GOOD OMENS Season Two: A Gorgeously Miraculous Second Act

The second season of Amazon Prime’s Good Omens — principally written by Neil Gaiman and John Finnemore — is a gorgeous, hilarious, and romantic follow-up to the first season of the adaptation of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s 1990 novel, Good Omens. The show is a masterclass in subtext and is made up of stunning visuals that complement a powerful storyline.

Each installment of the six-episode season is full of gorgeous costumes and incredible set design that has all been done with incredible amounts of dedication to the craft.

This season picks up a few years after the first, now seeing the demon Crowley (David Tennant) and the angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) living a more peaceful life outside of the grips of their respective head offices of Heaven and Hell.

This season’s storyline is catalyzed when amnesiac Archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm) shows up butt-naked on the doorstep of Aziraphale’s bookshop. Confusion and hilarity ensue immediately.

Determined to help him, Aziraphale and Crowley hide Gabriel in the bookshop and perform a miracle to prevent anyone from either of their respective sides from noticing him.

This miracle, however, sets off alarm bells in Heaven, which results in Aziraphale having to lie to his superiors, explaining away the surge of miraculous power as a miracle to make the two shop owners across the street fall in love. To keep Heaven none the wiser, Aziraphale enlists Crowley to help him set the couple up.

This season also allows the viewer to see beyond the cozy corner that is Aziraphale’s bookshop, and into the shops that line the street where Aziraphale’s — and this season certainly Crowley’s — safe space resides. Among these shops, we are introduced to Nina (Nina Sosanya) who runs the coffee shop Give Me Coffee or Give Me Death, and Maggie (Maggie Service) who runs the local record shop, of which Aziraphale is the landlord, and an incredibly forgiving one at that.

Everything is Simply Artistically Stunning

The production value in this show has also skyrocketed beyond that of season one. The visual effects in season one were, though less polished, a great support for the show, but in season two, the visuals are so unbelievably well done with their intricate detail and specificity. To say they are beyond stunning would be an understatement.

As in season one, all through these six episodes, we see Aziraphale and Crowley in various periods throughout human history, resulting in gorgeous wardrobes and beautiful set designs.

A favorite look of mine has to be the iconic Bildad the Shuite look from season two: a crazy hairstyle choice for Crowley while he and Aziraphale have one of the most important conversations in the show about understanding their positions in the grand scheme of things in respect to Heaven and Hell.

Episode two also features exciting cameos from Ty Tennant, David Tennant’s son, as the son of Job, and Peter Davison, David Tennant’s father-in-law, as Job.

Another favorite moment in the show certainly must be that of the ball in episode five: a gorgeous feat of costuming and set design, creating an homage to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice from the comfort of Aziraphale’s well-known bookshop.

source: Amazon Prime Video

The scoring (created by David Arnold) and soundtrack crafted for this show could not have been done more perfectly. Hearing Queen’s “Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy” play canonically in Crowley’s Bentley made me smile an embarrassing amount, and the musical motifs used throughout certain pivotal moments in the first and last episodes of the season compliment the themes on-screen with exquisitely thoughtful support.

The show’s official social media accounts also shared official playlists created for some of the principal characters this season, which was an excellent touch on behalf of the show’s marketing, and the songs used were chosen with absolute perfection, wholly capturing the emotional arcs of the characters, especially for Aziraphale and Crowley. And the lyrics in the songs on those playlists didn’t make me cry. Totally didn’t…

Let’s Talk About These Performances

Expanding upon what was set up for Aziraphale and Crowley in season one, season two shows us so much more of everyone’s favorite angel and demon duo.

First and foremost, the natural chemistry between Sheen and Tennant is simply magical. The two are perfectly cast and bring these characters to life with ease. The emotion behind both of their performances for the title characters is truly unparalleled and showcases the dynamic range for both Sheen and Tennant from being silly and comedic to deeply dramatic and somber.

The performances from Sheen and Tennant are somehow even more incredible than they were in the first season. In season two, we get to see even more of Aziraphale and Crowley together and are really able to relish in the magic that is watching the two play off one another.

When watching Sheen and Tennant as Aziraphale and Crowley, it is truly hard to picture anyone else as the lovable angel and demon pair, and it is clear that Sheen and Tennant were made to share the screen.

The complexity brought to these characters in the layered subtleties showcased in Sheen and Tennant’s performances is truly something to be studied. Their performances, coupled with the expertly written dialogue, create an intimacy with the audience that allows us to know these characters deeply, honestly, and wholly.

We are also shown the softer and gentler sides of the pair, especially compared to how high-strung the two were last season (granted, they were trying to stop Armageddon). 

This season also opens up Aziraphale beyond the uptight and stuffy angel we have previously seen. Sheen brings every single little Aziraphale expression to life in his performance and showcases so much more of Aziraphale’s emotions beyond what has been restricted by Heaven until this point.

Director Douglas Mackinnon also really let Tennant play with Crowley’s character this season, particularly in the Scotland flashback. There Tennant gets to use his native Scottish accent throughout the episode and brings a lighthearted and comedic break to the heaviness of the topic surrounding the flashback scene shown in Edinburgh, Scotland in episode three.

And don’t even get me started on the award-worthy performances delivered by Sheen and Tennant in just the last 20 minutes of episode six of this season. To avoid mentioning any major spoilers, if you know, you know.

source: Amazon Prime Video

There is also an awareness of what Aziraphale and Crowley mean to each other that is introduced more explicitly this season through how the two express the care and love they have for each other when speaking with others, aside from the longing and loving stares and glances they express without ever letting the other catch a glimpse.

When asked if he will make a plan to save himself instead of waiting for Crowley, Aziraphale confirms he does make his plans but knows that rescuing him makes Crowley so happy. For Crowley, he threatens Gabriel for how Aziraphale was treated, recounting the insight Crowley was given during the body swap in the finale of season one.

Moreover, Jon Hamm delivers an expertly humorous performance as the unaware Archangel Gabriel, whom we come to know as Jim this season. The carefree and lighthearted attitude he brings to his character across these six episodes is wonderfully comedic and delightfully charming.

Lastly this season, we are introduced to Muriel (Quelin Sepulveda), a precious, though albeit a bit naive, angel who arrives on Earth to keep tabs on what Azirphale and Crowley are up to after their miracle set off alarms in Heaven. Sepulveda’s performance offers a welcomed bright spot among the unlikable angels we have come to know and it is simply impossible not to smile when they appear on screen. 

New Characters, Same Faces

This season showcases some familiar faces from season one as completely new characters, fully untethered to their previous personas in the show.

Nina Sosanya, who played Sister Mary Loquacious in the previous season, now returns as Nina, the coffee shop owner. Sosanya brings a whole new performance to Good Omens with this character: a blunt, strong-headed woman, with a hidden soft side, compared to her previously oblivious attitude that fit a one Sister Mary Loquacious.

Also returning from the Satanic Nuns is Maggie Service, who played Sister Theresa Garrulous, and now returns as Maggie, the record shop owner: a delightfully bubbly and caring woman.

Sosanya and Service’s characters serve as one of the other romantic focuses this season with Aziraphale and Crowley trying to set the two up to fool the higher-up angels in Heaven.

source: Amazon Prime Video

It is clear to see that Maggie and Nina are meant to parallel Aziraphale and Crowley this season — even going so far as Nina quickly calling Maggie ‘angel’ in the final episode — though Nina and Maggie seem to be a few more steps ahead of the 6,000-year romance brewing between the angel and demon since these two humans know how to communicate.

Also returning are Reece Shearsmith and Miranda Richardson, who played Shakespeare and Madame Tracy respectively in season one. Now the two actors return as demons Furfur and Shax who seem to be in cahoots with one another and who each bring a demonic, sharp edge to their characters, heavily contrasting with their performances in season one.

This season also features a recast of the grumpy Prince of Hell, Beelzebub. Originally played by Anna Maxwell Martin, Beelzebub is now brought to life by the talented Shelley Conn. The change in actors was confirmed online by Gaiman as a result of scheduling conflicts for Maxwell Martin, and is addressed in the show as Beelzebub wanting to go for a change of face after 6,000 years.

Conn slips right into the same hard-hitting personality of Beelzebub that was brought to life in season one, and adds a loving air of charm to the character this season, supporting some of the romantic developments we see unfold for them in this season’s final episode.

A Major Win for Representation

The second season of Good Omens is a great example of what excellent representation can look like on screen when it comes to diversity in gender expression, sexual identity, pronoun usage, and disability, all of which are seamlessly incorporated into the natural flow of the show without a hitch, as they should be.

This season, we are introduced to a new high-ranking angel, Saraqael, played by Liz Carr, who is in a wheelchair. Their disability is not commented on in the show — nor does it need to be — and they use their miracles on Earth to create accessible pathways to enter spaces: a wonderful use of miraculous power.

source: Amazon Prime Video

In episode two of this season, there are also angels seen with additional disabilities surrounding angels Gabriel and Michael (Doon Mackichan) when a fleet of angels is sent to follow up with Job, showcasing even diversity within Heaven.

There is also seamless usage of they/them pronouns for Beelzebub, and nowhere throughout the show is anyone ostracized or shamed for presenting or identifying outside of any heteronormative, cis-gendered identity.

The cast and creators of Good Omens have pleased audiences by handling these incorporations naturally and with ease, something many other shows cannot be praised as well.

What About Season Three?

Season two ends with quite the cliffhanger, prompting thorough discussion online and leaving fans to speculate the motivations behind the actions of Aziraphale and Crowley in the last few minutes of the final episode.

Gaiman has explained online that season two has served as a bridge between the first and third acts of the story he and Pratchett set to detail when they decided to create a follow-up to their 1990 novel of the same name.

With this knowledge, audiences are buzzing with excitement over what a third season could hold in store, although Amazon Prime has not yet confirmed a third season. Still, Gaiman did announce that he has been commissioned to write one.

The ending of this season leaves much to be deciphered by viewers and has prompted great conversations, all teasing at an incredible next, and final, season.

Final Thoughts:

As not just a lover of film and television, but as a writer and creator, the second season of Good Omens left me feeling inspired. The level of dedication to this show is so inherently clear and you can tell through every minuscule detail of this show that it was made with sincere love from everyone who worked on it (which can also be seen through the abundance of behind-the-scenes content provided for this season, which is also available on Amazon Prime Video).

Good Omens season two is truly beautiful in every sense of the word and is an absolute must-watch.

Season two of Good Omens was released on Amazon Prime Video on July 28th, 2023.