'Good Omens' Fans Have a Theory About Aziraphale, Metatron, and That Depressing Ending

***SPOILER ALERT: This article includes major spoilers for Good Omens season 2.***

Good Omens fans are not doing okay after that season two finale. What happened at the end to make everyone so miserable?! Well, the entity Metatron (Derek Jacobi) offered Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) Gabriel’s (Jon Hamm) old job in Heaven, with the agreement that Crowley (David Tennant) could have his old position there reinstated too. Aziraphale was over the moon, thinking he could finally fix everything wrong with Heaven, but Crowley was less than pleased. He didn’t want to go (sorry, accidental Doctor Who reference there) but Aziraphale did, and … that was that. Not even a kiss could mend the rift between the ineffable duo. It was truly devastating, and all the more so because fans face a long wait for season three.

Season 2 has been out less than a week, but fans have already pored over every single detail of that climactic scene. And they’ve turned up something very interesting. Was the Aziraphale who left his soulmate for the sake of Heaven the exact same Aziraphale we (and Crowley) have come to know and love? Or is there some manipulation at play?

Fans have dubbed this “the coffee theory” because it centers on that oat milk latte with almond syrup Metatron gives to Aziraphale. Almonds, as you may know, emit exactly the same smell as cyanide, so was there actually cyanide in the coffee? It wouldn’t kill Aziraphale (since he’s an angel), but it sure might make him act strange. And we’ve seen before what happens when angels and demons ingest poison—a scene in episode 3 shows Crowley drinking laudanum, which makes him act quite unlike his normal self. Is that why that scene is there in the first place, to get fans on high alert for possible poisons? And don’t forget, the coffee shop where Aziraphale’s drink came from is called Give Me Coffee Or Give Me Death.

#GO2Spoilers AND ANOTHER THING. we saw thru crowley/laudinum in this season that injesting a human poison makes them act real weird. the metatron says aziraphale's latte has "a hefty jigger of almond" in it. cyanide famously tastes/smells like almond.

And Aziraphale definitely seems off during the conversation between himself and Crowley.

good omens spoilers //––––the coffee theory sounding sooo good rn ngl because azi would never say that to crowley, he's always said crowley was a good person at heart https://t.co/qdcHjCErpi

That’s not all, though. Others are convinced they can hear the sound of a miracle being performed during the scene between Metatron and Aziraphale. No attention is drawn to it in-show, but this might be something we’re all going to look back (on once season three finally debuts) and shout, “OF COURSE”?

i'm putting my tinfoil hat back on because the last thing aziraphale says to the metatron before he gives him the coffee and we hear the miracle sound is "i don't believe there's anything left to be said. i've made my position quite clear." #GO2Spoilers #GOS2Spoilers pic.twitter.com/zEgZ5QK8rh

The coffee theory is controversial at the moment. Don’t forget, Aziraphale has been through a lot. He’s got a whole apocalypse’s worth of trauma over Heaven and their treatment of him. Bearing that in mind, maybe he really did just choose the prospect of making Heaven better over the prospect of a life with Crowley, no mind control needed. It doesn’t mean that he doesn’t love him, just that he’s still processing everything that’s happened.

goodbye cruel world this is my last straw pic.twitter.com/eEU9ePbMZw

Would the presence of coffee-based manipulation mean Aziraphale was losing out on character development, and lots of delicious angst that could be explored in season three? Some think so.

#GO2Spoilers honestly, id love it more, for the sake of the story, if aziraphale was manipulated with his religious trauma where in the end he has to learn to let go and accept that heaven is too glorified than it really is. no coffees, just white lies and plain manipulation

#GoodOmens2Spoiler pic.twitter.com/xfgMHrszaA

But one thing is certain: whichever way it goes, we’ll be getting some amazing fanfiction.

(featured image: Prime Video)

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Sarah Barrett (she/her) is a freelance writer with The Mary Sue who has been working in journalism since 2014. She loves to write about movies, even the bad ones. (Especially the bad ones.) The Raimi Spider-Man trilogy and the Star Wars prequels changed her life in many interesting ways. She lives in one of the very, very few good parts of England.