‘Good Omens 2’ Offends with Irreverent Christianity and Humor

“Good Omens ​2” is worse than blasphemous, it’s boring. This ​new Amazon Prime show⁢ is a sequel‌ to the amusing 2019 adaptation ⁢of Neil ⁣Gaiman and the late-Terry Pratchett’s 1990 novel parodying bad Christian eschatological fiction. In the original story,⁢ the angel Aziraphale (Michael ⁣Sheen) and the demon Crowley (David ​Tennant) team up ‌to⁤ stop Armageddon after Crowley accidentally ‍misplaces the baby ‍Antichrist.

If you’re wondering⁢ how to get a sequel​ from that, well, the⁤ writers of this season had the same problem.

They settled⁣ for replaying ⁤hits from the first season,​ only with no one knowing what ‍was going on. An amnesiac Gabriel ​(Jon Hamm) shows ‌up at Aziraphale’s London bookshop with both angels ⁤and ‍demons hunting for him. Hijinks, or‍ at least a facsimile of them, once again⁢ ensue as‍ Aziraphale and Crowley try to ⁤hide Gabriel and figure out what the hell (or heaven) ⁢is going on.⁤ Along the way, there are a few flashbacks (e.g., the⁢ book of Job ‌is turned‍ into‌ a farce), some ‍bad CGI, a lot of LGBT stuff (of course),​ and an eventual big reveal that is pure cringe.

The ‌actors are ⁤generally fine, but ‍the ‌pacing is off, the jokes ‌are flat, and the earnest⁤ bits just make the viewer feel embarrassed for everyone ⁤involved. I suspect Gaiman wrote ‍nothing for this⁢ except when it came ‌time to sign the back of each check. In short, “Good Omens” has gone bad. The earnestness was the worst part. A comedy can⁤ earn ‍the right ⁣to be earnest​ — the end of “Blackadder Goes Forth” is an excellent example of ⁢this⁤ — but “Good Omens 2” doesn’t come close to that level of rapport⁤ with the audience. It doesn’t have ​enough emotional heft⁢ (which can be established⁢ through good comedy)‍ to provoke sympathy.

And earnestness is ⁤an especially poor fit because the ‍world of “Good⁢ Omens” ⁤is essentially Lovecraftian with a ⁣lighter touch. God is inscrutable and absent, with the ​angels consequently degenerating into bureaucracy while trying to implement a‍ divine⁢ plan they don’t understand. Mankind is clueless as powers⁣ beyond our comprehension⁣ blunder about plotting to destroy each ​other ⁤and us.

As this illustrates, the original book and show ​were to actual‌ Christianity what the Thor movies are ​to Norse‌ mythology.​ But the story had just‌ enough connection (and ‌good enough writers) to be funny and ⁤maybe even prompt a few worthwhile reflections. Its merit‍ was⁤ rooted in the Christianity ⁢it treated as fodder for​ jokes — and in fairness, Christian end-times fiction is a target-rich environment.

While any sequel would inevitably struggle to top stopping Armageddon, the overall premise still ⁣has⁤ a great ⁤deal of potential for both humor and pathos. Humans caught between​ angels and demons in a cosmos from which God has seemingly withdrawn could certainly ⁣make for some good stories and some good (probably dark) comedy. Unfortunately, the ⁣writers had no idea⁢ how to​ use this setup, and no message better than suggesting⁤ that ‌heaven and hell should make love,‌ not war. It’s just ⁤banal.

The decline from the ⁣original story ‌to the sequel is representative of⁣ the malaise of post-Christian culture ​and art. The creative force unleashed by the cultural and ‍technological changes of the last century has been exhausted in just a few decades.⁤ As​ postmodernity’s connection (even as an ⁣antagonist) to the prior Christian culture withers, so does⁢ its creative force.​ This​ show is just one ⁢more​ example of​ there not being enough cultural ‌juice left to produce great art or even much good entertainment.

Good art‌ has to be true to the human condition, and contemporary culture has no idea what the human‍ condition is. And because we‍ do not‌ understand ourselves and our situation, we are ⁤also incapable⁣ of understanding those ‌who are⁣ different ⁢from us.‍ This‌ is​ why shows with vastly different settings and⁣ characters all end up being ‍more or ​less the same. The writers have⁢ nothing ‍but the ‌same‍ insipid, stale tropes to repeatedly ⁣rehash, whether they are writing for angels, demons,⁢ elves, dwarves, 19th-century Londoners, or ⁣modern New Yorkers. And so everyone thinks and sounds ‌interchangeable, regardless ​of the costumes and the CGI layered on​ top.

There is no​ easy fix for this. Artists — a​ category that might generously⁤ include the writers of Amazon TV shows⁢ — cannot ‍will themselves into belief just so they can be better at their craft. And they are not ​totally devoid of dogmas, but so-called diversity, ⁤equity, and inclusion are not really enough⁣ to live on, let ⁤alone create anything worthwhile.

And these little orthodoxies ⁤are a​ terrible​ fit for the cosmos of “Good Omens,” with angels blundering and demons scheming while God is out to lunch — a world that makes one ⁣long to‌ be alone in⁤ an​ uncaring universe. Terror and tragedy ⁢fit this, as ⁢do absurdist gallows humor, as in​ the original ⁢story. The doctrines of ‌Caitlyn in⁢ HR do not. ⁢Even if we accept “Good ​Omens 2” as fundamentally mocking⁤ religion (which is likely), the show is not funny or engaging‍ enough for the ‌critique to​ land, and the proposed alternative is just woke cringe. Viewers might forgive “Good Omens ‌2” for‍ dispensing ⁢with the divine ‌but not for forgoing comedy.