"Good Omens" is Apocalyptic Fun

Amazon has turned Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's comic fantasy novel, "Good Omens," into a six episode miniseries.  It has a fabulous cast, great production values, and an engaging story. It's also kind of a mess, but in a fun way. Neil Gaiman was made showrunner, and he keeps a lot of bits that probably should have been left out, uses way too much narration, and runs into some major pacing problems.  In other words, exactly what you'd expect when giving over creative control to a celebrated novelist who hasn't really done this sort of thing before. However, the material is good enough and the talent is strong enough that it doesn't much matter.

"Good Omens" is about the end of the world as foretold by the Bible, and the major players are a bunch of supernatural beings and assorted humans either trying to prepare for or thwart the Apocalypse.  Our chief protagonists are an angel, Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and a demon, Crowley (David Tennant) who have been on Earth in various forms since the Beginning. The two have secretly become friends over the eons, and when they learn that Doomsday is approaching, decide to save the world they've grown very attached to.  Mostly, this involves trying to wrangle the fate of the Antichrist, a boy named Adam (Sam Taylor Buck), who was accidentally placed in the care of very normal human parents.

  

Aziraphale and Crowley are easily the best things about "Good Omens," and their friendship is the backbone of the miniseries.  They're both cosmic beings of great power, and complete opposites, but they come to realize that they enjoy each other's company, even if they have to keep pretending to be mortal enemies.  Sheen is especially great as the fussy, tweedy Aziraphale, who runs an old bookshop and is a shameless foodie. Tennant, however, gets more of the fun lines as the snarky Crowley, gets to drive too fast, and gets to dress like a rock star - or Neil Gaiman in the '90s.  Just the visual of the two of them next to each other is delightful, and the show goes back to it as often as it can.      

Unfortunately, the show isn't all about Aziraphale and Crowley.  It's also about a witch named Anathema (Adria Arjona), who is using a book of prophecy to try and avert the Apocalypse.  And it's about the last remnants of the Witchfinder Army, Lieutenant Shadwell (Michael McKean) and the newly recruited Newton Pulsifer (Jack Whitehall).  And it's about the forces of Hell and Heaven making preparations for the end. A hellhound is loosed. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are summoned. Jon Hamm plays the Archangel Gabriel, Miranda Richardson plays a medium named Madame Tracy, and Frances McDormand narrates the whole shebang as God. 

It's not that these storylines are poor.  It's just that they're not nearly as interesting or well executed.  For instance, I like the idea of Adam with his gang of friends, being eleven-year-olds on bikes on an adventure.  However, Adam's not as fleshed out as he should be, and what he wants from one moment to the next feels completely arbitrary.  I think the actor is quite good, but not good enough that he can make up for the weaker bits of writing and directing the way some of the more experienced members of the cast can.  Frankly, there are some sequences that are just plain awkward. The baby swapping scene is a particularly bad one, where the show keeps cutting away to a game of Three-card Monte to emphasize a belabored metaphor.  

And yet, clearly "Good Omens" was a labor of love and no expense was spared.  They must have spent a good chunk of the budget just licensing all the Queen songs on the soundtrack.  The production is absolutely gorgeous, creating this goofy, heightened reality where supernatural forces are constantly messing around with the universe.  I love the outlandish costuming of the demons and the Four Horsemen. I love the cheerfully literal way that metaphysical concepts are realized, like auras and miracles.  CGI special effects are used heavily, but some of the best visuals are all practical. There are fun little details everywhere in the set design. Nutty concepts like Satanic nuns and a rediscovered Atlantis are delivered with aplomb.

And in the end, I like that the show is very imperfect, and shaggy, and weird, and takes its time to enjoy itself.  By the time the last episode rolled around, I'd had a so-so time following the story and seeing all the reveals play out, and a much better time just enjoying the worldbuilding and the performances.  

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