GOOD OMENS: Best. Apocalypse. Ever.

It kinda always feels like the world’s ending, huh? We live in in an age where social media blasts us with article after article, telling us what’s wrong with the world on each particular day. Some of us probably just want armageddon to hurry up and get here already. Well, it’s here, and it’s glorious.

Now I should start by saying that, excluding a certain series about a boy wizard with glasses, Good Omens is my favorite book. It’s an awe-inspiring team up of two of fantasy’s most celebrated writers, Neil Gaiman and the late great Terry Pratchett. I first read this book a few summers back while on vacation with my family. The hot beaches of New Jersey couldn’t be more antithetical to Tadfield, England, but I hardly noticed the waves of the ocean while reading this book.

The book was everything I was looking for. It was funny, poking fun at faith and the church in ways that struck the perfect chord with my Catholic upbringing, but the overarching theme of frustration with the “divine plan” felt like a companion to a college sophomore who was all at once so sure and so confused about everything theistic (years later and I still am!).

Flash forward to me hitting “play” on Amazon Prime to begin the streaming site’s adaptation of my favorite book, and from the first frame, I was enthralled. There’s so much in this show to love. It’s the first case where saying ” there’s something for everyone” actually feels genuine. There’s smart comedy, earnest romance, poignant drama, and visuals to dazzle even the most superhero-addled of viewers. Let’s talk about what makes the omens so good. Let’s talk about Good Omens.

The Rundown

So what is Good Omens? Let’s just get our bearings before we go any further, because maybe you’re here to find out if this show is for you (if you’ve got a beating heart, this show is for you).

Good Omens tells the story of the end of the world and the unwitting antichrist, who takes the form of a human child named Adam Young (Sam Taylor Buck), who is prophesied to bring about the destruction of mankind. The suave demon, Crowley (David Tennant) and the uptight angel, Aziraphale (Michael Sheen), who are fond of life on Earth and each other, take it upon themselves to stop this from happening, even though the “higher ups”, such as the Archangel Gabriel, (John Hamm) want the apocalypse to come so that the final war between heaven and hell can commence.

The rest is armageddon. The kraken rising from the sea, aliens coming to earth, nuclear warfare; you know, armageddon.

A Duo That Fell From Heaven

If flaming swords and hellhounds aren’t your cup of tea, then the performances in this show will be enough to keep you hooked throughout all six episodes. Michael Sheen and David Tennant are two cosmic forces that clash and harmonize together so well that you might think you’re watching a meteor shower lighting up the night sky, but you’re not. You’re just watching two actors play off of each other in roles that they were born to play.

Tennant is seductively contagious as the demon Crowley. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen him, clad in black and eyes blazing yellow, bellowing at his houseplants to teach them to grow better. Tennant carries Crowley with the refined, carefree attitude that only a demon facing the end could have, and yet he allows Crowley’s soft side to bleed through just enough so that we’re able to root for him without, you know, rooting for an embodiment of evil.

Michael Sheen’s Aziraphale is the cool side of the pillow after a long day of travel. He’s the just right amount of sugar in your morning coffee. Maybe it’s his cream-colored tartan clothing, or his irresistible smile and joy in all things good, but when you watch his performance, you feel as though that thing you were worrying about suddenly feels manageable. He plays Aziraphale as the affable book lover that we all want angels to be, so that when he loses his composure, the show becomes urgent and the most exciting thing you can watch.

But however wonderful these two are in their performances, it’s nothing compared to how they are together. Sheen and Tennant are a match made in, much to Aziraphale’s delight, heaven. They bicker like an old married couple, and they aren’t afraid to show their affection for each other as the end looms nearer and nearer. It’s a beautiful relationship to watch span over six thousand years, and one that I feel privileged to get to see. When the end does come and the dust clears, I’ll still be here shouting the praises of Sheen and Tennant, the greatest duo of the last few millennia.

Fun And Fantasy

Besides the charm of Azirowley, (Aziraphale + Crowley, keep up!) one of the things that drives Good Omens and keeps it so damn lovable is how it surrenders itself to fantasy and the sheer joy of storytelling. This is not a TV show that the show runners are trying to keep grounded, with realistic uses of magic to make it feel more tangible. Good Omens wants you to feel the wonder that Adam Young and his 11 year-old cronies feel while riding around the streets of Tadfield.

There are bright, vivid colors in this show, with set pieces that detail what it’s like to walk around a magic bookshop, a forest perfect for any type of make believe, and the expanse of both heaven and hell to provide ample eye protein for your lookers to feast on.

And like the book, or like the experience of reading the book, the show is narrated by none other than two-time Oscar Winner Frances McDormand. She lends her voice to God, as she brilliantly interrupts the show with her omniscient knowledge, containing all the dry, British humor that made Pratchett and Gaiman such a perfect pairing in the first place. The narration of the show keeps the feeling light, making us feel comforted, even as we watch the world end.

McDormand’s narrations keep the pacing of the show intact, as it often switches from character to character in its attempt to blend multiple plot lines together. Without the narration to help us to keep everything straight, the plot might get muddled and lost, but the show keeps us on track with all the right nudges and winks.

What A Wonderful World

There are two moments in the show that I want to talk about briefly, both involving Aziraphale. One is when Aziraphale has to take a moment to collect himself while he and Crowley are in Tadfield. He puts his hand to his chest and tells Crowley that there’s “love” surrounding Tadfield. That someone deeply loves it. And that someone is Adam Young. Even when he is telling his friends what parts of the world they can rule when he brings about the end, he only wants Tadfield for himself.

Another comes in the final episode, when the end has passed, and Aziraphale and Crowley once more enjoy a meal together. They hold up their glasses, and toast “to the world.” Crowley says it with his usual bored candor, and Sheen’s Aziraphale says it with all the love of a parent speaking to their child. There’s a huge smile on his face, and you even hear him get slightly choked up. It’s wonderfully empathetic acting from Sheen.

Conclusion: Good Omens

Good Omens loves the world, and the people in it. It maintains, as Frances McDormand puts it, that people aren’t fundamentally good or fundamentally evil, they’re fundamentally people. Even the antichrist, born with the power to end the universe, had a choice. Good Omens is the perfect band aid for the world around us right now. It wants us to remember that the world is worth keeping around.

So, *raises glass* to the world. *clink*

What do you think of Good Omens? Do you have a favorite end-of-the-world movie or show? Do you want to spend a day with Crowley and Aziraphale? Let me know in the comments blow!

Good Omens is streaming on Amazon Prime now.