Second Hand Pride

So I watched the first episode of Lucifer today, and it really made me realize the lack of male gaze and objectifying women in Good Omens.

(Disclaimer: I’m not trying to get into arguments with Lucifer fans or say that Good Omens is a better show - I have no opinion on Lucifer as a show. I’m just trying to compare and contrast on this one thing based on one episode).

So, Lucifer lays heavily into the “let’s show he’s the devil by having him surrounded by strippers and sleeping with women all the time.” The camera itself does a lot of sexy shots of women. There’s also a number of plot points that focus on female sexuality (including the male main character teasing the serious female main character, who’s trying to be taken seriously as a detective, for having previously been a nude actress.)

In contrast, Good Omens never feels like it’s sexualizing women. Like, not once. Not even the female characters you might expect it of. Anathema literally has a sex scene, and it still doesn’t feel male gaze-y; the camera doesn’t pan down her body or zoom in on parts. She doesn’t strip her clothes off, and when she puts her clothes back on it’s very matter-of-fact. Madame Tracy is literally a sex worker and you don’t see it on screen. 

(It reminds me actually of Mad Max: Fury Road, and how it was notable that even though the plot was centered on sex slaves, there were no depictions of rape on screen, because the audience didn’t need to see it. Seeing that wouldn’t have empowered women. Seeing them escape and screw over the system *was* empowering).

We also don’t see Hell on screen using sex for their schemes. Hastur verbally recounts tempting a priest with lust, but we don’t see it. The absence of any sexual scenes involving Crowley is so notable that the Ineffable Husbands fans are left to wonder if he’s asexual.

Again, I’m not trying to put down Lucifer - it just made me realize how rare (and wonderful) it was to not have a sexualizing male gaze ever-present in Good Omens. 

I also want to link this great post about gender presentation in Good Omens, with a great bit at the bottom from Neil Gaiman himself. Thank you, Neil and everyone else who made this show. Thank you so much.

Prompt: Sita & Rambha (victim of Ravana who cursed him, thereby protecting Sita)

A woman remains behind when the gods descend upon Lanka to bless the captive Sita with security and sustenance, and Sita need only look once at the stranger’s eyes, bright as the dance of sunlight against water, and her hair, shining like the waves of the river to know: an apsara.

“Their Queen, in fact,” says the woman–Rambha herself–confirming Sita’s guess, and inclines her head in response to Sita’s folded hands.

All the world has heard of what she suffered at the hands of the demon king, but Sita must know for sure. “Did he–Did Ravana try–” She breaks off, unsure of how to phrase her question delicately, but it is unnecessary. The apsaras are hardly undiscerning, and Rambha no exception.

“He did more than try,” she says bluntly, and Sita, now knowing all too well what it is to know such powerlessness, shudders with sympathy.

“I am sorry,” she says awkwardly, words insufficient to express what she feels, but Rambha shakes the words away.

“Perhaps, it was for the best. At least it is now such that he can never do so again, not on pain of instant death. If my suffering was necessary to bring that to be, then as Queen I would have accepted the cost regardless.”

Sita marvels with this, enough to dare ask the question that has haunted her. “And your husband–he forgave you?”

Rambha shakes her head. “No,” she says, “for he said there was nothing for which he needed to forgive me. His punishment fell solely on Ravana’s head, to ensure it should be split into pieces should he attempt such atrocity again. Ah yes,” she confirms, smiling at Sita’s clear relief, “such is the nature of my gift to you; to us all, I suppose. And even were it not so—allow me to reassure you again, dear one: you are blameless and innocent, come what may. Whatever sin has been committed is on Ravana’s hands; you need carry none of it.”

“As are you,” Sita dares reply, and Rambha’s smile in return—the smile any number of gods, sages, and demons would have died to earn—remains with her, even into the flames.

If you and your partner practice frequent, non-sexual consent, your relationship will be healthier and easier.

“Are you comfortable with me ranting about my day for a few minutes?”

“Oh, this is your poetry? Would it be okay if I read it?”

“Do you mind if I use your phone for a few minutes?”

“Wow, your meal looks awesome. Could I try some?”

It will save a lot of grief, especially in a developing relationship. Eventually, with consistent “yes’s” and “no’s” you can figure out more permanent boundaries and guidelines.

“I need to ask before ranting about my day or taking their food, but my partner is okay with me using their phone whenever. However, my partner does not like me reading their poetry unless they offer first.”

Jab We Met is such a good and pure romance like Aditya was fully and honestly in love with Geet but he 1)didn’t act like just because he was in love that that meant they’d be together 2) didn’t regret loving her without being able to have her and actually just used his love for her to inspire him to be his best self and be happy and successful 3)actually tried to help Geet get another guy because he thought that would make her happy and didnt presume anything until she was the one to say something.

And Geet is just a delight like yes girl, be crazy, do the things that light your heart up, be your own favorite what an icon.

when i watched good omens, i didn’t expect to love tv crowley, and it fuckin blindsided me. all at once, i thought, oh gosh, damn, and fuck, roughly in that order, and here’s why.

where tv crowley and book crowley most significantly diverge is the bookshop fire. in the book, “Crowley cursed Aziraphale, and the ineffable plan, and Above, and Below.” in the tv show, instead of cursing him, he calls out for him desperately before falling to the floor with a quiet “you’ve gone.” for book crowley, az is “Aziraphale. The Enemy, of course. But an enemy for six thousand years now, which made him a sort of friend.” for tv crowley, aziraphale is his “best friend.” naturally, in the bookshop fire, tv crowley is in fucking agony. this is not how book crowley reacts.

see, one of book crowley’s most basic traits is his optimism. “Because, underneath it all,” the book says, “Crowley was an optimist. If there was one rock-hard certainty that had sustained him through the bad times—he thought briefly of the fourteenth century—then it was utter surety that he would come out on top; that the universe would look after him.”

it’s a really beautiful passage. and i can’t relate to it at all. 

after the fire, book crowley thinks he might “get completely and utterly pissed out of his mind while he waited for the world to end.” where book crowley only considers it, tv crowley actually does it. he does go to wait out the end of the world while drunk, and does give up, and he does break down, and he is not an optimist; he is a mess. that struck me. i’ve never seen a heroic character so blatantly need help before. but crowley gets help; he finds a friend and confesses how much aziraphale means to him; he gets back in the car and forges onward through the fire, even though he’s clearly Not Okay.

and there, on the flaming m25, book crowley and tv crowley diverge again. tv crowley is not an optimist; he’s not holding the bentley together with the hope that it’ll all work out. but he does it anyway. tv crowley doesn’t have optimism, but he has something that is, to me, even more important. in the show, “Crowley has something no other demons have, especially not Hastur: an imagination.”

an imagination. strangely enough, in the book, crowley admits to lacking it: “They’ve got what we lack. They’ve got imagination,” book crowley says. but tv crowley has that imagination, and that is what saves him–and that, to me, makes so much sense.

tv crowley is traumatised. when he fell, some part of him broke, and while he claims he “sauntered vaguely downwards,” he really took a “million-light-year freestyle dive into a pool of boiling sulphur,” and it hurt. tv crowley is hurt. and so am i. 

i also give up. i also break down. i don’t, and can’t, ever believe that the universe is looking out for me–or for anyone. i am not an optimist. but you know what? i have imagination. i have friends. and if it came down to me to help save the world, that is exactly what i would rely on.

David Tennant with his wife

David Tennant without his wife

She’s back!

or alternatively, ”Aziraphale, look! look at what what i did! i did the thing that you want me to do, Aziraphale! be proud of me! please come back now!”)

there are actors that people refer to as shapeshifters bc theyve played in so many movies in which they look nothing like their other parts and then. there’s michael sheen.

#whipped

holaa! here's a fun ask (hopefully lol): list of favorite moments from SC?

 Gosh, just off the top of my head, in no particular order:

“Amma, kaali billi rasta kaat gayi hai; sadka dedo!!!!!”

Arsal ke Australian totay, lmao

DJ: “Shaayad unhe Australia ka visa mil gaya, wapis chale gaye honge!”

Every time Masooma talks about marhoom Abbaji (“Abbaji zinda hote toh……”) and the people listening are like “for godssake, let him R.I.P.”

Arsal and the autowaala yelling at each other and the first instance of Arsal’s battlecry “nikaah hua hai humaara!”

“YEH (ROTI KE) BEECH MEIN ROSHANDAAN BANAYA HUA HAI TUMNE?” 

Everytime Jalal Phupa clashes with Arsal or DJ and calls them “khabees ka bachcha”

All the animal names Jiya keeps calling Arsal (“madmast haathi”, “pahaadi bakra”, “daddu”, lmao)

 “Phupa aap kahan jaa rahe hai???”  “Jahannum!”  “Theek hai, dhyaan se jaayiega.”

Shahana stopping her dil khol ke rona-dhona just to point out Jiya riding the bike to Arsal, lmao.

Jiya’s ecstatic reaction when Kinza tells her Shahana has left home.

BiJaan’s perpetual refrain of “har ek ne yahaan apne dedh-eent ki masjid banayi hui hai.”

I don’t remember the exact dialogue, but Arsal re: his dad and Billo: “Idhar logon ki pehli nahi ho rahi, yeh hai ki dusri shaadi karne chale hai!”

ANY ARSAL AND DJ SCENE. THEY DON’T EVEN HAVE TO HAVE DIALOGUE, JUST THEIR COLLECTIVE PRESENCE IN THE SAME SPACE!!!!!! But some favs:

Anytime DJ comes with “breaking news” and Arsal is like ‘ugh aa gaya, manhoos khabar leke’

Whenever Arsal calls DJ “gonglu”

“Bataa teri behen ko kya hua hai?”“Woh toh aapko pata hona chahiye, aapki Mrs. hain!”“I’m serious!”“Woh bhi toh serious hain!”“Kiske baare mein?”“Aapke baare main! Aur kaun hai yahaan?”

And they dismiss each other with like “chal hatttt!” waale yet happy smiley faces, lol.

Arsal dragging a squealing DJ into his room:

“Kal test hai mera!”“Toh tuney kaunsa markan maar lena hai???? Pehle bhi anda laata tha, kal bhi le aayin!” 

Arsal doing DJ ki pitaai for not giving him the video:

“Arsal kya kar rahe ho, bachcha hai woh, usse lag jaati!” “Achcha hai, do chaar din log sukoon se rahenge!”

Arsal’s insufferably smugass “choran nu pe gaye mor” after watching/deleting the video.

“Itni bahaadur behen hai teri, AUR GEEDAD JAISA BHAI!”

“Waise pyaara toh tu bhi lagne shuru ho gaya hai mujhe!”...“Yeh jab tujhpe pyaar aane lagta hai, aur tu beech mein PAISE GHUSED DETA HAI, DIL CHAHTA HAI TUJHE DOON EK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“Naazuk kandhein???? Yeh????? Yeh NAAZUK KANDHEIN kisi ko lag jaaye toh DIN MEIN TAAREIN DIKHAAYI DE! Baatein sunlo iski!”

“Ab hatt na, deewaar-e-cheen banke baitha hai humaare beech mein!”

Jalal’s standard dialogues of “Ramzan-ul-mubarak ka paak mahina” and his “woi woi woi woi woi woi”s and “shakal gum karo!!!!!!!!!”s

Every time Arsal gets complacent and happy at Jiya and him having a friendly bonding moment, only to have her cut it short and dismiss him with a “chalo hatto/niklo!”

Every time Arsal does the hand over heart gesture.

Arsal trying to control his laughter (very poorly) in the hospital room, at Jamshed’s overacting.

DJ comforting Jiya when she’s upset.

“Main Jiya ka first cousin hoon ji… Ji……. Aur husband bhi, Masha’Allah se. ”  *sweetest, most unassuming smile*

NAZAAKAT VIBRATING WITH RAGE AT ARSAL. LITERALLY VIBRATING.

“JAMSHED BHAI ISKO KAHEIN EK SECOND KE ANDAR ANDAR MERI BETI KO TALAQ DEIN!!!!!!!!”*Arsal observing his watch for exactly one second and marking when it’s done* “HO GAYA EK SECOND! NAHI DETA TALAQ! KYA KARLENGE?!?!!?!?!?”

All the angsty times Arsal and Jiya run into each other and they give each other the moon eyes.

Arsal’s silent but WTF face when Kinza tries to jamaofy haq on him the night after the arrest.

(After fully drenching him) “Chal mera puttar, araam se so jaa.” “Le! Araam se so ja! Pura gila kar diya mujhe!”“Haan toh tuney kaunsa SHLINK ho jaana hai? Tujhe SHLINK hone ka darr hai?????” “SHA-LINK nahi hota, SHA-RINK hota hai!” (Off-screen as she exits) “Bada angrezi ka rob paanda rehda hai mere pe!”

Literally any time Arsal and Shahana have a faceoff, her threatening him (“tere gotte gitte sek dene hai!!!!!“) and his semi-fearful, but sulky and rebellious response.

“Main kabhi tumhe dhoka nahi de sakta, Jiya….. Tumhe chodne ka sochta hoon toh meri saansein rukne lagti hai.”

Sherry’s bewildered faces at this whole family’s pagalpan.

Billo comforting Jiya and telling her that she’ll take care of everything. AND SHE DOES.

Also her parallel scene with Arsal, where’s it’s not so angsty, but she reassures him she’ll handle it.

The face journey Arsal goes through on watching the Huma/Jiya video; from cocky smugness, to suddenly serious, to a tiny shy smile, after which he looks heavenwards to offer thanks.

The finger lock moment.

“Meri room mein le aao na Huma ko; dono baari baari apne dil ka haal sunaenge isko!”

Literally any time Arsal speaks punjabi!

“O Amma, ae te apne masle solve nahi ho rahe, tu apne paale vich!”

Top fave: (on hanging up with Huma after she refused to give him the 411) “Naa dass. ZEHER LAGDI HAI MAINU TIDDI JI!!!!!!!!!”

The scene where Arsal watches Jiya pray, and maarofies taana, but is instantly undone by her tears and implores her to tell him just once to not marry Kinza and he won’t.

Jiya doing Arsal ki pitaai with his own damn kameez.

Despite all the smug cockiness he was showing before about having seen the video, at the actual moment of truth, Arsal just plainly forwards it to her and lets her know he knows and walks away silently. No pretenses or games.

The omelet scene.

Arsal, on the suhaag raat: “NIKLO MERE ROOM SE! BACHPAN SE YEH MERA ROOM HAI!!!!!!!!!!!”

Also him being perplexed at her joda and why it’s so big and all over the place, and sitting down elsewhere and staring at it in confusion.

“Chalo chodo, mujhe sabse Eid milne jaana hai.”*pulls her closer* “Pehle mujhse toh mil lo.”

Nazaakat at the police station: “Inspector saab, aap ko pata hai main kaun hoon?!?!!?!?!? (…..) Main beemar hoon!” 

Jiya and Arsal meeting chori-chhipe on his balcony and getting into a shoving match that starts out cute and loving but turns violent.

Chutki Shah Baba to Masooma, when she says he should break Arsal/Jiya and “taanka jodein is ladke aur meri beti ka”: “Dekho bibi, welding ka kaam nahi hai humara.”

And like a milllllllllllllion more. Most of these are from the later episodes, coz they’re fresh in my mind, but I’ll add to the post as I rewatch!