Doctor Who | 4.08 Silence in the Library
I was watching the bts videos yesterday including the making of the opening credits and Mr. Anderson said “We added plaques to the back of chairs and Neil chose who to honour on them”.
He’s referring to the chairs we briefly see in the theatre where Aziraphale is doing his magic act:
Left to right: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and The Crow Road by Iain Banks.
I want to focus on these three in a row specifically because Neil chose to put those books there in that order and I had something of an epiphany last night about it all when insomnia was chewing on my toes.
These three books have also been mentioned out loud in the show in episode 2 when Gabriel is reorganising the shelves:
“It was the day my grandmother exploded” - The Crow Road
“It is a truth universally acknowledged-” - Pride and Prejudice
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” - A Tale of Two Cities
For those unfamiliar with the books, I’ll do a quick potted summary of each, with a focus on why I think they’re relevant and especially why the order of the chairs in the theatre feels relevant.
A Tale of Two Cities
Set during the French revolution with one lead who is an aristocrat who has stepped away from his class and background to support the less fortunate than himself because he disagrees with the way they did things. Also, he changed his name because he doesn’t want to be associated with the place where he came from.
The big culmination of the books is when said man is betrayed and set to be executed, but his friend takes his place. There is very literally a body swap by someone who looks very like him in order to save his life. This body-swap is done out of love.
aka - season 1.
Pride and Prejudice
Two people from very different class backgrounds have a very very bumpy start to their relationship because of misinterpretation, miscommunication and a lot of external pressure put on them by the rules of their respective societies. Both of them have different information and because of that, both of them are seeing exactly the same situation very differently. One of them tries to express his affection, but does it so badly that the other tells him there is no chance she will join him.
aka - season 2
The Crow Road
A young man tries to solve a mystery of someone’s disappearance using only the papers they left behind, with said young man’s background rooted in faith and belief in a higher power. There’s also a secondary plot about emotional growth into a more mature and more fulfilling relationship.
(And wouldn’t you know it, it’s the book handed to Muriel by Crowley, who tells them they’ll like it, and the Metatron comments on it)
aka - season 3
Needless to say, I am quite excited :)
guys... ed 'burnt the toast but added some twine as a flourish' teach and stede 'towels? what is this? are these jobs?' bonnet are going to try to run a customer service based business.
The iconic duo 🕺🕺
The real fun starts after you watch Good Omens and relisten to every song you've ever heard IN YOUR LIFE and realize it's ALL about them.
y’all season 2 of good omens was like having a nice relaxing bubble bath with scented candles and bath bombs and shit and you’re just enjoying it so euphorically that it leaves you super vulnerable for when someone throws A FUCKIN TOASTER IN