DISCLAIMER: This recap of Good Omens Season 2 Episode 2, “Chapter 2: The Clue,” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
Welcome back, angels and demons! “Chapter 2: The Clue” is all about solving the mystery that is Gabriel’s memory loss while diving deeper into Aziraphale and Crowley’s immense shared history. There are a lot of beautiful character beats in this outing as our angel and demon start to question their place in their respective factions. I love seeing the flashes of humanity in these characters, even though they’re unaware that their indecisiveness and knee-jerk impulse to question things are incredibly human. This episode gives us valuable context into how and why they slowly break away from Heaven and Hell while delivering its trademark biting humor.
I could watch David Tennant and Michael Sheen dole out Crowley/Aziraphale banter all day. Seriously. They’re so compelling together.
Ready to delve into “Chapter 2: The Clue”? Let’s get to it.
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We open in 2500 B.C. in the Land of Uz. Crowley (Tennant) is tasked with destroying Job’s goats. Aziraphale (Sheen) attempts to stop him with his biblical powers, but Crowley unveils a lengthy permit he got from the Most High Themself. Yes, God approves of Hell getting their destruction on. Aziraphale returns to Heaven and has Muriel (Quelin Sepulveda) examine Crowley’s permit from God. She reveals it’s legit. Oh, and it’s all part of a bet between Heaven and Hell. Hell steps in to ruin Job’s life. The test will boil down to whether Job blames God for his problems or not.
Gabriel (Jon Hamm) and Michael (Doon Mackichan) disclose what they plan to give Job to compensate for his losses. One part that doesn’t sit well with Aziraphale is their decision to kill Job’s three children and give his wife Sitis, who’s 58, the ability to birth seven children. Aziraphale questions why they can’t restore the three kids.
In the present, Aziraphale learns that memory-less Gabriel is alphabetizing titles by the first letter of the first sentence on the first page of each book. An unorthodox approach to organization, to be sure. Gabriel starts singing “Everyday” by Buddy Holly. Aziraphale asks Gabriel about the tune, but Gabriel claims he just started singing. He doesn’t know what the song is. Meanwhile, Shax (Miranda Richardson) tells Crowley what he already knows: Gabriel is missing. Shax impresses the importance of finding him and that Crowley will be punished if he’s in the know.
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Next, Aziraphale heads into Maggie’s (Maggie Service) record store to ask her about Gabriel’s song. Maggie vents about her feelings for Nina (Nina Sosanya), who she looks at longingly while the latter works outside. She feels like she blew it with Nina. Aziraphale is supportive but is in a hurry to figure out the Gabriel situation. He offers to help her later. Maggie reveals the title of the song and its artist. She gives him a record from a pub in Edinburgh. Apparently, every record they play eventually turns into that song.
Aziraphale sees a note attached to the record: “The Resurrectionist, 66, Goat Gate, Edinburgh.” It rings a bell for him. While heading back to the bookstore, Aziraphale runs into Michael, Uriel (Gloria Obianyo) and Saraqael (Liz Carr). They’re paying him a visit to inquire about the energy blast Saraqael found earlier. They meet Gabriel, who introduces himself as Jim. However, they don’t recognize him. Huzzah! That means Aziraphale and Crowley’s “half miracles” worked.
While in the store, Michael asks Aziraphale to fill in the blanks. He claims he performed a love miracle for Maggie and Nina. According to him, it worked. They’re in love now. Gabriel occasionally interjects. He even waves Terry Pratchett‘s The Colour of Magic in Saraqael’s face. Aw. What a lovely little nod to the late Pratchett, the co-father of Good Omens. The trio of archangels vows to return. They also want to confirm that Aziraphale’s “love miracle” actually worked. Uh-oh.
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Then, Aziraphale and Crowley meet at a pub to discuss their next moves. Aziraphale reveals they need to become matchmakers for Nina and Maggie to throw the archangels off their scent. Crowley wonders aloud whether creating a rainstorm and forcing them under an awning will do the trick. That’ll result in a big smooch, right? Aziraphale suggests they throw a ball like Jane Austen used to do. Speaking of Austen, according to Crowley, she used to be a master spy and a brandy smuggler. He had no idea how famous she was for her novels. I now need a spin-off from Neil Gaiman featuring Jane Austen doing everything Crowley said.
Later, our dynamic duo returns to the bookstore to ask Gabriel to search his mind for any prominent memories. Suddenly, Gabriel’s eyes turn purple, and he recites God’s words to Job. Crowley and Aziraphale try to push him further, but he claims his head isn’t big enough.
Next, we return to 2500 B.C., with Crowley chatting with Job (Peter Davison) after Hell ruined his life. Job still has his faith. Sitis (Andi Osho) arrives, and both husband and wife question where their children are. Crowley returns to his mansion, where Aziraphale waits for him. Crowley apparently couldn’t kill all the goats, so he turned some of them into crows. Aziraphale discovers this when he hears the crows bleating instead of cawing. The pair get into an argument about whose side they’re on. Perhaps Crowley isn’t entirely Team Hell, just as Aziraphale might not be entirely Team Heaven.
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Oh, and guess what? Job and Sitis’ kids are still alive. Ennon (Ty Tennant), Keziah (Sienna Arif-Knights) and Jemimah (Cherry Mitra) enter the scene. Fun fact: Peter Davison, who plays Job, is David Tennant’s father-in-law. He’s also the Fifth Doctor. Ty Tennant, who plays Ennon, is David’s son. So, Job’s son is actually his grandson. It’s a family affair!
Aziraphale pushes Crowley’s buttons. In retaliation, our fave demon tries to burn the mansion down. Thankfully, he saves everyone at the last minute, transporting them to the cellar. But he eventually becomes fed up with Ennon’s sassiness (I like to imagine this was how David and Ty were when Ty was a teen) and turns him into a lizard. Then, he transforms Keziah and Jemimah into lizards, too. Everyone gets to be a lizard.
That night, the angel and the demon imbibe and engorge themselves with wine and food. Then, they find Job outside talking to God (Frances McDormand), which is a huge deal. They don’t really speak to anyone. Job returns home to Sitis the following morning and tells her he didn’t understand what God told him. Gabriel, Michael and the archangels arrive to reveal the good news. They’re getting more goats! However, Job and Sitis don’t care about the goats. They ask where their children are.
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Gabriel informs them that God will give them seven new kids because the other three are dead. Naturally, the couple starts sobbing. Crowley barges into Job’s dilapidated house. He claims he’s a shoemaker and well-versed in childbirth. Aziraphale and Crowley have Sitis rip out Job’s ribs. Then, they “embrace,” sealing the sexual intercourse deal. Hey, Gabriel thinks this is what sex is based on how God created humans, and the other archangels are also ignorant. After Job and Sitis part, we see Ennon, Keziah and Jemimah as humans (and not lizards).
Gabriel and Michael question if those are “new” kids or the “old” ones. Aziraphale and Crowley insist that Sitis just gave birth to brand spankin’ new babies. Grown babies. The archangels buy it, thankfully.
Now, we’re back in the present. Crowley runs into Nina on the street. He tries to plant a bug in her ear about giving Maggie a shot. Aziraphale tells Crowley (well, more like demands) he’s driving his Bentley to The Resurrectionist in Edinburgh to hopefully find more clues to solve the Gabriel puzzle. He refers to the Bentley as their car. Domestic boyfriends, please, and thank you? Aziraphale asks Crowley to watch Gabriel and the bookstore while he’s gone. Crowley begrudgingly does what he’s told. Gabriel finds a copy of Good Omens at the store and reads the first few sentences aloud. We’re getting meta here.
In another flashback, Aziraphale sobs in front of Crowley after the Job stuff. He believes he’s bad now and he should get demoted. Crowley laughs at him. He knows Aziraphale doesn’t have it in him to be a demon. If anything, these nuances in Aziraphale and Crowley make them more … human.
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What do you think Aziraphale will find in Edinburgh? How long will Aziraphale and Crowley’s protective shield on Gabriel hold? Can they make Nina and Maggie fall in love? Only time (and more episodes) will tell.
Good Omens Season 2 is now streaming on Prime Video.
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