Good Omens season 2 episode 2 recap: A Biblical bet

Crowley and Aziraphale at the pub in Good Omens season 2 episode 2
Aziraphale and Crowley mull over the Gabriel mystery at the pub. (Image credit: Mark Mainz/Prime Video)

*This article contains spoilers for Good Omens season 2 episode 2, "The Clue"*

Good Omens season 2 kicked off with the Supreme Archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm) turning up on Aziraphale's (Michael Sheen) doorstep completely naked without a clue of who he is — see our Good Omen season 2 episode 1 recap for full details — and ended with the angel teaming up with his closest associate, Crowley the demon (David Tennant) to protect him from the forces of Heaven and Hell. 

In episode two, we get another flashback to a moment from the pair's history that saw them problem-solving a way through another Heaven vs Hell scenario, and a few angels dropped by the bookstore after picking up on the miracle the pair had done. Here's our recap for Good Omens season 2 episode 2. 

2500 BC

We join the dynamic duo in the past, as Crowley is about to sacrifice some goats to Satan. Aziraphale arrives on the scene to stop him... but Crowley reveals he's actually got a permit to carry out his evil deed.

Aziraphale takes the lengthy contract up to Heaven and has it checked over by Muriel, who confirms that everything's above board, and Crowley is indeed allowed to kill the goats (who are owned by the Biblical figure, Job).

As it turns out, Satan and the Almighty God have a bet on about Job, and so he's being tested. Satan bets he won't remain loyal to God if he loses everything, including all his belongs and his children. 

If he passes the test, Job will be rewarded with twice as much as what he's lost, including twice as many new children... an arrangement that Aziraphale isn't exactly thrilled by. It's here that he starts doubting God's will, just like his demonic companion.

Gabriel's clue

We jump to the present day. Aziraphale has enlisted Gabriel as an assistant bookseller, and he's busying himself by alphabetizing his books... by the first letter of each sentence. 

Whilst working, he mindlessly sings lyrics from the Buddy Holly song, 'Everyday', though he can't place where he's heard the song before. Aziraphale seeks out Maggie at the record shop and is handed a copy that comes from The Resurrectionist pub in Edinburgh, after she lays out her feelings for Nina to him. 

Maggie explains that she's got tons of copies of the same song from the pub because every single they play eventually turns into a copy of Everyday. He believes this could be a clue to the Gabriel mystery.

Shax pays Crowley another visit. Beelzebub and Shax believe Aziraphale is connected to Gabriel's disappearance, and Shax wants him to source more info. It's at this point that the angels descend on Aziraphale's bookstore.

The angels have landed

Having located the source of the miracle from episode one, Michael, Uriel and Saraqael descend from Heaven and head to the bookstore. The miracle is proven to have worked, as they don't seem to recognize Gabriel as anyone other than a bookseller.

When asked about the nature of the miracle he conjured, Aziraphale lies and says it was to make Maggie and Nina fall in love. He says it worked, and the angels pledge to send someone along to verify whether this is true.

Obviously, it's not, so Aziraphale summons Crowley to the pub, where he tells him that the miracle had set off some alarms, and about his lie. Because Heaven are going to verify the miracle, he asks Crowley to help him fix things by actually making the pair fall for one another. 

Back at the bookstore, Crowley presses Gabriel to try and recollect something about the new clue they've got, and what his very first memories are. In doing so, he recalls a memory connected to the bet over Job.

Gabriel (Jon Hamm) in his assistant bookseller get-up looking at books in Good Omens season 2 episode 2

Gabriel goes unrecognized by the angels.  (Image credit: Mark Mainz/Good Omens)

Back to the past

In another flashback, we see Crowley speaking to Job in a burned-out husk of a home. He's still clinging onto his faith, and blames himself, rather than God for forsaking him.

Crowley's next assignment is to kill Job's three children, and Aziraphale steps in to stop him all over again. Although Crowley tells him he wants to do the job, he changes his mind at the last second; he also wants to protect the children, and reveals that he didn't actually kill all of Job's goats. Instead, Crowley transforms the three kids into lizards (starting with the one who annoys him the most).

Whilst the pair wait out a storm in the cellar, they debate whose side they're really on, and Crowley commits that he's willing to play both sides of the fight for his own benefit. 

The following day, they see Job speaking directly to God. His wife asks if he learned anything about their apparent fall from favor, but he said he barely understood most of the exchange. 

Gabriel and some of the other angels descend and tell Job he passed his test. They reward him with twice as many goats (600, to be precise), and give him permission to have seven more children. Job and his wife tell them they want their own children back.

Crowley returns them from their amphibious form, though the angels harbor some suspicion that they're not new children. Suspicious, Gabriel demands the truth from Aziraphale, and he lies to the other angels and tells them that they are indeed completely new kids. 

Newfound friendship

At a later point, Crowley comes across Aziraphale. He's been waiting for him to arrive as he thinks he's about to be banished to Hell for turning against God's wishes. However, Aziraphale tells him that he's not going to reveal his crimes.

Back in the present, Aziraphale tells Crowley that he wants to take a trip up to The Resurrectionist to see where the clue about the record takes him, and he wants to borrow Crowley's Bentley. Reluctantly, Crowley gives him permission and remains behind to look after Gabriel and the shop.

Good Omens season 2 is available to stream on Prime Video. 

Martin Shore
Staff Writer at WhatToWatch.com

Martin is a Staff Writer with WhatToWatch.com, where he produces a variety of articles focused on the latest and greatest films and TV shows. 

Some of his favorite shows are What We Do In The Shadows, Bridgerton, Gangs of London, The Witcher, Doctor Who, and Ghosts. When he’s not watching TV or at the movies, Martin’s probably still in front of a screen playing the latest video games, reading, or watching the NFL.