personally curated fantiques

BEFORE TIME (S2)

Aziraphale and Crowley meet for the very first time. Crowley, still an angel, is busy setting into motion the Pillars of Creation when he asks for an extra hand. Marveling at the stars themselves, Aziraphale pities how it will all be gone in 6000 years time. Crowley is indignant to the idea the stars he worked so hard to help create will only be “wallpaper”, and decides to speak with someone of a higher authority – aspirationally, God; realistically, only the Metatron, due to the office space nature of Heaven’s bureaucracy – later on about it. As stars fall, Crowley shields Aziraphale with a wing. Deflecting off what appears to be Earth’s own solar system[*].

[*] “Because, underneath it all, Crowley was an optimist. If there was one rock-hard certainty that had sustained him through the bad times […] then it was utter surety that he would come out on top; that the universe would look after him.” (Good Omens novel, p304)

EDEN (S1) – 6000BC

Aziraphale and Crowley meet for the very first time, a second time. Now a demon, Crowley opens their soon-to-be 6000 year long discussion over the concept of morality – “I don’t see what’s so bad about knowing the difference between good and evil.” - and logical fallacy in an infallible being – “Not very subtle of the Almighty though, is it? Fruit tree in the middle of a garden, with a ‘Don’t Touch’ sign. Why not put it on top of a high mountain, or on the moon?” - Crowley

As the first rain begins to fall, Aziraphale shields Crowley with a wing[*].

[*] As Adam and Eve turn away from the Garden, perspective affords enough of Aziraphale’s wing to look as if he’s covering them too. A foreshadowing of sorts for the role he plays as a guardian angel to humanity.

THE ARK DAY (S1) – 3004BC

Aziraphale and Crowley, after presumably not seeing much of each other since Eden, get a chance to talk at the proverbial water cooler. Crowley is shocked to learn Heaven – on God’s order – are planning the Great Flood, which intends to drown everyone within the local region of Mesopotamia, including children. There is a visual gag when Crowley asks “Not the kids, you can’t kill kids?”, both children and young goats run past the two, which ends up relevant to his actions in Job.

“That’s more the kind of thing you’d expect my lot to do.” - Crowley

BOOK OF JOB (S2) – 2500BC

Crowley has a permit from God to do whatever he wants to Job; Aziraphale, having not got the memo, goes to intervene. Several notable themes become established in this flashback:

Initially Aziraphale is relieved to find that it’s Crowley, most likely recalling their conversation about the Great Flood. He insists on his belief that Crowley is, at heart, a good person. But as the angel Crowley once was, rather than as the person he currently is.

Aziraphale also finds himself standing in a similar position to Crowley during 3004BC, in disbelief that God would do something so cruel to Job for no reason. The Great Flood had reason, however weak. Job, on the other hand, is a reasonless wager.

It is the first time, maybe even the only time, Aziraphale and Crowley really listen to what the other is saying with empathy. Visually, they appear stranded together at sea.

“But what am I?” “You’re just an angel who goes along with Heaven as far as he can.” “That sounds, um.” “Lonely? Yeah.” “But you said it wasn’t.” “I’m a demon. I lied.” - Aziraphale & Crowley

GOLGOTHA (S1) – 33BC

The next time we see them together is at the crucifixion. Most likely they’ve run into one another between Job and now, but possibly haven’t been afforded conversational amounts of time. A significant moment for both characters in different ways, which will become their ongoing pattern. Crowley informs Aziraphale of his change in identity, no longer going by Crawly[*]. Aziraphale now comes across as numbed to the cruelty of Heaven, with the context of Job behind this scene. Unsurprised, albeit unaligned with the events taking place.

[*] A fact he’s more than willing to share with Aziraphale. One can assume Hell only learns this vicariously, if at all: “What’s he going by these days?” (Ligur, S1); referred to as Crawly in 1941 by Furfur throughout (S2, subtitles pending corrections per Gaiman); “Changed his name? YUCK!” (Hastur’s book on Angels who walk the Earth, wherein Crowley is mentioned in the entry on Aziraphale, S2)

(In season 1, they have encounters during 41AD, 537AD, and 1601 that aren’t especially necessary to summarize for any new context now provided by season 2)

EDINBURGH (S2) – 1827

The philosophical discussion on moral grey areas is opened.[*]

“But people get a choice. You know, they cannot be truly holy unless they also get the opportunity to be wicked.” “Yeah, but that only works if you start everyone off equal. You can’t start someone off [poor] and expect her to do as well as someone born in a castle?” - Aziraphale & Crowley

“Trouble is there’s never enough murderers. […] No one cares if you cut up murderers.” “If we can’t cut, we can’t learn. If we can’t learn more, a lot more, then how on earth are we going to win the battle against monstrosities like [tumors]? I’m just trying to save lives, and teach students. I either end up with a Knighthood, or condemned as a Resurrectionist and hanged from a rope.” - Dr. Dalrymple

Crowley behaves carelessly, drinking the entire glass of laudanum both as a good deed to prevent Elspeth from committing suicide, and as an excuse not to be held responsible for doing good (being a demon). He has a microsecond of confidence that Hell did not notice, before being dragged down.

[*] Just a fun fact, in the novel this conversation is had in 1020, and again in 1023 when Crowley manages a suitable comback. I always thought that was really funny.

ST JAMES PARK (S1) – 1862

Crowley and Aziraphale have a clandestine meeting at the park, wherein Crowley asks him for holy water as “insurance”. One can assume that whatever happened in the “quite some time” between 1827 and the 1860s to Crowley has him acting in a more calculated manner. The couple had never been especially discreet in their meeting one another before now, Crowley appears to be the one creating the distance. He refuses to actually tell Aziraphale what he needs it for, other than “insurance”. The lack of communication causes an argument that splits them apart, all on the grounds of a misunderstanding.

THE BLITZ (S1) – 1941

After not having spoken for a little over 90 years following their fight in 1862, Crowley arrives unannounced and unexpected to crash Aziraphale’s nazi spy church party. It is, ostensibly, a grand gesture on his part. Unlike any other time they’ve met, he’s there solely of his own choice with no strings attached or Arrangements to be honored.

Crowley places his trust in Aziraphale to protect them when the bomb drops. Aziraphale’s faith in Crowley is rewarded by his selfless act of saving his books. They are both rewarded by God with falling the fuck in love.

THE BLITZ (S2) – 1941

We now understand Crowley’s actions at the church were a dangerously large sacrifice of his own well being: rescuing an angel (something already known to be frowned upon), entering hallowed grounds (something a demon cannot do unless invited, implying he has to of been, at some point, by some angel, or at the very least an angel has to want him there – the angel is Aziraphale, sorry I don’t prescribe to the former arch angel Crowley theories), harming humans Very Directly even if in an indirect manner, the list kind of goes on.

But the couple are absolutely honeymooning, interacting again after so long. Despite Crowley trying to keep a distance between them, by disengaging at the mention of being friends, he falls back easily into their routine of goofy shenanigans. Arguably, as careless as he had been in 1827.

They’re confronted later by Furfur with evidence of their fraternization, Aziraphale’s sleight of hand causes it to be only a near miss. It’s the first time the audience gets to see Aziraphale do something that protects Crowley, from a kind of harm that would go beyond being discorporated.

SOHO (S1) – 1967

More of an analysis than a summary:

It stands to reason that Aziraphale is a smart enough being, the events that happened in 1941 were enough for him to put two and two together about the kind of danger Crowley is actually in being his friend. The constant surveillance he’s under, and Hell’s penchant to find out. Giving him the holy water implies more about the significance of their relationship to Aziraphale, that it is above all else worth protecting. I can only imagine, the reason it happens over 20 years later, as opposed to “immediately”, is simply because Aziraphale didn’t find it absolutely necessary to do. Only after he catches wind that Crowley intends to rob a church, aware of the risk he poses to himself if not scrupulously careful handling holy water, does Aziraphale find more than enough reason to give him holy water and trust him with it. It’s the least he can do in that moment.

At each other’s grand gesture, they ask the same question of what they can do to say thank you. Interestingly, they give the other the same answer, in a different way to mean mostly the same thing:

“Forget about it, would you?” - Crowley

“You go too fast for me, Crowley.” - Aziraphale