THE GOOD PLACE: “Best Self”, or “Goodbye Clowns!”

Having escaped Sean and the actual Bad Place in the last episode, our heroes are now faced with the task of getting to safety. Join us as we discuss this week’s episode of The Good Place.

The humans are getting out of here! Michael has a plan, and a beautiful golden hot air balloon, to escape the Bad Place and transport them to the Good Place. But wait! Before anyone can board the balloon, they must pass through a “best self” detector to determine whether they’re worthy of ascending to the Good Place. Were you surprised by who failed, and who passed, on the first try?

Melissa: I really thought Tahani would fail, but then again, it was measuring their best self, as in, the best version of each person individually, not compared to others. Within those parameters, I suppose Tahani was her best self in that moment. Chidi, though, full of self-doubt, of course he failed. Bless him.

Cara: I think it makes sense that Chidi was the one who failed because the other three humans were always pretty confident in themselves, whether or not they should have been.

Leah: I’m with Melissa, and it is probably because I don’t like Tahani, or I have always felt that she maybe should have been in the Medium Place. She did raise a lot of money even if she did it for selfish reasons. Anyway…surprised at first that Tahani didn’t fail. Poor Chidi. He is always such an internal mess.

Roz: I feel like Chidi failing first is the best answer – because he is full of self-doubt – but watching how everyone else failed at some point was equally good to see. Self-actualization is hard, guys!

Cay: Chidi definitely wasn’t a surprise, but I liked that others failed the next times they tried. It’s ironic that while Chidi has his flaws, he’s the most relateable to me of the four. I was rooting for Tahani to be the first.

Annnnnd the balloon doesn’t work. Michael has been searching for a way to get to the Good Place for months, stalling and stalling as he continued to fail. Facing the end, our heroes drink a million bottles of Janet’s finest booze, get honest with each other, and have another dance party. Considering they were all about to be tortured for eternity, how heartwarming was all of that?!?

Melissa: It really was sweet! Kind of like the last night of summer camp when you feel affection for everyone and the endorphins are flowing.

Cara: It was a good last hurrah and a way to deal with a terrifying future.

Leah: Incidentally this is how I will be ending all major moments in my life from now on. It was very heartwarming and really the best way to end their time in the Good Bad Place.

Roz: I love everyone in this large bar! I just need a little bit of love and honesty before we’re possibly watching all of them be tortured.

Cay: I just love this show more every episode!

But before everyone goes to their personal Bad Place, Tahani has an idea: let’s speak to a manager! It’s a futile effort doomed to failure, the quintessential human plan, but the gang is off to the actual Bad Place in an attempt to reach The Judge and plead their case. Are you excited about seeing more of the Bad Place?

Melissa: Yes! But probably only because this is network television so it can’t be truly awful. Right? Right?

Cara: Given what we’ve seen of the fake Bad Place, I’m curious how they’ll show the Bad Place without really showing any of the bad things we’ve heard about. Up until now, anything really bad has happened off camera.

Leah: I was wondering how this season was going to continue and I’m glad that they have played out the rebooting and have now moved on to the real Bad Place. It should be very interesting.

Roz: If the real Bad Place is lots of Bad Janets, I’m all for this trip next week.

Cay: No doubt in my mind that the Bad Place is going to be very funny. And hijinks will ensue.

MVP?

Melissa: Michael. He really has become the best version of himself. And now he has a Human Starter Kit of his very own.

Cara: For me this was a particularly good Jason episode. I know he didn’t do anything big, but his constant enthusiastic idiocy kept light an episode that was actually pretty heavy in parts and dealt with a lot of emotions, even more than anger and confusion.

Leah: Michael for me.

Roz: I want to say Tahani for that manager line. I mean, she gets it right that we can always complain to someone.

Favorite lines/scenes?

Melissa: Michael describing kissing with increasing disgust: “You just mash your food holes together. It’s not for that.”

Michael on emotions: “You humans have so. many. emotions! You only need two: anger and confusion!”

Cara: For me it was Michael’s human starter kit, particularly the stress ball or Jason’s repeated calling dibs on his seat to the Good Place.

Cay: I loved the Human Starter Kit! The Dr Oz book? It’s like the writers are in my head, but funnier than I am! And I have had that same thought about many a stress ball that I’ve picked up at conferences over the years.

Leah: Agree with all of your answers!

Roz: Yeah, I can’t top Michael’s lines or his human starter kit.

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