Six thousand years. That is a lot of pining. When the Crowley and Aziraphale kiss finally happened in the Season 2 finale of Good Omens, half the internet basically exploded, and the other half started hyperventilating. It wasn't just a moment; it was a wrecking ball. People had been waiting for this since the original book dropped in 1990, but the way it actually played out? Honestly, it was a lot messier and more heartbreaking than anyone expected.
You’ve probably seen the fan art. You’ve definitely seen the TikTok edits. But if you think that kiss was a simple "happily ever after" moment, you’re missing the point. It was a desperate, last-ditch effort to save a relationship that was literally falling apart in real-time.
Why the Crowley and Aziraphale Kiss Felt Different
Most TV romances follow a specific rhythm. There is the tension, the "will they, won't they" glances, and then the big orchestral swell when they finally lock lips. Good Omens didn’t do that. When Crowley (David Tennant) finally grabs Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) by the lapels, there’s no romantic music. It’s quiet. It’s frantic. It’s almost a little bit violent in its desperation.
Neil Gaiman, the mastermind behind the show, has been pretty vocal about why this moment had to happen exactly the way it did. He mentioned on Tumblr that the story would have been fundamentally different without it. For thousands of years, Aziraphale has lived in a state of deep, cozy denial. He could ignore the glances. He could pretend the "Arrangement" was just professional. But you can't ignore a kiss. Crowley used it to shatter that denial. He shoved their feelings into the light so they could never be tucked back into a dusty corner of the bookshop again.
The Breakdown of the Scene
If you rewatch the scene—and let’s be real, you probably have—the body language is doing a lot of heavy lifting. Crowley is shaking. He has just poured his heart out, using that "group of the two of us" line that killed everyone, and Aziraphale... well, Aziraphale is choosing Heaven.
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- The Grip: Crowley doesn't just lean in. He pulls Aziraphale toward him. It’s a physical manifestation of his refusal to let go.
- The Response: For a split second, Aziraphale’s hands flutter. He almost hugs back. His eyes close. It’s a moment of surrender before he pulls away and delivers the most devastating line in television history: "I forgive you."
- The Aftermath: That touch of the lips Aziraphale does after Crowley walks out? That’s the real kicker. It shows that despite the "forgiveness," he felt every bit of it.
The "I Forgive You" Problem
Honestly, that line is a knife to the chest. To Crowley, "I forgive you" is the ultimate insult. It’s Aziraphale retreating back into his "holier-than-thou" shell. It’s the angel saying that Crowley’s love is something that needs to be pardoned rather than reciprocated.
Many fans felt that the Crowley and Aziraphale kiss was almost a clash of ideologies. Crowley wants them to be their own side. He’s done with the Great Plan. He’s done with the war. He just wants the Bentley, the plants, and the angel. Aziraphale, on the other hand, still thinks he can fix the system from the inside. He’s a "company man" at heart, even if the company is a toxic mess.
What the Actors Say
David Tennant and Michael Sheen have a chemistry that is honestly unfair to the rest of the acting world. In interviews, Tennant has joked that kissing Michael Sheen was "fine" because he "brushed his teeth," but both actors take the emotional weight of these characters incredibly seriously. They’ve both pointed out that this wasn’t an ending; it was a "start of another story."
Michael Sheen has mentioned in various panels that Aziraphale likely realized he was in love all the way back in 1941, during the church scene when Crowley saved his books. If he's known for eighty years, the fact that it took a literal "Second Coming" threat to make a move happen is just classic celestial procrastination.
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It Wasn't Just Fan Service
There is always a worry when a "ship" becomes canon that the writers are just pandering. With Good Omens, it feels the opposite. The kiss wasn't a gift to the fans; it was a necessary tragedy. It’s what Neil Gaiman calls "romance fiction tropes" failing. In a rom-com, that kiss would have made Aziraphale stay. In the real world (or the real-adjacent world of angels and demons), a kiss doesn't fix a fundamental disagreement about the fate of the universe.
The show spends all of Season 2 focusing on Nina and Maggie, the humans across the street. Crowley and Aziraphale try to play matchmaker, thinking they understand how love works because they’ve watched enough movies. Nina is the one who finally calls Crowley out, telling him that he and Aziraphale don't actually talk to each other. They’ve spent 6,000 years around each other and haven't mastered basic communication. The kiss was Crowley’s way of talking when words finally failed him.
Where Does This Leave Us for Season 3?
We know a third and final season is coming. It’s going to be a 90-minute finale. That is not a lot of time to fix 6,000 years of baggage plus a literal apocalypse.
The Crowley and Aziraphale kiss left them in the worst possible place: separated. Aziraphale is in the elevator to Heaven with the Metatron, and Crowley is leaning against his car, looking like his entire world just ended. The reconciliation is going to have to be earned. It can't just be a quick apology.
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What to Look for Next
If you're looking for how this resolves, keep an eye on these specific threads:
- The Metatron’s Influence: Was the kiss part of his plan? He watched the whole thing through the window. He knew exactly what to say to get Aziraphale to leave.
- The Bentley: The car is currently grieving. It turned yellow. It’s playing sad music. The state of the Bentley is usually a direct reflection of Crowley’s mental health.
- The Second Coming: This is the big threat. Aziraphale thinks he’s there to stop it. Crowley knows that "fixing" Heaven is an impossible task.
To truly understand the weight of that finale, you have to look at the kiss as a confession of failure as much as a confession of love. They failed to find a middle ground. Now, they’re on opposite sides of the universe again.
Next Steps for Fans:
The best way to prep for the final installment is to go back and watch the "Minisodes" in Season 2. Pay close attention to the 1941 and 1827 sequences. They highlight the power dynamic shifts that lead directly to the desperation in the bookshop. You can also track the specific instances of physical touch throughout the series; notice how it's almost always Aziraphale who initiates small touches, which makes Crowley’s sudden, aggressive initiation of the kiss even more significant.