The Ending Of Good Omens Season 2 Explained
Contains spoilers for "Good Omens"
The wait is finally over for fans of the popular fantasy comedy series, "Good Omens," as Season 2 makes its way to Amazon Prime. Created by author Neil Gaiman, the quirky quasi-Biblical show stars Michael Sheen as renegade angel Aziraphale, and David Tennant as Crowley, the demon who "sauntered vaguely downwards" into the Bad Place. Season 1 of "Good Omens" was adapted from the book originally written by Gaiman and co-author Terry Pratchett. Much to the delight and surprise of fans of the series, Amazon picked it up for a second season, which means a completely new and original story with our ineffable heroes will be hitting TV screens.
Though only six episodes make up Season 2, this season is a rollercoaster ride of emotions — especially for Crowley and Aziraphale shippers. The cliffhanger ending likely had die-hard fans screaming at their screens in frustration, as Aziraphale and Crowley appear to be once more on opposite sides. With a lot of emotional damage to unpack, let's dive into an explanation of the ending of "Good Omens" Season 2.
What happened in Good Omens season 2?
The second season of "Good Omens" begins with Crowley and Aziraphale attempting to keep a low profile with Heaven and Hell after narrowly escaping the wrath of both. Aziraphale continues looking after his London bookshop while Crowley is living in his Bentley with his plants. But their fairly quiet routines are interrupted when a bewildered Gabriel (Jon Hamm) shows up at Aziraphale's door without his memory — or a stitch of clothing. What Gabriel does have is a box, which he gives to Aziraphale, only for the angel to find it empty.
Aziraphale goes to Crowley for help with his surprise guest, and together the two perform what they believe is a tiny miracle to keep Gabriel hidden from their respective sides. Unfortunately, their attempt to be discreet fails, as both Heaven and Hell become aware of the performed miracle. Luckily, when a group of Archangels pay the bookshop a visit, the miracle has done its job and none of them seem to recognize Gabriel, who now has a secret identity named Jim.
Meanwhile, Aziraphale and Crowley play matchmaker for two women, Nina (Nina Sosanya) and Maggie (Maggie Service), using their budding relationship as a smoke screen to cover up the miracle they created. However, one of Hell's denizens, a demon named Shax (Miranda Richardson), is bent on taking Crowley down once and for all. Eventually, both the Archangels and the demons discover Gabriel's whereabouts, which spells trouble for the angel and demon harboring him.
How did Season 2 end?
Season 2 of "Good Omens" culminates in a surprising climax. Shax brings a horde of demons to Aziraphale's bookshop, demanding that Gabriel be released into their custody. Aziraphale, Nina, and Maggie do their best to fight them off while Crowley and low-level angel Muriel (Quelin Sepulveda) infiltrate Heaven to get some answers. What they find is something no one could have expected. It turns out that Gabriel has been holding secret meetings with Beelzebub (Shelley Conn), Grand Duke of Hell, and the two of them have fallen in love. Gabriel hid his memory inside a fly — a gift from Beelzebub — and fled to Earth to hide from the other Archangels. When Gabriel's memory returns, he and Beelzebub vanish together, away from the judgment of their respective sides.
Once things have calmed down, Aziraphale gets a surprise visit from the Metatron (Derek Jacobi). While the two angels engage in a private meeting, Nina and Maggie have their own sit-down with Crowley, and they convince him to tell Aziraphale how he feels. When Aziraphale returns, Crowley is about to confess his love for the angel when Aziraphale interrupts him with the news that he has been offered Gabriel's old job. Not only that, but he now has the power to return Crowley to angel status.
Aziraphale expects Crowley to be thrilled with the "good" news, but Crowley finds the arrangement less than ideal. He tries to convince Aziraphale to turn down the job so that they can be together, and even seals the offer with a kiss. Sadly, it's not enough. The final scene as the credits roll shows Aziraphale in an elevator on his way back up to Heaven, while a heartbroken Crowley drives off in his Bentley.
What does the ending mean?
Although "Good Omens" the book and "Good Omens" the series both fall into the comedy genre, both are rife with important messages and underlying themes. We have two characters from opposite backgrounds who are supposed to be enemies. Yet they come together with a common goal and form an unlikely friendship that turns into something more.
Both Heaven and Hell's denizens are aghast at Aziraphale and Crowley's peculiar relationship, unable to see how "good" and "evil" can be a compatible pair. Yet when the leaders of both factions end up falling in love, it completely changes the game. Crowley sees it as a sign that he and Aziraphale can finally be happy together as neutral parties. Aziraphale, however, sees it as an opportunity to rise above his station, as well as help return Crowley to the "good" side. Sadly, the message of love conquering all is completely lost on the wayward angel, and he ends up losing Crowley in the process.
Our takeaway from Season 2 is that while love is a powerful motivator, it's also very complicated. Nina and Maggie have the potential to become a happy couple, but they choose to wait to pursue a relationship together until they're ready. As for Crowley and Aziraphale, even though their feelings for one another are finally out in the open, they both want very different things, which ultimately keeps them apart.
What happens to Crowley?
It's not easy being a demon, but it's especially not easy being a demon in hiding. At the beginning of "Good Omens" Season 2, Crowley is trying to keep off the radar of Hell's incredibly vindictive higher-ups. Of course, when Aziraphale comes asking for his help with Gabriel, Crowley can't say no to his favorite angel. Against his baser instincts to destroy the vulnerable former Archangel and keep the heat off of him and Aziraphale, Crowley agrees to help protect the wayward Gabriel.
It wouldn't be the first time that Crowley has made sacrifices for Aziraphale. Through a series of flashbacks, we learn of many instances in which the demon went against Hell's orders in order to please his partner. Yet whenever anyone suggests that he and Aziraphale are more than friends, Crowley dismisses the idea out of hand. It isn't until the final episode of Season 2 that Crowley finally puts himself out there — with unfortunately disastrous results.
By the end of Season 2, Crowley is left heartbroken. As if being cast out of Heaven wasn't enough, Crowley is reeling from the sting of Aziraphale's rejection. While it used to be just the two of them against the rest of the universe, the demon finds himself truly alone for the first time in a long time.
What happens to Aziraphale?
Though he may be a bit soft, Aziraphale is not as malleable as some might believe. Where angels are meant blindly to carry out orders, Aziraphale chooses to question Heaven's ineffable plan at multiple turns. This is most evident in Season 2, Episode 2 of "Good Omens," titled "Chapter Two: The Clue featuring the minisode A Companion to Owls." The flashback tells a different side of a memorable bible story, in which a man named Job's (Peter Davison) devotion to God is tested. When Aziraphale learns that Job's children are to be killed, he fails to see the value of Heaven's intentions and decides to intervene — with Crowley's reluctant help.
The episode is the perfect example of Aziraphale's sympathy for humankind, and his willingness to go against Heaven's divine plan when he feels it is needlessly cruel. But throughout the centuries, Aziraphale still considers himself to be on the side of the angels. All of that changes with the events of "Good Omens" Season 1, when he and Crowley go against their bosses' wishes to stop Armageddon, making them somewhat neutral parties. Yet when the Metatron comes to Aziraphale with the offer to be in charge, the angel can't help being tempted. Add to that the idea of Crowley being accepted back into Heaven as an angel, and it feels like the perfect arrangement from Aziraphale's perspective.
Things don't happen the way that Aziraphale hopes, however, and he and Crowley go their separate ways. The final scene shows Aziraphale riding the elevator staring straight forward, as a series of conflicting emotions cross his face.
What happens to Gabriel?
The character who goes through the biggest evolution in "Good Omens" Season 2 is arguably Archangel Gabriel. Fans of the first season likely remember the violet-eyed antagonist who gave Aziraphale a difficult time. Like the rest of the angels and demons, Gabriel was eager for the coming of the Antichrist and the epic battle between Heaven and Hell. At the end of Season 1, Gabriel, along with the rest of Heaven's hosts and Hell's legion, was thoroughly disappointed that Armageddon was put off indefinitely.
In Season 2's final episode, we learn that Gabriel had secret meetings with Beelzebub following the events of Season 1. As the two try to figure out how to get the war back up and running, they discover that perhaps their opposing sides aren't so different after all. This leads to Gabriel going against the other Archangels and opposing Armageddon, which leads to his banishment from Heaven and the loss of his memory.
It's a huge shock to everyone that Gabriel and Beelzebub have fallen in love with one another, and are now considered traitors on both sides. As the factions of Hell and Heaven argue how the two should be punished, the unlikely couple vanishes from sight. Perhaps they've taken Crowley's advice and run off to Alpha Centauri to live happily ever after, but who can say for certain?
What happens to Maggie?
Season 2 of "Good Omens" introduces two new characters into the fold. One of them is Maggie, Aziraphale's tenant and the owner of a failing vinyl record store. When we first meet her, she tearfully confesses to Aziraphale that she cannot make the month's rent. Being the angel he is, Aziraphale forgives her debt in exchange for a small stack of the records.
Maggie is hopelessly in love with Nina, who runs a coffee shop on the same street. However, she's also incredibly shy and awkward, making her attempts to woo her very difficult. When Maggie does finally get up the nerve to ask Nina out, she learns that Nina already has a partner. Although Aziraphale and Crowley attempt to set the two women up, the plan backfires because, well, humans are complicated.
We do see a change in Maggie by the end of Season 2, as she becomes more assertive. When the demons surround Aziraphale's bookshop with Nina and Maggie inside, Maggie finds her courage and stands up to the hellish mob. After Nina and her partner break up, Maggie is willing to give Nina her space until she is ready to start a new relationship. After everything she's been through — from sudden power outages to Jane Austen-inspired fetes — Maggie's experiences have helped her find her voice.
What happens to Nina?
The object of Maggie's affection, Nina is the proprietor of "Give Me Coffee or Give Me Death," a shop on the same street as Aziraphale's bookshop and Maggie's record store. Amidst all the chaos happening elsewhere, Nina has her own set of problems. At the core of her troubles is a toxic relationship with a controlling, emotionally abusive partner who texts her constantly and accuses her of infidelity.
When Maggie first comes into the coffee shop, Nina is understandably too occupied with her own anxieties to even recognize Maggie's feelings for her. Even once she becomes aware of Maggie's affections, Nina's headspace has no room for a new romance. Eventually, Nina's partner ends things over text, but Nina doesn't have much time to process them before she is thrown into the middle of machinations between Hell and Heaven.
By the end of "Good Omens" Season 2, Nina is just starting to find a moment to breathe. Understandably, she wants to take a step back from relationships rather than rush into something new. However, she is willing to consider a possible romance with Maggie in the future. Hopefully, with time, she will be able to heal enough to invite the possibility of love into her life once again.
Will there be Good Omens Season 3?
If "Good Omens" fans were hoping that Season 2 would wrap up their favorite angel and demon's story in a neat little bow, they might be disappointed. There are a lot of unresolved issues at the end of the season, not least of which is the very large rift between the pair. There's also an ominous hint that another celestial event is on the horizon. As the Metatron escorts Aziraphale into the elevator to Heaven, he insinuates that he has a lot of work ahead of him in his new position. He mentions the phrase "the Second Coming," words that may hold important meaning for those versed in religious lore.
According to multiple religious sects (including Christianity and Islam), the Second Coming refers to the return of the resurrected and ascended Jesus to Earth. The Christian Bible states that Jesus, being the literal son of God, will judge every human soul at this time, including rewards for the faithful and punishment for the wicked. It might not be the same as Armageddon, but the idea of the Second Coming has its own heavy connotations. Unlike most angels, Aziraphale has a soft spot for humankind, and might not be up for the possible negative effects on Earth's so-called "wicked" population.
Although Season 2 of "Good Omens" leaves several things unresolved, there is no official news about "Good Omens" Season 3 yet. Show creator Neil Gaiman stated on Tumblr that he does have plans for Season 3, but the current WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike does complicate things. Gaiman also said that the decision of another season is ultimately up to Amazon.
What do the stars say about the ending of Season 2?
The breakup of Aziraphale and Crowley just as things are finally happening between them is a serious blow for fans who were rooting for the two to finally get together. Just take a look at Twitter and you'll see how deep that frustration goes, especially after the Kiss Heard Round the Universe.
Yet, according to an interview with Polygon, stars David Tennant and Michael Sheen seem to be just fine with how things turned out. Aziraphale's decision to take the job offer and return to Heaven's fold is "part of that search for what is the right thing to do," said Sheen. As for Crowley, Tennant was quoted as saying: "I suppose the thing that Crowley learns from Aziraphale is that the path of least resistance is not always the one to take."
While fans might not be happy with how things ended up between them, the actors portraying Crowley and Aziraphale seem to believe that their actions are justified based on the nature of the characters. Aziraphale hopes that he might be able to change things from the inside, while Crowley rejects everything to do with the establishment. It sure sounds like the sort of thing that an angel and demon would do, regardless of how viewers might feel about it.