History YMMV / NeverWhere

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: The ending is ambiguous: either Richard [[spoiler: decided to return to London Below and went with the Marquis]], or [[spoiler: the whole thing drove him kind of insane and he just imagined that happening because he couldn't deal with London Above any more]]. Given how Gaiman tends to avoid that kind of twist, it's still probably the former. [[TakeAThirdOption Although it could be both.]]

** Richard's Ordeal of the Key. [[spoiler: Made even worse if you are a supporter of the "Richard is insane" theory]].

* AdaptationDisplacement: Averted. The novel is much better known than the original TV series, in a very rare reversal of the norm. All later adaptations are credited as being based on the book, rather than the series, even though the stories of both are largely identical.

* UncannyValley: In the TV adaptation, [[spoiler: Islington's eyes are covered with black contact lenses.]] When you first see his face, you can see something is ever so slightly wrong with it, but it's difficult to tell what. It's made very obvious after TheReveal, though.
** For that matter, Door and the Marquis (''especially'' the Marquis) in the comic book adaptation. His skin is literally ink-black and the only visible parts of his face are his eyes and mouth.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: The ending of the book is ambiguous: either Richard [[spoiler: decided to return to London Below and went with the Marquis]] or [[spoiler: the whole thing drove him kind of insane and he just imagined that happening because he couldn't deal with London Above any more]]. Given how Gaiman tends to avoid that kind of twist, it's still probably the former. [[TakeAThirdOption Although it could be both.]]

** [[TheHeavy Messires Croup and Vandemar]], the Old Firm, are the resident [[PsychoForHire monsters for hire]] of the story and easily two of the most twisted and dreaded creatures of the fantastical London Below. [[WickedCultured Croup]] is an erudite sadist who waxes on the incomparable beauty of a piece of fine China before gleefully destroying it, while [[TheBrute Vandemar]] is a grim, savage, man-eating beast; but both are equally sadistic and cruel. Croup [[CardCarryingVillain cheerfully admits]] he and his partner have no redeeming qualities and no moral standards whatsoever, which they prove time and time again by slaughtering entire monasteries; savagely murdering their own minions; torturing the Marquis de Carabas to death; and taking the lives of Door's entire family.
** [[spoiler:[[BigBad Islington]], Croup and Vandermar's mysterious employer, is an [[OurAngelsAreDifferent angel]] drunk on its own glory and vanity. A vain and unbelievably {{narcissist}}ic entity beneath its serene façade who has "traveled so far beyond right and wrong [that it] couldn't see them with a telescope on a nice clear night", Islington was tasked with watching over {{Atlantis}}. Islington instead destroyed the entire civilization as a testament to its unbelievable ego, shrieking that they got what they deserved when it's exposed. Pretending to be the heroes' enlightened ally in the present day, [[ManipulativeBastard Islington]] is the one who commissioned Croup and Vandemar to murder Door's family and manipulated Door to him so she could open the gates of Heaven, allowing Islington to conquer its kin and exact revenge out of nothing more than spite for its exile.]]
* SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments: At the very end, [[spoiler:Richard scratches a door in a wall and asks for Door and the Marquis to let him return to London Below. He hears nothing and prepares to leave. Cue the Marquis appearing, with the drawing becoming real, and asking if he's coming.]] The miniseries episode makes it better because the Marquis is smiling as if thinking, "I knew you couldn't stay away forever".
* HilariousInHindsight: When Islington declares that it will [[spoiler: "reward the worthy and cast down those who are hateful in my sight" upon its return to heaven, Richard overhears it mutter "Bloody [[ArchangelGabriel Gabriel]], for a start."]] Several years later, Neil Gaiman will write the script for [[Series/GoodOmens the adaptation]] of his novel [[Literature/GoodOmens Good Omens]], in it which includes the Archangel himself! Who is, to that story's main angel, an affable but condescending boss at best, and a BitchInSheepsClothing at worst. Though [[spoiler: Islington is still ''miles'' worse.]]
** Moreover, the 1996 show is a [[Series/GoodOmens2019 six-episode miniseries]] scripted by Creator/NeilGaiman, and there is a supernatural being portrayed by a [[Creator/DavidTennant tall skinny]] [[Creator/PeterCapaldi Scottish bloke]] who is also [[TheNthDoctor the Doctor]].
* HoYay: The fact that [[spoiler:the Marquis draws a crossbow on Hunter on seeing she betrayed Door and him, looking colder than he ever has, and telling Richard that it's dangerous to have her in the rear. Later, he's the one who welcomes Richard back to London Below, with a big smile in the miniseries]].
* LesYay: Hunter and Serpentine are implied to have been lovers in the past - a time apparently remembered fondly by both women.

** [[AristocratsAreEvil The Marquis de Carabas]] is a ruthless, brilliant man of the London Below who deals in favors and manipulation. [[ConMan Tricking others to place them in his debt]], the Marquis participates in helping Lady Door and Richard Mayhew due to a debt to Door's late father, who even considered him "a bit of a monster" himself. [[HiddenDepths Proving to be loyal]], if cagey and dangerous, the Marquis approaches the monstrous assassins Croup and Vandemar, [[ThanatosGambit knowing they will kill him]], but having left his life and soul with the Old Bailey to later recover since he knows Croup cannot resist bragging about the entire plot to a soon-to-be-dead man.
** [[EgomaniacHunter Hunter]] is a skilled warrior whose greatest desire is to kill the "[[HunterOfMonsters Great Beasts]]" of the world. Having already slain several of the Great Beasts, Hunter sets her sights on the Beast of London next, becoming the bodyguard of Door under supposedly benevolent reasons. In truth [[TheMole serving as a spy]] for Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar, Hunter leads Door into a trap, betrays all their allies, and obtains her payment in the form of a powerful spear from Croup and Vandemar, with which Hunter intends to kill the Beast. Even when taken hostage by the Marquis de Carabas, Hunter leads him and Richard into the Beast's lair and [[HeroicSacrifice sacrifices herself]] to help Richard kill the Beast, dying satisfied that her life's mission has been completed and offering Richard advice and power both as she passes.
* MoralEventHorizon: See VillainousBreakdown on the main page. Also explicitly stated by Croup - "He's travelled so far beyond right and wrong he couldn't see them through a telescope on a nice clear night."

* RetroactiveRecognition: [[Series/TheThickOfIt Malcom Tucker]] (or, if you prefer, [[Series/DoctorWho The Twelfth Doctor]]) as The Angel Islington, [[Series/PeepShow Alan Johnson]]/ [[{{Series/Timeless}} Connor Mason]] as the Marquis de Carabas, [[Series/BreakingBad Lydia Rodarte-Quayle]] as Door, and [[Series/BlackBooks Fran Katzenjammer]] as Lamia.
* TheScrappy: Jessica, Richard's girlfriend at the beginning of the book is very disliked for being a very controlling woman and trying to ''fix'' Richard for marriage, and for browbeating him. No one is sad when he doesn't get back with her.

* UncannyValley: In the TV adaptation [[spoiler: Islington's eyes are covered with black contact lenses.]] When you first see his face you can see something is ever so slightly wrong with it, but it's difficult to tell what. It's made very obvious after TheReveal though.

* TheWoobie: Anesthesia. She never had a father, her mother went insane, and she was raped by her aunt's boyfriend. On her eleventh birthday, she told the aunt, who didn't believe her. She ran away and wound up in London Below. [[spoiler: Eventually, the dark took her.]]

* MagnificentBastard: [[AristocratsAreEvil The Marquis de Carabas]] is a ruthless, brilliant man of the London Below who deals in favors and manipulation. [[ConMan Tricking others to place them in his debt]], the Marquis participates in helping Lady Door and Richard Mayhew due to a debt to Door's late father, who even considered him "a bit of a monster" himself. [[HiddenDepths Proving to be loyal]], if cagey and dangerous, the Marquis approaches the monstrous assassins Croup and Vandemar, [[ThanatosGambit knowing they will kill him]], but having left his life and soul with the Old Bailey to later recover since he knows Croup cannot resist bragging about the entire plot to a soon-to-be-dead man.

** [[BigBad Islington]], Croup and Vandermar's mysterious employer, is an [[OurAngelsAreDifferent angel]] drunk on its own glory and vanity. A vain and unbelievably {{narcissist}}ic entity beneath its serene façade who has "traveled so far beyond right and wrong [that it] couldn't see them with a telescope on a nice clear night", Islington was tasked with watching over {{Atlantis}}. Islington instead destroyed the entire civilization as a testament to its unbelievable ego, shrieking that they got what they deserved when it's exposed. Pretending to be the heroes' enlightened ally in the present day, [[ManipulativeBastard Islington]] is the one who commissioned Croup and Vandemar to murder Door's family and manipulated Door to him so she could open the gates of Heaven, allowing Islington to conquer its kin and exact revenge out of nothing more than spite for its exile.

** Messires [[TheHeavy Croup and Vandemar]], the Old Firm, are the resident [[PsychoForHire monsters for hire]] of the story and easily two of the most twisted and dreaded creatures of the fantastical London Below. [[WickedCultured Croup]] is an erudite sadist who waxes on the incomparable beauty of a piece of fine China before gleefully destroying it, while [[TheBrute Vandemar]] is a grim, savage, man-eating beast; but both are equally sadistic and cruel. Croup [[CardCarryingVillain cheerfully admits]] he and his partner have no redeeming qualities and no moral standards whatsoever, which they prove time and time again by slaughtering entire monasteries; savagely murdering their own minions; torturing the Marquis de Carabas to death; and taking the lives of Door's entire family.

** [[BigBad Islington]], Croup and Vandermar's mysterious employer, is an [[OurAngelsAreDifferent angel]] drunk on its own glory and vanity. A vain and unbelievably {{narcissist}}ic entity beneath its serene façade who has "traveled so far beyond right and wrong [that it] couldn't see them with a telescope on a nice clear night", Islington was tasked with watching over {{Atlantis}}. Islington instead destroyed the entire civilization as a testament to its unbelievable ego, shrieking that they got what they deserved when when it's exposed. Pretending to be the heroes' enlightened ally in the present day, [[ManipulativeBastard Islington]] is the one who commissioned Croup and Vandemar to murder Door's family and manipulated Door to him so she could open the gates of Heaven, allowing Islington to conquer its kin and exact revenge out of nothing more than spite for its exile.

** "Messires Croup and Vandemar" are the resident [[PsychoForHire monsters for hire]] of the London Below. Croup himself sums the duo up best when he cheerily remarks "we have ''no'' redeeming features." Croup and Vandemar seem one beast split into two bodies, Croup as the brains and Vandemar as the brawn, but both are wildly sadistic and cruel. A man who fails to perform his tasks is set upon by Croup and hacked to pieces (and impliedly devoured by him). The two murder heroine Door's entire family and when her ally, the Marquis, tries to negotiate with them, they capture him and torture him for nothing more than entertainment. They give him a head start though... with Vandemar stalking after him, gleefully counting down the time to savor the hunt even more.
** Croup and Vandermar's [[BigBad mysterious employer]]; [[spoiler: the angel Islington]] is a being drunk on its own glory and vanity. [[spoiler: Islington was originally tasked with watching over Atlantis. When pressed on how Atlantis really sank, Islington's normally beautiful, serene features are replaced by a mask of fury as it shrieks '''They deserved it!'''. Islington is the one who commissioned Croup and Vandemar to murder Door's family and manipulated Door to him so she could open the gates of heaven, allowing Islington to conquer its kin and exact revenge out of nothing more than spite for its exile.]]

* AdaptationDisplacement: The novel is much better known than the original TV series, in a very rare reversal of the norm. All later adaptations are credited as being based on the book, rather than the series, even though the stories of both are largely identical.

* RetroactiveRecognition: [[Series/TheThickOfIt Malcom Tucker]] (or, if you prefer, [[Series/DoctorWho The Twelfth Doctor]]) as The Angel Islington, [[Series/PeepShow Alan Johnson]] as the Marquis de Carabas, [[Series/BreakingBad Lydia Rodarte-Quayle]] as Door, and [[Series/BlackBooks Fran Katzenjammer]] as Lamia.

** Moreover, the 1996 adaptation is a [[Series/GoodOmens2019 six-episode miniseries]] based on a book by Creator/NeilGaiman, and there is a supernatural being portrayed by a [[Creator/DavidTennant tall skinny]] [[Creator/PeterCapaldi Scottish bloke]] who is also [[TheNthDoctor the Doctor]].

* HilariousInHindsight: When Islington declares that it will [[spoiler: "reward the worthy and cast down those who are hateful in my sight" upon his return to heaven, Richard overhears it mutter "Bloody [[ArchangelGabriel Gabriel]], for a start."]] Several years later, Neil Gaiman will write the script for [[Series/GoodOmens the adaptation]] of his novel [[Literature/GoodOmens Good Omens]], in it which includes the Archangel himself! Who is, to that story's main angel, an affable but condescending boss at best, and a BitchInSheepsClothing at worst. Though [[spoiler: Islington is still ''miles'' worse.]]

* AdaptationDisplacement: The novel is much better known than the original TV series, in a very rare reversal of the norm. All later adaptations are credited as being based on the book, rather than the series, even though the stories of both are largely identical.

* RetroactiveRecognition: [[Series/TheThickOfIt Malcom Tucker]] (or, if you prefer, [[Series/DoctorWho The Twelfth Doctor]]) as The Angel Islington, [[Series/PeepShow Alan Johnson]] as the Marquis de Carabas, [[Series/BreakingBad Lydia Rodarte-Quayle]] as Door, and [[Series/BlackBooks Fran Katzenjammer]] as Lamia

* TheScrappy: Jessica, Richard's girlfriend at the beginning of the book is very disliked for being a very controlling woman and trying to ''fix'' Richard for marriage, and for browbeating him. No one is sad when he doesn't get back with her.