Spoilers Amazon's Good Omens mini-series

[The Nth Doctor]

That time Neil Gaiman was 30 minutes late to his own London premiere.

For those who don't have Facebook (accompanied by a photo of a man tying a bow tie for Gaiman, posted by his wife, Amanda Palmer):

we were very late to the premiere of good omens in london because neil gaiman does not know how to tie a bow-tie.

nor would he attend the premiere without a bow-tie. we were at a standstill.

i did not know how to tie a bow-tie. neil’s literary agent did not know how to tie a bow-tie. neil’s assistant did not know how to tie a bow-tie. nobody working at the hotel knew how to tie a bow-tie. neil’s publicist did not know how to tie a bow-tie even after frantically googling a youtube instructional video.

the hotel concierge, seeing neil’s desperation, began asking passersby in the street. none of them knew how to tie a bow-tie. neil became more and more legitimately panicked. it was funny at first. and then he simply melted down. nobody could make jokes about how we were very late and how nobody could tie a bow-tie.

we were now half an hour late for neil’s premiere.

eventually the guy from the barber shop next to the hotel came to the rescue.

this is daniel, the guy from the barbershop next to the hotel who knew how to tie a bow-tie. he is the reason neil attended the premiere of good omens tonight in london.

thank you, daniel.

next time, neil, clip-on; or plan.​

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Wow, they're really pushing this one, I've seen so many commercials I was surprised to find it's not out yet.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

One episode in and I'm loving it. I'm already counting the Doctor Who references.

 

[PsychoPere]

At work so I haven't started watching this yet, but I did finish a reread of the book just last night.

Looking forward to watching at least one episode tonight after work!

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Well, I finished the whole thing already (yeah, yeah, I know) and I loved everything about it. The humor and the absurdities and the profoundity (and the profanity!) all carry through from page to screen almost effortlessly. The one thing I wondered about was how they would handle the footnotes and I think it was handled quite nicely. Practically Hitchhiker's Guide-esque.

Unsurprisingly, Tennant and Sheen were the runaway stars of the show (and just because of their written parts). They had such wonderful chemistry that I could listen to them reading the yellow pages. They fully embodied Aziraphale and Crowley as if they were second nature, even if Tennant did have the occasion Doctor-esque moment. If anyone else enjoyed those two together as much as I did, I highly recommend listening to Michael Sheen's appearance on David Tennant's podcast. It's a fantastic listen and Sheen tells a hilarious story about the time he had lunch with Neil Gaiman years before this production.

The rest of the cast was terrific, too, particular Jon Hamm as the angel Gabriel, where he clearly relished the role as someone was angelic, but not that angelic. Nick Offerman's role was unsurprisingly small but I always love it when he giggles because that's always worth the trip alone.

There were a handful of unexpected cameos throughout that I don't think I ever heard about. Most of them are character actors known from various popular shows, but there is one particular big name (in Britain anyways) who completely surprised me. It's truly amazing just how many well-known actors are involved in this series, no matter how small the role.

Spoiler: In case you want to be surprised

Susan Brown, Jonathan Aris, Johnny Vegas, and Bill Patterson are all ones I had no idea would show up in any form (Brown had more than just a cameo in the first episode and Patterson appeared in three episodes), while David Morrissey was the big surprise, popping up as the captain of the ocean liner that accidentally discovers Atlantis.

 

[JD]

Just watched this first episode, and I loved it. I haven't read the book yet, so I had no idea what to expect.
I can definitely see a lot of Terry Pratchett in the narration.

 

[thribs]

So if Adam and Eve were black people does that mean everyone on Earth is black? That changes everything!
I did like the “subtle” Grand Tour ad in episode 2.

 

[matthunter]

How has Neil Gaiman not heard of clip-on bow-ties?

Plus, this is a man who knows Matt Smith, who must be able to put them on in his sleep or talk someone through it over the phone by now.

 

[Turtletrekker]

I'm just glad that they were able to secure the rights to the Queen music. The story would not have been the same without the Queen music.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

At work so I haven't started watching this yet, but I did finish a reread of the book just last night.

I'm in the midst of rereading the book myself. I last read it in the early 90s, a hardcover bought at Waldenbooks, remaindered, that has long since been lost. (I've moved five times since then.) Now I have a nice trade paperback, with Sheen and Tennant on the cover.

I forgot how much I loved Dog. A hellhound from the pits of fire, transformed into a small-ish mutt who gets smacked around by the neighbor's ginger tabby and likes being playful.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I'm just glad that they were able to secure the rights to the Queen music. The story would not have been the same without the Queen music.

Yeah, same here. I had forgotten about Crowley's love for Queen and it really makes a difference to hear all of those songs.

 

[JD]

I'm in the midst of rereading the book myself. I last read it in the early 90s, a hardcover bought at Waldenbooks, remaindered, that has long since been lost. (I've moved five times since then.) Now I have a nice trade paperback, with Sheen and Tennant on the cover.

I forgot how much I loved Dog. A hellhound from the pits of fire, transformed into a small-ish mutt who gets smacked around by the neighbor's ginger tabby and likes being playful.

So it's name is just Dog then. I couldn't tell for sure if he said Dog, or Doug.
That's actually the second show I've seen lately with a dog just named Dog. The other is Daryl's dog on The Walking Dead.

 

[Q2UnME]

Like some, I powered through the 6 episode season in one sitting. It was very quirky but very good. I’m not familiar with the source material, but loved what was presented. The leads stole the show. The humor was dry and yet well played. Highly enjoyable

 

[thribs]

Would have loved to see them watching Supernatural and noting how right some of the stuff is.

 

[Nerys Myk]

The guard at the Airbase gate was reading American Gods.

 

[Teelie]

I thought there was a real missed opportunity where they showed a red phone box instead of a blue police box in a few scenes.

The show was good and there are potential plans for a second season although I doubt it will happen. I kind of hope they don't.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

The guard at the Airbase gate was reading American Gods.

Yup, I noticed that right away.

Apparently, Pratchett's iconic hat and scarf is in Aziraphale's bookshop but I never spotted them. Did anyone else?

I thought there was a real missed opportunity where they showed a red phone box instead of a blue police box in a few scenes.

Yeah, that's too bad, but we did get a few other great references (SIDRAT license plate, "EXTERMINATE!," Tennant's occasional Doctorisms, a plethora of Who alum in the cast).

The show was good and there are potential plans for a second season although I doubt it will happen. I kind of hope they don't.

Gaiman has made it absolutely clear that there is only one season. Everything from the book is in the show and Gaiman will never write a sequel without Pratchett. He only did this series because he felt indebted to Pratchett as a "last request."

 

[Grendelsbayne]

Yup, I noticed that right away.

Apparently, Pratchett's iconic hat and scarf is in Aziraphale's bookshop but I never spotted them. Did anyone else?


Yeah, that's too bad, but we did get a few other great references (SIDRAT license plate, "EXTERMINATE!," Tennant's occasional Doctorisms, a plethora of Who alum in the cast).


Gaiman has made it absolutely clear that there is only one season. Everything from the book is in the show and Gaiman will never write a sequel without Pratchett. He only did this series because he felt indebted to Pratchett as a "last request."

Stories online seems to suggest he and Pratchett did a lot of work plotting out a sequel at one time, they just never sat down and wrote it. Some of that material was used in the show apparently, but there supposedly is still more that could be used for a season 2, if it gets made. Seems very clear, though, that Gaiman isn't interested in sticking around for more tv work - wants to get back to novels - so it would have to be done without him, which seems unlikely and unwise. Still, to my surprise, season 1 clearly leaves the door open to it.

 

[Awesome Possum]

I finished it tonight, it was wonderful.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

I thought there was a real missed opportunity where they showed a red phone box instead of a blue police box in a few scenes.

There is a Dalek in the novel. It's a bit rubbish, and it falls off the UFO's ramp and has to be dragged back in by two other aliens, one of whom is a frog.

So it's name is just Dog then. I couldn't tell for sure if he said Dog, or Doug.

Dog. And, despite being a hellhound, his level of awareness is that of a dog. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knows he should be doing terrible things, but his dog-like nature makes him pick fights with cats, establish his own territory, dig up bones, and mate with a toy poodle. And, when he thinks about it, to the extent that he can, because he's a dog, he's a bit disappointed that he'll have to go back to Hell, since being a dog is so much fun.