@nimbuswitches / nimbuswitches.tumblr.com
I realised I never posted this, although I made it ages ago! So here y'all go!
This is going to be long, and I hope it will make sense. Please bear with me to the end, I will eventually get to the Judgement Day, Armageddon, Death (and four horsemen of Apocalypse) and I will mention goats.
I've not come across this yet and I really want to put it out there.
Listen. Hear that?
I don't hear anything.
That's the point.
No Nightingales.
Now. We all assumed it's a call back to A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square. And I do think it still is (and why that song plays later).
However. I think there's more to the use of Nightingales than that.
There is a certain bit of literature out there, a very RELEVANT bit of literature actually, that uses Nightingales or, more specifically, the lack thereof, as a warning.
A bit of literature that both of them are probably quite familiar with as they canonically have attended this particular bard's performances.
The most well known literary star-crossed lovers.
Romeo and Juliet:
Act 3, scene 5. Dawn is approaching after the (secretly) newly wed lovers have spent the night together.
Romeo must leave Juliet's room and get out of dodge before daybreak or risk being killed. Juliet, desperate for more time together, tries to convince him it is not yet morning and he should stay with her a bit longer.
Here is the scene:
Juliet tries to convince him the birdsong is that of the nightingale, a night-bird, and that they still have time to be together. Romeo replies that it is "no nightingale", but a lark, a bird of the morning, and that he must "be gone and live, or stay and die".
They tarry a bit longer as the scene continues until Juliet realizes the actual danger of him staying with her, and urges him to go. He does, but first :
Romeo: "Farewell, farewell! One kiss, and I'll descend!"
A bit on the nose, that.
Now, i am a die hard believer that there was more going on in that last 15 than meets the eye, and I eventually plan to post about that, as well. The possibility that there was some non verbal communication going on between the lines. I am also very solidly of the belief that the Metatron story we (and Crowley) heard from Aziraphale was that of an Unreliable Narrator. Something was said or implied in that conversation that we don't know about. Something Not Good.
But, the No Nightingales line, which at first seemed like just a heavy hitting angst-hammer and call back to the end of s1, on rewatches seems...odd. A bit 4th wall, even.
Unless...there was a different intent with the use of the phrase. Specifically 'Listen. No Nightingales.'
And then we get the Nightingale song playing in the Bentley right after Aziraphale gets in that lift.
We know that Satan, other demons, and Crowley himself can speak through the radio.
And we know from s1 (Aziraphale's escape back to Earth when discorporated and his possession of Mdm. Tracy) that if demons can do something...angels can, too.
The song playing right then, I believe, was Aziraphale's attempt at comfort.
Yes, this goes into the Romeo and Juliet reference a bit more.
My own meta on what was going down in the Final 15 is here, this post is a fabulous companion to my thoughts.
I also think Aziraphale put the song on the radio. I think the kiss was A. to pass something to Aziraphale that he will need, but also to say B. I know we have to part, but I still love you and I want to be with you. One last kiss before I must go.
I’m sorry but, to me, this
does not look like an angel with no plan and no ulterior motive.
And, I think Crowley knows that. And Aziraphale knows he knows. Because they’ve known each other for aeons. Because Crowley knows his different tones of voice. Because they trust each other.
This is the face of a determined angel. And this is the face of a demon who’s still there with him.
He’s not happy about it, but he’s still there.
If he’d given up on them (on Us), he would’ve left. It’s what he’s always done before: Crowley’s been the one to turn & leave. He wouldn’t have watched Aziraphale leave if he didn’t still believe in him, in their history & their trust. He stayed.
Listen, I think I know a thing.
When Aziraphale comes back from talking to the Metatron and is telling Crowley about being an angel, we've all heard the theory that he's speaking code, trying to ask for help. The more I look at that scene, the more that theory tracks.
Maybe less well-known is the theory that Crowley didn't miss a damn thing, he's answering in his own code. And again, the more I look at that scene, the more this also tracks.
(When my husband, annoyingly observant beloved partner that he is, saw the second season for the first time, he said, "That whole thing was a show for the Metatron. They have a plan. Crowley slipped something to Aziraphale when he kissed him." And I said, "Nah." But now I think he's right, and damn if he isn't smug.)
I'm gonna try to break down what I think they're saying here, because it takes just a hot minute to piece it together. I've been thinking this over for a couple of months now. I think I have most of it. I just don't know when Crowley puts whatever he's handing to Aziraphale in his own mouth. I need more eagle-y eyes, it seems.
First, Aziraphale comes back from his talk. He's pensive as he crosses the road, and anxious when he starts talking, and mouths "I need help!" as he's talking. He's acting like he does when he lies to the other angels, and once it's seen "I need help!" is pretty clear.
He does the whole thing about telling Crowley he could appoint him as an angel, like old times, but even nicer. It's all very uptight and not positive at all. My interpretation? "The Metatron is here, I think he knows we're up to something, we have to go to Heaven right now and put things right before he really does something awful to one or both of us. The time to spring the plan is NOW."
Crowley stares at him. At first it seems like he's staring in disbelief, but if you really look at his face, he's listening, hard, and interpreting as fast as he can:
He asks Aziraphale if he told the Metatron where he could stick it, then. My interpretation? "The plan has changed. I can't go with you to Heaven. You'll have to go alone."
Then Crowley starts his confession -- "We've spent our existence pretending we aren't."
Aziraphale looks at him -- not with shock, or surprise, or love, or hope, but with a "Why are you doing this now?" face. Not "Why did you wait til now to tell me, you love me, oh, I love you too!" But "Why are you telling me SOMETHING I ALREADY KNOW while our ENEMY IS LISTENING??" :
He's confused, but also listening and interpreting. What I'm hearing/seeing: I don't think this is a love confession from our demon. I think they are both well aware they love one another. They can't say it in so many words, and it's a secret from Heaven and Hell, but it's not a secret between them. I'm hearing Crowley set the scene. "The Metatron either wants us together in Heaven under control, or separated. I have things I have to do here or the plan won't work, so we'll have to separate. We need to make it look good. I do love you."
I don't think Aziraphale likes this change of plan. And Crowley can't detail why the plan has changed, not with the Metatron listening. So Aziraphale insists, come with me. The plan we had will work. Do it my way. Crowley says, "You can't leave this book shop." It's easy to interpret that as "You can't leave me," but I don't think it's that. He's saying something about the book shop being safe, or even that he can't leave without whatever they've hidden in the book shop. (I THINK THEY HID SOMETHING IN THE BOOK SHOP!) Aziraphale says, "Nothing lasts forever." I hear him saying the book shop is no longer safe, and they have to move/take whatever they've hidden and they can't speak freely there anymore.
Crowley replies, "No I suppose it doesn't. Good luck." He's gotten that much, but he is still set on his "We need to fake a break up because I can't go with you."
Aziraphale still doesn't like that. "Come back! I need you!" He's scared. Whatever he has to do in Heaven is big, and scary, and he needs and wants Crowley with him. He does not want to go into the mouth of danger alone.
This is when we get, "No nightingales." What I'm hearing? ESPECIALLY since if you listen, you can hear a LARK sing as Crowley goes out the door? It's the line from Romeo and Juliet, by Shakespeare, whose plays they both enjoy, though Crowley prefers the funny ones. "It's too late, that's a lark singing the dawn, not a nightingale singing to the night, we have to part. Our happy ending isn't yet."
Then the kiss. I do not believe this is their first kiss. I don't believe they've allowed themselves many, maybe not even more than one, but I do think they've kissed before. I'm not sure when, but I suspect 1941. (Season 3, come ON!!)
And when they part, Aziraphale stops himself from saying "I love you," and instead says, "I forgive you." I'm hearing so many things in that "I forgive you." I forgive you for leaving me on my own, I forgive you for hurting my feelings like this, I forgive you for changing the plan without telling me, I forgive you because you are forgivable whatever anyone else says, I forgive you because that's what I said when we split up at the bandstand and everything was okay in the end and I hope hope hope that everything will be okay in the end this time too.
Crowley says, "Don't bother." I'm hearing, "yeah, I hope it's all okay, too. Wish me fuckin luck. My part will be hard, too."
And as Crowley leaves, Aziraphale mouths, "No." And we hear a lark sing. A lark, singing to the dawn, and so fair Romeo must away.
Just because the break up is a ruse, doesn't mean it doesn't hurt and isn't hard. It has to look real, and so it's going to feel real, too. Ouch. :'(
And then Aziraphale touches his lips. Not once, but twice. My bad, he only touches his lips once. The first long second is pure emotion. "Why now, I hate this, I want that so badly and I can't have it."
After that, though --
After he pulls himself together a bit, he has a bulge in his cheek. He shifts his jaw to move whatever he has in his mouth to his lips, and then his first two fingers go stiff for a moment as he palms something right before he takes his hand away.
And then, this.
Edit to add: someone on Facebook asked me why a kiss to pass whatever Crowley gave to Aziraphale, why not palm it or drop it in his pocket?
My answers: 1. The kiss is a message. "We're still good, I still love you, I still want this." 2. The item is too important to be dropped in a pocket and hopefully found later. 3. The Metatron is paying WAY too close attention, and will definitely see them touch hands. Seeing a kiss and the angel rejecting the demon, though? Well, the demon forced that kiss on him, the angel didn't want it. Clearly the demon thinks this relationship is different than it is. It's a bigger gesture that sells the ruse. 4. Houdini's wife used to pass him the keys to his cuffs with a kiss before the show. This is a message that magic-loving Aziraphale WILL understand: here are the keys to your cuffs, sneaked to you by your beloved in plain sight.
That's it. That's what I got so far. I still have questions.
What did Crowley pass to Aziraphale? What's the plan? Why did it change? What does Crowley need to do that he can't go to Heaven again?
WHAT AN AWESOME THEORY
adhd will have you fighting for your life to do beloved hobbies that bring you nothing but joy
What hurts most about this scene is the fact Crowley never broke eye contact until he knew it was over and couldn’t bare it anymore
I have always been a reader, but Good Omens made me read...a lot. I don't consume books anymore, I worship them. Reading somewhere that Neil doesn't write happy endings? Putting being afraid of Coraline since watching the Teaser aside, I started to read all of Neil's books (and whoever wrote that was wrong), a confession like "Pride and Prejudice"? Give me Jane Austen and I'll try to get through that language. Crowley handing "The Crow Road" to Muriel? There must be something behind, I have to read this.
But why? Because I am courious. I never would have read The Crow Road without GO, I wouldn't even know it. Not being a native speaker I fight my way through a book that's filled with colloquial language and scottish words, I don't find in a dictionary.
Good Omens caught me so deeply, that I try to absorb every information, everything that leads me closer to the plot of S03. I know that most of it are just references to books and films to honor that work, but it also employes my always working brain.
And there's still lots of stuff to read (thanks @yeahyeahno). The only book I would quit in the end is the one about best chess plays (which is a reference to Stairway to Heaven).
If it really was the plan of Neil and Douglas according to Amazon to make people read, it absolutely worked ...
In every case, I am pretty sure it will help with some more easter eggs in S03.
i hate this idea that if you’re a hater you’re automatically not a lover. i love a lot of things, i just happen to despise what You like.
Forgot to post here haha
ThatFiendd said: We can joke or cry about their communication skills all day
But Crowley understood this immediately
Neil Gaiman once said:
“I love the idea of what Crowley's idea of Aziraphale is. His idea is a lot more heroic and standing-up to everybody than Aziraphale's idea of Aziraphale.”
“Just as Aziraphale's idea of Crowley is somebody who can be flippant and insouciant when faced with the monsters of Hell”.
“They're probably each rather better at dealing with things than the other one is, but that's what they think the other one is probably like, and I love that”.
Well, I love that too.
Day 227 of posting Good Omens memes Everyday until Season 3
always trying not to think about her too much or i’d start crying,,
