Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter

Good Omens is one of my favorite books, and the only book I can think of that classifies as religious British satire. I was initially given a chance to listen to the audiobook, which I highly recommend. Everyone should listen to this book, even if it's just the first chapter. The reader, Martin Jarvis, is fantastic, and perfectly captures the tone of the story. _Good Omens _was created by Neil Gaiman, who shared his ideas with Terry Pratchett. Together, they took Gaiman's ideas (Good Omens) and Pratchett's additions (The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter) and formed the most British story I have ever heard. Basically, some incompetent Satanist nuns, and an angel and demon who move to London and embrace British culture, misplace the antichrist (otherwise known as the the Adversary, Destroyer of Kings, Angel of the Bottomless Pit, Great Beast that is called Dragon, Prince of This World, Father of Lies, Spawn of Satan and Lord of Darkness).

The book opens with a snake/demon and angel speculating over good and evil as they watch Adam and Eve leave the Garden of Eden (with the angel's flaming sword, because they're already expecting, poor dears). David Tennant plays Crowley, a genius casting. This character is so completely Tennant, it almost sound like his voice on the audiobook. Crowley has the best description, with his fall from Heaven being not so much falling, but sauntering vaguely downwards. The demon and angel start off as passive enemies, and grow into allies through their mutual time spent on Earth. They bond over living among humans and how it sets them apart from their immortal peers. My favorite is how Crowley changes his methods of temptation based on modern technology, such as messing with the road designs to cause traffic and taking out the internet during lunchtime.

The show follows the plot pretty closely, taking the British meandering route to Armageddon. It has a quirky charm to it that transfers to screen with a very _Pushing Daisies_ sort of approach. It's so important to get the tone of a story right, even if there are some changes to the plot and characters, and they definitely accomplish that. There are some differences. Anathema is American in the show, and a bit older. There is more backstory for Crowley and Aziraphale's relationship in the show, which is really cool. Their characters develop more and get a bit more depth. There's a significant focus on the angel and demon, and Tennant and Sheen are genuinely captivating. I really liked how they wrapped up Crowley and Aziraphale's storyline more. The book kind of just trails off after a fairly satisfying conclusion, which matches the tone of the whole book, but I always appreciate when screenwriters throw in their ideas to surprise anyone who read the book.

And, despite the baffled American reviewers' opinions, the plot of the show is truly less meandering than the book. The show has more purpose, and a more organized structure. That's the American influence. Speaking of, there is a notable touch of American culture in the show. Anathema is from Malibu, which is super weird. The narrator, God, has an American accent. It was odd to have an American narrate a British story, but I guess it worked. The narrator is supposed to be separate from all the events happening, and having a narrator with a different accent from most of the characters helped strengthen that gap. And while there are American characters in the book, such as the American Ambassador and the characters in the Famine and Pollution scenes, it definitely felt more amplified.

The antichrist is mixed up and sent home with the wrong family, and raised as a completely normal kid in a little English town. His natural leadership skills gain him loyal friends and a reputation for mischief. The hellhound sent for his birthday turns into a scrappy little dog that chases rabbits, just like a normal 11 year old boy would imagine. Much to all the demons' dismay, Adam encounters Anathema Device and listens attentively to her explanation of the state of the environment and how it needs to improve. This shapes Adam's interests, right when his power is awakening. Instead of having an angel and demon whispering in his ears his whole life, he's left alone and given a chance to form his own opinions. As a child wanting to grow up and explore everything the world has to offer him, Armageddon doesn't actually sound too appealing.

Agnes Nutter, the witch, knew her descendant Anathema would play a vital role in Armageddon. Anathema lives her life based on Agnes' prophecies, which makes Agnes' last gift to her so funny. Newton is so baffled by this lifestyle, especially when it dictates how he loses his virginity. I love Newton's unfailing reputation with technology. Everything he touches breaks, and it's a skill that comes in handy when handling nuclear explosives. Anathema handles Newton with the same steely eyed approach she takes with her beloved prophecies, and doesn't flinch when Agnes goes into possibly too much detail of how to spend Doomsday.

A good portion of the dialogue comes straight from the book. And while it's jarring to see modern aspects, such as FaceTime, the show stays true to this classic story of good versus evil mixing things up, trying to get worked up for a good row, then losing steam and just having a nice spot of tea instead. I deeply appreciated the Shakespeare and Doctor Who references, that was delightful. Tennant's interactions with Shakespeare somehow references both his past work of Hamlet and the Doctor, which was hilarious. Quite honestly, David Tennant was born to play this role. I can't get over it. His scenes with Michael Sheen are my favorite, and I'm so glad they did such a great job with this quaint little tale of what happens when the antichrist is put in the hands of Satanic nuns, power hungry angels, and British demons. I wish Terry Pratchett could have seen this show, he would have loved it, but I'm sure that Neil Gaiman enjoyed seeing his and Pratchett's brainchild brought to life, apples and Freddy Mercury and all.