Queer Media Analysis - Pt. 2

                                    

                                          
AHHH I'VE BEEN SO BUSY SORRY
But I've been writing a lot for my queer media analysis so here's more of that! I'll be uploading these for a while because I have a lot of writing on this :))
This one is about Good Omens and the next one will be about Our Flag Means Death. I have more about both of those, then some paragraphs about Torchwood and Doctor Who :))
-Arrow :P
Good Omens is a book written in 1990 by Neil Gaiman and Sir Terry Pratchett (R.I.P), and was adapted for television in 2019. The series has now continued past the initial story of the novel, and season 2 was released in July of 2023. A season 3 is currently being composed. 
The main relationship (between the angel Aziraphale and the demon Crowley) of the book, and the series especially, has always been believed by readers and viewers to be more than just a close friendship. As season 1 followed the novel quite closely, an aura of mystery remained. To many, it was obvious where the story would go. 
A lot of fans, however, were afraid. Afraid that the subtext that we were seeing wouldn't be followed through and would simply remain as subtext. 
After the first season, the actors and writers never tried to hide how they felt about that subtext. By the people directly involved, it was confirmed. They weren't a couple exactly, but they were in love. It was a love story, a term used by the creator himself. And yet, that didn't entirely alleviate fan fears. Most fans of Good Omens are queer people, which is one of the biggest reasons why the subtext seemed more like the actual text. Unfortunately, queer people are used to being hurt. In shows like 'Supernatural' or 'Teen Wolf', a queer relationship is teased, but never confirmed. Especially in 'Teen Wolf's case, this is considered 'queerbating'. 
Queerbating is a term that is thrown around a lot these days and is often misused. The real definition of queerbating is when the creators, actors, or promotional materials for a series or film promise a queer relationship or character, and then refuse to follow up on that. This is a marketing technique used as a ploy to get queer people to watch something, only to be disappointed, time after time. People had a right to be worried about Good Omens. 
It was all well and good to say that it was a love story, but that needed to be shown more, through language and actions in season 2. Throughout season 1, there was the occasional joke about how Aziraphale and Crowley were obviously a couple, and these comments were always directed at Aziraphale, who never corrected anyone on it. Those comments ramped up in season 2, and almost became a point of contention between the two main characters. But, just like season 1, no one was ever corrected. At least, not by Aziraphale. 
When Nina (more on her later) asks Crowley how long he's 'been with his partner (Aziraphale)', Crowley gets very flustered and doesn't know how to correct her, because he doesn't exactly know how to explain their relationship to a human. Up until this point, no one has confronted him with this question. He has never thought about the nature of their relationship, as it's always been in his life, and has always made sense to him. 
They have a back and forth, a dance of sorts, and it's worked 'very well' for them for millions of years. Crowley, in his scene with Nina, has a moment of realisation that plays out very obviously on his face; 'are we a couple?' They both know their relationship is anything but conventional, but Crowley has never confronted his feelings before now. For the rest of the season, he wrestles with himself about how he can bring this up with Aziraphale, or if he should just leave it. 
Romantic tension has always been a part of their dance, which is why neither ever fully noticed it. This season, it's much more obvious when each character falls in love with the other. Those specific moments were only speculated in season 1, but they now couldn't be more obvious. Crowley has always been in love, as fans suspected, but it took Aziraphale a lot longer to come around (1941). 
Everything comes to a head in the season finale when Nina and Maggie have a conversation with Crowley about how relationships are supposed to work. He finds it very embarrassing that despite knowing them for about a week, both women can pinpoint the main problem in the main relationship; they don't communicate. Sure, they talk all the time, as Crowley says, but they never say what they're really thinking, as Maggie points out. They never say what must be said. That's the dance. It's what they've always done, so why change? 
Crowley winds himself up, ready to tell Aziraphale everything. But, of course, it doesn't go to plan. Aziraphale tells Crowley that he's been given a job in Heaven. The top job. Crowley begs him not to take it, using any excuse he can think of. Finally, he realises that Aziraphale is too stubborn and has already decided. 
In a final, desperate attempt to get him to stay, Crowley gives one of the most heartbreaking and beautiful monologues ever written for modern-day television. 
He states the obvious – they've always pretended that they were nothing more than friends and that that isn't true. 'We're a group. A group of the two of us. And we've spent our existence pretending that we aren't.' They've known each other their entire existence, and Crowley, again, says what is very clear to viewers; there is no one else he'd rather spend his entirety with. 'If Gabriel and Beelzebub can do it, go off together, then we can.' 
Aziraphale doesn't understand and begs Crowley to come to Heaven with him. Aziraphale is a very sad representation of someone with religious/cult trauma. His life has always been controlled by Heaven. He was taught to never question God's will, as that's exactly what Crowley into so much trouble for. He believes that he can make a difference in Heaven if he takes this job. 
Crowley is fallen. He knows exactly what kind of destruction Heaven is capable of, and that they'll never change. Crowley puts his sunglasses back on, so Aziraphale can't fully see his emotions, and he turns to leave. Aziraphale begs him to stay, saying that they can 'be together' and 'I need you'. Crowley responds by calling him an idiot and saying, once again, that they 'could've been us'. Crowley wasn't ever particularly emotionally articulate, but this is the most emotionless he's ever been, despite everything. 
Aziraphale is falling apart, so someone has to be the strong one. That's always been how it is. That's the dance. Neither is ready for it to change, but it does. 
In a final, final desperate attempt to get him to stay, Crowley kisses him for the first time. 
It isn't romantic in the slightest. It is a horribly tragic scene, and is never how their first kiss should've gone. Aziraphale stumbles for a moment, and almost says 'I love you'. Instead, he spits out 'I forgive you', which is the most gut-wrenching thing he could've come up with. Many times, Crowley has stressed that he's unforgivable, as that is the supposed mark of a demon. He is a very self-loathing character, and is very scared to have someone care about him, only to lose them. This is not the first time Aziraphale has forgiven Crowley for something. It's a common occurrence, and in every other instance, Crowley has corrected him. 
Not this time. 
Instead, he leaves, saying 'don't bother'. Very recently, a writer/crew member (I WILL GET THE NAME IF I USE THIS FOR SOMETHING BUT I CAN'T FIND THE POST) has stated that the look Aziraphale gives Crowley before he lets him leave is him trying to say 'kiss me again. It'll work'. But he can't say it, and so he lets Crowley go. 
This is where the season ends, with Aziraphale going to Heaven and Crowley driving in the other direction in silence. Fans have hope that season 3 will bring things back to a more normal, cheery pace, as has been confirmed by Gaiman, who has stated that if Amazon Prime doesn't commission a third season, he'll simply write it as a book. He doesn't want to end the story on an unsatisfying note, and neither do the actors and director. Hopeful fans have assured those with less faith that the story is far from over, and that there's always hope. 
Only time will tell.