The Good Place S1E13: My Final Thoughts on the Season

[@solbringer2483]

Do yourself a favor. At some point, rewatch season 1 knowing what you know now. You’ll see the season in a whole new light and it’s hilarious

[@unvoicedapollo3318]

So much so

[@QuisletEsq]

Yes. One liners that seem throwaways. Like when Eleanor imagines what’s happening to her parents in the afterlife.

[@Wiley_Coyote]

Even better, rewatch the entire show (off camera is fine) after seeing it all once on-camera. SO many things will connect up from beginning to end. The last episode is packed with references from the first, and the first packed with hints of the last. In fact, things that seem tiny, certain dialogue, characters, cultural references, etc. come back at many points in the series.

[@Wiley_Coyote]

@@QuisletEsq Lol. Be careful of specifics. 😗

[@brandyanderson3522]

I love that they never show us Michael alone or only with the other demon residents. Because it would have been no reason to keep up the "Angel" facade.

[@brandyanderson3522]

I love that this show uses the standard sitcom tropes as a way to avert our expectations.

[@matthewheipp749]

Mind explaining how?

[@francescawhite4166]

​@matthewheipp749 I know this comment is 10 months old but I'll try to answer: basically mishaps happen in sitcoms, that's why they're "situational comedies", they get into wacky situations. So in a sitcom about heaven, it makes sense for things to not be perfect and to kind of be illogical because that's just how sitcoms work. But if you look at it like it's real, you realize everything happening doesn't make sense and there's something wrong with the place they're in.

[@DavidMichaelson-j7n]

When I first saw this show, on one level, half jokingly, I predicted the twist. But I didn't really believe it. So it still took me by surprise. Watching reactions of this show is so rewarding partly because you can't wait until the reactor reaches this episode and EVERYTHING CHANGES. And it is only the first season!

[@Kamandi2]

This is the one that I’ve been waiting for. This season finale caught me so offguard when I originally watched it. It’s probably the most brilliant twist I’ve ever seen on a sitcom. It’s such a smart show. Looking forward to your season two reactions

[@birdiejett3163]

Spoilers: Important to remember that Michael in this case is not actually an Angel like he said before-he’s a demon like the others. So is Shaun. Wanting to torment humans is kind of their bread and butter

[@jjpark98]

It truly was a twist I don't think anyone really expected.

[@Wiley_Coyote]

Oh, I'd thought of it. But dropped the idea mid-season. They played it well enough to distract from the idea.

[@unvoicedapollo3318]

@Wiley Coyote Same here.

[@Kayta-Linda]

Some people actually figured it out, but barely anyone actually truly believes it. There are some people who never drop that theory, but they’re rather rare.

[@elkins4406]

@@Wiley_Coyote *Exactly* mid-season, in fact. After Eleanor confesses. It's really very clever: when Michael's plan starts going sideways and he needs to start improvising wildly, that's exactly when most people who start out convinced of the truth change their minds and drop the idea.

[@loud_hailer6240]

Michael is a Demon that wants to torture people in a different way! This show continues to be good way past this twist so enjoy the ride

[@Charharr]

I know you've uploaded all of these within a month, but I feel like it's been YEARS just waiting to see your reaction to this finale 😂

[@QuisletEsq]

Watching new people react to season one does seem long. We are waiting for them to see and react to the twist.

[@aaaaaikaaaaa]

FINALLYYYYYY SEASON 1 FINALEEEE

[@kylestubbs8867]

It’s worth noting that in the first twelve episodes, Micheal is only ever seen with Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani and/or Jason… or in a place he could expect at least one of them to see or hear him. We only saw him in the exact cases where he’d need to pull that well-meaning charade.

[@JNDReacts]

Do we ever see him alone with Janet? I think he would’ve had to keep up the act with her as well, since she’s a real Good Place Janet.

[@carolinamansur113]

​@@JNDReacts never them by their selves only

[@oceanchaos1]

Obviously the twist was brilliant, and that's why they weren't going with "How Eleanor earned enough points to stay". HOWEVER: Another big reason to not take that route is the long game Schur is playing, with this show as an allegory for the history of philosophical thought. We start with Chidi agreeing to help Eleanor "become a better person" via virtue ethics, an Aristotelian idea; most philosophers don't think you can become better by action at all. We then focus on a point system, which was proposed by Jeremy Bentham in the 1600s in his brand of Utilitarianism (greatest good for greatest number, which Bentham actually tabulated out, and wrote equations for with sigma notation). We start to get hints that this isn't an adequate system quickly, with Chidi going to hell despite living his life as a strict Kantian, and Mindy bringing up the problem of a "tie score". We also see Eleanor failing to gain points and Tahani going to hell for good deeds because their motivations are corrupt, which is Hume's critique of Bentham (and his more reasonable and much more readable follower Jon Stewart Mill). Schur doesn't really fully deconstruct the point system / utilitarianism until later, but needed to explore a lot of other moral ideas along the way so it couldn't just be Eleanor earning them good place pts.

[@Wiley_Coyote]

Notice this episode is the FIRST time you ever see a scene that doesn't feature one of the four humans as a participant, or at least a direct observer. That was entirely on purpose.

[@TheNitpickChick]

This show always keeps you guessing, and I love it for that. 😊 I went into season 1 already knowing the twist, and that Michael was supposedly secretly evil. But even with that knowledge, Michael and everyone else in the neighborhood put on such convincing performances that I was still questioning who all was involved, who was in the know, how much of what was happening was planned, and how much was not planned. lol On rewatches, it’s so fun to go through and spot the now obvious manipulations for what they are, and also see where they had to scramble and improv when Eleanor did something unexpected. 😁 Going forward, just expect that this show will continue to keep you on your toes, in the best way. 😊

[@Kayta-Linda]

Same! This being the Bad Place was literally the only thing I knew. And it was incredibly confusing. I just wanted to know who knew what.

[@F4Jd]

Yeah the concept of the show is really interesting

[@AFMountaineer2000]

The show actually gets so much forking better too

[@TheLexis75]

I've been waiting so much for this! Thank. Love your reactions. Specially with Jason 😁 same comment every time

[@Romance_dream_]

i'm so glad you didn't figure out the twist.. i think no one did.. please react to sherlock and lucifer series,

[@QuisletEsq]

I did see one reactor who conjectured in episode one that this could be the bad place. They were still surprised at the twist.

[@Romance_dream_]

@@QuisletEsq link please!

[@Wiley_Coyote]

The next two episodes will blow your mind AGAIN.

[@MicukoFelton]

Michael isn't an angel, he's an architect for the Bad Place. Actually there are no angels at all since this isn't Christianity's heaven/hell concept.

[@dhritidutta6231]

This series is jewel. Watch entire show. ❤️❤️

[@unvoicedapollo3318]

Yes!

[@keshaponso2034]

Have you ever seen Lost? I reckon you'll really dig it. Especially if you're into philisophical explorations done through character studies and engaging mysteries. Not a comedy, but is just as layered, clever and thought provoking.

[@gummysnacksandknives9229]

Remember how in the first few episodes you mentioned something feeling off about the good place?

[@TheNoiseySpectator]

3:38 so _she_ pushed Michael toward the idea for the "Good Place". I wonder if that was really Elanore dressed up as a demon, or if one of the other angles assisting her had infiltrated the architect's hall to help Elanore with her plan to win Michael over?

[@arav13]

Bouyyaaaaahhhh

[@birdiejett3163]

LETS GOOOOO

[@bernard6255]

i'm glad you are enjoying the series but you were deprived of the full impact of the twist moment by whomever told you at the outset there would be a twist in the finale. As a result, your expectations, anticipation, and analysis thru season 1 differs from original first time watchers. While that doesn't ruin anything, it does taint it a little for the reactor thru no fault of his own. There is nothing more insidious than the over-enthusiastic unintentional spoiler/fan who lacks impulse control.