At long last, the Good Place!
Eleanor takes a deep breath of the air here in heaven.
The Good Place smells like whatever makes you happiest, Michael explains.
Credit: Colleen Hayes/NBC
For Chidi, its warm pretzels, which is coincidentally a smell-a-like for Absolute Moral Truth.
For Jason, its Blake Bortles holding a Super Bowl trophy, crediting his success to his pal Jason.
(Also, weed.)
For Tahani, its the smell of a curtain closing between first class and economy.
But theyre notquitein the Good Place.
Or anyhow, theyre not in what Michael calls the Main Good Place Area.
(Jason is confused about the lie: Were refugees?
What kind of messed-up place would turn away refugees?)
Which is, well, a pretty easy plot turn for our Michael.
(Gwendolyn, paraphrasing: Heres precisely what you need with nothing stopping you from using it!)
But nothing about the Good Place is simple, well discover.
Eleanor is tormented by a door leading out of the mail depot to the Good Place.
Its such a small door four Oreos from Heaven!
but it wont open for humans.
Chidi tries to cheer her up with a playful suggestion.
Why not have their first date?
Meanwhile, Tahani tries to solve her own curious love triangle.
Janet has to imitate a Neutral Janet, but shes not feeling very neutral.
Jason reveals that he knows she loves him.
Tahani tries to talk Janet through her frustration, but that just makes things worse.
A committee of Good Placers arrives in the mail depot.
They travel in magic polyhedrons, apparently, and have extremely generous attitudes.
They listen patiently while Michael explains that the points system has gone horribly wrong.
The committee is skeptical.
But they agree to discuss the matter, while a Good Placer named Kellen showers Michael with compliments.
NEXT: This calls for immediate discussion!
Eleanor and Chidi have a wonderful date.
Theyre together, in love: What could go wrong?
Chidi even surprises Eleanor, donning a mailman outfit in fulfillment of all her fantasies.
And then Eleanor starts crying, beautiful tears that taste like nacho cheese from her favorite movie theater.
Chidi quotes Tolstoy: There is only one time that is important.
It is the only time when we have any power.
Eleanor knows that one, it was on meme posted to an unverified Tyra Banks Instagram account.
They race upstairs immediately to find the sexiest closet.
Tahani writes up a certificate announcing that she and Jason are now divorced on account of death.
Janet feels pitiedandput on the spot, so thats fun.
Jason is suddenly reminded about the tiny fact of his death.
Tahani doesnt know what to do.
Neither, ultimately, does Michael.
The committee announces their decision.
They will form an elite investigative team to get to the bottom of the Bad Place hack.
1400 years just tostartworking on the problem and during that time,everyonegoes to the Bad Place.
Michael is furious and exhausted.
What can he do, if the Good Place couldnt help them stop the Bad Place?
Then Tahani comes in asking for help.
She keeps trying to help Janet and Jason, but that just makes things worse.
There are so many unintended consequences to well-intended actions!
It feels like a game you cant win!
That gets Michael thinking.
He brings up some other Dougs from the Book of Dougs.
In the 1500s, one Douglass gave his grandmother a dozen roses, earning 145 points.
The Bad Placehasntbeen hacking the Good Place.
They dont have to!
A Big Theme sentence that seems to sum up this seasons (the whole shows?)
thesis about moral existence and were still a couple of episodes from the finale.
In some ways,The Good Placehas been teasing this since the beginning.
The consequences might be unintended, but that doesnt mean they dont matter.
Your every move is a butterfly effect hurtingsomeone, maybe, probably.
So Michael has a new plan.
His plan is to save humanity,somehow.
The big revelation at the end of this episode is fascinating, big thoughtful food for thought.
But this still felt like a maybe-inevitable comedown from the body-swapping playfulness of Janet(s).
Sounds scary, but also, at least there will be pancakes!
