One thing I haven't seen people talk about yet is that aziraphale had started to turn the offer down "I don't want to go to heaven!" saying how he liked the stuff on earth, until metatron responds by saying Crowley could come with him. The ONLY thing he was excited about was bringing Crowley, and then when Crowley turns him down he kind of becomes defensive of the choice as a whole in his rejection, despite not originally wanting the job, and the deal maker aspect being removed. This is unfortunately so realistic to how people make decisions in real life 😭 when people feel rejected and defensive, they double down on the argument they made even if they weren't convinced of it in the first place. They don't like being made to feel stupid for considering it, and so they shut off completely and try to prove why it isn't stupid by committing to it, even if it's the wrong decision. Obviously Crowley is completely right to be shocked and angry at Aziraphale's offer, but it was unfortunately likely his extreme negative reaction that cemented Aziraphale in it 😭 every time in the past Crowley has managed to convince Aziraphale, he's gently prodded at the flaws in his logic and slowly eased him into trying new things. If he hadn't repeated over and over that aziraphale was stupid for even considering it and that OBVIOUSLY it was the wrong decision, aziraphale probably could have been eased back over to refusing with an attitude of "I understand why you're considering this, but you trust me right? Please trust me when I say I don't like this and I don't trust them and I want to stay here with you because I love what we have." Of course, Crowley's reaction is still completely justified 😅 Aziraphale has had so MUCH character growth it can be hard to remember how repressed and abused he was by heaven so the backslide would be SO disappointing

Oh god oh god i think i may finally understand what would make Aziraphale say "i forgive you" after the kiss, like it didnt make sense to me because it felt intentionally devastating in an OOC way as if he wanted it to hurt but obviously he was just scared and upset Did he think Crowley had kissed him, not out of wanting to, but out of a desperate manipulation to get him to stay 🥺 he thinks crowley knew about his feelings and tried to use them and lie, because he didn't want to lose his friend? Hes forgiving him for crowley kissing him even though he didnt mean it, basically "its bad of you to pretend you return my feelings to manipulate me, that hurt a lot, but i forgive you because i know you're desperate and scared" 🥺 FUCK!!!!

Regarding Crowley being an angel, there was one more name the fans are throwing around and thats Baraqiel. Because in episode 4, Furfur has a book of angels and the entry before Aziraphale, it talks about an angel called Baraqiel, who is the Angel of the sky and has red hair.

I agree with your sentiment that Crowley and Aziraphale just being regular angels is more interesting, but it looks more and more like canon Crowley used to be a high-ranking archangel. I honestly don't care what angel Crowley used to be, because he's Crowley now and Crowley is who we care about. I'm also glad you acknowledged Aziraphale's character development in the earlier theories. I can't get behind any of these theories about why Aziraphale didn't /actually/ abandon Crowley, because him going back to Heaven of his own free will is just more interesting than if he didn't. It gives him room for character growth, which is absolutely critical here. The flashbacks in season 2 reinforce Aziraphale's binary view of Heaven and Hell, and six thousand years of propaganda and being under the thumb of Heaven is hard to undo in four years.

The reason the ending was so potent in season 2, was because both Crowley and Aziraphale made the choices they made of their own free will. It’s also needed so they both learn and grow and hopefully get back together.

The eccles cakes don't vanish. There are two horse statues, one either side of the door. The cakes were near one, the glasses were on the other. I know this from previously trawling through scenes to construct the bookshop in the Sims. I watched back after reading the document - couple of hours I'm never getting back - and the cakes are on the right as you face the door from the interior. The glasses are on the left. But also, it had been a while and Aziraphale probably would have moved them eventually anyway.

There was a discussion on another video about the fallen angels having their memories erased, and the rebuttal was "But Furfur remembered Crowley from the war" and I have a theory to build on that theory... When the high angels were about to exile Gabriel, Metatron said "as a kindness, your memory will be erased". So, they see memory erasure as a kindness reserved for higher angels, but not the lower ranking ones like Furfur. So this makes my personal theory "Crowley was a high ranking angel who had his memory erased as a 'kindness', and that's why he doesn't remember Furfur or Saraquiel. It's also why he understands what Jim is going through with his own memory loss and he seems to empathize, but also says "ASK HIM PROPERLY" because he knows there's a way to jog some memory back. It would also explain why he was able to perform a teensy tiny half miracle with Azi and it was 25 Lazarii"

The theory about Aziraphale being Raphael in the past might still hold water. When they were about to demote Gabriel, they were going to erase his memories. If Aziraphale did get demoted, his memories could have been erased too.

Great video! Another piece of evidence that Crowley was more powerful than Aziraphale…in that moment (Season 1) before Satan appears, Az asks Crowley to, “Do something or I will never speak to you again.” Az seems to always be asking Crowley for help, including stoping time. Either this is showing Az as having a bad case of learned helplessness, or…Crowley had more power than we know.

Thank you for that wonderful video. I am totally with you on Aziraphales smile when he steps into the elevator. For me he seemed like he knew he had to go but didn't want to. Also him looking out the window where Crowley stands at the car is an indicator for that. I think everything they said was in character. And I really hope for season 3 to solve that tension of Aziraphale wanting to go back to heaven and Crowley always wanting to run away. I think what everyone forgets is that they didn't want to split up. They saw different paths for the future. But both clearly state, they want to be together. I think it's incredible writing. Yes, it hurts. But in a way that makes sense. It seems to tie in with them splitting up in season one, it is in character. And it's a perfect setup for a possible season 3 where Aziraphale gets the plans for the Second Coming because he is in heaven and kind of takes over the same role Crowley had in season one where he delivered the Antichrist. Its the perfect setup for a mirror of season one.

I agreed with everything you said about the Magic Trick theory. I didn’t even finish reading the doc. I just didn’t think “to intentionally write badly” when there’d be at least two years gap between seasons would work at all. No one would go back to find clues and most of the audience aren’t theory fans. It’d be impossible to convince and remind the audience what happened in previous season. Also, it seemed to claim that this season’s writing was So bad that for the theory to work they needed to find more badly written stuff to feed the theory. Why not just say that they dislike this season? Personally I found loose ends and some parts I didn’t love as much but the writing was not bad at all to me? And as far as those Neil Gaiman’s works I’ve read or watch, he could bring some tricks or come up with some twist but even then how he told a story was relatively straightforward. He’s not Steven Moffat (as in passionate about designing every plot twist that the audience didn’t see coming). And Neil Gaiman oftentimes showcased characters’ choices and flaws. I’ve not yet found an example where he made a character do something solely for plot twists and not because that made sense to that character. Anyway, thanks for this video and your efforts put into it. I enjoyed watching this!

Crowley was talking to Gabriel about being an amnesiac and I think he suspiciously related to it... someone could write a really good fanfiction where aziraphale and crowley fell in love as angels but then crowley forgot

33:35 I would say that the reason Crowley doesn’t remember who the angels are it’s either his memories were partially erased or (what I think it’s more likely) Crowley was so important in heaven that he became more prideful and never really paid attention to angels who were lower ranking than him. Aziraphale being an exception. Also when they first met Crowley didn’t even bother to introduce himself, maybe he is too giddy for the nebula and wanted to skipped the introductions. Or he just assumed that Aziraphale knew who he was because Crowley was one of the most well known Angels at the time.

i haven’t heard anyone mention this theory yet, but maybe that’s because it’s very heavily implied. of course, we know that Aziraphale only got the job because of Gabriel’s absence. i’m wondering if it’s also because they’re trying to improve their reputation. they already mentioned Lucifer being a good story, but any more fallen archangels would look like “an institutional problem.” plus: if Metatron succeeded in making Crowley an angel again, that would’ve looked even better. with Aziraphale, he hasn’t done anything to be on Heaven’s good side. the only thing that could be considered “good” was the halo bomb on the demons. before that, he was in trouble for the whole armageddon ordeal. he was also treated with suspicion by his fellow angels, although we have yet to see how Metatron truly feels about him. i can’t see the halo bomb being enough to gloss over his collaboration with a demon. Metatron even brings it up as if it’s no big deal. not to mention Aziraphale hiding Gabriel away from Heaven. an angel who has gone against God repeatedly becoming an archangel just feels very suspicious to me. if they’re serious about a second coming, i can’t see why they’d make the guy who helped thwart armageddon help them do another one. maybe Metatron thinks isolating Crowley and Aziraphale is the only way they’ll get away with the second coming. that would be an even bigger reason than keeping a reputation for redemption and holiness. again, this could just be something obvious that nobody has felt the need to elaborate on, but i’ve just rewatched it (for the billionth time) and felt like mentioning it. [edit: i think i prefer the idea that they need to separate them to have the second coming, but i didn’t realize you brought it up until after rewatching this.]

Lovely art! You absolutely blew my mind with the “Aziraphale is going to become Raphael” theory. I hadn’t heard that one before, but it definitely seems the most plausible out of the ones you mentioned. I can 100% see Neil trolling us all by making Aziraphale Raphael instead of Crowley. I always love watching your good omens videos! Well done on this one!

I agree with all your remarks, especially on the "google doc theory": to me, honestly, it just seems like the author was (legitimately) going through the five stages of grief and resorted to writing his plot-wishes into existence. But it's probably just the same for many of the theories that are floating around, as responses to our collective heartbreak. The more I rewatch both seasons, the more I find that ep 6 finale was just perfectly set up as a fully internal, emotional struggle between two characters who love each other very much, but never made the effort to check their deepest desires and fears: Crowley's fear of being alone in his "independent agent" path and desire to turn his "my side" into an "our side", and Aziraphale's fear of stepping away from his angelic identity and desire to pull Crowley back to Heaven so that his affection for him would not force him to question his "goodness". The last dialogue of ep 2 (the seaside scene of Job's minisode) is, in my opinion, the key to this multi-millennial, minor but lethal, misalignment of their respective positions, that led Crowley to ignore Aziraphale's fears (remember the "You go too fast for me, Crowley") and Aziraphale to ignore Crowley's chosen identity of not-an-angel-anymore (remember the "wall scene", that now reads not as a funny gag but as Crowley being honestly hurt by Aziraphale's nth attempt to deny his identity). If you put it this way, as the matter of narrative balance goes, you don't need the Metatron to pull any miraculous, unfathomable trick: he just needs to feed Aziraphale the (not literally) poisonous bite that makes this long underground tension finally surface and explode.

A theory I remember seeing somewhere about God's absence this season was that they were somewhere in the background, as one of the background characters. I think the character specifically mentioned was Ms. Cheng, but i can't be sure.

Something I find interesting about the last episode is that we get close ups of Aziraphale's face when Crowley suggesting running off to Beezelbub and Gabriel, when he mentionned that he was bored of living in his car and when he suggested running off with Aziraphale after he finds out about the job offer. They did something similar in season 1 when they met at the bandstand. I can't quite place his expressions, but he seemed pretty concerned about it. I do wonder if those two were in a relationship when Crowley was still an angel and considered running away during the rebellion, but their memories were manipulated to prevent it.

I think that out of all of the fan theories, crowley being arch angel, or a high in power in heaven was quite interesting. I noticed alot of things thay made me think this before even looking to fan theories. The fact that he could open the restricted file on the trial, referencing 'one prince of heaven to fall again' in the trials was also a weird little thing, might be over searching as I usually do 😂 but i agee w you too that its not really that relevent, but still something for backstory wise i guess. Its a tough nut to crack haha great vid aswell

I heard about the theory that Crowley maybe was the angel Jophiel (the angel of beauty, understanding, judgement and art) who worked with the Metatron and is an important archangel in the Anglican church. The theory would explain many things like why Crowley has beef with the Metatron or why it's just a J.

First, I like to think that Aziraphel made the decision to leave Crowley of his own free will because it would give him a brutal arc for the S3(also, it was noticeable that he had not "healed" his trauma with heaven at all), but frankly there are plenty of indications that there was some kind of manipulation on Metatron's part. Second, Im not an english speaker, but i love your videos and your drawings❤❤

From what I've heard of it here, the Magic Trick theory sounds very "the secret good series finale of Sherlock that definitely is gonna happen guys I swear". It's okay to not like subsequent instalments of a thing you enjoy, folks! Sometimes you're just disappointed, and it doesn't have to mean something incredibly clever is going on- usually it just means a thing was disappointing to you. Just because I and other people adored S2 and found the ending to be very good and interesting doesn't mean something is wrong with you if you didn't.

37:39 Crowley also didnt introduce himself. BUT he also didn't know what the stars would be used for which is weird for a higher-up. Maybe it's the good old exceptional enhineer/scientist who just doesn't buy the ideology and is therefore gotten rid of trope

When I watched Season 2 the day it came out, I too heard the miracle sound at the coffee scene, but when I rewatched it last week or so I couldn't hear it either. I was so confused but hearing that from another person reliefs me.

Thank you so much for tackling the “magic trick you didn’t see” theory. When I read it, it immediately didn’t sit right with me but I couldn’t articulate why other than “this is way too complex and makes absolutely no sense in the context of the season, it just sounds nitpicky.” But you did such an amazing job really diving deep into the flaws of this theory. It reminds me of the “secret good episode” theory of Sherlock S4 lol

honestly, i sort of love that no theory really makes sense (both technically and narratively). i definitely think there's something suspicious about certain parts of season 2-- even when accounting for the fact that it's a bridge season-- and i really love the idea of season 3 tying everything up in a completely unforeseen way. it's fun to speculate and discuss various theories, but i think ultimately, i think the truth is going to be the type of reveal that no one saw coming, and has everyone shouting at their screens. anyway, awesome video! it's always wonderful to see a more in depth analysis of the show, and your art looks incredible :O

32:00 I think that in episode 3 also has a major evidence that Crowley was a high ranking Angel. Crowley talked about showing Jesus the world before he was crucified. Calling him a smart young man. It never occurred to me until people pointed it out. But Crowley was the Temptation that Jesus had to face at the desert. Jesus had to fast for over a month, and the story in the Bible states that satan kept tempting him to bow to him. There is a verse in Mathew4:8-9 were satan takes Jesus to the highest mountains and show him the kingdoms of the world. So that parallels well to Crowley’s job. In the series he never said why he traveled with Jesus but it’s obvious now that he didn’t do it as a gift to Jesus. Crowley can’t do good things because he will get in huge trouble with hell.

I completely agree about the editing the book of life theory, I stopped reading after the "Maggie isn't real section" cause all I can think is "You know she's probably just played by an actress who needs more experience, and that woman would feel really shitty if she caught wind of this." Like imagine a bunch of people found your acting so unconvincing that they made a theory your character was secretly a demon or something, I would literally crawl into a hole

I personally feel like the Metatron and the coffee is basic 'human' psychology. When he first comes into the bookshop he sends the 'bad' angels away, taking care of the bullies basically. Then he gifts Aziraphale the coffee. So Aziraphale feels like he has to hear him out. Then during their sit down, he complements Aziraphale and offers Crowley's restoration, being as generous as he possibly can. And I think once Crowley is part of the deal, Aziraphale allows himself to think about what it could truly mean going forward. Heaven reformed into a system that is actually good. And once he allows himself to see what could be, it is just too late because how can he abandon the world and the 'Muriels' of Heaven when he knows he could protect the earth from destruction and build a system where innocent angels can thrive. It's basically how salemen operate, they get you to think past the offer, live in that house or drive that car or wear those clothes so you form an emotional attachment to the outcome and make the buy. I actually think this is a clue that the Metatron has a lot of experience with humans because he displays greater emotional intelligence than any of the angels we have met so far which includes Aziraphale and Crowley. Which makes sense I guess because the Metatron was said to be a man who never died and went to heaven if I remember the biblical stories well. So he may have been turned into an angel or isn't an angel at all (which could explain why he doesn't wear whites and greys).

My favorite theory so far is the “Aziraphale will become Raphael” one, so thank you so much for bringing my attention to it! I love and agree with your takes on the other theories, too. Love the art btw

This was so interesting! I personally agree with you on the coffee theory, it would just undo all of Aziraphale's character development. I also think that it would take a lot out of the conflict between aziraphale and crowley they meet again in (hopefully) a season three. Btw love ur vids and your art is beautiful :)

I don't know if the Aziraphale becomes Raphael theory will come true or not, but I think it would be really fun. Thank you for the long video, I need as much good omens content right now as possible, so I can cope somehow. ❤

Regarding the lie theory I think it's possible Aziraphale was only hiding the Metatron's threats from Crowley, the way the conversation is told not shown and how shifty he was with the coffee or death line is suspicious. I think he was genuinely excited in that moment because why wouldn't he be if he has no reason to choose death? I really don't think he trusts the Metatron at all and is probably planning something by the end of the elevator ride

Hi Naumaxia! Thank you for both this video and the previous one. They are my sanity savers after binge watching GO2. I agree that most of these theories are not well supported by evidence. It makes a lot bigger impact if Zira acts on his own free will and allows him a greater (and more realistic) character development in S3 (please let there be S3, pleasepleaseplease). Also the conflict on his face is real throughout the argument (well done Micheal for the acting!) and I can confirm, that I did dig in my heels sometimes when I was presented with too much change and too many new information too quickly. (I know they are not human characters, but all their faults and strength are so human). As for leaving the shop behind and all the books, that is a bit harder to explain. It could be that after the argument with Crowley he simply couldn´t look at anything "earthly" as it would only remind him of what he´s giving up for his new position. (kinda like how after a break up we can throw everything out , but after some time we realize that some of those memories where great no matter what came afterwards? Zira will surely miss his books and cakes and tea, sooner that later). What I´m thinking is that Zira is under immense pressure and he reverts back to what he knows and thinks it´s right (or conditioned to think it´s right). Heaven is always in the right, everyone else is either wrong or temptation for wrong and helping heaven can only be good (the mental dissonance created by 6000 years of evidence to the contrary is making an impact - his visible indecision - but not yet enough to break the conditioning). Or maybe he believes he will be back after some time... (and yes, Crowley should have told him what happened in heaven during the swap, but he´s soft for his angel) And the kiss... which was very painful to watch no matter how long we waited for it, but not like this, not forced and aggressive and wielded more like a weapon for a last ditch effort than like the homecoming that it should be for both of them. I´m hurting for Crowley though, he got rejected, again, as Crowley-who-is-a-demon (-but mostly his own person) and of course he doesn´t want to be an angel. I wonder how he will cope (or not) with this, I think that will be a journey as well. A and C learning to communicate with each other will be educational (at least for me). I didn´t hear the theory of Aziraphale taking up the mantel of Raphael before, but now I can imagine it , it would make a great twist for sure. Anyone who made it this far, thanks for reading my rambling, have an extraordinary day!

crowley could be samael, who in some interpretations instructed the fall by using the serpent

The terrible thing that would happen to Gabriel would be to have his memory erased (not temporarily housed in a fly, but erased) and not to recall Beelzebub anymore. And, yes, the thing to prevent that is the container Beelzebub gave him, so you are correct.

Loved the video and the artwork❤! And THANK YOU talking about the "magic trick" theory, it's been bugging me to hell since I read it! Whenever people start talking about things being "intentionally badly written" all I can think of is johnlock truthers... Just thinking about it from a practical point of view, it's nonsensical to write your plot to be bad, especially if you don't know whether the series will get renewed, but tbh I also don't get the appeal from a storytelling perspective at all - why rob your characters of all their agency? This bothers me with coffee theory as well, it negates the underlying conflict between Aziraphale and Crowley (AZ still believes heaven is the good side, C doesn't tell him about the bad stuff and would rather run away than do anything to better heaven/hell). I feel like there a some people in the fandom that don't want/(understand?) character archs. I think a big reason for these types of theories is the switch from adaptation to original series because while in the first season Aziraphale and Crowley were protagonists, other stories archs and people were very prominently featured, which only allowed for so much development and exploration of the both of their characters. The second season lacked the urgency of an apocalypse as well as the huge number of side-characters and arguably co-protagonists, leading it to be very character-centric. Everything revolves around Aziraphale, Crowley, and their relationship - the heart of the season is not the mystery around Gabriel but AZ and C's relationship because Gabriel and Beelzebub as a couple exist to show that this is something Aziraphale and Crowley haven't reached yet. Maggie and Nina are mirrors to Crowley and Aziraphale respectively and they also show that they are not ready for another yet because there are things they have to communicate about and issues they have to learn to deal with. A lot of the pay-offs the author of the "magic trick" theory seems to miss is the knowledge we gain about the character's points of view. I suppose this is what makes people call the second season "fanfic-like", no one really expected a charactercentric story because we only get that in fic, right? No one thought we'd actually get a romance as the main plot, and now people don't really know how to deal with that. Anyway, long rant, short point, I feel like people that believe in these elaborate theories kind of set themselves up for disappointment by trying to turn the turnip that is season 2 into the inkwell that is a pages long doc of elaborate theories based on vague clues and things they just didn't like about the season.

We see crowley bring a person back from the dead or atleast greviously injured after the demon raid in season 2. So in that regaurd he has healed

I think the book of life is not peoples/earth/universal history. I think it is simply a list of people mortals and immortals alike who has ever lived. If deleted from that you have never existed. He cant change peoples history with it. He can only delete them from existence. It also seem it is something not done lightly.

I liked this season better than the last one. I rewatched it and went back to rewatch season 1 just because I liked this one so much.

Almond Syrup (also known as Orgeat) is definitely a thing for coffee. Not all coffee shops do it, but plenty do. Not a fan of the "miracles" where used by Metatron, simply because (i) it is bad writing which is NOT Neil Gaiman; and (ii) the words alone are totally Machiavellian, chosen to perfectly play to all of Aziraphale's weaknesses. Aziraphale was played. And that final smile is an attempt by Aziraphale to try and convince himself that he is really doing the right thing - despite having a very real sinking feeling...

I know Azraphiel is a Principality (it's stated as such). I think Crowley was higher ranked as well. From the Good Omens Wiki " It is also implied he may have had a high ranking when he was an Angel as he was able to access Gabriel’s files in Heaven, which Muriel said could only be done by “a Throne, a Dominion, or higher”."

I don't fully subscribe to the "The Magic Trick You Didn't See", it did give me some food for thought. In the season 1, many believed Crowley was in love with Aziraphale for centuries (with a variety of reasons why it wasn't reciprocated). This season was more like the realization finally dawning on Crowley; what Metatron was attempting to do was change their relation so their relationship would change, thus easier to get Aziraphale to accept his offer. With the Book of Life, my theory is unless the entire existance is being erased, one can't erase or rewrite a specific memory. What you can do, however, is add one in. I believe the minisodes to be an added entry into the book, thus explaining some of the inconsistencies. Such as Crawley having his sunglasses between the Flood and Crucifixion, Aziraphale narrating that after Hell pulled Crowley under they wouldn't see each other for a long time, when in the cold open s01ep3, they'd meet again 35 years later (nevermind the constant threat of being destroy if caught done good). When Furfur is questioning the Nazis about Crowley, they mention he said something about a "demonic interventions" explicitly before the bombs hit, compared to Crowley saying the books surviving the explosion being just a "little demonic miracle". When it comes down to the coffee, I thought it was Metatron's way of seperating the two before Crowley could invite Aziraphale out to go drinking at the Ritz. This was my explaination to the "No nightingales" conversation; essentially how they weren't going and would never go back to the Ritz again.

One thing I've seen mentioned about the Magic Trick theory (which I did enjoy reading although it really didn't seem likely to be correct and I would be unhappy if it did turn out to be correct for many of the reasons you mentioned) is that some autistic people, people who have been raised in religious or other sheltered (but not so much sheltered as repressed by their families), and probably others I am forgetting, have related to Maggie in a way they have found unusual with onscreen characters and thus do not care for that theory's argument that Maggie acts in ways that suggest she is not a real person (in the context of the story, obviously).

I was a die hard coffee theory truther for about two days after the season. Denial is a powerful thing, I was still in disbelief of the season ending how it did and was desperately latching onto explanations to "fix" it. Then after I had time to think, I realised the ending made sense for the characters and abandoned the coffee theory.

The last one really does make a lot of sense!

some of these really remind me of bbc sherlock season 2 ending theories and it scaring me- ESPECIALLY the magic trick you didn’t see… the intentional “bad writing” is the most bbc sherlock delusion i’ve ever seen really don’t want to jinx it though 😅

my friend and I were just discussing the coffee theory and we were wondering why almonds specifically almonds. Well I looked it up and almonds have Biblical meaning, and they represent divinity as well as divine approval, which is what metatron did, he accepted back Aziraphel. I don't know if anyone else has mentioned this but I thought it was so interesting

Good omens just broke everyones heart in the same way ofmd did😂 and it's somehow despressing but we like that kind of pain... don't we?

I completely agree with you. In fact, there are so many theories being made after season 2, that I decided I can put them into a some sort of a book. Just a fan guide in a world of thoughts and little details in the show. And I was honestly going to put into this book every single thought you said in the video 😂 I mean, before I watched it. It's just interesting how we came up with the similar opinions. Good thing I'm writing in another language. I think I'll give you some credit though, because your videos really help to order things and also tell me that my own reasoning, well, have a reason (I'm bad at jokes in english, but I'm trying). Long story short, thank you! It was been a pleasure to listen to you, just like the last time.

4:30 yes the first time around I never heard miracle sounds in the background. After I read that coffee theory. I went back and tried different sound settings and language settings. It’s just car noises and bikes in the background. So in the first time view of that moment people probably confuse it as part of the soundtrack that comes with the Metatron. I think the coffee theory is fun but incorrect. However it’s a good metaphor. Either Aziraphale takes the coffee (the job) or gets death (staying on earth trying to survive the second apocalypse with Crowley).

Firstly, your art is lovely and I cannot get tired of watching you draw, you make it look so easy! Secondly, I've been thinking about this for far too long and a lot more than I should, but, all this attempts to justify Aziraphale and Crowley's separation strike me as, well, vain... in my country we have a saying, "don't try searching for a three-legged cat", which sounds stupid in english, but it's basically Occam's razor: the simplest, clearest explanation is usually correct. Love doesn't always win, people. Really, it doesn't. I personally have been in a similar situation, where I had to choose between going to the person I loved and staying to do what I should dutifully do, and I chose the latter, not beacuse I did not love that person, or because someone slipped almond syrup in my tea - which admittedly should have worn off by now, but because, well, sometimes you have to do what you should and not what you want, and feel guilty and rubbish later and suffer from a broken heart for years, but ,that's life. Love doesn't always win. Lovely part about fiction is, we know for fact that eventually, love _will_ win, and we can trust Neil to be his usual, brilliant self. But meanwhile, theorizing is always fun, just, keep in mind, three-legged cats are rare indeed, the simplest explenation is usually right.

I have this theory that Aziraphale will try to apologize to Crowley using the "you were right" dance after he realizes Heavens are the bad guys too. Because I think he's gonna go through a major character development to realize his place in world is not in Heaven but at Crowley's side.

Just FYI, Neil Gaiman on tumblr confirmed that the changing clock times in e6 was a filming continuity error, so there is nothing to really support the body swap theory as far as I know.

Cyanide tastes and smells like almonds. Bitter almonds. And we saw what the poison Laudanum did to Crowley…

your sketch is so gorgeously scrumptious and satisfying omg. Also, great points on the theories, i am although kind of scared you stole my thoughts and put all of them as your script /j

this was so so informative and since i tend to be really bad at research, it helped me understand s2 so much better!!

Yes, I don't want to know his previous name, regardless of whether we find out his former status.

In the German translation from the show, Aziraphale ist translated with Erziraphael, which is more or less Archiraphael or Arch Raphael. So in the German vision is he Raphael all the time

Here's a thought: What if Aziraphale and Crowley are the angel and devil on God's shoulders? God's way of seeing the good and evil in humans up-close and personal to keep track of Her creation's progress.

Over half the coffee shops in America offer Almond syrup. I think the answer to that is just Neil Gaiman's lived here a long time.

I really enjoyed your rundown of these, and not just because you said so many things I agreed with. :)

I have a couple theories. Before there was any idea of Satan in the original texts, there was an Angel who would question and bring forth the ideas of testing humankind. He was the serpent, he was the Angel who wanted to test Job, and he was the one who tempted Jesus. All three of these stories, Crowley has been that entity in the series. This is the first time I have come across the theory that the Metatron has somehow manipulated time and possibly rewritten things in the Book of Life, which compliments my theory well, along with the theory (more like knowledge) that Crowley is a very high ranking Angel. At first I was thinking that God and him came to an agreement, and that he would go down, have his memories erased, and bring about the ineffable plan, by putting things in motion and keeping things as they should. But, to think that the Metatron had something to do with his fall, memory wipe, and rewriting of his story, makes a lot of sense. I also knew from the very beginning that the silence of God's narration over the second season was absolutely intentional and has more meaning than anything. Crowley mentioned towards the end of the first season that God isn't speaking to anyone and has left them all. The Metatron is supposed to be the voice of God, but I don't think She has a voice at all right now, She is suspiciously very not around.

Based on her Tumblr, "The Magic Trick You Didn't See" was written by fantasy author, Alexandra Rowland. I put links in a separate comment, as sometimes comments with links seem to disappear on here (so I hope it won't, but at least the info is here).

I NEEDED THIS. Thank you so much ❤

8:49 the Metatron’s thing is actually his presence changing people’s negative emotions into positive, so perhaps it’s not so hard for him to miracle emotions, it’s canonically him

0:43 don’t we all especially rewatching it and all the new animations that came from it I know this is late but Starbucks did have an almond syrup so maybe someone got it for the Metaron to put in his coffee along with the miracle but it does kinda have a taste and to balance it he added the syrup I don’t know how logical this theory sounds I had a good omens video in my recommendation and became hooked so I’m still vary new to this

Some of these theories are giving Sherlock, especially that 'it's bad on purpose' one. My darling, it's not bad, it's just not what you wanted [it's what *I* wanted!!] Now, I subscribe to Coffee Theory, but only in part, simply because of the sheer emphasis on the coffee and The Metatron making sure Aziraphale took a sip. Work backwards, try to understand why the filmmakers chose to put it in there in the first place. As far as I can remember, we've never seen a miracle be ingested, so what effect it could possibly have on Aziraphale is up in the air, but it's my personal opinion that it works less like hypnosis, and rather more like Aziraphale was drugged. His agency was not stripped of him, but he _was_ being influenced. Though, I _can_ admit my bias, I don't want Aziraphale to _actually_ have been that stupid and callous to Crowley. Where the Coffee Theory ends for me is at the kiss, and for that we need to go back to the first episode of this season. Aziraphale and Crowley have existed since before the beginning of time, they understand their powers intimately, so for them to accidentally shoot a plume of power equalling a mighty archangel into space the first time they perform a miracle together is, well, definitely not a misjudgment of their skill. They do not understand their combined power, but I believe Aziraphale was ironically right on the money with his bullshit excuse- it was love. The Metatron has every justification to want to split the two up so they cannot stand against the perceived will of God, and concocted this plan to steal Aziraphale away to the gilded cage of Supreme Archangel. It's the kiss that saves Aziraphale in my mind, as if their love itself allowed Crowley to unknowingly suck the poison out of the wound. Am I writing fanfiction here? Perhaps. But this is a world _full_ of soft magic, where a demon can use the power of imagination to keep a car functional despite being engulfed in flames. Emotions and willpower are forces to be _reckoned with._ And, well, I cannot help but delight in the though of Aziraphale being 'woken up' by the kiss of a [former] prince [of heaven] should that particular theory ring true. To be clear, I do not want to erase the messiness of the scene. Just because I'm applying fairytale logic doesn't mean they shouldn't both be genuinely upset at what is happening. Before, on the street, The Metatron told Aziraphale he could take all the time he liked in making a decision regarding the position of Supreme Archangel, but as soon as he reenters the bookshop, The Metatron shows his hand- he _expects_ Aziraphale to want to accept the deal. He is either being incredibly arrogant... or he had insurance. The talk with Crowley was never about offering him a place in Heaven, it was about guaranteeing he would _stay away_ from Aziraphale. Aziraphale has sobered up from the miracle now, he is conflicted, confused, he keeps looking out the window at Crowley... but he commits to the subterfuge. He understand now that Heaven just tried to do a _Temptation_ on him and he is going to find out why. I am fully prepared for my theory to be wrong, but it's what gives me comfort for now. Some theories I'm hearing are definitely too broadly speculative for my tastes, namely that Book of Life one. In my opinion, you keep your theory small, you work with the material you have, because the writers aren't going to say 'it was fake the whole time', namely because they kind of already did it for the ending of season 1. And I mean, this _is not_ Sherlock. Though if you care to hear my Book of Life theory, it's simply that Aziraphale is going to steal it and hide it in the bookshop. Nice, neat, linear, logical.

I really do think Aziraphale was lying to a degree during their fight, not in a “heaven is the bad guys” way, just in a “I’m terrified for the love of my life and need to save him” sort of way. If you look at him walking back to the bookshop he doesn’t look happy at all, he looks worried. I think he decided in those few moments that he didn’t have a choice on going to heaven, but Crowley did, and if Crowley thought he was just going for them, they’d never be ok with it. So to protect Crowley, Aziraphale did a small lie in pretending he wanted to go. Their argument was still real and so were his points, but the thing that started it, wasn’t. That’s why he’s still acting so much like it’s actually happening, because it is. Because he’s actually having to push Crowley away to protect him and he wasn’t able to convince him, so now if he wants to keep him safe he has to leave, and after that kiss how in the world can he

Just something regarding the swap, you mentioned that aziraphell wouldn't know about the 2nd coming but in episode 5 crowley does know that the angels are planning a 2nd apocalypse so there is still a reason for them to be suspisious about the promotion

NOOOO I wanted to hear the teory "Maggie is a Demon" because it has been bugging me since the first spelling mistake!!!

Aziraphale isn't anormal angel nor is he an archangel, he is a princeapality. Witch according to the hierarchy of angels makes him above archangels, but i dont think Neil went really into depth with that. I mean Dagon and Hastur are LoveCrafting gods(yes i know Dagon is a god from an older religion)

I just like to say Aziraphale has religious trauma and thats why he did it-

thank you so much for the video! what a lovely speedpaint, and i enjoyed listening to your take on the theories. 💖 the google doc theory's 'it was badly written on purpose' concept immediately reminded me of what some theorists did with bbc's sherlock. given how that whole kerfuffle turned out, i really don't think it's a mindset worth having - i completely agree with you that it doesn't make sense from a financial or narrative perspective. cheers!

I read a theory somewhere, (don't remember where, I'm sorry) that Muriel used to be an archangel, but the other archangels erased their memory. (I assume after the battle) Ngl, if they had their memory erased, it explains some things, like why they're so clueless. Almost just as clueless as Jim, suspiciously enough...

German person here, and I just want to say, firstly this is just a subjective opinion, nothing to do with theories, but if Crowley's name was Raphael, I would find that a bit akward. In english, when you put Aziraphale and Raphael as names into some sort of duo, it sounds pretty. In german however, Aziraphale is called Erziraphael, Erzi- ,and then you pronounce Raphael, as a seperate word. So you would have two Raphaels, and I think that sounds a bit akward. Like I said nothing to do with theories.

I think people are confused about what the Book of Life actually is... Unless it's different in the Good Omens Universe, the Book of Life is literally a book with every person's name written in it who will/does/has exist(ed). Which is interesting since angels and demons aren't people I suppose but I think it's well established in the season that the angels and demons too must be in the book (unless that is a naive assumption by the angels who believe they have the power to manipulate the book when they in fact do not). That's why there's a threat of being erased from the book because it would be as simple as erasing a single name. I don't believe the book is a book detailing everything that has ever happened in the universe in chronological order, so the Metatron editing the book like it's on wattpad seems improbable to me on that foundational reason alone. Also, I'm not even sure the Metatron would have the power to do that since in the Old Testament God alone is the one who writes the names of all people who will be/are/have been born. Great artwork, by the way, and I really enjoy your commentary :)

I don't think having the coffee theory be real would be a horrible thing. I think it would just take the show in a much different direction. One that goes away from nothing but solid development of character to one that has a bit more action. Like maybe if hypothetically the coffee theory were true then Crowley would have to physically rescue Aziraphale from heaven. At that point I think it really is a matter of personal preference. All I'm saying is I think there is a world where both theories could work. I don't agree with the coffee theory though as wishful thinking or a means to attempt to mute the tragedy and shock of that last scene at the same time. But at the same time, I do agree with you that it is well within Aziraphale's character to react that way. Especially considering his view of good and evil (no shades of gray). If you don't believe me go rewatch season 1! Azi rejects Crowley loads of times. One last thing. At first I thought that Aziraphale was leaving and going to heaven and it had nothing to do with Crowley. There's going to be a second coming and no one to stop it. Aziraphale can do a lot more to prevent the second coming if he's archangel. They can't do anything if they're off on Alpha Centuri. So my original thinking was what if Aziraphale went to heaven not because he's meek, but to save people? Just another thought. I'd be curious to see what anyone thinks. Obviously though we all trust Mr. Gaiman. The only thing we can say for sure is if we do get a season three he is going to give us exactly what we want. Just in a way we don't see coming. And if you've learned anything from Phillip Pullman, never trust the Metatron!

Great video, and I LOVE your art! About further theories, could you cover the miracle that they did together, it's importance, and what it might mean for the future? That has to be important in some way, for season 3, and why the Metatron was so eager to get Aziraphale and Crowley away from each other.

About the name thing, popes also choose their names when they become popes i dont now why,but i thought of that.

I loved this video and the art

This is a PS to a previous comment I posted that I can't find. Another "clue" about the coffee was the name of the coffee shop "Give me coffee or Give me death" Metatron asks Nina if anyone has ever chosen/asked for death, which of course, no one has. This sets up Metatron needing to intervene with sweetened coffee in the frist place to entice & sweeten the deal which Aziraphale only notices in the coffee but not in the offer being too sweet/good to be true and ironically, which he will not be able to enjoy in heaven.

I do think the metatron could possibly have tried to separate aziraphale and Crowley, just via the job offer. So if Crowley accepted he could keep an eye on him, and if he didn’t they would still be separated. I don’t think he influenced aziraphale’s decision at all, but idk think he may have been worried about the miracle. Not a fan of coffee theory, but that’s just my opinion.

The #1 requirement of an explanation for the end of S2 is that it be something clear, simple, and obvious once explained, that can be quickly shown to, and will immediately make sense to, a casual watcher in S3. The idea that the almond flavor in the coffee is in part because of CYANIDE, which has a bitter almond flavor, and could have a specific effect on angels the way that laudanum had a specific effect on Crowley, fits the bill. It would also explain why specifically almond syrup is involved if it's NOT something that's typically available. The Metatron miracling Aziraphale in the part of their conversation that we DON'T see also fits the bill. For the miracle sound we hear with the phrase "Second Coming" to have to do with summoning the lift doesn't make sense, because the suggested lift-summoning doesn't sound anything like it does when Muriel does it... And we don't ever hear the miracle sound without SEEING the target of the miracle in that moment. Aziraphale would be 100% AGAINST the Second Coming, because it would lead to life on Earth as he knows and loves it ENDING, and he would ABSOLUTELY need to be miracled at that point to keep him from cutting and running. There's no reason to think that body swapping would alter the flow of time, and no benefit to the plot of them doing a body swap AGAIN; how would it be any better for CROWLEY to go to heaven? And can you imagine the abuse Neil would be in for if he did a SECOND body swap? And finally, we need an explanation for why Aziraphale walks away from his beloved bookshop without taking a single one of his beloved books with him; to me, that is the final proof that Aziraphale has been affected by more than just TALK!

AHHH this video is amazing, and i love all of your points! And goddamn these comments are so interesting to read! So one idea ive been wondering, cause i do think the coffee is weird, but i personally think it could be poisoned! Specifically, it could be poisoned with holy water, potentially as a way for the metatron to test if Crowley is actually resistant to holy water. Considering all of the angels think Aziraphale and Crowely have always been in a relationship, i could see him maybe thinking that by getting Aziraphale drink the holy water, and then potentially kiss Crowley, it could potentially poison him slowly. Granted, not a lot of evidence, but it would make for a wonderfully dramatic scene in season 3.

Ok I know that most of this fandom is straight from Sherlock, so please let’s not do the fake bad writing thing again. It didn’t work out the first time and it won’t now, it hurts that aziraphale made that choice just like it hurt that Johnlock wasn’t a thing. But this time we have a writer who actually loves the audiences theories and doesn’t laugh at them, and who actually made them gay, and we need to trust that he is doing it for the character development which honestly makes sense. We can’t all just not like it and hide behind the fake bad writing argument

We have solid evidence that the angel that became Crowley was very high ranking, and above Aziraphale. Aziraphale is called a Principality in season 1. In season 2 Crowley is able to open the folder on Gabriel which Muriel said could only be opened by a power or a dominion or above. Crowley opened it easily, because he wasn't always a demon, and they never change the passwords. My theory about the meaning of the coffee is simple. The name of shop "Give me coffee or give me death" is significant. The Metatron got a coffee and offered it to Aziraphale to let him choose life or death.

I've seen people claiming to hear miracles all over the infamous scene, like literally in every single part (no the same person claiming to hear it all over, I mean individual people claiming different parts have a miracle sound) I think we're having a bad case of hearing what we want to hear, because I had the same experience of not hearing it then hearing it then not hearing it in one part lol

btw teh author of The Magic Trick You Didn't See was Alexandra Roland, she's written a good couple books which i haven't had the chance to read but are on my wishlist

Sort of irrelevant to these theories, but I read a fan fic, where we find out Maggie is a descendant of Magdalena. Which would be very neat if it had some sort of relevance in the actual show, accidentally predicting something. ( I have to repeat this is only a fanfic.) But it would tie in nicely to the season 3 plot and also show why Maggie and Nina are important to the plot, not just to make Crowley realize some things and finally confess, and to show us a healthier relationship with better communication, but to tie in with the second coming plot.

The kiss could work with the swap theory if it's like a goodbye kiss since they're afraid of what might happen and they wont be able to see eachother for a while, I dont think the theory is going to be canon but I kinda like it

Damn, Neil Gaiman just debunked my personal Lucifer theory with just one comment haha Really nice video and I would like to listen to your opinion on the Maggie being a demon theory

This is a little side note from a former barista: Almond coffee syrup does indeed exist, at least in the USA

That was a good video.

can crowley be an archangel , in the scene where gabriel gets demoted , the metatron mentions how a second fallen archangel would indicate an institutional problem , implying only 1 fallen archangel being lucifer ?

Thinking about the miracle sound when Metatron says “second coming” it doesn’t make sense for him to be actively miracle-ing Aziraphale’s mind then because you can see on his face the second he realises that he screwed up and that Metatron is going to try to force him into starting the final end. So if anything this would be him breaking out of any manipulative miracle. Also I wonder if Aziraphale’s smile is his internal resolve to try to make his decision be in his and Crowley’s best interest (ie having more influence on the supposed second coming from the inside) I’m autistic too, and whilst his smile came across as creepy to me, I can agree it was probably his attempt to make himself feel better or convince the Metatron. Edit: one thing I noticed is that in the massive essay style theory you seemed to skip over how they suggested that Maggie was a fictional creation of Metatron because “she doesn’t drink alcohol” and that the past scenes are wrong because they suggest that Aziraphale doesn’t drink alcohol when, of course he does and that it’s all tied to an idea that Metatron “doesn’t like alcohol”? And to be honest I found that to be the dumbest part of the argument because. A. It implies that no normal human adult can dislike alcohol (I am an adult who finds the taste of alcohol unappealing and not worth the price.) B. That Aziraphale’s tastes can’t have changed over the course of millennia and that he might have changed his mind on drinking later in time. C. That Metatron was able to tweak there past and use it to remove an irrelevant part of it, but didn’t bother putting him off his sherry in the present. Basically as a person who relates to Maggie immensely it kind of invalidated most of the theory for me. Also thank you for putting out there that Crowley is a trans allegory and demanding to know his Angel name is like pressuring someone to tell you their dead name. Edit 2: And now I really would love a fic where Aziraphale becomes Raphael; like we see from Crowley’s POV that there’s been a rise in celestial miracles and his contact (whomever it may be) says “Oh yes, that’ll be Raphael’s doing” and Crowley being like “Who?” “You know, Archangel Raphael, the healer? The greatest and most powerful Archangel of all time?” Then later it turns out that Aziraphale has been allowed to go ham on the nice miracles in order to placate him whilst Metatron sets up the end.

Land me with those thoughts on maggie being a demon!

Cool being able to move the drawn pieces....how is that done and what drawing computer program is being used to create this piece of art?😮

it is Neil effin Gaiman, he's too clever writer for a coffee theory in my opinion

But wait. If Aziraphale is going to BECOME Raphael, then where did the snakes on the staff come from? Did humans just make it up? I’m sorry, I’m all about the little details too 😂