Good Omens Episode 4 + the Book

[lunabee34]

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I absolutely adore this book; I've read it at least three times, and it just gets better every time I read it. It's very funny but also contains some pretty insightful commentary on human nature and the possibility of the divine. For me, the relationship between Aziraphale and Crowley is the heart of the book; I also love the Them. Every time I read it, I am amazed at seamlessly it reads; coauthoring is hard, yo!



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The series is an excellent adaptation of the book. It essentially goes chronologically from the beginning of the book to the end (with a couple of scenes introduced earlier in the show than in the book, such as Agnes's death scene); most of the dialogue and narration are taken directly from the text. A few small items have been left out so far like Crowley resurrecting the dove that Aziraphale accidentally squishes in his sleeve. The most important changes so far, though, are additions--most notably pretty much all of episode three. Episode three is the jaunt through time showing how Crowley and Aziraphale become friends which is not depicted in the book at all; the book just gives two pages about the Arrangement they have between them without really exploring how it developed. I think that's why Good Omens has been so beloved of fandom and so ripe for fanfic, almost all of which is about Aziraphale and Crowley and their interactions throughout time. Episode three is just Neil Gaiman validating every single delicious Aziraphale/Crowley fanfic out there. I adore it. To me, an adaptation doesn't need to be paint by the numbers, rote and exact, to be faithful, and this is certainly a faithful one.

Not too much to say about episode four. Pollution is played by a woman. I really like that the show has a very diverse cast and is putting women and people of color into as many roles as possible. Absolutely adore Hastur screaming like Rom on DS9; that makes the episode for me. LOL Two additions this episode: Aziraphale being menaced by his fellow angels (and a certain contingency of fandom sat up and took note) and the suggestion that other angels and demons have similar arrangements to Aziraphale and Crowley's. I'm neutral about the last; on the one hand, I like the idea that their relationship is unique, but on the other, I like the idea that the system is so borked that many others have independently found the same way of muddling through. Only two episodes left!

Comments

[kore]

THANK YOU for being so much clearer about how it was adapted than just about most everyone else. I do think I'm going to watch it, but I'm still cautious because a lot of the type popular adaptations and Moi are unmixy things.

[lunabee34]

I haven't watched episodes five or six yet, so there might be additional changes there, but through episode four, I've found the changes to be way net positive.

I haven't really been worried about spoilers since I know the gist of the story, and I gather there's at least two big changes to come: the biker gang gets left out (which I don't find a big deal), and there's apparently a final scene with headquarters weighing in on Aziraphale and Crowley (that one I'll have to see to judge).

[kore]

Yeah, the biker gang that keeps changing their names? That was very funny on the page, but I don't see how it would work that well in an adaptation, and this one's limited to five or six eps. I did hear a spoiler about the ending, but it didn't make me go :-/ and seemed to thematically fit in with the book, so I'm still hopeful!

[lunabee34]

Oh that's good to know! I have high hopes for the last two episodes. I'm going to actually push for us to watch them both tonight rather than dragging it out over two more nights, but I may be vetoed. LOL

[ponders_life]

I just finished listening to the audiobook (narrated by Martin Jarvis, who in my opinion did a fabulous job), and tonight I'm starting to watch the show on Netflix!

[lunabee34]

I have a friend who has listened to just about every Terry Pratchett book on audio; I wonder if it's with the same narrator.