Aziraphale. So why the kiss? It wasn't necessary to clarify his feelings...or was it? I think is was necessary to further clarify them. To me Crowley is not saying just "I love you" with that kiss, he is also saying "I love you in a human way, I love us not the Angels we could be Up There, I love us here on Earth".

- Crowley radiating joy at the sheer wonder of the universe only to be crushed by orders from up high

- Those orders being the ONLY reason Crowley fell. Aziraphale knows (and has always known) that Crowley fell simply because no one wanted to listen to his ideas.

- 6000 of Crowley clearly aching to do good in defiance of his own nature

- Crowley admitting how desperately lonely that defiance is for him

- Crowley being BETTER than Aziraphale at morality and making Aziraphale better as a result

- Evidence that no one is ever going to be chill with Angel/Demon relationships unless they are too powerful to be stopped and/or willing to vanish

- That they are never going to escape the monitoring of heaven/hell (they literally were *stalked* by both sides the entire season) so they can't just live unnoticed among humans

- Even during their last few years of 'freedom' Crowley has still been desperately unhappy. He's at the 'what's the point of it all???' stage BEFORE anything bad happens in S2. For all he talks about the preciousness of their life, Crowley is radiating misery during his freedom whereas Aziraphale actually seems happy.

Like why WOULDN'T Aziraphale see this offer as the perfect solution? Crowley can get what he always wanted - to do good without anyone stopping him, with Aziraphale helping. It can be exactly like the nebula scene forever - only this time Aziraphale can just bask in Crowley's joy.

From his pov he is sacrificing his own life on Earth for THAT.

I missed the blatantness of Nina’s “we’re just friends. actually we’re not friends. we barely know each other.” the same thing Aziraphale said in season 1.  the way he still struggles to quantify their friendship when Nina asks. Nina’s sarcasm when Crowley asks about rain and awnings because it worked for him (we all know it LMAO). hell, that whole convo the girls have in the rain is so AziraCrow (“I know. I’m not your type” “…You have no idea” hits so much harder the second time, help meeeee.) “Lindsay” maybe being symbolic of Heaven and Aziraphale’s toxic relationship with them and their abuse? (the handwritten text messages in red pen make me think of angry notes on paperwork, anyone else?) because Crowley has never actually cared about what Hell thinks of him, just not getting into trouble (or him or Aziraphale getting hurt). Maggie is always chasing Nina. NINA NEVER GOES IN THE RECORD STORE. Just like Crowley always goes to the bookstore, to Aziraphale, Zira NEVER WENT TO THE FLAT (apart from The Swap but that doesn’t count imo). Crowley has always chased Zira, not the other way around. Always there to rescue him, always going to him for company, always relying on their shared connection, always US. OUR SIDE. All through season one, he comes to Zira every time to work together, never trying to work alongside Hell in any way that isn’t to save their skins or Earth, while Zira hides things from Crowley because he STILL thinks Heaven is ultimately good and will do the right thing if he can just show them. fix it from the inside. 

no bc this is literally the same joy as the first scene he has just matured- he’s just been affected by everything he’s gone through since. Falling, losing his sense of self, experiencing the horrors of hell and the horrors and sorrows of humanity, nearly losing the world & the material things he loves- at one point actually losing his only companion- but he’s still the same person he still loves so deeply, he still has so much joy- aziraphale just doesn’t SEE because it so often happens when Crowley is actively admiring Aziraphale’s actions or when he is doing something for him when he isn’t there to make him happy.

There's a self-awareness here that wouldn't exist if Crowley only just realized he and Aziraphale act like a couple once Nina said it. He's known this for a long, long time to say they've both been pretending

Relatedly, Crowley says it's mutual. He thinks Aziraphale has acted like a romantic partner towards him, knows it, and has been in denial

Crowley thinks they've been like a couple since the beginning. It's not, "We've spent the last 100 years pretending that we aren't" or "We gradually drifted from our sides and formed our side." He thinks their relationship has been fundamentally the same their entire lives

The voice crack

But they will finally snap and start fighting through which they will mention all the misunderstandings over the years

YOU DIDN’T TELL ME YOU WERE HOMELESS

IT WAS NOT YOUR PROBLEM

YES IT WAS I’D NEVER LET YOU LIVE IN A CAR

YOU TOLD ME I WAS NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU

I NEVER SAID THAT

YOU CALLED ME ONE OF THE BAD GUYS

THAT’S NOT… THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT

I TOLD YOU I LOVED YOU AND YOU TOLD ME NOTHING LASTS FOREVER!

I MEANT THE BOOKSHOP! I CHOSE YOU OVER THE BOOKSHOP!

YOU WANTED ME TO BE AN ANGEL LIKE I WAS NOT GOOD ENOUGH THE WAY I AM

I WANTED YOU TO BE HAPPY AND SAFE! YOU NEVER TOLD ME GABRIEL WANTED ME TO SHUT UP AND DIE!

I WANTED TO PROTECT YOU!

I WANTED TO PROTECT YOU TOO!