'Good Omens' Is an Outstanding Satirical Fantasy

Good Omens is a six-episode TV mini-series based on the novel of the same name by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.  I haven’t read the source material, even though I’ve enjoyed the respective books of both writers.  Thus, other than the premise, I didn’t know what this show was going to be about going in.  However, I was fairly confident that this TV adaptation would have high fidelity in embodying the novel’s vision, as Neil Gaiman himself served as showrunner.

The plot follows an angel named Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and a demon named Crowley (David Tennant) who both have been on Earth since Garden of Eden.  Belonging to opposing sides of the conflict between Heaven and Hell, the two are supposed to contend with each other in spreading good and evil, respectively.  However, they have instead developed a friendship – or, at least, an amicable acquaintanceship – with each other.  As they go through the millennia, becoming witnesses and participants to several notable Biblical and historical events, they simply phone it in with their tasks, and just proceed to enjoy life on Earth.  And due to the lack of supervision and auditing from their superiors, they have been able to get away with it.

However, all good things must come to an end.  The birth of the Antichrist – the one who will bring upon the End of the World, and usher in Armageddon, i.e. the final battle between Heaven and Hell – finally comes.  Unwilling to give up the comfortable and fun lives they’ve built for themselves on Earth, Aziraphale and Crowley decide to work together in thwarting the Antichrist’s mission.  At the same time, they must be careful not to give their ruse away to their angel and demon peers, both of which are eager of finally going to war with each other.

As a Christian, was I offended by how Good Omens takes jabs at aspects of my faith?  Well, no.  Firstly, not only is it satire, but it’s fiction.  And the Christianity that Good Omens is painting is merely a fictionalized one.  Moreover, even though the God revealed in the Bible is infallible, we His people – even the best among us – are not.  There are times we misrepresent Him.  There are times when what we actively choose to share to the world is faulty, man-centered theology instead of the Big-God-centered, iron-clad Gospel.  When we Christians, our faith, and our God get lampooned or loathed by the world, it’s essentially because their ridicule and hostility pretty much come with the territory (John 15:8, 1 Corinthians 1:18, John 17:14).  But sometimes, it’s because we as ambassadors have been guilty of being laughable, inconsistent, hypocritical, and obnoxious, and proclaiming a message that  is watered-down and unbiblical.  A satire of Christianity coming from a nonbeliever perspective like Good Omens may serve as a means for us to reflect on if or where we might have erred in our witnessing.

Secondly, I believe that all good and beautiful stories, or work of art for that matter – even those that its creator never consciously intended to glorify God – ultimately points toward the supreme goodness and beauty of the Creator, the Great Artist.  For the good and beautiful and everything admirable that mankind, fallen as it is, is able to produce are the mere echoes of the original versions of these very same qualities, which are all found and perfected in God.  Thus, as it has always been the case, when the negatives are filtered out, and what are retained are the positives, the flawed artistic expressions of Man can be edifying.  And I think Good Omens genuinely has a good, beautiful story to tell.  And in turn, it presents some worthwhile insights that even believers can ponder about and may even recognize as thematically Christian.

Good Omens is a hilarious, engaging, clever show.  Its storytelling is as wonderful as what I thought a collaboration between Pratchett and Gaiman would be (I believe the wittiness mostly came from Pratchett).  It gets delightfully bonkers, and it maintains a consistently solid emotional core.  The pacing is impeccable, as six proves to be the spot-on amount of episodes to unfold its narrative smoothly.

Michael Sheen and David Tennant (who, by the way, is second  only to Peter Capaldi as my favorite Doctor; was originally my most favorite) are excellent.  They have magnificent chemistry, and they thoroughly sold their characters’ touching friendship.

Also, on a side note, I was amused by its obvious nods to The Omen (maybe that’s why the title is Good OMENS?).

My only nitpick is that there are characters that I feel the narrative never truly earned their inclusion to the plot.  They come off as somewhat like random participants to it.  Fortunately, they are actually likable, that one would eventually not mind them.  Nonetheless, this detail is what keeps this show from being an instant fantasy classic for me.

But that’s fine.  It still has a good chance of becoming a classic by taking the long route – the passage of time.  All in all, as far this year is concerned, Good Omens is one of its most outstanding TV shows.