The "I forgive you" has a lot of parellels to the "I forgive you scene in Season 1. - Aziraphel wanting to fix things within the system. - Crowley wanting to leave together. - Aziraphel not grasping/accepting the facts crowley is presenting. - Crowley calling him stupid for this.

Oh yeah. As a straight guy...This was completely adorable, made me all kinds of happy...and then sad :(. the writing and acting was fantastic.

I dont think aziraphales reaction had anything to do with them being same sex. I think he just can't get over the "I'm an angel, you are a demon. We are on opposite sides" mentality. Thats why he wants to change Crowley back into an angel so bad.

i think aziraphale's "i forgive you" was him trying to not show crowley his true feelings. he just can't see everything clearly given that metatron just offered him something so big and crowley being honest to himself was also a big thing to deal with for aziraphale. im not mad at azirapahale but im so sad for crowley.

Crowley is most definitely a disaster gay, and if it’s not a term, Crowley invented it

As a demon, Crowley is meant to be "unforgivable". For Aziraphale to say "I forgive you" is like saying "I love you", or saying "I see you beyond how you see yourself".

I can't be mad at Aziraphale. He fell for an abuser's trap. "Baby come back it'll be different this time I need you." He was so desperate for any level of approval from Heaven he was an easy mark. We know it won't end up like he wants it to, but he's back down the rabbit hole. I also think he wouldn't have said yes, ultimately, if Crowley wouldn't be allowed back. In his own way, I think he did this to keep Crowley safe from what he now knows is coming. I *am* slightly miffed at Crowley. And this is very influenced by my own asexuality. But that kiss was not what their love deserved. That kiss was born of frustration, desperation, and an aggressive need to get a point across. And Aziraphale was not given the opportunity to refuse it. Kudos to Michael's acting here because i had a visceral reaction. Aziraphale doesn't react favorably; he's not overwhelmed by the love or romance of the moment. He's in shock. He's frightened. He's flailing. Even when he does touch Crowley it's not an embrace, he wants to be let go. The look on his face after is what broke me. Betrayal, hurt, and the tiniest hint of disgust. I don't think that disgust is "ew demon". I think that disgust is "my friend that i trust with my life just aggressively forced me into something I am not ready for." And my heart breaks for them because of it. Aziraphale's "I forgive you" has some anger behind it, he *meant* that one to hurt. Because he was trying, at that point, to get space between them. I feel for Crowley, but I also feel for Aziraphale. The serpent misstepped here, badly.

I agree about the meta-level of the ‘I forgive you’ line feeling like it’s come from a place of religious oppression/repression of queer identity/ guilt. I feel like there’s a very specific reading of Crowley and Aziraphale where each responds differently to their own queerness from within an oppressive religious system - Angel Crowley can’t see what’s wrong with it (asking a few questions) and gets kicked out of the community (falls) for being true to himself. Aziraphale is more cautious from the start and more unconsciously aware of what he has to do to fit within the system. And so stays repressed for longer. But I thought within the show, the ‘I forgive you’ speaks most to Aziraphale’s failure to truly understand Crowley. He still believes in his heart of hearts that heaven is the good side, and the problems he’s encountered with heaven in both seasons are down to a few bad apples rather than the system itself. From within that worldview, he just can’t really conceive of the fact that Crowley wouldn’t want to recover his angelic nature. He’s always sneakily thought Crowley was actually good, rather than seeing how they both are both good and evil, shades of grey etc - that they both were choosing to step away from their respective systems. So the ‘i forgive you’ was about trying to give Crowley what Az thinks he needs - forgiveness - instead of listening to what Crowley is actually saying he needs. And similarly, Crowley is failing to listen to what Aziraphale say too - Az actually flat out says he needs Crowley. He is desperate for Crowley to come with him. But Crowley can’t hear that because he can only hear the heaven part. I can even understand why Aziraphale says the ‘nothing lasts forever’ line about the bookshop - he’s still trying to convince Crowley to come to heaven, he’s trying to point out that even Crowleys damnation won’t last forever, that as beautiful as their idyl on earth has been it can’t last forever because they have to get back to their real lives as angels. But Crowley hears that THEY can’t last forever, and sees (much more clearly than Aziraphale) that their lives on earth ARE their real lives, and the version of Heaven that exists in Aziraphale’s head doesn’t exist and has never existed. As Nina and Maggie say, they never properly communicate and that’s their problem!

ahhhh i love a good weaponized "i forgive you" uttered at the most cutting moment possible. that and telling crowley he's welcome to eff off if he doesn't do what aziraphale wants are like, aziraphale's signature moves

Wait I really love your thoughts on it, but I also had a thought: The "I forgive you" didn't mean him talking about Crowley acting gay, did it? He literally tried to get Maggie and Nina together, no way he is judgemental, right? Also the line that broke me even more was "Nothing lasts forever", which just sounds like the start of his villain arc ahhh I really feel like Metatron put something into his coffee also I really hate Shax

Great analysis!! Really enjoyed it. I assumed that the "I forgive you" was not sexuality-related, but because Aziraphale is still so "demonphobic" (for lack of a better term). He's always thought that the angels are the good guys, even if Heaven is pretty corrupt. He thinks they can be happy and together only if they're both angels. Like you, I'm also definitely looking forward to Crowley being a "disaster queer/gay" in S3.

I should clarify when I said "you probably do" about having "any kind of crossover with the queer world", I just meant that most people probably know someone who is gay x)

I had a lot of the same thoughts and opinions you did. Especially about that "I forgive you" , it felt like it had multiple meanings but my first thought was that Aziraphale had felt some self-loathing about his feelings towards Crowley all this time

about Shax's 'evil voice'. Shax was played by Miranda Richardson & she was in Merlin 1998 as Queen Mab. Same voice/performance. She's totally doing the same low pitched evil whisper. & i love it

I hate Azi for making Crowley feel like he's worth less as long he's staying as a demon. The 'I forgive you' line came out like he was disgusted to be kissed by a demon. He was only ready to accept Crowley's love if he turned 'good' again (which is obviously nonsense 'cause he's already kind and good). He loves Crowley but it is conditional and I hate him for that.

One of the takes I’ve liked on Aziraphale’s reaction discusses the fact that Crowley’s kiss was an act of desperate temptation to get Az to stay, and Az took it as such. Not saying that it wasn’t a truly heartfelt expression of love on Crowley’s end, just that Az literally had no time to process it, and fell back into old responses and coping mechanisms. I think the biggest “flaw” with Aziraphale isn’t that he’s heartless. Far from it. His biggest failing is that he expects that Crowley will always keep coming back (and in his defense that has always been the case) so he takes it for granted. I think it all just happened too fast, and as the show itself pointed out, these two have no idea how to talk to each other. 6k+ years of no talking and *this* was the first attempt at it? Was bound to crash and burn.

What do you think of that smile Aziraphale was flashing during the credits of the final episode?

Muriel is my new baby girl and I will protect her at all cost.

If you seriously think Aziraphale said "I forgive you" because of anything to do with "same-sex relationships", you missed the entire point of the show. Don't be so shallow.

mean they are a demon and angel and homophobia is a mortal invention so I don't think they immortal beings would be so concerned about sexually in general. But I guess they could possibly be an allegory made about being an angel and demon and choosing your own path.

i don’t think aziraphale meant the “i forgive you” line from a sense of “gays kissing is bad.” the demons AND angels in this show are clearly fruity as hell and have made it clear that they show no disdain for queer people and their affection for each other. therefore, aziraphale wouldn’t feel that way either. he loves crowley fully. plus, the characters are omnipotent type beings. there are even lines eluding to them being non-binary or genderfluid. i don’t think it should be seen as a “gay kiss,” but rather just a kiss that has been meaning to happen for centuries. the “i forgive you” is more to do with crowley not wanting to go with him, and not the kiss itself.

'I forgive you' is irrelevant to homophobia. If you watch the rest of it, Aziraphale falls back on 'I forgive you' when he doesn't know how to communicate his feelings and he's closing off to Crowley. It's his version of Crowley's sunglasses.

"God this show must make religious people really fucking angry." From a Catholic, yes, it makes some people angry. It however does not make me angry. It makes me sad, because the bible I grew up with has somehow turned into something that will continue to make me cry??? I have no idea why. My atheist dad thinks me being so upset is very funny. I love Good Omens so much, and I will continue to defend it against religious people who think it blasphemous.

Aziraphale said that not because he's homophobic, but because Crowley is a demon. That's like one of his main characteristics that he blindly believes in heaven and always thinks of hell as "the other side". That's why he was so happy for the possibility for Crowley to become an angel again so they would be together in heaven

Was anyone else confused at first when actors who were in season 1 played different characters in season 2 with no explanation (i.e. Shax/ Madam Tracy & Nina/ Sister Mary Loquacious)? Was this explained in the book? I haven’t read it yet.

This was a fantastic season. If you're wondering why there was such little going on and not many characters of people because this is all film during the Covid craziness.

3k views! Thanks for making this my most popular video, everyone. I'm glad you all seem to have enjoyed it. The more I consider it, the less convinced I am on my initial closeted religious homophobe Aziraphale (albeit on a meta level) take. You lot have convinced me that the rejection was more based on their relationship than anything else. "You go too fast for me, Crowley." I still don't believe in theories regarding Aziraphale being literally brainwashed by the Metatron in any way, simply because it'd make for a less interesting story. What do we want, Aziraphale doing what he did because events collated in a way which transformed him into the worst version of himself, or he's supes evil now cause Metatron spiked his coffee and it's all a tragic misunderstanding?I know what I'd write.

The fact that you can't remember main characters' names shortly after watching the show (by your own admission) and that you couldn't bother looking up their names but you still somehow feel people should listen to you opine for 8 minutes says a lot about your arrogance and laziness.

I don't think that's what Aziraphale was forgiving Crowley for, although it isn't entirely spelled out.

the more I see these views on good omens ending, the angrier I get about azi. he doesn't deserve Crowley. season 3 has some big answers to find. like how Crowley could forgive azi.

Totally agree with your Gaiman comment. How could he do that to all the Good Omen fans? He wrote Aziraphale into a selfish, narcissistic jerk. What in the heck was he forgiving Crowley for?

FYI Muriel uses they/them pronouns

Paper thin plot, zero tension, dull, and yet, incredibly sweet and feel good. I didn't really care it was a bit crap because the journey was so adorable