Good Omens has to be one of the best shows of 2019, isn’t it? The awesome book from Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman has stood up marvelously to its television conversion. Let’s get it finished so we can enjoy ALL the mastery of Michael Sheen and David Tennant. DT alone has eleventy thousand new shows coming out in 2020, so we shan’t tarry! Rolling Good Omens S1:E04 Saturday Morning Funtime Recap after the break!
We open with a dashing yet unshaven cruise director Captain Vincent (David Morrissey! The GuvNor from The Walking Dead!!!) narrating the advancement of Armageddon as per his experience. Atlantis has arisen! Right under his cruise ship!
The peaceful and dry people in long robes and diving helmets are happy mixing with the guests, who think this is part of the on-ship entertainment.
This is all because the Antichrist, our Adam Young (Sam Taylor Buck) had, before bed, read a few copies of woo-woo magazine, The New Aquarian, provided by Anathema Device (Adria Arjona).
He sleeps soundly, already having removed a nuclear reactor from a nuclear facility while dreaming and now dredging up poor Atlantis from the depths. “Make it happen, make it real,” he murmurs, unaware that he is doing both of those things whilst he slumbers.
The next day, he gathers his gang of the Them, including Pepper (Amma Ris), Wensleydale (Alfie Taylor) and Brian (Ilan Galkoff). It’s almost like he had his own Four Horsemen or somefing!
Being kids, they don’t understand why Adam wanted to have aliens going around offering world peace or dolphins or stuff, why not alien invasions??! That’s Pepper, she’s quite War-like.
Pepper questions the veracity of The New Aquarian ideas, why is the government trying to hush things up, again? But Adam is staunch in his faith; you can fake things on the internet but this is MAGAZINES.
Adam has all the power, but as yet doesn’t understand that exactly.
It’s the End of the World! Saturday! Our angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) is out for a walk/run meeting with the Archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm) to explain that the signs are all in alignment: the End of Days starts today, right after teatime.
Gabriel knows, thankyouverymuch, he’s ready! They’re going to win! But Aziraphale has gone off destroying Earth; he’s very attached. He wants to avert the War to End All Wars, as does his best mate and eternal enemy, Crowley (David Tennant).
Gabriel reminds Aziraphale, he’ll need his flaming sword for battle! It’s just that Aziraphale already gave it to Adam and Eve when they were kicked out of the Garden of Eden, she was pregnant and nobody had enough clothes, see.
There are Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, but so far only two have been summoned to ride. They were delivered packages from the International Express Delivery Driver Lesley (Simon Merrells). His wife Maud (Indra Ové – from the show with all the men who were doing untoward things with Unforgotten!! Series three! I knew I’d remember it!) can’t understand why he’s out on a Saturday morning but the contract was set 6000 years ago, so.
Gabriel is approached in Heaven by the Archangel Michael (Doon Mackichan), who’s been investigating Aziraphale after he made some strange comments. She has pictures of Az hanging with his pal Crowley; they contradict his oft-repeated statement of disavowal.
Gabriel isn’t worried, but Archangel Michael will be looking into this further using back-channels. She calls back-channeller Duke of Hell Ligur (Ariyon Bakare) to ask if Aziraphale is working for them, and at his demurral suggests he look into Crowley.
Really, it’s that both Az and Crowley have gone native and are too attached to the planet Earth but I don’t know if you should say “gone native” any more.
Ligur hangs up, this had to be included because has a gecko on his head that looks like a toad and anyone with a toad or a gecko on his head deserves to be made into a gif.
Crowley ponders his next move, England’s out. America’s out, so’s Atlantis, and the Moon.
He only ever asked questions! That used to be all it took to be a demon in the old days! He implores God to show him the Great Plan, he shouldn’t be testing humans to the edge of destruction!
Lesley the International Express Delivery Man delivers a package in a formerly picturesque and now disgusting area of Sussex. Pollution (Lourdes Faberes) is entranced by all the lovely industrial waste.
Hallo luv!
The last and final delivery by our Lesley makes me very glad he had such a romantic goodbye with Maud this morning; he writes her a love letter then steps out into traffic to meet Death (Jamie Hill). It’s not a package Lesley is to deliver, but rather a message: “Come and see.”
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: War, Famine, Pollution and Death have been called to the End of Days.
The slightly younger version is over at Jasmine Cottage being offered sweets by the witchy Anathema Device, who’s also got more New Aquarian magazines for Adam!
Witchfinder Private Newton Pullisfer (Jack Whitehall) listens to the news in astonishment, everyone’s trying to figure out what’s happened to the nuclear reactor, perhaps “you clever buggers at the BBC” could figure out out?
He is suited up for battle by Witchfinder Army Corporal?Lance Corporal? Shadwell (Michael McKean) with the following tools:
- Pendulum of Discovery
- Thumbscrew
- Firelighters
- Bell
- Book
- Candle
(The last three in case he has to exorcise a demon)
- Pin – the bayonet of the Witchfinder Army
Newt heads to Lower Tadfield as two confused Tibetans consider their circumstances. The Tibetan man (Dhondup Samten) and woman (Lobsang Samten) went from running shops and selling tickets in Tibet to being suddenly swooshed underground in ornate robes digging tunnels. Tea break’s over, time to listen carefully and dig more tunnels!
Newt can barely believe his eyes as a UFO swings over his car Dick Turpin and parks so the aliens can come say hi. After a quick review of some negligent climate items (our polar ice caps are well below regulation), the alien (Laura Evelyn) passes on a message of universal peace. Any idea why Newt? Erm, no, no idea.
That look made me laugh for a solid minute.
Wensleydale suggests perhaps Adam could save whales, too, while he’s at it? Somewhere in the ocean, a “scientific research boat” (whaling ship) finds itself in suddenly rough seas. The sea bottom is dropping!
Hallo Kraken!
“A million sushi dinners cry out for vengeance!”
Good Omens the book is the best thing ever, honestly.
A little more on Anathema. She is a descendant of Agnes Nutter, who wrote the most accurate book of prophecy ever, entitled “The Nice And Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch.” Since the book was written, Anathema’s entire family has been consumed with decoding the prophecies and trying to sort out exactly what Agnes was trying to say. Anathema accidentally left the book in the back of Crowley’s car while getting a lift, but still has notes!
One of those pops up on her phone, the Witchfinder is arriving! As everything to do with religious works is split nicely in half – yin/yang, light/dark, good/evil, we have the Witch about to meet the Witchfinder.
Newt flips his car Dick Turpin, to be found by the Them and brought to Anathema while spied upon by the Tibetans.
The party supposed to be over in Megiddo, Duke of Hell Hastur (Ned Dennehy), Demon #1, Demon #2 and Demon #3 (Paul Adeyefa) are finding it a bit quiet for Armageddon, yes? Great area for avocados, but no apparent battle on the horizon.
Hastur melts two of the demons before we get to hear the whole plan. The Four Horsemen will assemble, then the Antichrist (it’s the wrong child) will show up with his dog and give the word and we can all get on with the end of days.
5 hours and 48 minutes left until the end of the world!
Anathema has been waiting for Newt, setting out bandages and creams, she directs the kids to lay Newt on her bed. Adam stares at a picture of the devil, he’s going to “make that happen, make it real” too!
Adam was having so much fun with his friends that he didn’t want to let them go home for lunch. His friends have noticed the change, and so has he. He doesn’t know why he’s started to impose his will all over everything.
In Megiddo, the Ambassador Thaddeus Dowling (Nick Offerman), his wife Harriet Dowling (Jill Winternitz) and his son Warlock Dowling (Samson Marraccino) have arrived for their photo op to get this show on the road! Harriet’s not quite clear on why they’re in the middle of an ancient Israeli archaelogical site, this isn’t because she said the President’s wife looks like a floozy, is it? Because she never said that.
Site guide (Amir Boutrous) introduces them to archaeologist Hastur….LaVista who immediately jumps all over young Warlock. Warlock thinks Hastur…LaVista smells like poo and I’d wager he’s not wrong.
Where’s the dog? The only voices Warlock has in his head says Hastur smells like poo.
The Dukes of Hell prefer to communicate through pop culture, right now Hastur is talking to Crowley via cartoon movie at the local Cineplex. They’re coming for him!
Anathema, Witch introduces herself to Witchfinder Private Newton Pulsifer and tries to fill in the blanks for him as quickly as possible with her box of index cards. He helps! He reads the one about the Antichrist and realises it references Adam. Anathema can’t believe it!
Adam drags his friends unwillingly across the forest, he’s come to a realisation that the whole world is full of “environment” or somesuch and it’d be better if it all blew up and started over.
Crowley screeches up next to Aziraphale on the street, get in the car, Angel! They’re going to run off together off to Alpha Centauri. But but Aziraphale thinks if he could just talk to God, He’d understand and stop moving in mysterious and ineffable ways and there they’d be: sorted.
He’s off, he’s packing his bags and he’s going to the stars where he WON’T EVEN THINK OF YOU! A man on the street consoles Aziraphale, he’s better off without him.
Hastur and Ligur loudly approach Crowley’s residence, but he’s booby-trapped it with the holy water, so nothing goes as planned for the Dukes of Hell. First through the door Ligur is melted, but Hastur is untouched so Crowley is forced to improvise with a plant mister full of holy water. Or is it?
But Hastur can see a drop of water spill onto Crowley’s hand, the jig is up!
Aziraphale calls then, giving Crowley one last way to save his life. He bluffs a bit with Hastur (you’ve passed the test!) then calls himself, sending himself into the telephone system just seconds ahead of Hastur, who is now trapped in Crowley’s ansaphone.
28 minutes ago, Aziraphale had a meeting with his own kind, Uriel (Gloria Obianyo), Sandalphon (Paul Chahidi) and Archangel Michael would like to talk to him about his “consorting” with the enemy. Aziraphale makes a pitch to keep the world rolling on do people can keep making choices, to be rewarded with a punch in the gut from Sandalphon. He is left alone as the “BAD ANGELS!” head off to the end of the world.
Adam makes his own pitch to his friends for the new world he’s planning, they are not interested and would really like to go home, please! A storm comes up around them as he raises himself up in the air.
Anathema and Newt set out to stop Adam, stepping out into a tornado slows them significantly. They run back inside Jasmine Cottage to…bow chicka wow wow. Agnes looked out for her own.
Shadwell is staring outside at what the English like to call “the weather” when the sound of a pin zooming across the room draws him over to his map. Lower Tadfield does not like having a pin innit, it starts to smolder as Shadwell contemplates the implications. Madame Tracy (Miranda Richardson) comes in with a cuppa, Shadwell laments his shortsightedness in sending Newt alone so Madame Tracy coughs up train traveling funds from “harlotry and ghost-raising.”
She includes an extra five pounds for a sandwich and coffee; Madame Tracy is common sense herself. That’s why her ghost-raising sessions always smell faintly of brussel sprouts. She knows the English prefer their mysticism to have a lot of recognisable things in them.
It’s no good, Shadwell won’t take the proceeds of round heeling, he’s off to see “the southern pansy in the bookshop.”
Adam takes away his friend’s ability to speak as Aziraphale prepares a ritual to make a call to God. Shadwell knocks just as the call connects to Metatron (Derek Jacobi!!! From Last Tango in Halifax!! That’s coming back!), the voice of God.
Aziraphale makes his case to talk to God-God but there’s not time and the Metatron isn’t budging. Aziraphale collects his thoughts, he’d like to make a complaint about some angels, but before that: he knows where the Antichrist is so the war can be called off and nobody has to turn the oceans to blood or anything!
Heaven’s not interested in stopping the war, they’re looking forward to winning it! Starting with a multi-nation nuclear exchange, join them!
Aziraphale will be along in a jiffy…they’ll leave the gate open for him then. This is when he calls Crowley, who jumps into the phone line and Shadwell makes his move to rid the world of witches, today in the form of Aziraphale.
There’s still a pentagram and candles set up for the God-call, Aziraphale warns Shadwell to stay out of the circle but it’s he himself who is drawn up into the light. In a very un-Aziraphale-like way.
Shadwell can barely believe his power.
A candle is tipped over, igniting the bookshop and we’re out! Out! Cheers, love.
