THE GOOD PLACE: “Jason Mendoza”

This week on The Good Place, we learn more about silent Buddhist monk Jianyu who, as it turns out, is neither silent, a Buddhist monk, or named Jianyu.

So Jianyu is actually Jason Mendoza, a DJ/backup dancer/dude from Florida. He also sold fake drugs to people (college students, instead of sick old people, so marginally better). Is that the connection between him and Eleanor?

Leah: Fake drugs is the only link I can see – minus the terrible person thing.

Roz: I hope it’s the fake drugs, or else I don’t know. I mean, I don’t think Jason and Eleanor are that horrible, but they’re not good.

Melissa: Right now it’s a coincidence, but if a third person pops up who isn’t supposed to be there and has a drug connection, then we have a hypothesis.

We learned from Chef Patricia’s restaurant opening that each person is destined to fulfill their true purpose. Care to speculate about what Eleanor, Chidi, Tahini and Jianyu/Jason’s true purpose might be?

Leah: I’m wondering if the “bad people” are the exact opposite of their soul mates. Eleanor is morally…completely corrupt and Chidi is a professor of ethics. Jason performed at parties, or tried to perform at parties and Tahani threw big successful parties. So maybe their true purpose is to transform someone? I’m really not sure at all.

Roz: Right now everything is just too perfect, if Eleanor didn’t keep managing to bring destruction to everyone else. But I hope that the soulmates are more like Yin/Yang – where there’s a little bit of each other in them. So perhaps Eleanor being so morally corrupt provides room for Chidi to have a moment every now and again. Otherwise, I truly have nothing.

Melissa: It looks like Chidi’s purpose in The Good Place is the same as his purpose on Earth – to teach ethics, albeit in a more practical way with real-world (can we use that phrase here?) applications. Tahini’s purpose might be to facilitate the realization of other people’s dreams? Right now it appears that Eleanor and Jason are meant to be redeemed, but to what end? Do they exist in The Good Place to give people like Chidi a purpose? This is getting way existential, man.

Favorite line or joke of the episode?

Leah: “I just got an offer to DJ Scott Disik’s after party for the amateur porn awards in Reno.” “Whoa, congrats bro that’s the dream.”

Roz: Bud. Hole. Yes, I have the mind of a preteen boy tonight.

Melissa: Michael’s sheer delight over the ridiculousness of suspenders made me laugh. He’s such a child in some ways.

Who is your VIP for this episode and why?

Leah: I’m giving it to Eleanor. I know it is just because her Good Place existence was threatened but she really stepped up and said some nice things about Chidi and actually prepared for ethics class. That is a huge step in the right direction.

Roz: Not that I didn’t love Eleanor this week, but I think she did so much reacting to Jason that I’m giving it to him. I mean, now that he’s a bad person, Eleanor doesn’t look as bad, or that stupid in ethics class.

Melissa: I agree with Leah, Eleanor really stepped up this week. It may be out of self-preservation rather than a true desire to do, and be, good, but she is moving in the right direction. Jason being the complete opposite of who we thought he was deserves a shout-out, though.

The Good Place airs Thursdays at 8:30/7:30c on NBC.