The Good Place 1x13: Michael's Gambit Reaction

[@fajenthygia5760]

Ted Danson should have won an emmy just for that laugh.

[@christianwise637]

And the incredibly petty way he knocks that plant pot over

[@caitlin329]

I actually don't like the big zoom in and laugh -I thought for a second at the time they'd have a twist and he'd be like 'no wtf Eleanor I'm trying my best' lol It took me out of it a bit.

[@zemoxian]

@@caitlin329 I’m wondering if it’s an homage to a Twilight Zone episode A Nice Place to Visit. The “guide” does a similar evil laugh after the reveal.

[@caitlin329]

@@zemoxian I think it's something they said Ted improvised? It's just a classic 'evil laugh'.

[@beanofglory7602]

@@caitlin329 It is it is! It wasn't in the script, but as they were filming it and trying takes that didn't seem quite right, he did that evil chuckle, and they said "the whole energy of the room changed."

[@KrazeeHouse]

And now we all relese a collective sigh of relief that you didn't get spoiled

[@LiamCatterson]

The only thing I knew about was we were getting a bit about the Bad Place but ahahahaha

[@KrazeeHouse]

@@LiamCatterson That's great man, the finale really had me shook, and helped elevate The Good Place too a new tier in my books, re watching with you just made me appreciate it even more

[@Jordan-Ramses]

I knew all along. There was a Twilight Zone episode with the same concept.

[@creatingpulsars9979]

My friend and I usually prefer spoilers because it helps with our anxiety and we can still find sincere enjoyment even knowing where it ends. BUT this was a comedy so I decided to watch on my own. When I rewatched it with her, this was the one show I refused to spoil the finale for her one. It was a good twist. There wasn't a huge amount of anxiety for me leading up to it so I knew it wouldn't bother her's and I do truly think this was a twist that if it was spoiled for you, it would really detract from the experience.

[@NoThankUBeQuiet]

@@Jordan-Ramses The play "No Exit" Hell is other people

[@Arthur40TwoDent]

My favorite quote from the first episode from Eleanor: "My parents were divorced when I was a kid. They were both crummy people, so they're probably in the Bad Place. Maybe they're being used to torture each other. It would work."

[@NoThankUBeQuiet]

Hell is other people

[@miriam8376]

I love that Michael pushes that glass off onto the floor to teach her a lesson like a cat would do.

[@megelizabeth9492]

Ted Danson improvised that!

[@miriam8376]

@@megelizabeth9492 He's such a gem in this show.

[@megelizabeth9492]

He also improvised that laugh on the last take they did! They had him react in a couple different ways, but nothing was working quite as well as they thought, so he asked if he could do one more take, and came out with that!

[@zemoxian]

@@megelizabeth9492 I’ve been wondering if it was a reference to the Twilight Zone episode with the same twist.

[@jairoliradeamorimjr3262]

Fun fact: every single furniture in Eleanor's house was picked specifically to be uncomfortable and out of place. In a way we could say that this were a tiny foreshadowing on the bad place twist

[@LJLvids]

the thing I like about Michael is how his personality doesn't really change between being good and evil

[@theadamabrams]

Ted Danson pulls off congenial and devious both so well.

[@TheJokerAkaCirque]

Because he was *always* playing Evil Michael if you were really paying attention.

[@LJLvids]

@@TheJokerAkaCirque yea i know. I've watched trough this show like 6 times

[@super-sizedmcshizzle6235]

@The Joker we don’t have to be “really paying attention” as it’s pretty obvious but ok

[@kevinlechuga_]

Such an iconic ending. This is where the fun truly begins: the show only gets better from this point on.

[@Ataraxy123]

"Everything you think you know is a lie."

[@azizuladnan2957]

"Got you, finally."

[@LiamCatterson]

Everything is about to change...forever

[@SGlitz]

But this is well written and doesn't piss on the past. :)

[@craigmacdonald539]

One of the greatest twists in TV history.

[@TwotoTenth]

It's been mentioned elsewhere in the comments, but if you have time, it's worth rewatching Season 1 after you learn what's actually happening. (For instance, the episode where Michael suggests all kinds of afterlife activities to Chidi, none of which appeal to him at all, and then ends by having him throw his life's work in the garbage? That one plays juuust a little differently once you're in the know.) Anyway, this reaction was exactly what we were all hoping for here. Looking forward to season 2!

[@jesseclark3697]

The big one for me is his reaction when Eleanor confessed to being the problem in the neighborhood. Probably one of the few genuine reactions Michael gave all season.

[@NoPowerintheVerse]

@@jesseclark3697 For me it’s when he explains how he’s retiring and the steps to leave the neighborhood. Rewatching it now once you know the twist and he’s clearly explaining how Eleanor can stop it by eliminating Janet. Also his reaction to Janet and Jason is great because that one seems pretty real too.

[@derinedala5032]

In this light his behaviour re: Tahani's retirement party for him is FANTASTIC. He makes her feel awful at every possible turn and makes her think it's her fault.

[@acidsupernova]

And all the frozen yogurt places. "I've come to really like frozen yogurt. There's something so human about taking something great and ruining it a little so you can have more of it."

[@bluejays25]

@@jesseclark3697 That was because he wasn't expecting that. I feel that if that didn't happen, Michael's plan could have gone on for longer.

[@Buffy8Fan]

This was the episode this show's fans were waiting for.

[@ruan1384]

We did it, guys! He remained spoiler-free!!!!! This was priceless!!

[@elperson31]

Something people might have missed is how when it quickly showed Michael’s idea that was on the sheet of graph paper it said “The Good Place” Notice there was quotation marks on it that hinted to later in the episode where the twist happened

[@kmac169]

There we go, one of the best twist reveals on TV. The whole premise of the show is turned on it's head and you realize that everything that ever seemed off or odd about the Good Place itself was because it never was the good place. And it was a well done reveal too. I mean I didn't watch season one when it aired... and read an article that spoiled the overall reveal (there were things I wasn't aware of), but even knowing that from the beginning when I did watch this season it was so easy to get wrapped up in all the character and all that was going on for the twist to get pushed to the back of my mind until this episode.

[@derinedala5032]

It's so good that I was also spoiled in advance by the 'this is the bad place!' reaction meme and very quickly into season 1 decided I must have misunderstood the concept of the meme and believed it was the good place anyway. And then when everything's explained I was like "oh actually that DOES seem obviously bad place in retrospect!"

[@AtlanticGiantPumpkin]

I've waited for this episode for 12 years in Azkaban.

[@creatingpulsars9979]

this comment wins

[@ZukoHalliwell]

You actually called it right from the beginning, Liam. In your reaction to the pilot, you saw the “Everything is fine” on the wall and said, “It’s a trap!”

[@jychilly]

Liam: "I feel betrayed!" Yes, well, that's one of the unpleasant side effects of betrayal. Yep, Michael fooled us all! But what an amazing twist, yeah? I know we've all been looking forward to your reaction to this episode!

[@TheBehenaught]

I've waited for this and it was just as glorious as I hoped. Fun note, check out the furniture in the cottage. It all looks beautiful, but has low backs or uncomfortable angles, too high or too low, amazing subtle hint about the nature of this "good place." Looks good but is actually painful.

[@elbruces]

The whole thing is basically Jean-Paul Sartre's "No Exit." Put the right combination of people together in an otherwise nice place and they'll torture each other. "Hell is other people."

[@dlweiss]

Heehee, your reaction to the reveal is great. And so is your reaction to Shirtless Chris at the end. XD

[@kickingroses8925]

Important to remember that Michael believes him and the other demons are doing something good by torturing people the 'system' has decided are bad. He's still a little bench though and it's hilarious seeing his gremlin laugh. He's not a cinnamon roll but he is a sinnamon roll. ;)

[@awilmart]

Oh how I have waited for this

[@zezokh4754]

now rewatch s1 and notice the little clues you missed its mind blowing .. you'll notice a few evil smiles and evil looks from Michael and the other demons and how they torture everyone its brilliant never gets old im on my 5th watch and still ... amazing

[@TheFhqwhgadsLimit]

Even from the very very beginning. Michael has a quick smirk right before he tells Eleanor that she's in the Good Place.

[@nahuelma97]

I love how you praised Michael all the time like he was lovely and adorable and the bench sucker punched you with that life

[@Katerine459]

Want to hear something nuts? Before I ever started watching the show (finally binge-watched S1 yesterday), I had the season finale spoiled. So I knew from the start that they were in the Bad Place. And yet it somehow STILL never occurred to me that Michael was in on it! I was so sure that everybody there was being unknowingly punished, including Michael. In his case, I thought he was a low-level architect who was being punished with an ever-failing construction.

[@1nelsondj]

I've been waiting all season for this moment, so glad it did not get spoiled for you. The reveal makes you want to go back and re-watch the entire season (which doesn't take long with only 13 short episodes). Next season things are different because the 4 characters' minds have been wiped but OURS have not.

[@steampunkwilson7435]

I love how badly the twist threw him! Love your channel Liam! :D

[@owentanner8368]

I have been looking forward to this reaction since you started the series. And you didn't let me down

[@defiante1]

The thirst at seeing her new soul mate xD

[@MrShieldsy100]

Hi, love your reactions! If you like podcasts, I'd recommend "The Good Place: The Podcast". It's hosted by Marc Evan Jackson (he plays Shaun) and in each episode, he interviews cast and crew from across every area of production involved in the making of the Good Place. There's an episode that corresponds with every episode of the show. Normally, he talks to around 2-3 people, but for the podcast that corresponds with this one, he's primarily talking with Mike Schur, the show runner, who also wrote and directed this episode. There's some really interesting stuff in there, one of the main ones being that Michael's evil laugh, was never in the script, and Ted Danson added it in on the spur of the moment. Not only is this a great podcast, but Marc Evan Jackson's voice is one of the silkiest and smoothest voices to ever host a podcast.

[@BinaryHedgehog]

And now you have felt what we all felt. A sexual awakening set off by Eleanor’s new soulmate’s abs.

[@carpelibrarium8522]

If you go back and rewatch S1 you'll see so many clues to the twist.

[@mlgnerd13]

I highly recommend a rewatch of season 1 at some point. It's so interesting seeing it while knowing what's coming

[@No1fan15]

God I love this twist. It's done so well. The show only gets better from here

[@jazoon7249]

One of best plot twists in all of television. Amazing reaction! Holy Forking Shirt Balls indeed. Also don't know if it has been mentioned, but the two people in the cast that knew about this twist were Ted Danson and Kristen Bell. Until about the time they were filming episode 10? I think. There is a great clip of Kristen telling the rest of the cast about the twist that is priceless.

[@MarshaLove0723]

I was fooled all season, but got a hint of the twist when Michael drew up his new plans for the neighborhood and titled it "THE GOOD PLACE" A BOLD NEW PLAN I picked up that TGP was in quotes but I was too busy watching to fully examine the thought.

[@AnatoleVGC]

Im SO glad you got to this moment without being spoiled. This is such a turning point for the show. I believe what truly makes this a great show is not even the comedy, but the story telling. Of course, they mix the comedy quite well, but this story is just really good by itself

[@bialynia]

Aw, Michael is still lovable in his inhumanity :)

[@megelizabeth9492]

I would love to see him and Crowley from Good Omens interact. I feel like they would get each other.

[@bialynia]

@@megelizabeth9492 I'd rather see him with Bad Janet

[@NoelleMar]

Still one of the greatest twists of all time lol. I adored Michael as well. And yes you even mentioned that the other Eleanor could be a demon! Impressive. Further irony they call her the “real” Eleanor when she isn’t any Eleanor lol.

[@matthewwalford3050]

Liam at 9:43 is all of us!

[@jeffevans9853]

To quote a great Christmas movie, "Welcome to the party, pal."

[@micey14]

Yayayayayayay! I’ve been waiting for this one!! Here we go!!

[@Iron_Stigmata]

I started watching this show after seeing the "This is the Bad Place" meme everywhere, so I knew before even starting 😭

[@slumbermeadow]

It's really frustrating to try to get friends into this show without letting them know that there is a great spoiler at the end of the first season. Because it really is the best, most unexpected twist ever but you can't just tell people that. "You have to watch it now! Time is of the essence!" "Why?" (Thinks: Because it's already a miracle that it hasn't been spoiled for you yet) "Hush, just watch it! Trust me!"

[@arigatoxzx]

I love this episode is one of the best of all four seasons. And it also makes you wonder how hard it is to get to the good place then? If you think about it, Eleanor and Tahani are opposite sides but they are both there because of their selfishness. Eleanor was a normal more and less mean person who only cared about herself but that's how most people are and I'm sure most of us at some point related to her and when you look at her memories on Earth you can say "yeah, she belongs to the bad place". But then you look at Tahani, a person who helped different charities, and don't see the part of her which wanted attention and approval, you keep thinking she's a good person because she did good things. On the other side, we have Jason which just by look at his attitude you know he belongs to the bad place, he's impulsive, he doesn't think of the consequences and you can totally understand why he is in the bad place. He was a drug dealer, and died trying to steal a restaurant there's not much to say about him on that matter. Chidi, though, is like the embodiment of a seemingly good person, he studied ethics and moral, so in theory he knew what a good person must do, and he knew that his actions had consequences but he was obsessed about those consequences which caused his indecisiveness; he's literally the opposite of Jason. And one's like okay this guy might be a little bit rigid but he thinks before acting so his actions won't cause too much damage. So how good must you be to get to the good place? Because good deeds didn't get Tahani there, and knowing ethics and moral didn't get Chidi there either.

[@lizzy24601]

i saw how michael made you happy and i was dyingggg for you to get here lololol 😂 i still loved him throughout tbh

[@artman2oo3]

This is my absolute favorite episode of TGP to watch reactions to! And you had a good one dude!

[@suncore598]

The moment we've been waiting for. And you didn't disappoint. I also felt betrayed when Michael turned out to be the bad guy. I knew about the Bad Place reveal before watching the finale. But I didn't know if Michael was in on it. I thought perhaps he was fooled like the others. I was wrong.

[@ShyAnn291]

I like watching people react to this episode!

[@NoelleMar]

Totally agree with your summation at the beginning. Truly delightful.

[@dipperjc]

So now go back to your Episode 8 commentary after the episode and listen to how much you were defending and empathizing with "Michael". It's so beautiful that that naivete is immortalized for posterity. ;)

[@TheChimikpiero]

this is such a legendary twist....

[@randinskip3457]

You are so entertaining to watch! Your reaction was epic!!! What a cool show, huh? I hope you watch all the way thru to the very end of all the seasons..... The very final episode is so emotional.

[@joekabyemela4948]

and now you've made it to the episode we've all been anticipating since the pilot

[@ShadowDemon_4]

"And so it begins" after 13 episodes....wait, 13 is considered an unlucky number. Hahahaha.

[@sherrysink3177]

Fantastic reaction! I loved the moment when everything was revealed and your mind was blown. (As mine was when I saw the episode as well, lol) I admit, I may have laughed a little evilly (a la Michael) when you realized the twist and were all, "What the frick..." Sorry, man! It's just so much fun. :)

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

I never watched this when it was originally on NBC, but discovered it on Netflix and binge-watched the whole thing in a few days. In a way I'm glad I did because otherwise I'd have to wait a week in between episodes and then several months in between seasons. I like the "don't take this heaven and hell business too seriously" method of storytelling for this. God and the devil are never mentioned, and the word "Hell" is only used one time (I think). This makes the show much more accessible to people who get uneasy in those subjects under normal circumstances. I'm an atheist and I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

[@ogie_____9835]

Liam's face to that hot guy hahahahah

[@romanzolanski6256]

The way you reacted to the big plot twist is EXACTLY what I expected for you to react 😂 Btw I felt you in that way you were so thirsty about the new Eleanor's soulmate, what a hottie huh?

[@Steelburgh]

Imagine waiting a year after this episode hehe.

[@jeffborowiak8992]

The ending here, fells like the ending of a certain episode of The Twilight Zone.

[@PoseurGoth]

A Nice Place to Visit. It's my favorite episode in the series. That episode is actually based on a radio drama called The Land of Milk and Honey. If you like that episode, you can find the radio drama on Old Time Radio Downloads (you don't actually have to download it to listen).

[@megelizabeth9492]

Also, “No Exit”

[@ekay5207]

Yes!!!! I was waiting for this! Great reaction!

[@Nextburjalarab]

Just discovered your reactions, love it! Great job

[@maxgremln]

Here is the written transcript of this video from 5:50 to 6:58= "Wait....what?....This....wait....what?.......WHAT?.......Wha....wait...hold up...hold up!.. This is the Bad Place!?...Whaaa....I......Holy Shirt!.......Wow!.....Whaa...This is full blown manipulation!" Pretty normal reaction, really.

[@PandezPanda]

if you haven't seen it there's an amazing video of the main cast learning what's gonna happen here as the director tells them :D

[@Etters07]

i was waiting for this episode :D

[@nunuandwillump1107]

The bisexual panic...

[@karlitatv]

One of the best season finales of any show.

[@bobdolphin1284]

I've never clicked on a video quicker! Great Stuff!

[@vitnersantos]

one of the best twists on tv!!!!!!!!!!!

[@zemoxian]

It’s funny. I’ve felt like that before. I don’t actually believe in an afterlife and I certainly don’t believe in a “bad place” but more than a few times I’ve wondered if I’ve already died and I’m actually in hell. Like maybe this is my hell loop that I can’t escape from? Or maybe it really is just chronic depression? 🤷‍♂️

[@Dsepshun]

Totally love all of your reactions, Liam! Keep up the great work!

[@kshitijkumar81]

Jason is so in character

[@Kaylakaze]

I had been waiting for this episode reaction for so long!

[@CgGoil]

When i saw the first season i thought that it was really funny, but also that there was some plotholes, because things wouldnt happen like that and people wouldnt be like that in the good place. Then my mind was completly blown, when i saw the finale episode and learned that i was right, but that it wasnt plotholes at all.

[@Anubisblack]

This show was made for reactions. Now that you know what you know, watch the season again and you can see it right from the jump.

[@davidrichards6509]

I've been waiting for this episode for weeks since you started this series.

[@bluejays25]

Glad you didn't get spoiled about the twist. If you rewatch Season 1, you'll notice that, with the exception of when Janet is killed, Michael is never shown by himself. That is because he wouldn't keep up the charade if he was alone.

[@coreymoore1443]

Yep, there it is. That's the reaction I was waiting for.

[@skorovesna]

Great job, man, thank you for putting a timestamp for reaction start, I wish more channels did that. Commenting for the almighty algorithm)

[@CouldBeMathijs]

First I found out that the cake was a lie now I find out everything else is a lie.

[@NoelleMar]

The cake is a sink hole

[@wolfwing1]

I figured out the twist early on, but it was so great waiting to see if I was right :> I kinda had guessed that maybe this was a test to see if they were good enough for the good place or something like that heh.

[@NoelleMar]

That’s not really the twist then, because they’re not in purgatory , they’re in the bad place, but you were right that they were not in the good place!

[@georgercop]

So now that youre reached the end of the season, rewatch your reaction to episode 1. You managed to (jokingly) guess the twist in, like, the first 5 seconds xD

[@Crown865]

I like the good place cause it has good plot twists

[@veemon9280]

I was beginning to wonder how was it possible for the architect to make so many mistakes ...LOL

[@camilamonteiro4871]

I felt betrayed as well...LOL. I remember of having my heart broken when I found out that Michael was evil.

[@megelizabeth9492]

That was actually the idea. If you woke up in a strange place and Ted Danson told you, you were dead, you would immediately trust him.

[@SGlitz]

And now this where it gets complicated... :)

[@zvimur]

The glitch in Michael and many other non humans in the show, is how little they seem to understand humanity, both generally and the details. Even though some through spending time pretending to be human, acquired heavily human "glitches" of character. I'll try to remember to come back to that, next episode.

[@willparks3429]

Thats bloody diabolical

[@fajenthygia5760]

YEEEESSSSS!!!!! Oh, my word.

[@magic713m]

This show. Always keep you guessing.

[@hrishiv27]

Been waiting for this one

[@rlacksgh9673]

I know this video is seven months old and you have a busy schedule, but I definitely recommend watching Season 1 again.

[@NoThankUBeQuiet]

They couldn't show Micheal this season without any of the humans around or it would spoil the twist. Which is just a fun fact. Meanwhile Ted Danson was a blabber mouth.

[@IngriddenDigre]

The thing is: I rewatched you're reactions (beacause they're great), and you kept saying stuff that shows it's the bad place. Even the first episode, when Eleanor opens her eyes to the words "Everything is fine". You laughed and said 'It's a trap'. And as you yourself say; Yes you said several times that Real Eleanor could be fake and you always followed up with 'Poor Michael'

[@MarieAnne.]

I remember when he said "It's a trap". That one made me laugh.

[@zemoxian]

I’m wondering if that laugh was an homage to the Twilight Zone episode “A Nice Place to Visit.” A very similar story there.

[@megelizabeth9492]

Actually, It’s an homage to “No Exit”.

[@zemoxian]

@@megelizabeth9492 I’ll have to check that one out. Nice Place has basically the same plot as season 1 ending on “What made you think this was heaven,” followed by a creepy laugh.

[@explodingplant2]

15:42 I just had to giggle because that is not a sentence you commonly say

[@NonbinaryRatt]

Yesss t h e episode is finally here!!

[@GreenWolfDen]

I had been waiting for this reaction. It really does pick up in season 2.

[@MrSurabane]

When this show came out originally I felt so betrayed I stopped watching after season 1, so I feel you. I didn't go back and watch the other seasons until you started watching this show. Although season 2 is the weakest to me, overall it's worth it.