-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
-
We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.
The Good Place S2 |OT| Well, We Forking Here Now - Thursdays 8:30/7:30c
- Thread starter Absent
- Start date
You have Micheal obviously interfering to give cheesy advice so expect some zaniness
Ballsy, but at the same time, the way this show sheds premises, I doubt the status quo will stay like that for long.
Overall thoughts on this season:
Holy shirtballs. Season 1 was outstanding, made even better by the twist at the end, but I think Season 2 was one of the best seasons of comedy I've ever seen. I'm still amazed by how *deep* the show is while having a completely comedic tone. Some episodes have made me reflect at the same time I'm dying laughing. I've never watched a show that can do that. One more strong season and this'll definitely supplant AD as my favorite sitcom ever.
Yeah, I knew doing a season 1 finale twist was gonna be nearly impossible, and I like the idea of seeing how they would continue if they didn't die when they did, but I don't really want to see a season without all the zaniness of the afterlife. Thats the "hook" that got me to see the show and keeps me really interested.
The one thing I'd say is it would be absolutely nuts if its not a sim but actual real life (easily within THE JUDGE's powers) and it turns out sending them back has absolutely catastrophic consequences, like apocalypse levels of end of the world. Then at the end of season 3 God has to get involved to clean up Michael and Judge's mess, and we get some insight as to why the entire afterlife system makes no sense at all.
What I really don't want is a season full of the 4 chars working to get back to each other via michael interfering and learning how to be truly good again thanks to the power of friendship.
There is a lady at the bar closest to the viewer, we never see her face. Season 3 tease? I also loved how Chidi's youtube video only had 3200 views.
They've touched on how similar Eleanor is to Michael a few times now to the point I have to wonder if there's something more there. Even their jobs are arguably similar.
I was kind of disappointed in the finale, mainly because I wanted to see the rest of the cast. I like Eleanor, but it's all of them together that I love. Like others have said the twist wasn't as good as season 1s but hopefully they'll burn through it quickly when season 3 starts. The wait is so forking long.
Part of me thinks Michael is still bad and is trying to call the system into question to destroy everything, kind of like Dogma.
Uhh wow. Just watched the season finale. They did exactly what I feared they would do...for the series finale. So to see it happen as a cliffhanger in the season finale was really surprising (and pretty relieving).
I'm very much looking forward to season 3, obviously, and I really do think that this is all just a simulation for them. The two things that gave it away were Michael suddenly appearing and Chidi speaking perfect English. Wouldn't he have a French or Australian accent? Instead, it was just perfect American English.
Can't wait to see what happens next when it comes back in September!
I'm very much looking forward to season 3, obviously, and I really do think that this is all just a simulation for them. The two things that gave it away were Michael suddenly appearing and Chidi speaking perfect English. Wouldn't he have a French or Australian accent? Instead, it was just perfect American English.
Can't wait to see what happens next when it comes back in September!
I honestly like that they were smart enough to not try to one-up the S1 finale. The Michael smile moment is a pretty high point for sitcom plots in general because it's unexpected but completely in-keeping with the show we've been watching. It was brilliant, but also not something you can really pull off near as well if it wasn't intended from the start. And instead of giving in to temptation to end the season with another shocking twist, we got... a really solid episode that kept the focus on the characters the show has managed to develop so well over the course of the series. The Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani, and Jason we've been watching this year aren't the ones we watched evolve over the first season in a lot of ways, but the show has done a super solid job of establishing that underneath it all they really are the same people. Basing the finale on that idea--that an Eleanor who didn't even go to the Good Place is still Eleanor somewhere underneath it all--feels low-key compared to season 1, but pretty emotionally earned. And Bartender Michael was great on multiple levels.
I would be fine with an eventual reveal that Michael is working to destroy the system from within, but at this point I will be pretty bummed if his connection with Eleanor ends up being a lie. I like that Schur's stuff often has an optimistic core, and losing out on Michael and Eleanor's weird bond of bad people/demons gone good would be upsetting. Not that I don't think they'd find a way to pull it off, but the whole Hot Diggity Dog thing should mean they are BFF.
I would be fine with an eventual reveal that Michael is working to destroy the system from within, but at this point I will be pretty bummed if his connection with Eleanor ends up being a lie. I like that Schur's stuff often has an optimistic core, and losing out on Michael and Eleanor's weird bond of bad people/demons gone good would be upsetting. Not that I don't think they'd find a way to pull it off, but the whole Hot Diggity Dog thing should mean they are BFF.
Michael was trying to make torturing human more fun, so it makes sense that he'd want to include other demons in the fun. And we've seen that people can be simulated multiple times (the victims in the trolley problem, the fake Chidi, everyone in the hall Tahani had to go down), so it's established that simulating people is possible. This would be a much greater scale than we've seen before, but I doubt it would be beyond their capabilities.
This will be both long and confusing, probably.
I loved how when Michael said that they only needed a little push, the Judge knew immediately what he meant. Which means that it might be a "rule" or something set by the Judges boss, that all of the demons and immortals know about.
Which brings me to the Judge. Both Shawn and Gen have said that this is not the first case. What if the first case, done by the guy in the painting in the first episode, was the case? What if he was the one who made that ruling possible?
I loved how when Michael said that they only needed a little push, the Judge knew immediately what he meant. Which means that it might be a "rule" or something set by the Judges boss, that all of the demons and immortals know about.
Which brings me to the Judge. Both Shawn and Gen have said that this is not the first case. What if the first case, done by the guy in the painting in the first episode, was the case? What if he was the one who made that ruling possible?
Couldn't catch this live last night but I'm caught up now. Going to be such a long wait for next season now.
I got a bit tripped up by Chidi's English apparently actually being fluent despite not being his first language and not being a function of the automatic translation thing that was going on in Michael's neighborhood. It's a point best ignored though, since giving Chidi a funny accent after all this time would probably not go over well.
I got a bit tripped up by Chidi's English apparently actually being fluent despite not being his first language and not being a function of the automatic translation thing that was going on in Michael's neighborhood. It's a point best ignored though, since giving Chidi a funny accent after all this time would probably not go over well.
I don't know if I'd class Eleanor more crummy than Jason, who actively stole and set fire to things.
But he did it without thinking about it. As the "moral dessert" conundrum showed us motivation matters in the points calculation. Jason threw molotovs because he could and was too dumb to think of anything else. Eleanor was smart and had the capacity to be good but regularly ignored the voice in her head because it was more gratifying in the moment
Bortles!!!!
Hopefully Jason and Janet will reunite. Can she go down and be a guardian angel like Micheal? It was also weird that Eleanor was the main focus he entire episode.
Not really, she was in the first place right? I imagine the first bit of the new series will mirror the opening, but with Chidi not really understanding why Eleanor is badgering him. Then the other two will show up at some point.
I'm interested in the direction of a more grounded series. I guess the backdrop might be Michael and Janet popping in to help them on their way, or of the actual legal case running in the judges office. Loved Maya Rudolph by the way, she had a really fun character!
It's the Good Place, they'll finish up this storyline in a couple of episodes and twist the series in a new direction again. Remember how at the beginning of season 2 it seemed we would get a series of resets?
I love how this show just goes in ways you don't expect, and how fast it all goes. Very curious how this all continues in S3. Can't wait.
Fine with it now. I made that comment before finishing the episode :)
-Great finale.
-It's a simulation. They didn't reset time or anything.
-They won't stay on this premise for longer than necessary.
Everyone expecting the unexpected and to be blown away like they were in the first season wasn't thinking right. No one was expecting a twist in the first season because it was just another sitcom. Any person watching the first season knowing there's a twist considers at some point that the Good Place they're in is the Bad Place. And in the age of the internet where people make a group effort to predict every possible outcome, nothing is unpredictable anymore.
Everything is in the execution, and this show excels at that. They keep upending the status quo every few episodes, and that's as ballsy as you can get with a sitcom, a genre of TV where producers are usually scared shitless of change. This show is fast, witty and amazing, and I want it to go on as long as the people involved are feeling creative about it. The only downside is how much we'll have to wait for more episodes now!
-It's a simulation. They didn't reset time or anything.
-They won't stay on this premise for longer than necessary.
Everyone expecting the unexpected and to be blown away like they were in the first season wasn't thinking right. No one was expecting a twist in the first season because it was just another sitcom. Any person watching the first season knowing there's a twist considers at some point that the Good Place they're in is the Bad Place. And in the age of the internet where people make a group effort to predict every possible outcome, nothing is unpredictable anymore.
Everything is in the execution, and this show excels at that. They keep upending the status quo every few episodes, and that's as ballsy as you can get with a sitcom, a genre of TV where producers are usually scared shitless of change. This show is fast, witty and amazing, and I want it to go on as long as the people involved are feeling creative about it. The only downside is how much we'll have to wait for more episodes now!
I flipped flopped on the simulation thing, but now I'm firmly in the real camp. Wasn't one of the demons snorting the concept of time on one episode?
The judge is a godlike creature. So reseting time shouldn't be hard. From a story perspective, making it real would be more interesting. Also, I feel like if it was a simple simulation like the tests the judge wouldn't have been as reluctant to do it.
Idk, could go either way, buy I think it'd be foolish to rule out it being real.
The judge is a godlike creature. So reseting time shouldn't be hard. From a story perspective, making it real would be more interesting. Also, I feel like if it was a simple simulation like the tests the judge wouldn't have been as reluctant to do it.
Idk, could go either way, buy I think it'd be foolish to rule out it being real.
You have a point about the Judge's reaction, but idk, I don't see why they would need to make them resurrect for real for the test to work, and it brings up such a variety of problems too. They've been dead for many years now, so what would happen to the souls of the other people who died during that timeframe? Do they go back to life too? And if they do, what happens to their scores at the time they died in case they end up following a different path?
Unless it's an alternate Earth sort of deal, but then that's pretty much the same as creating a simulation. They've shown that they can simulate scenarios and living people super easily, and the experiences are real for the four of them either way.
Unless it's an alternate Earth sort of deal, but then that's pretty much the same as creating a simulation. They've shown that they can simulate scenarios and living people super easily, and the experiences are real for the four of them either way.
Last edited:
See that's the problem--we don't know if they've been dead for years. Because time could move differently when you're dead. What I imagine is they just went back to the point before their deaths. So no time on Earth has really passed. And yes--it could create problems. Which is a good thing for a story. That would be something worth exploring. Like how four souls being brought back could cause ripple effects around the world.
Good point, I hadn't considered that no time would have passed on Earth. I'm still in the simulation camp because the Mindy situation gives me the impression that Earth Time and Afterlife Time are connected somehow (not to mention Michael and the Judge making so many modern references all the time), but I agree with you that we can't rule it out just yet. It would be more interesting story-wise, but according to the in-universe rules we know of I don't see much of a reason for the characters to do it that way.
except if it was real then they would be affecting other people, and the judge only agreed to do it because it wouldn't affect other people *shrugs*
Did she say that? I have to rewatch the episode. Because if it doesn't affect anyone else, then yeah, it'd have to be fake, unless they created another reality that's technically real, but removed from the keystone one where they died in.
Hell, I don't know. The Judge is too OP, anything could happen lol :D
If I recall right it's Michael that says it would only affect them and shortly after that she finally gives in.
Nice catch, zulux21. I watched the scene again on Netflix here and the dialogue between Michael and the Judge goes like this:
Rewatching it, it seems like it only gives the Judge pause because it has never been done before and it sets a dangerous precedent for future souls. The only people affected are the four of them.
The strict rules likely include Michael not intervening beyond saving them from their original deaths, which is why he was sneaky about popping in as the bartender.
M: And I still believe that they would've become good people if they'd just gotten a... A push in the right direction.
J: Oh, no. Nope, nope. Absolutely not.
M: It's a little crazy...
J: A little bit crazy? It's Looney Tunes. It sets a very dangerous precedent.
M: It's only four people. And it's clearly the best way to see if bad people can become good without knowing anything about what's waiting for them in the afterlife.
J: It's never gonna work, man.
M: If it doesn't, then they go right back to the Bad Place. No one gets hurt. Except them, forever. And me, I assume, also forever.
J: Mmm, mmm, mmm... okay, let's do it.
M: Yes!
J: I don't know why. I'm just feeling kinda funky. But there have to be strict rules. Otherwise, the results will be tainted, and I reserve the right to change my mind at any point.
J: Oh, no. Nope, nope. Absolutely not.
M: It's a little crazy...
J: A little bit crazy? It's Looney Tunes. It sets a very dangerous precedent.
M: It's only four people. And it's clearly the best way to see if bad people can become good without knowing anything about what's waiting for them in the afterlife.
J: It's never gonna work, man.
M: If it doesn't, then they go right back to the Bad Place. No one gets hurt. Except them, forever. And me, I assume, also forever.
J: Mmm, mmm, mmm... okay, let's do it.
M: Yes!
J: I don't know why. I'm just feeling kinda funky. But there have to be strict rules. Otherwise, the results will be tainted, and I reserve the right to change my mind at any point.
Rewatching it, it seems like it only gives the Judge pause because it has never been done before and it sets a dangerous precedent for future souls. The only people affected are the four of them.
The strict rules likely include Michael not intervening beyond saving them from their original deaths, which is why he was sneaky about popping in as the bartender.
Last edited:
Ohh, thanks for posting the transcript. Didn't pay attention hard enough. I have to rewatch this episode. That line is kinda pushing me back into the simulation camp, though.
Ugh, whatever is going on, I hope they establish the rules during the first episode (of season three).
Overall I liked it but it kind of sucks as a season finale. Also extremely dislike the Tahani/Eleanor tease and then Chidi's action. The writer's know what they are doing. :( My partner was really disappointed with the finale. I don't think I will forgive the show if the character really do get reset again. I'm thinking/hoping the simulation will conclude a few chapters into the third season and they will be restored to the afterlife.
I get the feeling they wouldn't have bolted through an entire year of Eleanor's new life in 15 minutes if they weren't going to end the simulation soon. This is all a test and we know it's a test, so it doesn't make sense to spend too long on it. They'll probably do an episode of Eleanor and Chidi at the beginning of the next season, then one checking in on Tahani and Jason and then end the simulation.
Maybe it's been mentioned already, but was anyone else annoyed about Chidi speaking English? Didn't the very first episode say that he spoke French and that The Good Place was automatically translating everything?
It's not a huge deal, but for a show that's usually so good with details, it stands out.
It's not a huge deal, but for a show that's usually so good with details, it stands out.
Wasn't he teaching in Australia? He'd need to speak English if he was going to teach there.
The finale was fine. One of the weakest episodes of the season IMO, but that's a pretty high bar.
I was pretty disappointed in the whole "oh, I had a near-death experience, now I'm going to be good for a year" premise. I know we've seen a lot of growth from Eleanor, but unless that growth is supposed to have been carried over despite the reset, I just don't believe that the OG El would've turned a new leaf so quickly, y'know? Like, I get that the takeaway is "she needs Chidi to really pull it off," but even the goodness she displayed here was implausible to me.
When it comes to sim vs real, a simulation would make the most sense in-universe, but the Judge's reaction seemed too severe for it to just be another simulation. So I feel like it's gotta be real, even though it looks to be way more sensical (and totally possible) for the Judge to do it in simulation.
I was pretty disappointed in the whole "oh, I had a near-death experience, now I'm going to be good for a year" premise. I know we've seen a lot of growth from Eleanor, but unless that growth is supposed to have been carried over despite the reset, I just don't believe that the OG El would've turned a new leaf so quickly, y'know? Like, I get that the takeaway is "she needs Chidi to really pull it off," but even the goodness she displayed here was implausible to me.
When it comes to sim vs real, a simulation would make the most sense in-universe, but the Judge's reaction seemed too severe for it to just be another simulation. So I feel like it's gotta be real, even though it looks to be way more sensical (and totally possible) for the Judge to do it in simulation.