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Good Omens Meta: Trust Me: Aziraphale in the Final Fifteen
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maia. It doesn't really deserve the meta café tag, because it's literally just thoughts that have been knocking around in my head for months and that I never got round to writing down. And I'm still not sure that I'm contributing anything of note. But hey ho, here you go. This is not well-written, but at least it exists:
Trust Me: Aziraphale in the Final Fifteen
This is a weird one, because I guess that it should be labelled as a ‘theory’ whereas I feel like I am simply just trying to chronicle what we saw on screen…
ETA: Belatedly I realised that I should have specified that this is specifically about the stuff below the surface. Take the miscommunication, all the trauma etc as given.
Sidebar: I’m not keen on any of the theories. No I don’t think there was a body swap (way to utterly destroy any emotional impact — and if I know anything about storytelling, I know you should always follow the emotions); no I don’t think Aziraphale was drugged (this one’s just weird); and no I don’t think he lied either. Although the Lie Theory is probably the closest to my own take because it deals with the same points that bother me. My main issue with it is where is the lie? We see the Metatron’s offer and Aziraphale repeats it verbatim — for there to be a lie, lies have to be told. And again, the emotions don’t track. If Aziraphale wants to push Crowley away why is he so devastated when it works?
Anyway, let’s get back on track. So — Aziraphale is whisked off by the Metatron for his talk and gets offered a) The Supreme Archangel Job and b) the opportunity to re-instate Crowley to angelic status.
We know that he is not interested in the former, and we only see the offers in restricted flashbacks. Much has been made of ‘Coffee or Death’ so I ask: We see the carrot. Where is the stick?
It has been pointed out that Aziraphale seems very hesitant and uncertain as he leaves the Metatron, only to be bursting with excitement once he starts talking to Crowley. And this is indeed weird. I’m not quite sure how to organise my thoughts, so I’ll just go with bullet points.
- What else did the Metatron say? I don’t think there will have been any overt threats, he works with flattery and manipulation and unspoken intimidation. However I can easily imagine that after the offer to resort Crowley he could have added: “Of course, you saw how very disruptive the whole issue with Gabriel and Beelzebub has been, we quite simply can’t let these sorts of associations continue.” Remember that Aziraphale thinks that Gabriel was thrown out and mind wiped because of his relationship with Beelzebub. He and Crowley have been living on borrowed time for six thousand years, and it’s very clear that now the time is up.
So Aziraphale (imho) returns to the bookshop and his meeting with Crowley with a single thought: It’s this or nothing. He has to somehow sell a bad offer because the alternative is worse. Knowing Crowley like he does, of course he knows how unpalatable this will be to him, but again: I don’t think there is an alternative where they walk away together.
- Aziraphale’s enthusiasm, which seems out of proportion to his earlier apprehension. I see this threefold:
1) He is doing his damnedest to sell a bad offer, hyping it up for all he’s worth.
2) He is doing something my mother always does (my mother is very Aziraphale-like in many ways): Once she has made a decision, she will then go on to reinforce said decision by listing as many reasons she can think of why it was the correct choice. Which leads me to:
3) He is trying to convince himself also: Yes, this is the right choice. Yes, the Metatron is being helpful and kind, despite how weird it feels. Yes this is a wonderful opportunity! I can do good, Heaven is the place of goodness and truth after all. (Or rather: I can make it so! Make it what it should be, what it was always supposed to be.) Crowley will be safe! We can finally be together, without constantly worrying! Yes, this solves all the problems, it’s the best possible thing, everything will work out great!
There is also the fact (like many people who have come from abusive religious backgrounds have pointed out) that the offer aligns everything he wants and everything he has been taught: Validation in the most overt way from the closest thing to God Herself that he was right and Heaven was wrong; his wish for Crowley to be safe; his idea that Heaven is good, it’s just lost its way a little. It works with all his issues, hitting allllll of his weakest spots in one. (It also hits Crowley’s strongest spot, the one issue where he will never budge — “I will do anything for love, but I won’t do that.”)
And again — does Aziraphale even have a choice? There doesn’t need to be a hidden stick (it works fine on its own), but there is enough there to make me suspect something more.
- So, to ‘Trust me’. Now Sendarya did a video analysis a few weeks ago (Good Omens || Trust Me || Scene Analysis and Theory) and I got terribly excited because I thought ‘omg maybe they can see what I can see, I won’t need to write this meta after all, hurrah!’. Except they took a different tack. I don’t disagree with their take at all, but it’s not the same as mine. So here I go.
I think there are parallels to be drawn between the Bullet Catch Trick and the Final Fifteen. In both, something has to be pulled off in public and thus things have to be communicated without ‘the audience’ realising. It’s not about magic, it’s about trust.
The very first thing Aziraphale does after Crowley starts his pitch is to look outside, and then stop him and launch into his own spiel. I think that below all he enthusiasm he is saying:
“Trust me trust me trust me, this will work, this is the solution, let me protect you! Yes, it's not ideal, just like it's not ideal when we were doing a deadly magic trick and had no miracles, but we can do this! I can’t explain, there is no time, we are being watched, but THERE ARE NO OTHER OPTIONS, JUST PLEASE TRUST ME!”
Looking back at their conversation in 1941 we have this bit of conversation:
Aziraphale: “I… knew you’d come through for me. You always do.”
Crowley: “You said trust me.”
Aziraphale: “And you did. (Pause) You could have walked away.”
And indeed, here Crowley does. (Someone even made a heartbreaking gif set to illustrate the parallels.)
I was also struck by "I don't think you understand what I am offering you!" / "I think I understand a lot better than you."
We automatically take Crowley's side, but what if it isn't that simple? What if he doesn't understand because Aziraphale hasn't explained it all? (/might not be at liberty to explain it all).
After the rejection Aziraphale is angry and hurt and lashing out (imho), partly because this was their ONE chance to be free and be together; in as far as freedom is possible.
There is also the sheer desperation of “I need you!” — those words were wrenched from his very soul, not a playact for the unseen audience.
~
I think, whatever you think of the ending, the main takeaway is: They would not be allowed to continue as they were. The point was either to control them both, or to split them up.
People chide Aziraphale for his choice, but what alternative is Crowley offering? The same as before: Running away. Which is of course his trauma response, but also it doesn’t solve anything: Heaven & Hell will still destroy Earth.
There is very much a sense of ‘Do you have a single better idea?’ to Aziraphale at the end. The thing is, that Aziraphale doesn’t have a better idea either. He is unable to say ‘No’ to the Metatron. And ALSO unable to say ‘Yes’ to Crowley. And Crowley can’t say ‘Yes’ to Aziraphale’s offer.
There is no way this could end well — armageddon is still there, and they can’t avoid it. It simply has to be dealt with before they can have their happy ending.
I have no clever ending, no particular final point. Although if I had to sum this up, I think I’d say that I agree that The Final Fifteen quite probably has an extra dimension that we don’t know yet. But, I think it’s something that works with the narrative, not against it.
I also want to add my own little meta: The Three Stages of Aziraphale’s Acceptance of the Supreme Archangel Role, which fits in with all of the above, but I didn't fancy writing it all out again. :)
ETA2: Oh and I've just come across this delightful meta: www.tumblr.com/fellthemarvelous/737479202727657472/aziraphales-talk-with-the-metatron, which touches upon a lot of my thoughts.
maia. It doesn't really deserve the meta café tag, because it's literally just thoughts that have been knocking around in my head for months and that I never got round to writing down. And I'm still not sure that I'm contributing anything of note. But hey ho, here you go. This is not well-written, but at least it exists:Trust Me: Aziraphale in the Final Fifteen
This is a weird one, because I guess that it should be labelled as a ‘theory’ whereas I feel like I am simply just trying to chronicle what we saw on screen…
ETA: Belatedly I realised that I should have specified that this is specifically about the stuff below the surface. Take the miscommunication, all the trauma etc as given.
Sidebar: I’m not keen on any of the theories. No I don’t think there was a body swap (way to utterly destroy any emotional impact — and if I know anything about storytelling, I know you should always follow the emotions); no I don’t think Aziraphale was drugged (this one’s just weird); and no I don’t think he lied either. Although the Lie Theory is probably the closest to my own take because it deals with the same points that bother me. My main issue with it is where is the lie? We see the Metatron’s offer and Aziraphale repeats it verbatim — for there to be a lie, lies have to be told. And again, the emotions don’t track. If Aziraphale wants to push Crowley away why is he so devastated when it works?
Anyway, let’s get back on track. So — Aziraphale is whisked off by the Metatron for his talk and gets offered a) The Supreme Archangel Job and b) the opportunity to re-instate Crowley to angelic status.
We know that he is not interested in the former, and we only see the offers in restricted flashbacks. Much has been made of ‘Coffee or Death’ so I ask: We see the carrot. Where is the stick?
It has been pointed out that Aziraphale seems very hesitant and uncertain as he leaves the Metatron, only to be bursting with excitement once he starts talking to Crowley. And this is indeed weird. I’m not quite sure how to organise my thoughts, so I’ll just go with bullet points.
- What else did the Metatron say? I don’t think there will have been any overt threats, he works with flattery and manipulation and unspoken intimidation. However I can easily imagine that after the offer to resort Crowley he could have added: “Of course, you saw how very disruptive the whole issue with Gabriel and Beelzebub has been, we quite simply can’t let these sorts of associations continue.” Remember that Aziraphale thinks that Gabriel was thrown out and mind wiped because of his relationship with Beelzebub. He and Crowley have been living on borrowed time for six thousand years, and it’s very clear that now the time is up.
So Aziraphale (imho) returns to the bookshop and his meeting with Crowley with a single thought: It’s this or nothing. He has to somehow sell a bad offer because the alternative is worse. Knowing Crowley like he does, of course he knows how unpalatable this will be to him, but again: I don’t think there is an alternative where they walk away together.
- Aziraphale’s enthusiasm, which seems out of proportion to his earlier apprehension. I see this threefold:
1) He is doing his damnedest to sell a bad offer, hyping it up for all he’s worth.
2) He is doing something my mother always does (my mother is very Aziraphale-like in many ways): Once she has made a decision, she will then go on to reinforce said decision by listing as many reasons she can think of why it was the correct choice. Which leads me to:
3) He is trying to convince himself also: Yes, this is the right choice. Yes, the Metatron is being helpful and kind, despite how weird it feels. Yes this is a wonderful opportunity! I can do good, Heaven is the place of goodness and truth after all. (Or rather: I can make it so! Make it what it should be, what it was always supposed to be.) Crowley will be safe! We can finally be together, without constantly worrying! Yes, this solves all the problems, it’s the best possible thing, everything will work out great!
There is also the fact (like many people who have come from abusive religious backgrounds have pointed out) that the offer aligns everything he wants and everything he has been taught: Validation in the most overt way from the closest thing to God Herself that he was right and Heaven was wrong; his wish for Crowley to be safe; his idea that Heaven is good, it’s just lost its way a little. It works with all his issues, hitting allllll of his weakest spots in one. (It also hits Crowley’s strongest spot, the one issue where he will never budge — “I will do anything for love, but I won’t do that.”)
And again — does Aziraphale even have a choice? There doesn’t need to be a hidden stick (it works fine on its own), but there is enough there to make me suspect something more.
- So, to ‘Trust me’. Now Sendarya did a video analysis a few weeks ago (Good Omens || Trust Me || Scene Analysis and Theory) and I got terribly excited because I thought ‘omg maybe they can see what I can see, I won’t need to write this meta after all, hurrah!’. Except they took a different tack. I don’t disagree with their take at all, but it’s not the same as mine. So here I go.
I think there are parallels to be drawn between the Bullet Catch Trick and the Final Fifteen. In both, something has to be pulled off in public and thus things have to be communicated without ‘the audience’ realising. It’s not about magic, it’s about trust.
The very first thing Aziraphale does after Crowley starts his pitch is to look outside, and then stop him and launch into his own spiel. I think that below all he enthusiasm he is saying:
“Trust me trust me trust me, this will work, this is the solution, let me protect you! Yes, it's not ideal, just like it's not ideal when we were doing a deadly magic trick and had no miracles, but we can do this! I can’t explain, there is no time, we are being watched, but THERE ARE NO OTHER OPTIONS, JUST PLEASE TRUST ME!”
Looking back at their conversation in 1941 we have this bit of conversation:
Aziraphale: “I… knew you’d come through for me. You always do.”
Crowley: “You said trust me.”
Aziraphale: “And you did. (Pause) You could have walked away.”
And indeed, here Crowley does. (Someone even made a heartbreaking gif set to illustrate the parallels.)
I was also struck by "I don't think you understand what I am offering you!" / "I think I understand a lot better than you."
We automatically take Crowley's side, but what if it isn't that simple? What if he doesn't understand because Aziraphale hasn't explained it all? (/might not be at liberty to explain it all).
After the rejection Aziraphale is angry and hurt and lashing out (imho), partly because this was their ONE chance to be free and be together; in as far as freedom is possible.
There is also the sheer desperation of “I need you!” — those words were wrenched from his very soul, not a playact for the unseen audience.
~
I think, whatever you think of the ending, the main takeaway is: They would not be allowed to continue as they were. The point was either to control them both, or to split them up.
People chide Aziraphale for his choice, but what alternative is Crowley offering? The same as before: Running away. Which is of course his trauma response, but also it doesn’t solve anything: Heaven & Hell will still destroy Earth.
There is very much a sense of ‘Do you have a single better idea?’ to Aziraphale at the end. The thing is, that Aziraphale doesn’t have a better idea either. He is unable to say ‘No’ to the Metatron. And ALSO unable to say ‘Yes’ to Crowley. And Crowley can’t say ‘Yes’ to Aziraphale’s offer.
There is no way this could end well — armageddon is still there, and they can’t avoid it. It simply has to be dealt with before they can have their happy ending.
I have no clever ending, no particular final point. Although if I had to sum this up, I think I’d say that I agree that The Final Fifteen quite probably has an extra dimension that we don’t know yet. But, I think it’s something that works with the narrative, not against it.
I also want to add my own little meta: The Three Stages of Aziraphale’s Acceptance of the Supreme Archangel Role, which fits in with all of the above, but I didn't fancy writing it all out again. :)
ETA2: Oh and I've just come across this delightful meta: www.tumblr.com/fellthemarvelous/737479202727657472/aziraphales-talk-with-the-metatron, which touches upon a lot of my thoughts.