Body-swap theory!!
okay, just putting this all together for ease of access, since it's been spread out across several posts now--
The day after it aired I watched the ending like actually 30 times and I became fully 99.999999% certain they switched places. I was initially thinking during the kiss, cuz of how the camera angle changes, but after watching an additional 20 times a few days later, I'm personally leaning much more towards them stopping time in the instance after "no nightingales".
Before the kiss, Aziraphale is saying "nice" things about the Metatron, but his face and voice keep switching to broadcasting distress, and they make it a point to show in ep 1 that Crowley can read him just from tone of voice
As they're pulling away after the kiss, they lock eyes and "Aziraphale's" expression shifts in the teeniest tiniest way, like a confirmation glance, before they shift back (and Michael Sheen is a master, so no chance it's not on purpose)
---(Like really, go back and watch how Aziraphale's expression shifts literally *a second* before "I forgive you" cuz the change is SO minute, but entirely different emotionally.)
Also the way he moves his jaw right after he pulls his hand away from his lips, is a bit from MS's Crowley (you can see it in the very last two seconds of this vid- link)
Aziraphale's hands -stay by his sides- after that, he doesn't clasp them at all, and it's particularly noticeable while he's walking to the elevator with Metatron. The way he walks is very stiff and precise, similar to after the swap in S1.
We don't see the underside of Crowley's jacket collar after the kiss, at any point (it is for sure red at the beginning of the ep, you can see it right before he changes in Heaven)
The Bentley drives away SLOWLY, which is how Aziraphale drives, and we're specifically shown that it only plays other music for Aziraphale
the seats in the Bentley are black as it drives away. They're usually brown, and the only other time they're shown to be black is when Aziraphale drives (@picturesque-about-it broke down the times so you can see-link)
---extra pic for anyone saying it's "cuz Aziraphale is lighter"-- the seats are still brown behind Crowley when he wears white
there's people wearing yellow in -every- part of the scene showing the Bentley both before and while it drives away! (link for pics/credit)
Aziraphale's smile in the elevator looks more like MS's Crowley. It's very similar to the trial during S1, but also (link)
This also explains why they're on opposite sides than they're usually shown while the end credits roll
Extra points--
many good points made by other folks here, about cues and snakes in beehives and swap motifs throughout the season-- link
The clock! Someone mentioned how the scene is so quiet you can hear it ticking, so I watched the ending a further 50 times to double check----I need to preface this by stating, I don't think this is a working clock, mainly cuz the hands aren't 100% where they should be between the minutes and the hours, like -a person- moved them to that time manually
When they're talking, the clock is at approximately 9:25 (?, again the hour hand isn't precisely set), then they walk across the room, and kiss, and immediately after that the clock is set about 15-ish minutes later (link to timestamps)
thanks to these bts shots, we can see that the clock on the opposite side of the room registers the SAME time difference before and after the kiss (link)
the first time Aziraphale looks "towards the window", I'm petty sure he actually looks further back towards the clock, *focuses on it* as Metatron walks up to him, and then spends the ENTIRE REST OF THE EXCHANGE blocking the Metatron's view of the clock
we're shown earlier in the season that Crowley can localize his time-stopping to a certain extent, like when he stopped the doctor and the rest of the room kept going, so it is possible he only stopped everything -outside- of the bookshop
---I KNOW Neil said it's a continuity error, but he also fully said "No" about there being a season 2 just days before they announced it was already written and in production, so. Take him at his word if that's what you wanna do.
---also I DID go back and look it over, and the clock IS consistently specifically set the entire rest of the episode as far as I can see. From the shots when you have a clear view of the clock, the angels and demons enter the shop at around 6, Maggie and Nina leave at around 7, the Metatron comes in at 8-ish, Aziraphale comes back in at that approximately 9:25
(insight from someone who works in production- link)
the music right before the kiss scene is the same leitmotif (Life After Death) used when they originally started formulating the swap in season 1! (link)
the movie Stairway to Heaven (1946) is featured as a poster in both the opening credits and in Maggie's shop (link)
the climax of the film has one of the leads willing to "take the place" of the other in heaven
(they also used a time-stopping mechanic, and the chess book Gabriel tests gravity with also plays a key role in the film)
and one last mention, extra food for thought--- the season's focus on their trusting one another, their history of performing "death (and heaven/hell) defying" feats together, and how they always get the trick right when it truly counts the most
that's what I've got so far!
If I'm right, they're apart now, but are actually more together then ever, and I find that terribly exciting. (And if I'm wrong, that's okay too! I'm just here to have fun.)
I'm not particularly concerned with very specific reasoning (that's for season 3 to tell us!), but I do think this theory is extra fun cuz pretty much any of the others could be the "why" driving it.
I'm not trying to convince anyone, or put down any of the other theories, so if you're not feeling it, that's okay! I'm just sharing what clues I'm seeing, so you can check if you see them too. 💕
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Jokes on you, I, too, still think of dad!akaashi and his stupid friends who conspire against him with their precious niece 👀❤️
Emmy, they are all menaces! Akaashi is going THROUGH IT when it comes to available babysitters.Bokuto is a clumsy gigant, Konoha is a enabler that pimps out his kid and Yukie...well, she's mostly harmless when there's no tea party involved.
(There was an incident where baby Akaashi naively offered the cookie platter to Yukie thinking she'd do the same thing daddy does when hes invited to the tea parties, munch on it slowly, as a well-mannered noble. Instead, Yukie inhaled all the cookies like a starving angry dragon. It was a whole thing and baby Akaashi now refrains from inviting her for tea time)
The heavens finally open up for Akaashi Keiji when, after having to bring his baby along to work with him, they stop to have lunch at his favorite onigiri shop. And lo and behold, the Onigiri man himself is at the counter with a baby propped on his hip too (hello, baby tsumu is the #1 helper of Onigiri Miya. She gets her own employee of the month plaque and all.)
Anyway, baby Miya and baby Akaashi become friends really quickly during Keiji's lunch time, which is kind of a nice surprise to Osamu (look that girl's father is Atsumu, no way that Samu isn't gonna worry about his niece's socialization skills!). When its time to bid their goodbyes, both men feel their hearts breaking at the sight of teary eyed babies hugging each other, so Osamu asks Akaashi to let his baby stay for the rest of the day, this way the way the girls can enjoy each others conpany a little more. Osamu assures him, that since his brother had a emergency that required Osamu's last minute babysitting service, he's not really doing much work for that day anyway, just supervising staff & going over a few things in his office — where baby Miya has her own desk, with crayons, stickers, and books full of pictures to color, and she's excited to share with her new friend! And because this much better than what Keiji gets with his own babysitters back in Tokyo, he agrees.
At the end of the day, Akaashi stops by a closed onigiri miya to pick up his baby, and when Osamu leads him to the office in back of the shop, Keiji is greeted by the loveliest sight. On a small couch Osamu keeps in the corner of the office, the two girls ar4 fast asleep next to each other, sharing a blanket and holding hands, and Keiji notices how they have matching nail polish.
This is the most peaceful Keiji ever felt after a babysitting service, and he can't even begin to thank Osamu enough, but he will at least try to convey his gratitude. Is not untill he turns arounds to speak Osamu, that he fully takes in the state the man is in. There is glitter stickers glued all over his face, crooked attemps at braids poking out of his black baseball cap and... is that blue eyshadow under his left eyebrow?
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@meloomi BABY WAKE UP WE'RE BACK ON OUR DAD! HQ + UNCLE HQ! BRAINROT !!
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