almostunadulteratedmiracle: Good Omens TV + (as I like to call them:) “Good Moments&rdquo

almostunadulteratedmiracle:

Good Omens TV + (as I like to call them:) “Good Moments”

Listen, I love to hate on Aziraphale’s boss just as much as the next person, but the more that enjoyable antagonism kept returning him into my thoughts, the more I picked up that things are never just black and white in this story… so here it is, a compilation of GO-TV Gabriel’s (relatively) good moments that nobody ever asked for.

Yes, he’s a horrible boss and annoying and full of himself and wants the world to end… but. Most of what he does probably doesn’t come from a place of malice? (I know, I know, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions [and door-to-door salesmen]…) He’s juts as fallible as most of the characters, it just shows differently. But then he also has to have his good side, and moments when that can shine through. And he does:

A)  He’s very generous in giving out praise? (See GIFs 1-3.) I wish most authority figures I’ve encountered would be handing out validation that generously. Anyway, a breakdown:
1. Yes, it comes off as being gullible or not paying enough attention to his field agent(s), but he does believe Aziraphale when he says he’s been doing his job without Crowley noticing him. And Gabriel looks genuinely impressed with that. He doesn’t give explicit praise here, but he does call this achievement a “miracle”, which, among angels, should count for something.
2. Come on, he actually claps when Aziraphale gives his report (about influencing the Antichrist)? And I’m pretty sure he knew the other angels would follow sort. He applauds and compliments, even though he firmly believes what Aziraphale is trying to do will eventually prove to be pointless. Not a sentence I thought I’d write, but he does seem to appreciate doing Good just for the sake of doing Good. 
3. Again, with the “excellent job”s. That’s all. (Also, in the full scene, he keeps going on about the little joke that Sandalphon made, which is… kind of sweet, I guess.)

B) In the 4th GIF: yes, I know, we don’t like the full scene and Gabriel says mean things, etc. But there is one tiny moment I needed some time to appreciate… The Great War is pretty much imminent at this point. Within a day, everything on Earth will be destroyed, so whatever Aziraphale does that day (other than going to war) would be pretty much inconsequential. They’ve already met here, Azi’s reported all that he knows, so, really, there is no particular reason to keep him on Earth anymore? No reason why Gabriel couldn’t make him go back to Heaven right then, with him? He’s never seemed like he appreciates any aspect of Aziraphale’s earthly disguise beyond the strict necessities. But now that whole disguise is pointless… but still, however little they generally understand each other with this estranged underling, Gabriel seems to understand that all the inconsequential earthly things are still important to Aziraphale, and gives him time (as much as he can) to “wrap things up”. Yes, this seems like the bare minimum of humanity, but (a) they’re not human and (b) if Gabriel was nothing but the epitome of horrible bosses, he wouldn’t show even this small purposeless kindness.

C) In GIFs 5-6: after I first watched that episode, I used to privately call this “the only redeeming character moment”. Faced with incriminating evidence against Aziraphale, Gabriel says there must be an “innocent explanation”. Now, I might be the gullible one here, but it seems genuine to me. Also, we seem to love imagining Gabriel as this nigh-all-knowing, all-controlling ultimate boss, but… pardon the expression, he’s only “human”. (Not technically, but you know what I mean.) The way he replies, his expressions and his pondering really sold me on the fact that he has no idea about the existence of “back channels”. Apparently, he doesn’t know nearly as much about his co-workers as he thinks he does - which, I almost feel sorry for him, having to run Heaven that way. Expectations and negative qualities aside, he’s doing the best he can.

D) I’ll keep this as non-spoilery as I can (thank you English language for the passive voice): when the angels are getting fire-breathed at (ugh, I take it back, screw the passive voice), all of them back away in shock and horror, but… Notice what their hands/arms are doing? It’s a split-second reaction, so there isn’t really time for being calculated or pretentious. They, in some way, all reach for each other. It can be seen both as a terrified gesture of seeking comfort in their connection, and as an instinctive gesture of protection - with Sandalphon and Uriel wanting to drag Gabriel back out from the line of fire, and, in turn, Gabriel wanting to push them back into safety (while he’s possibly still a bit more in harm’s way). Whichever one it is, it doesn’t look like the act of a horrible person to me.

To conclude. This collection of course doesn’t balance out his world-ending and simply mean personality traits and actions, but I haven’t seen a compilation of “bloody Gabriel’s” non-horrible moments. And my brain couldn’t stand to leave something GO-related without adding some shades of grey.
He might mostly be doing the wrong things for the wrong reasons, or, at least, nearly never the right things for the right reasons. But. You know, my history teacher used to say, there are two types of generals: the one that says “Advance!” and the one that says “Follow me!”, and it says a lot about the generals themselves which ones they are. Gabriel would definitely shout “Follow me!”, and that’s enough of a testament of a certain amount of goodness for me.

Select additional comments:

@forineffablereasonsreply: #given that i think a big part of the Point to good omens is that there’s good and bad in everyone #and it’s the bit you choose to act on that matters most #it comes as no surprise that there’s good and bad even in these ancillary characters #it makes the story super layered and nuanced which i love

@hedonistbyheartreply: #I think there is value in seeing the good parts too yeah  #and Gabriel is only as ruthlss as God herself in the end  #even if i absolutely do not appreciate the fatshaming or the ‘die already’

@dukev027 reply: I think it’s important to add that some of Gabriel’s motivations and reactions comes from the fact that he firmly believes all the angels are acting exactly as angels should. He’s impressed with Aziraphale evading Crowley, because the idea of them working today doesn’t ever cross his mind. This scenario doesn’t exist for him. When Michael confronts him with the photos, Gabriel defends Aziraphale, because he can’t imagine the angel lying to him. And when Michael asks to use the back channels, Gabriel states there are no back channels, because for a proper angel there aren’t any.

Call it negligent or whatever (I wouldn’t personally), but Gabriel doesn’t comprehend that an angel would go against their nature. This is why when he finally realizes Aziraphale “betrayed” them, he gets harsher than usual, maybe even jaded, verbally lashing out at Aziraphale. The betrayal is what drives him to make an example out of Aziraphale and to connect with rather unpredicted allies (though, I would wager this is a temporary alignment). If these other angels are going to be improper, why shouldn’t he?

@rainydaydecafreply: Yes, to all of this.  It did strike me, going back to rewatch Good Omens, that for all of Gabriel’s faults, he’s not purposely trying to be a jerk.  He’s actually very genuine in everything he says and does.  He believes in the good he’s doing, he’s very upbeat and an overall positive influence on the angels around him, and he strives to lead through enthusiastic example.  He’s excited at the prospect of Armageddon, and not in a bloodthirsty way… he just doesn’t understand what could possibly be bad about billions of humans getting slaughtered.  They’re just humans, after all, and humans die, it’s what they do.  He’s content to follow orders, just like most of the angels.  If it’s part of the Divine Plan, then it can’t possibly be wrong.

Gabriel only really shows his jerk side when the Divine Plan goes sideways and Aziraphale steps forward and makes him question what he’s doing.  Makes him doubt, makes him look back and realize that he might be wrong.  And that’s a very uncomfortable feeling for someone who has spent thousand of years basking in the absolute faith that he is Right In All Things.  Gabriel doesn’t want to shift his world-view or open himself to the possibility that he misinterpreted God’s word.  He just doesn’t.  He shuts his eyes to it, he snaps at Adam and calls him a disobedient brat.  His priorities and moral compass are so skewed that he goes on to become a villain, though of course he never once sees himself as a villain.  There’s not a shred of hesitation when he condemns Aziraphale to death by hellfire.  He literally can’t comprehend the concept of “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.”  He’s the Archangel Fucking Gabriel, don’t talk to him about the greater good, he is the Greatest Good this universe is ever gonna get.

Anyway, to wrap this up, I agree wholeheartedly.  Gabriel’s a fantastic character with a lot of good qualities and a lot of flaws.  He’s that one boss we all know who piles you with unreasonable deadlines and makes you work through the weekend, but also makes an effort to remember your kids’ names and brings donuts to the budget meeting every Wednesday.  We love him and we hate him in equal measure, and that’s what makes him so interesting.

(Also, can we all agree that Jon Hamm was perfect for this role?  I was in stitches at the “THANK YOU FOR MY PORNOGRAPHY!” line XD)

@cheeseanonioncrispsreply: The problem is that Gabriel has a very black and white view of morality, which… isn’t actually that surprising, considering the universe he lives in, but it’s his main character flaw.

Anything that is part of the Divine Plan or involved with Heaven is Good, anything that isn’t is Bad.

He’s trying to be a good boss. He’s clearly trying to create a friendly work environment and have good relationships with his employees. He doesn’t understand Aziraphale’s liking for Earthly pleasures, but Aziraphale is still an angel, even if he is a bit weird, and so he is still Good and Gabriel is going to try and make him happy— and he assumes that the destruction of Earth will do that, because it is part of the Divine Plan and therefore Good. Aziraphale has to like it.

But when Aziraphale actively fights against the Divine Plan, and stands hand in hand with a demon and the AntiChrist, and places himself unequivocally (in Gabriel’s mind) on the side of Bad?

Well that’s it. I mean, he must have known Aziraphale for millenia— quite possibly longer than Crowley— and up to now he’s been trying to have a friendly relationship with him. But now he’s Bad, suddenly Gabriel is pissed that he won’t die fast enough.

Gabriel would absolutely die for any of his angels, but he’d also easily kill them if he thought they were no longer on the side of Heaven and the Divine Plan, and you can see both sides of him in the execution scene.

@keelan-666reply: #i think he wasnt exactly happy to do it either tho  #i mean he says just shut up and die already with that grin  #but his face afterwards is very different  #and i think part of how rushed his execution of aziraphale was was bc he just wanted to get it over with  #he doesnt think aziraphale doesnt deserve it and he doesnt think hes wrong for doing it  #but its still an unpleasant act even if he wants aziraphale dead

@janeymac-iereply: That’s interesting, because I always took the praise, the “excellent job!” stuff not as insincere per se, but as a perfect example of Corporate Positivity.

Ever work for a big company? Like, a US based multinational company? They’re big into Employee Morale and We’re All One Team and This Company Loves You Too, and many of the managers actually buy it. But it’s a corporation, it doesn’t care about any of that. Morale should be high but we won’t hire more people for rush period, we’ll be very insistent about overtime instead (but stop just short of telling you you have to because that’s illegal here.) We’re all one team but actually you’re one of a hundred people who can do your job and we can fire you if we notice a fuck up, and upper management have never heard of you and would be annoyed if you emailed them. This company loves nothing except your productivity even if it treats you well and you will be dropped like a hot potato if needs be.

The managers who buy it, the problem is… they love the company back. And they buy the company line when it’s “we’re all one happy family” and they buy it when it’s “we have to change to lower-quality health insurance for everyone” or “reduced break time this week, too busy” or “Mary Smith has to go”.

Gabriel didn’t care enough to notice that Asiraphale was obviously lying, that his reports had been false for centuries, that he was not, in fact, doing a good job. Gabriel doesn’t care about anything except Heaven. He’s come down from On High to give a cheerful and encouraging pep talk to an underling and he is going to do that just as well as he can, because Morale Is Important and Our Staff Are Valued, and he believes those things but because they’re inherently false, his own sincerity doesn’t matter. God doesn’t answer an angel’s prayers and the CEO doesn’t know your name and never wants to.

The reason it comes across as insincere to most people is the fact that it’s so obviously reflecting that kind of real life interaction. Heaven is a big clean corporation which carefully hides its dirty hands— “we don’t have back channels”— and Gabriel believes the corporate bullshit and ignores the evidence to the contrary, because you can’t go having *doubts* in Heaven.

@feelingbadforcrowleysplants reply: to me Gabriel doesn’t seem mean or a truly horrible person, he is just so far removed from what az’s world (figuratively and literally) so he is oblivious to az’s feelings. And he just happens to be on an opposing side. He truly believes that Armageddon is the right thing (because why not? He doesn’t care for earth and it seems obvious to him that heaven winning would only be good). And the “die already” is totally understandable (although it still makes me hate him) because he discovered az was a traitor all along and he was betrayed and put in a terrible situation.

Gabriel isn’t a horrible character, he just happens to be on the opposing team

@ilsa-fireswanreply: We coo over “you’re an angel, I don’t think you can do the wrong thing” but honestly the whole show is Aziraphale trying to maintain faith that Heaven must be Right And Good while seeing it all from humanity’s perspective. Gabriel doesn’t have that. He spent those 6000 years in Head Office - the place where they issue you a flaming sword to lend support to your moral argument. The place you can Fall from for asking too many questions. He doesn’t understand human desires or human responses or human interactions but he’s doing his best to advance the Great Plan - the Greatest Good he knows - and has been since the start of everything. He is (brutally) honest and (aggressively) pushes perfection (or his view of it) for everyone under his direction, but I don’t think he’s maliciously mean.
Also, I think his “I like the clothes” moment is an attempt to relate to Aziraphale and his odd little hobby/obsession with humanity.

@thatgeeklover reply:  #HMMMM NICE POINTS #I GUESS FROM THE WORKPLACE #I CAN DRAW SOME PARALLELS#THAT HE’S THE KIND OF BOSS THAT CAN AND WILL LOOK OUT FOR YOU#AS LONG AS IT INVOLVES HIS OWN WELL BEING BEING COVERED AS WELL#LIKE YEAH SURE HE’LL HEAP ON PRAISE TO YOU#BECAUSE IT’S A REFLECTION OF HOW HIS TEAM DOES WELL#AND HE DOES WELL TO THE EXTENT HE CAN#UNTIL SUCH A MOMENT THAT HE CAN NO LONGER DO SO AND HAS TO CYA (COVER YOUR ASS - OR IN THIS CASE HIS)#AND THE KICKER IS#THAT THING WITH THE PUNISHMENT?#SEE HOW THE ANGELS ARE ALSO INTO IT#LIKE THEY WANT TO SEE IT DONE#IN A SLIGHTLY SELF SATISFYING WAY OF SEEING ONE OF THEM GETTING SOME KIND OF PUNISHMENT#BECAUSE (I WANNA SAY AFFIRMATION BUT THERE’S JUST THIS SOMETHING THAT SOMETIMES YOU WANNA SEE)#(IN A WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT YOU KNOW HOW SOMETIMES YOU KNOW SOMEONE IS SCREWING UP)#(BUT YOUR GD BOSS SEEMS TO BE OBLIVIOUS ABOUT IT)#(AND WHEN THEY FINALLY SCREW UP AND TEH PUNISHMENT IS COMING UP YOU ARE POPPING THE POPCORN AND GETTING FRONT ROW SEATS?)#YEAH#IN A VERY IRL SENSE - GABRIEL ISN’T MUCH OF AN ASSHOLE BOSS BUT MORE OF THE TEAM LEAD WHO JUST WANTS TO HAVE A TEAM THAT PERFORMS#JUST PERFORMS#NOT TEAM OF THE YEAR STANDARDS BUT JUST GODDAMN PERFORMS#WELL ENOUGH TO NOT BE NOTICED BY THE HIGHER HIGHER UPS#BECAUSE THEN IF SOMETHING HAPPENS IT’S A REFLECTION ON HIM#(OH GREAT FROM CATHOLIC FEELINGS HERE COME WORKPLACE FEELINGS)

@mybestfriendsarefictional reply:  #yesss  #gabriel is definitely a complex character  #which is great! #tho i disagree  #he isn’t doing “the wrong thing for the wrong reasons’'  #i’d argue he’s doing the wrong thing for (what HE genuinely believes are) the right reasons  #that’s kind of the point  #the angels wholeheartedly believe their side is righteous and good so they can’t POSSIBLY do the wrong thing  #aziraphale! is! the! only! one! who! doubts! that!  #i dont think gabriel is intentionally malicious either  #he just on a fundamental level cannot understand aziraphale  #i dont think the other angels are bad necessarily  #just very stuck in their ways