Meta - 6x04 "Weekend At Bobby's"
So I realise that on the face of things it would appear that the latest ep of SPN pretty much directly contradicts my entire premise for this journal. Which is, as my muse would put it, a sodding inconvenience.
But does it, though? Bear with me while I put forward my case for continued Supernatural/Good Omens crosses.
Okay, so what do we actually know for sure from this ep? Not much, when you really look at it. Miscellaneous Crossroads Demon gives Bobby a name. Threatening to torch those bones is enough to get Crowley to back down. This...kind of makes sense in the context of a strictly canon interpretation. I have a few minor objections I'll comment on later. But the question here is, can it also make sense in the context of a Good Omens crossover?
I think yes.
GO!Crowley is not, strictly speaking, a demon. He's a fallen angel. And Lucifer established pretty thoroughly in the last season that they are still bound by the rules and limitations of angels rather than demons. Whichever canon you pick, Crowley remains a devious little bastard out to protect his own skin. Which all kinds of relevant. Firstly, it was established in earlier seasons that most demons don't (didn't) even believe in the existence of fallen. It would be just common sense to play along with that assumption. Because, secondly, what better way to protect yourself than to have everyone believe you're something you're not? That you'll be harmed by things that won't really work, and not even consider things that would actually harm you?
Of course just going along with people's assumptions isn't much of a cover. It won't hold up if anyone looks any deeper. So it's not inconceivable that Crowley (Did we mention that devious little bastard? Also paranoid) would have a backup plan. Let slip a quietly-researched and believable lie, possibly borrowing the identity of a soul bought at the crossroads who didn't quite have what it took to make it downstairs...well, then you have all the makings of a working cover story.
So why fold and give up Bobby's soul to maintain the cover story? It's a matter of priorities. What's one soul, after all? He's taken over Hell. He probably sleeps on a pile of them. But in that position, universally known and with a lot of ambitious underlings not-so-secretly yearning to stab you in the back...letting slip his true nature would be suicidally stupid. No. Better to play along, back down, and keep the secret safe.
If there's anything I've failed to account for here, please let me know. I'd love to discuss this with people.
ETA: I've just been reminded about Gavin. Well, what about him? Bobby asked for dirt on his scumbag father, Gavin quite happily gave it. All he's got is Bobby's word (and all Bobby's got is Miscellaneous Crossroads Demon's word) that AJ Crowley and Fergus MacLeod are the same person.
To move onto my own niggly objections, a note on accents by way of a little history lesson. The 17th century - when Fergus MacLeod lived and died - was characterised by escalating battles between England and Scotland, civil war, and the earliest of the highland clearances. Caithness - where the man in question came from - is in the far north of the highlands and among the areas most violently opposed to English rule. I have a hard time buying that anyone from that area in that time period would adopt an English accent. Especially when there is no particularly compelling reason for him to do so. (I mean really. Scots-born, Irish name, English accent? Can Americans just not distinguish between different countries in the UK at all?)
To preempt the possible counterargument that the accent might belong to the vessel...I can't think why a "moderately successful literary agent out of New York" would have an English accent either.
I'm not even going to comment on the assumption that he's from a particular area because he favours a whisky from there. What? I like a good Jura, but I've never set foot on the island. Just...what?
tl;dr - Sophistry! Rambling! Also it's MacLeod, not McCloud. Please.
Crowley is thoroughly exasperated with the whole affair
But does it, though? Bear with me while I put forward my case for continued Supernatural/Good Omens crosses.
Okay, so what do we actually know for sure from this ep? Not much, when you really look at it. Miscellaneous Crossroads Demon gives Bobby a name. Threatening to torch those bones is enough to get Crowley to back down. This...kind of makes sense in the context of a strictly canon interpretation. I have a few minor objections I'll comment on later. But the question here is, can it also make sense in the context of a Good Omens crossover?
I think yes.
GO!Crowley is not, strictly speaking, a demon. He's a fallen angel. And Lucifer established pretty thoroughly in the last season that they are still bound by the rules and limitations of angels rather than demons. Whichever canon you pick, Crowley remains a devious little bastard out to protect his own skin. Which all kinds of relevant. Firstly, it was established in earlier seasons that most demons don't (didn't) even believe in the existence of fallen. It would be just common sense to play along with that assumption. Because, secondly, what better way to protect yourself than to have everyone believe you're something you're not? That you'll be harmed by things that won't really work, and not even consider things that would actually harm you?
Of course just going along with people's assumptions isn't much of a cover. It won't hold up if anyone looks any deeper. So it's not inconceivable that Crowley (Did we mention that devious little bastard? Also paranoid) would have a backup plan. Let slip a quietly-researched and believable lie, possibly borrowing the identity of a soul bought at the crossroads who didn't quite have what it took to make it downstairs...well, then you have all the makings of a working cover story.
So why fold and give up Bobby's soul to maintain the cover story? It's a matter of priorities. What's one soul, after all? He's taken over Hell. He probably sleeps on a pile of them. But in that position, universally known and with a lot of ambitious underlings not-so-secretly yearning to stab you in the back...letting slip his true nature would be suicidally stupid. No. Better to play along, back down, and keep the secret safe.
If there's anything I've failed to account for here, please let me know. I'd love to discuss this with people.
ETA: I've just been reminded about Gavin. Well, what about him? Bobby asked for dirt on his scumbag father, Gavin quite happily gave it. All he's got is Bobby's word (and all Bobby's got is Miscellaneous Crossroads Demon's word) that AJ Crowley and Fergus MacLeod are the same person.
To move onto my own niggly objections, a note on accents by way of a little history lesson. The 17th century - when Fergus MacLeod lived and died - was characterised by escalating battles between England and Scotland, civil war, and the earliest of the highland clearances. Caithness - where the man in question came from - is in the far north of the highlands and among the areas most violently opposed to English rule. I have a hard time buying that anyone from that area in that time period would adopt an English accent. Especially when there is no particularly compelling reason for him to do so. (I mean really. Scots-born, Irish name, English accent? Can Americans just not distinguish between different countries in the UK at all?)
To preempt the possible counterargument that the accent might belong to the vessel...I can't think why a "moderately successful literary agent out of New York" would have an English accent either.
I'm not even going to comment on the assumption that he's from a particular area because he favours a whisky from there. What? I like a good Jura, but I've never set foot on the island. Just...what?
tl;dr - Sophistry! Rambling! Also it's MacLeod, not McCloud. Please.
Crowley is thoroughly exasperated with the whole affair