The ineffable brainrotting

First, we have confirmation that Pratchett was the one who actually put Good Omens together in its final form: "One person has to be overall editor, and do all the stitching and filling and slicing and, as I've said before, it was me by agreement" which honestly explains A Lot about the differences between the book and S1 of the show. I think it could be argued that the book was Good Omens put together by Pratchett and the show was Good Omens put together by Gaiman, which would explain the vast differences in vibes even if the main story is functionally the same.

HELP I HAVE BEEN LAUGHING HYSTERICALLY ABOUT THIS FOR TWO DAYS

On the one hand, some of it is lovely. It looks thoughtful and aware of GO's queer audience and our enthusiasm. They're also donating all profits to queer charities. That's nice.

But this is all now tied to a show that killed its queer-coded protagonists, that never let them so much as hug even as human shadows of themselves. A show that gave us no answers about Maggie and Nina except that they lost the businesses they loved. A show that killed a queer man between seasons and left his spouse thinking he'd committed suicide. A show that took a fan-favorite nonbinary character and had them die while cheerfully insisting that they had always been an idiot.

Does the store have the right to sell pride merch after that finale?

The store is run by Terry Pratchett's estate and has no financial or business affiliation with Neil Gaiman. Can I take it enough on faith that they didn't endorse how the queer characters were treated in the end?

I did buy these pins, despite my qualms. They're the most overt acknowledgement we've ever gotten of Crowley and Aziraphale connecting with human queer identities. I found that, for all my heartbreak, I couldn't say no to that.

The package also came with a note.

What does it mean that a package that sold me a pin of Aziraphale with rainbow wings also includes a note that says he has no idea what those colors mean? What Pride is? "Aziraphale" thanks me for being me and tells me to love bravely, but can't say the word gay (let alone any of the other words).

Is this the intersection of good intentions and fear of corporate punishment? Or just an empty attempt to maintain ally points?

With a show that concluded with the death of every single character and an attempt to say that our real, nonmagical world was the real happy ending, why include this note that takes place in some whimsical non-time during season two? Maybe Rob Wilkins and the rest of the Terry Pratchett estate are sending little cues that we should ignore the finale. Maybe it isn't that deep and they just thought it would be cute.

My package also included a free bookmark.

And I think this is the best symbol of how Good Omens failed its fans. Saying "Love is Love" with romantic leads who aren't even touching.

Job, this, the whole season showing that Jim without Gabriel's memories was NOT Gabriel, add the Flood and "this is a reason to fix it, not destroy it" from s1.

Aziraphale didn't want to go back to Heaven, argue about his motivations all you like but leaving the Earth and his Bookshop and his Crowley was a sacrifice and I was willing to die on that hill 3 years ago and I'm willing to die on that hill today and forever.

Aziraphale did make mistakes in what he said to Crowley in the last 15, but none of that justifies the shitty way he was treated by an extremely OOC Crowley in the finale, or God or Mrs. Sandwhich (of all people ??!?! bitch you don't him?!!?!? the fuck???)

Something was massively up in the F15, and you can’t convince me Aziraphale wasn’t overacting happy and excited as well as sending a raft of SOS signals that apparently didn’t land.

How does Mrs. S even know Aziraphale was holding Whickber Street together? Or why he left? Just because Crowley is distressed? Because Mrs. S ought to be worldly enough to know there’s two sides to every story and not jump to conclusions about someone who has been a supportive friend, even if their ex is miserable.

And also believing firmly that the F15 was code to avoid the powerful ears of metatron from getting more proof against them in general and Crowley in particular.

And of course, being astonished by Mrs S' behaviour towards Aziraphale and Crowley's OOC lack of optimism.

I like giving him some characteristics of Aziraphale from the book (the glasses, the snickers…)

Asked a friend yesterday why they went to Hell anyway?

F: oh they went to see if Hell knew about/was involved with stealing the BoL

Me: Heaven can surveill Earth but doesn't have fucking security cameras around this extremely important item?

F: they do but Michael used the BoL to erase herself from the footage

Me: I'm sorry WHAT.

Also apparently the BoL, which should, you know, contain living things, had pages for rubber ducks, air fryers, and... Canada?

That's why I assumed it didn't actually do that, because the obvious move would be to erase Aziraphale and Crowley, but then that causes all kinds of paradoxes.

But then it didn't matter because none of the writing was consistent anyway.

Now I'm not itchy at all about it. It's vastly less ridiculous than the fucking mcguffinization of it in the finale.

surprise flowers for spring!