The Best Thing About Good Omens Season 2 Is Also The Worst

If you were wondering if the second season of good omens was going to explore the past of the angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and the demon Crowley (David Tennant) or move forward in the present with their relationship, the answer is yes.

good omens season 2 is set after the events of season one (and the book it’s based on), with Aziraphale and Crowley settling into a new normal after postponing the apocalypse. But it also includes long, extended flashback sequences in these actual scenes, called “minisodes.”

Now, most of them aren’t actually “mini” (in fact, the longest takes up most of its episode time). All take place in the past and have little to do with the main modern day storyline, where Archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm) showed up at Aziraphale’s doorstep, buttocks bare and memoryless. .

Photo: Mark Mainz/Prime Video

In fact, they almost look like they came from a separate version of good omens season 2, a season consisting of episodic adventures through Aziraphale’s and Crowley’s past (perhaps they were once rough ideas that Neil Gaiman outlined with co-writer Terry Pratchett). If so, these minisodes would be very enjoyable. But in the structure of the season, they tend to stray too long from the main plot to the point where the main plot barely passes. It’s particularly frustrating – while I want to watch them and spend more time with these characters, I also find it takes away from the central plot, which is compelling in its own right.

Aziraphale and Crowley are just fascinating characters, so any screen time with them is a delight. I just want to see more of them interact, especially through their thousands of years of misadventures. Sheen and Tennant embody them so perfectly, with an easy chemistry that makes any mundane interaction wonderful. And since they are a demon and an angel, what is mundane for them is fantastic for us, whether orchestrating the events of the Book of Job or digging up bodies in Scotland. These flashbacks shed light on pivotal moments that affected Crowley and Aziraphale’s relationship and shaped it into what it is.

Photo: Mark Mainz/Prime Video

But good omens season 2 has more plot going beyond these singular episode adventures. There’s the fate of the universe once again, as Aziraphale and Crowley try to figure out what the heck (ha) Gabriel is trying to warn them about, while hiding it from the prying eyes of heaven and hell. And, because of artificial hijinks, they also have to match two traders across the street. That in itself is a fun setup, but it continues to be muddled by the minisodes, which rarely, if ever, add anything to the episode itself other than a glimpse of a little moment or two. . As someone who loves these characters and actors and historical settings, these minisodes are so much fun and I want a full season of them. But also, I keep forgetting why we even care about the overall plot of the season if we only get 10 minutes of it in an episode.

If you’re here for the Aziraphale and Crowley of it all (as I imagine many good omens fans are), so these flashbacks build their story and establish moments in their relationship. But those minisodes don’t do much to move that relationship forward, and the main storyline that’s happening in the present day doesn’t have enough time to do that either. They’re the funnest part of the season – but also limit modern plot potential. I want more, but also I want less. Mostly, I just want to see more of these characters, though, and if that weird way is what’s currently available, I’ll take it, even if they deserve more.

The second season of good omens hits Prime Video on July 28.