Watching the news for a while now feels like watching the apocalypse. It already seemed true before things like a global pandemic or a war in Ukraine emerged. So sometimes it only remains to look at the apocalypse with a certain humorand we have plenty of fictions for it, capable of giving a cathartic sensation before the end of everything.
Also taking advantage of Holy Week, we can laugh a little at the end of the world with one of those irreverent works that gives a twist to Christian symbols and myths. A fun exploration of good and evil through unbridled fantasy and well-spun British comedy. Perfect for the party marathoneven if it is to live a different version of these: ‘Good Omens’.
The end of the world to the rhythm of Queen
Neil Gaiman, the brilliant author of ‘Sandman’ (comics and series), offers in six fresh and powerful episodes a formidable adaptation of his own novel alongside the late Terry Pratchett. Created by the novelist himself so that it can be seen on Amazon Prime Video, the series offers one of the best screen translations of his particular sense for fantasy.
Of course, who better than Gaiman himself to move his vibrant imagination and explosive sense of humor from one medium to another. Here he takes us to a version of Earth where the Antichrist was born, who must unleash the Apocalypse. Heaven and hell are waiting for the divine plan to take place to, incidentally, culminate their confrontation. This is not the case with Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and Crowley (David Tennant), an angel and a demon who have developed a friendly relationship with the millennia and will try to prevent the end of the world.
Having two such accomplished and charismatic actors helps a lot to sell the series, but the truth is that these two characters are one of the best successes of ‘Good Omens’. Their relationship is charged with metaphysical reflection while remaining genuine, and care in its development (both through flashbacks and conflicts that arise from their own nature). they give the perfect heart to the series so that it is not one more provocative extravagance.
‘Good Omens’: shaking hands before the abyss
Although the part of the parody is also a powerful incentive. The satire works both to turn all the biblical symbology related to the apocalypse upside down and to reflect the complex human nature that can fall hopelessly into the absurd. That comedy provides an estimable freshness that goes well hand in hand with a stupendous fantasy that on screen looks tremendously well cared for.
In the face of anxiety about a possible end of time, there is no better medicine than laughing at that very end. Works like ‘Good Omens’ are the The Kind of Fun That’s Unintentionally Therapeutic. If an angel and a demon can preserve a friendship for a long time without being worn down by the madness of the world around them, there is still a glimmer of hope for us.
In Espinof | The best science fiction series that you can watch on streaming