Good Omens is back with a new season. And it's still a brilliant series

Season 2 of Good Omens premiered on Amazon Prime on July 28. In six new episodes, familiar characters will once again seek a balance between the heavenly and the human.

The first season was based on the 1990 novel Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. Gaiman himself wrote the script for the adaptation, so it's no surprise that the series turned out to be a very accurate and meticulous film adaptation. However, for the second season, Gaiman was forced to come up with an entirely new story.

Starring Michael Sheen ("Frost & Nixon"), David Tennant ("Doctor Who”), Jon Hamm (“Mad Men”).

In the first season, the second-hand bookseller Aziraphale and the demon Crowley stopped the apocalypse - they liked living on Earth too much, so they were against the destruction of the planet. In the second season, the heroes shelter the archangel Gabriel, who has lost his memory, from the forces of good and evil.

More down to earth story

If the plot of the first season was dictated by the book, then for the second

Gaiman invented everything from scratch. The same large-scale story did not work out - it seems that he did not want this. Crowley and Aziraphale accidentally team up again, albeit without the approaching apocalypse, but in danger to themselves.

On the one hand, the series dramatically loses its scale, and therefore goes into the plane of the sitcom. On the other hand, everything that is not connected with the plot is good in itself, and therefore viewing brings just as much pleasure.

Additional sketches

The slowness of the main storyline is compensated by sketches about the past. They were in the first season, but it seems that their role has changed: before they explained the structure of the heavenly office, and now they just entertain. Comparisons with "Monty PythonAlways haunted by Good Omens, with Season 2 it's even more relevant.

The new sketches are still the same at the same time absurd and provocative. The proposed interpretations of biblical stories will certainly outrage particularly sensitive people, although it is not entirely clear why they watch such series.

While the sketches themselves are good, sometimes they take up too much screen time. The conversations of the heroes "in our days" are much wittier and more interesting. Then Crowley learns with admiration that Jane Austen wrote novels (for him, she is a brandy smuggler and a spy), then Aziraphale finds a new loophole in divine laws - each such scene pleases more than another flashback for a couple of thousand years back.

Sheen and Tennant are incredible

If you look at Good Omens honestly, you have to admit that the main reason for viewing has always been the main characters and their relationships. There was absurdity, drama, and incredible chemistry between the actors in their dialogues. You could ignore all the other storylines and enjoy yourself. The second season recognizes this, and therefore it seems that Aziraphale and Crowley appear more frequently on screen. The secondary characters really fade into the background (they had too much screen time in the first season).

Both Michael Sheen and David Tennant are slightly dishonest actors. It seems that if you come up with a completely terrible script, and then have Sheen and Tennant play it, you still get a watchable series. "Good Omens" takes full advantage of the charisma of the actors, focusing on the relationship of their characters.

At the same time, the archangel Gabriel performed by Jon Hamm also looks great. Memory loss one of the most important characters adds another dimension to the series - the character is re-acquainted with the absurdity of human life, which serves as an additional comedic line. Maybe not the most original, but well played.

The lack of a literary source is a big problem and difficulty, which, fortunately, has been overcome. Although the new plot is not so bright, the charm of this universe has not faded at all. Season 2 of Good Omens neatly retained everything that season one was loved for, so it doesn't matter now for which Aziraphale and Crowley unite, the main thing is that they have even more joint screen time.