The world, right at this very moment, kind of seems like Hell, with isolation keeping friends and family apart, and leaving the world in need of entertainment. And, that same sentiment applies to the Good Omens team of Michael Sheen’s Aziraphale and David Tennant’s Crowley, as they too are locked down with the rest of the world.
But, that hasn’t stopped them from celebrating the 30th anniversary of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s seminal fantasy novel, with a video aptly titled “Lockdown.” Watch this short, but sweet, addition to the Good Omens canon, below:
Don’t worry, your sense of time hasn’t been skewed that badly in quarantine. While the Prime Video series debuted last May, Good Omens the novel was released on this very day in 1990. That makes today the perfect time to overhear a phone call between Michael Sheen and David Tennant’s protagonists as they ponder what they’ve been up to in their respective domiciles.
After saving the world from the young Antichrist in their six episode spree, both the angel and his demonic counterpart are… actually staying put. Believe it or not, David Tennant’s Crowley doesn’t even want to go out, despite being a natural fit for violating social distancing regulations in the name of chaos.
Which leaves him bored and in need of a phone call with his dear friend, who’s been keeping busy himself. In his own version of lockdown fun, Michael Sheen’s Aziraphale has been living up to his angelic nature, as the Good Omens bookshop proprietor actually fended off a robbery in a way that only he would dare to set about. Which means he sent his would be thieves home with tons of cakes, after a stern talking to.
Obviously, through the use of voice-over technology, and fantastic still shots that border on the pornographic (especially that split pastry filled with clotted cream and jam), Michael Sheen and David Tennant were able to reprise their roles as the memorable saviors of society. But this Good Omens short totally gets the job done, as even with just a radio show style performance, you can see their characters in your head.
Hearing how Crowley misses his dear friend is heartbreaking, as well as Aziraphale’s hopeful message about seeing him “when this is all over,” which just shows how Sheen and Tennant are still locked into the nature of these Good Omens characters. Collaborating with Neil Gaiman to write this short, series director Douglas Mackinnon guided the fun, and even show composer David Arnold lendt some music to the proceedings, so it almost feels like another episode of Good Omens exists!
While we’d love to hear more Good Omens shorts like this in the future, it’s still a cause for celebration to hear Aziraphale and Crowley tend to their celestial friendship as only they could.
Good Omens is currently available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video; and from all of us at CinemaBlend, a happy 30th anniversary to the world that Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett gave us all to enjoy.
