After last week’s smorgasbord of Crowley-Aziraphale scenes, this episode is more feast-or-famine, delivering more top-shelf angel-demon content (both separately and together) with a lot of other storylines advancing in between. Because episode 3 has just so much to offer, this one will naturally pale a bit in comparison, but that doesn’t mean it’s not good.
It’s the last day of the world, so, you know, lots going on. Angels and demons alike are ready for the final war, as witchfinders and occultists try to position themselves as well as they can. The sort of portents that could only come from a child are raining down on the Earth, but things aren’t quite going to plan. Crowley tries to stay one step ahead of things while Aziraphale makes a final attempt at resolving things according to the rules.
The plotting is a bit lopsided today. We open with Aziraphale and Crowley’s separate dealings with approaching the last day of the world, then spend the middle of the episode looking at pretty much everything else going on before coming back to the angel and the demon in the latter half. Honestly, I’m working hard not to be such Crowley/Aziraphale trash about this, because it’s not like the other storylines and characters aren’t fun and interesting and inventive. They are, and for what it’s worth, the Aziraphale-and-Crowley-less portions of this episode are more engaging to me than the ones from episode 2, likely because everything is pretty well ramped-up at this point and so a lot of the different threads of the plot are coming together. I also like seeing the particular ways the Antichrist’s powers are affecting the world, as well as how that power is affecting the Antichrist himself.
But the hard part about not being trash is that Crowley and Aziraphale are both just so great. Come on, now, I’m only human. They’re mostly dealing with things on their own ends today, in ways that exemplify their differences: Aziraphale tries to follow the proper channels despite hitting brick walls at every turn, while Crowley tries to outrun the shitstorm that’s coming. Both are just a ton of fun in their own right, especially during two very different pivotal scenes involving a confrontation (Aziraphale’s final scene of the episode is just excellent,) and I get a kick out of a brief narrative interlude in which we see flashbacks involving their respective history with dancing. The one scene they do share together is terrific, building on their clash from episode 3.
All kinds of good stuff for Crowley/David Tennant today. In his big confrontation scene, we get to see him veer from steely-eyed and threatening, to shamelessly BS-ing, to desperately grasping at straws, and the shift from one strategy to the next is all but seamless. One thing I like about Crowley is that he often gives off this lackadaisical washed-up rocker vibe, with much of his attention on Earth focused on enjoying himself and avoiding work, but when the pressure’s on, he’s sharp as a tack—not one to underestimate. Also, I like his pettiness in this episode. It’s a small moment and maybe a weird thing to enjoy, but it’s a hoot and Tennant plays it so well.
This episode also contains one of my favorite Crowley lines in the miniseries, when he ruefully observes, “I only ever asked questions. That’s all it took to be a demon in the old days.” It’s a great encapsulation of his character and where he stands relative to Heaven, Hell, and humanity. And in the scene between Crowley and Aziraphale, Tennant hits every note just right: frenzied, desperate to get past their earlier argument but winding up just digging his heels in even deeper, being cavalier in ways that he know will hurt Aziraphale because he cares and he can’t stop himself. My guess is everyone who’s been in love knows the beats of that fight well and recognizes the fear on Crowley’s face as he bluffs that he doesn’t care whether or not Aziraphale comes with him, playing emotional chicken as the world is on the verge of ending. Great stuff.
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