#i love books that understand that goodness isn't boring or trite

[fictionadventurer]

There's something about reading really great writing that's so relaxing. You can just sit back and let the words wash over you, knowing that you can trust the writer.

#random thought of the day #books #part of the reason i'm not getting writing done today was because i spent most of my free time reading from books i've let sit for too long #i haven't been able to sink into good fiction for a while #so elizabeth goudge felt like a spiritual experience #cleansing and uplifting #it always takes me a while to get into her books #there's a learning curve of a couple of chapters to adjust to the style #but once i break through it's bliss #it becomes easy as breathing #there's nothing quite like what she does #i love books that understand that goodness isn't boring or trite #you don't need to have 'darkness' and 'grit' to be complex #like one bit that took my breath away was the talk about sallie and david's marriage struggles #they're both good people who love each other #but they also have their differences because they're human and that causes struggles #not marriage-breaking struggles just nuanced life struggles #and i'm not sure i've seen something like that in a book before #it's a good marriage they married the right people but that doesn't mean life is perfect #goudge uderstands that marriage isn't happily ever after--heaven is #and a good marriage is two people partnering up to help each other reach that goal #it's so much more adult than any 'complex adult' work i've seen

[shiobookmark]

So I didn't like season 2 very much. There was a lot to love in there, but I felt it was despite the plot and not because of it. It lacked focus a lot of the time, lacked clarity and kept getting distracted.

The Nina and Maggie plot was just sort of There without it being given enough development to stand on its own. The side characters were interesting but didn't really breathe the same way the book characters did. Which is understandable, but then don't have so many of them? As for the confession scene it... felt routine, almost? The 'no nightingales' line felt a bit trite to me, because I expected something more unexpected I suppose? And I didn't love that Crowley was apparently aware of the bird in a meta sense, rather than it being a beloved fandom reference to a non-existent love story that became canon thirty years later. It felt like a cash grab which was very strange for a Neil Gaiman story because I get the sense he doesn't do those. Then in the final episode I realised it was all just bridging material for season 3, which probably will have a lot more focus and care. But it made season 2 feel even more lacklustre. Middle chapters seem to be difficult to write, and it was during the height of the pandemic. I think it would have improved matters to make it clear what Aziraphale was supposed to be gaining through the flashbacks. Because when I was watching it felt like more of the same: Heaven is wrong, humanity and morality is complicated, which was a lessons Aziraphale learned in season 1. Upon further reflection it seems like it was more supposed to be his holding on to black and white thinking even when he 'seems' to be learning grey. But none of that felt particularly obvious or clear upon watching and it wasn't an easy conclusion to reach. I found it online actually. Maybe it's meant to be subtle but it made the actual experience somewhat unsatisfying. The zombie nazi plot I disliked immensely, because I enjoyed the idea that Aziraphale and Crowley simply spent a quiet evening in afterward and the whole 'take a photograph to prove cooperation' was kind of stupid after the dozens of photographs Heaven had at the end of season 1. But I understand the fun.

In theory I'm on board for where this is going. I like the idea of Aziraphale falling back into old habits, of falling victim to those cult tricks, even as I lament the loss of a lovely happy ending. This is a new adventure, it would be boring otherwise. What I expected was a new adventure with Crowley and Aziraphale being harmonious for once. I'm sad I didn't get that. Is it so hard or boring to write cooperation and love?

I don't want to rain on people's happiness. Season 3 is probably going to be amazing. But season 2 hasn't sold me on it at all, and I'm simply trusting in Neil to pull it around. Season 3 will probably wipe away all this misgiving and season 1 still exists so it's whatever! I'm a little saddened, but I will recover.

I love Good Omens very much, which makes these feelings a little hard to deal with. It's a very strange position to be in! I can't give up hope entirely because Neil makes too many things I love. A single thing that I didn't like isn't enough to make me stop. (American Gods was a book I really couldn't stand, as an example.) I do hope people stop giving him a hard time.

#Good Omens Season 2 spoilers #Good Omens Season 2 #Good Omens spoilers #spoilers #criticism