The Prophesied Switcharoo
Good Omens opens episode 1 at the beginning of time, as our God, voiced by Frances McDormand, narrates the first days on Earth. We swoop down to the Garden Of Eden with Adam and Eve. Two otherworldly beings, demon Crowley and angel Aziraphale, watch as the first two humans walk into the choked desert, having been banished from Eden thanks to the infamous apple incident. At this point, they discuss God’s great plan and joke about morality and His divine plan. After bragging about his exploits on Earth, Crowley is tasked with bringing about Armageddon by Hell while Aziraphale eats sushi in a nearby restaurant, blissfully unaware what’s about to transpire. Meanwhile, a woman goes into labour and as she reaches the hospital, the sisters are briefed on what to do. They need to switch the babies and make sure the couple in question are given the prophesied Antichrist. The sisters, as it happens, work for Crowley and as he arrives, he re-emphasizes the importance of switching the babies. With everything seemingly going according to plan, Crowley calls Aziraphale and they meet in St. James’ Park to discuss the coming apocalypse. Refusing to help Crowley thwart the big plan, the demon reminds his friend they have 11 years until Armageddon is upon them. With the babies switched and Aziraphale having second thoughts, they decide to band together and be the child’s Godfathers, raising him to be normal in a ploy to stop Armageddon. We then jump forward 5 years to find Crowley posing as a nanny and Aziraphale as a gardener. They try and influence the boy as best they can but he appears very normal for now. They report in to their head offices before we jump forward again to present day (6 days before the end of the world to be precise) with Warlock preparing for his birthday and Aziraphale discussing with Crowley what to do next. He suggests killing the boy which the angel scoffs at until he realizes it could just work. Before they can get that far however, it turns out they have the wrong boy. In the great switch, all of them were deceived. The real Antichrist (Adam) is in the woods playing with his friends somewhere in rural England where the scheduled hell-hound shows up, just in time for his 11th birthday. Calling it dog, Adam’s new pet reverts to a small dog and the two hit it off immediately. Crowley catches wind that the dog has found its master and realizes the end of the world is finally upon them. Despite several time jumps and a slightly confusing narrative, Good Omens soon settles into its role and delivers a thoroughly enjoyable episode to start this 6-part drama. The comedy is on-point throughout and the nicely worked twist at the end does well to keep things interesting. With our characters realizing they have the wrong boy, Good Omens sets the stage nicely for the episodes to follow.
