THE GOOD PLACE Roundtable: The Answer

The Good Place continues its final season with a brand new episode this week. Check out our thoughts below. Here’s a synopsis:

In an attempt to plan a better future, Chidi considers his past.

We’re going to divide our thoughts on this episode into three self-explanatory categories – The Good Place, The Medium Place, and The Bad Place, plus a final category for favorite quotes or overall thoughts.

The Good Place

Cay: I liked that we got to see some more of the reboots that hadn’t been shown to us before. I also like the idea that Chidi has potentially *really* changed after his experiences, even if it is a bit too late for the competition.

Roz: This took a turn at the end that was so great – to see Chidi’s slow progression is great and I really wonder what can happen if he doesn’t have an answer for how to fix everything.

Christie: I was not sure how I felt about this episode — until the very end. I liked that we finally saw Chidi’s parents and the moment that made Chidi, well, Chidi. But then it feels like a waste of precious minutes in a show that’s almost over… except it turns out it wasn’t.

THE GOOD PLACE — “The Answer” Episode 409 — Pictured: Kristen Bell as Eleanor — (Photo by: Colleen Hayes/NBC)

Bad Place

Cay: I feel like it was completely ignored that Judge Gen was searching Janet voids and marbleizing them while all that was going on but they didn’t come back to acknowledge that. I also don’t quite understand the slow mo scene. I assumed Jason’s drink was going to end up in Chidi’s face or something but it all just seemed dumb.

Roz: Cay, I don’t get that slo-mo moment at all, but there were just a few things that have to make sense later but we couldn’t get to them in twenty-two minutes when also getting at Chidi’s growth.

Christie: I don’t know that I have any one bad thing. I’m very conflicted about this episode. I think I need to watch it a couple more times. I have a stomach ache.

The Medium Place

Cay: It was sad to see what Chidi’s childhood was like even though it helped explain what he’s like as an adult. Chidi always seemed like the best actual person of the group by far. But, I guess now we know that no one had gone to the Good Place in centuries, so it helps explain why Chidi didn’t either. I both loved and hated Chidi’s avian-obsessed soulmate – talk about real torture!

Christie: Definitely the “Chidi, this is your afterlife” bit. Just made it all feel very long.

Roz: I wish we had a little more about how Chidi became a human waffle. There had to have been something else when he was so small to get him like that and we saw it as a kid, but I wanted more of that exact moment when it switched.

Final Thoughts & Quotes We Loved

Cay: Did anyone else notice that Chidi’s advisor had several dozen coffee cups in his office? Maybe what he needed to get through Chidi’s thesis? I also loved Chidi’s line: Do you know what this calls for? A venn diagram!

Christie: “There is no answer. But Eleanor is the answer.”

Roz: Christie got the line that made me smile so much.

THE GOOD PLACE — “The Answer” Episode 409 — Pictured: (l-r) Kristen Bell as Eleanor, William Jackson Harper as Chidi — (Photo by: Colleen Hayes/NBC)

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The Good Place airs Thursdays 9/8c on NBC