What Made The Good Place Finale So Satisfying?
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- čas přidán 5. 06. 2024
- The season 4 finale of The Good Place put an end to the story of Tahani, Jason, Chidi, Eleanor, Janet, and Michael. In this video, we'll look at why it was such a satisfying ending.
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Chidi’s wave quote is honestly so deep and touching. It’s crazy how a throwaway quote from a sitcom has impacted my worldview and helped me come to peace - at least a little bit - with my eventual nonexistence.
Tristan Neal that quote was so amazing! when i heard it i paused the show and just sat there like woahhhh
Well,it is literally an idea from buddhism
the wave quote is really beautiful and is gonna stick with me for sure
@@RileyJayDennis What is the wave quote?
Is no one gonna point out how Jason’s shirt through the last episode has a wave on it
I love how in the end, Michael got to be the human he wanted to be, Tahani the person she was trying to pretend to be in her life on Earth, Jason being like the monk he was as jianyu, Chidi finally being decisive and confident, and Eleanor the selfless person she was pretending to be in the first season.
Christina H And Dereck?
Chuck Sterbunny Derek is Derek.
Also Tahani, ever the hostess would be the last to leave because she had to make sure all was good after the guests had left.
Derek is me. Me is Derek. Derek is all.
full circle
Fave moment: jason finally being respected by the writers. I struggled with his dumbness being treated as a joke. His finale was a beautiful celebration of him and he learned patience
They did Jason good at the ending. He seemed more like himself idk. As the comedic relief I would have thought I wouldn’t be upset when he left but seeing him leave made me truly sad
They wrote this show so well
If you thought that Jason was being treated as a joke by the writers, I'm sorry but you and I weren't watching the same show. Jason, like all of the characters, always had heart and nuance throughout the series.
Like a monk. Like Jianyu. Full circle.
Jason the monk
Part of the reason they made Jason and Pillboi so clueless was in deliberate contrast to the stereotype of the studious overachieving Asian-American
The Good Place might well be the closest thing to perfect TV can possibly get.
B99 is the perfect
I never really got into B99
Not to say it’s a bad show it just didn’t really catch my eye. Just like Friends
(Sorry Michael)
@@sabrinatime lol
Sabrina Time b99 is not perfect
And brooklyn 99
i started crying 6 minutes in and I just didn’t stop. Chidi and Eleanor’s endings got me the most, since they were the characters I most identified with, but every character’s ending was handled beautifully. the show ended at the perfect time and I’m so grateful to the writers to knowing that good things are good because they end.
:,c when Eleanor woke up to the calendar it was all over for me. The flood gates were opened and all my pain came out
I don’t know why but the calendar just made me so upset
We all wanted to meet them later....
@@galacticlavalamp6338 It was "Leave before I wake up" that broke my heart into tiny little pieces and then smashed those into heart glitter.
The tears first came seeing Tahani and Kamilah doing sisterly shit. After that, just moments of dry eyes really
I cried the entire episode, and then when I woke up the next morning I started thinking about it and just openly started weeping in bed. This finale REALLY fucked me up
The finale made me so sad. Knowing that eventually Tahani and Michael will go through the door feels so final. All five of them will be gone for good. I actually feel like I've lost a friend even though they're fictional. And only Janet will be left behind with her memories of them. Plus Michael won't have most of his friends when his human body eventually dies.
But that's how you know that it was a good show. It made me feel a lot of things
Michael will, but Tahani decided to stay as an architect. She will more then likely stay there forever.
So true
Maybe when they leave they became energy and if they want, they can come back again to earth as someone else but with their souls or what ever that is... Like reincarnation
@@RitzyBusiness once Tahani masters being an architect she might chose to go through the door. It's bound to get tiring after creating thousands or even millions of neighbourhoods
Michael will not have his original friends (maybe just Tahani and of course Janet) around in the afterlife when he dies. But he will most certainly make friends during his time on Earth as a human. And he will be able to join them when he becomes one with the universe as he steps through the last door. In a way, Eleanor was with Michael until the end.
When Michael said 'Take it Sleazy', I cried so damn much
Im with you there! it was a cry laugh cry - how dare you all be so darned awesome and introspective and vulnerable and majestic and mortal-thinking and weird all at the same time for me. i think i had loads more other feelings about it. but the junk mail scene pretty much summed it up for me too ♥️♥️♥️ it was like one of those situations michael was talking about and was flummoxed over in earlier seasons... but now, he just fit into the groove. cos pinocchio got to be a real boy ..
Yeah that gave me goosebumps
The perfect ending to the show
I knew he was gonna say it lol
BECAUSE IT SHOWED US ALL THE CHARACTERS FROM THE SHOW! Most finales cheap out and don’t get everyone, THEY BROUGHT BACK EVERYONE!! Chidi’s friends, Eleanor’s friends, Tahani’s family, Jason’s family, HIS WHOLE DANCE TEAM. This might be the best finale ever.
They didn't show Eleanor's mom, however, they did want her to be there but they said there were scheduling conflicts, which is sad. But still, at least she got a mention in the finale, which given the circumstances, is the best they could have done. I also loved it.
@@SomeOne-ps8wo honestly I love when everyone comes back for the last episode but I don't miss her mother. She was only in one episode and the mention was just fine
Edit: She was in two or three but still
They even brought back the forking frog dude
the dance team T-T
"I don't think I'll ever be the type of person who just acts. I can't just open a door and walk through without knowing what's on the other side. Even with eternity to try, I just don't think that can happen."
- Chidi (in season 1)
Jason's final line was one of pure, unfettered joy and friendship. I sobbed like the little girl I am.
i wished his last line had been “bortles!”
+Isla Gabrielle I think “Chidi, wait up!” is more emotionally satisfying for some reason. I can’t even explain why.
AsukaWorshiper69 i guess it jay proves there relationship grew closer?
It was just so beautiful 😢
AsukaWorshiper69 i agree ❤️❤️
I Will miss not a girl
LOL
They also gave closure for the minor characters. Simone is friends with Chidi and Elanor and their friends, John is boneing historic figures, and Brent is still trying to get into the good place. it's kind of satisfying to know what happened to them, even if its not a full closure.
Don’t forget Mindy and Tahani’s and Jason’s families!
I was struggling to realise why I felt so calm about an ending that left my bawling my eyes out, but after watching this I agree and understand. Especially the good bye part; it's not often you get to say goodbye to characters who have truly completed their character arc and resolved all conflicts in their lives. The good place did it all so well
💕💕💕💕
I agree
The sitcom didn’t overstay it’s welcome and gave the characters closure .
Exactly!
I don't know if I could pick just one moment as my favorite, but I absolutely love Jason's last line. Yo Chidi, wait up!
his character coming back around to actually being a monk is just so, so good.
@@theduduk it makes me oddly so emotional thinking about Jason spending so many Jeremy bearimy's by himself, reflecting on everything, and never telling anyone he was there.
I legit laughed for like 5 minutes after that and had to pause the episode 😂😂😂 such brilliant comedy writing!
That really made me sad, but also happy just imaging them being happy forever and idk
on hindsight, i think my favorite line was the explanation of Jeremy Bairimy time line...my brain melted.
Too short: 1 season
Too long: 10 seasons
Just right: 4 seasons
Works every time
@Kaleela Edwards there is no season 5?
@@sebaslikesanimations1447 They might have meant amount of seasons.
@@jonahlindhe756 wait can you explain cause I don't understand since there are only 4 seasons
@@sebaslikesanimations1447 .......
5-6 is perfect for me
I especially loved how they resolved things with Mindy St. Claire. I can't believe I didn't realize until they spelled it out for me that Mindy was essentially what Eleanor could have been like. So for Eleanor to come back and "save" Mindy was so pure and good and gahhh, I can't articulate myself well because I'm back to weeping simply thinking about it.
Mindy being so touched that someone finally cared about her got me tearing up
I freaking lost it during Chidi's "wave" analogy, and upon re-watch, Jason's "hey Chidi wait up!"
Jeremy Bearimy, baby.
See that part there, that’s my birthday 🥳
The dot of the i.
@@luciadelpozofiliu4840 and also sometimes it's never
@@luciadelpozofiliu4840 That broke me.
Just mentioning the ending again starts to make me tear up again. Never has anything left bawling so much as this finale did.
sameeee
"Picture a wave..."
seeing Chidi and Eleanor finally happy together but seriously contemplating the impending eventuality of each other's nonexistence with a calmness and matter-of-factness that deserves heaps of praise and acclaim from everyone made me cry bittersweet tears. I cannot look at ocean waves the same way again. I will now tear up and hear Chidi's voice saying in my head, "picture a wave..."
Exactly.
The dot above the 'i' in Jeremy Bearimy
I giggled like a maniac at that part. I was also reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series at the time, which made it even funnier
That's also July
The broke me. I'm done.
@@Plumstix and Tuesday
Everything comes full circle. This is low key one of the best finales ever.
I cried for practically the whole episode runtime. It was exhausting and beautiful.
I wouldn't call crying beautiful
@@richtigmann1 It is and it isn't. I would say it's a beautiful phenomenon.
I cried so much when Chidi had his sendoff. I'm still tearing up right now just thinking about it. Such a wonderful character and I loved his arc.
I'd have to say that the episode "The Answer" where he finally ascends to his perfect self is my favorite moment in the series and my favorite moment in television. It's beautiful and touching and I really identify (as I think most of us do) with Chidi's quest to find some sort of perfect answer to every problem. As if there's some perfect combination of words I could say to make people understand and love me, or some perfect choice I could make for my career, or a perfect thing I could do to save my sister who struggles with depression. It's too bad that life doesn't work that way though.
god i teared up so much editing this video! such an emotional finale and chidi's arc was so good, i loved that episode too.
While I think Jason had the most satisfying character ark, Eleanor grew the most chidi provided my 2 favorite moments of the show, the chili scene in season 3 and the wave analogy in the final episode.
Plot twist: Michael is the writer of the good place and he came from the afterlife
Dude, you're right. Michael Schur is the creator of the good place. Coincidence?
@@lolol737 I always assumed that it was taken from Archangel Michael that is supposed to be realated with deathly stuff.
Georgios Tsaraktsidis why not both? 😊😊😊
I've legit had this theory since watching the finale. He became human and wanted to tell that story.
I know it's a silly theory and not realistic, but it makes me happy for some reason, so I'm sticking to it.
I pictured a wave so hard it started leaking out my face. Jason's enlightenment by accident (whilst searching for something he always had to boot) was equally sweet
This show is 104% perfect
Just like Beyonce
I loved frog man and i’m happy he got his little froggy. I bawled my eyes out because I identified most will Eleanor and when she left it was like I had nothing else. Also, when eleanor was trying to convince chidi to not go made me so sad because eleanor had such a bad childhood and she finally felt happy when she was with chidi and he wanted to leave her behind
Quite literally one of the best finales I've ever watched, if not the best. It was handled so well and thoughtfully, felt both heart wrenchingly sad and peacefully happy at the same time. It really left me feeling satisfied with how their story ended
Ya basic !
And "You can ring my beeeellllll"
Favorite moments.
And the whole series.
Tryphène Kileki that’s devastating
thumbsdownman you’re devastated right now
Aww! I love you too, egg :)
"Gonna erase the eaaaaaaaarth
Erase the earth"
It was sooooo devastating to me , i never felt so empty after watching a finale , i actually thought about it for days and i felt soooo empty and sad at the same time , i don't know how to feel that they are just gone from the Universe even though they are fictional
Same??? I don’t know why it just always makes me so ducking sad
I think Mike Schur really good with finales. While I had a few qualms the final season of Parks and Rec, I think that finale did a really great job of giving longterm resolution for the cast and exploring a lot of the questions people might have about what the characters will do in the future while still leaving some things open for interpretation.
I think Schur (and all the other Good Place writers) took things a step further with The Good Place, and not only explored what each character would continue to do after the events of the main story, but it also asked a lot of questions about the value of life (something it had done throughout its entire run), and the fact that it provided so much great character resolution WHILE STILL exploring philosophical questions about life is pretty dang impressive.
Great show, great video.
My Good Place Favorites:
Fav episode: The Finale - and also the one where Janet kicks Demon butt in the bar in Canada
Fav joke: Season 4 premiere - The Baby Elephant made of light that tells truths about the universe
Fav moment: TIE: Season 1 finale twist and Jason figuring out Bad Janet was pretending to be Good Janet
Fav character: Janet, but also, Jason, but also Eleanor, but also Michael but also Chidi but also Mindy, but also, The Judge, but also, Glenn
way to leave out my girl tahani
You, trying to decide your favourite character, gave me a stomach ache.
@@maevediaries she's always being forgotten 😓😓
I think a lot of these reasons are why Parks and Rec had such a satisfying ending. The episode didnt have any major conflict and you got to see what happened to every character in the future and see that everyone lives a happy life even though they've moved on from Pawnee.
Is it weird that the parks and rec and the office endings made me tear up, but the good place made me FUCKING DEPRESSED AND SAD AND BAWLING MY EYES OUT FOR A WEEK? What’s wrong with me D: whaaaat
Eleanor: “it’s not a joke, I’m a legit snack”
Best.line.ever. lol
Love this line!
From the whole series, it’s got to be the ‘Janets’ episode. How she DIDN’T get even NOMINATED for an Emmy, never mind WIN.....OH I AM STIKL SEETHING.
Can you tell? 🙈🙈🙈
D’Arcy Carden is a freakin genius. The whole cast are beyond brilliant but this show was my first introduction to D’Arcy. Wow.
And in the finale...Chidi’s wave scene will stay with me for a long time ❤️
You arent alone. I dont know who won but im fairly sure they didnt nail such honest, nuanced performances as all of the other characters.
She just got nominated
She deserved so much more for her outsanding performance throughout the show
The Chidi calendar! 😍😭
That made me ugly cry 😭❤️ most people lose their partners and take forever for closure. Eleanor got room to grie and space for closure with her last night ❤️
I don’t know why but when she woke up and found it, that was when I really started crying. There’s too much to explain with this ending it was just so emotional and perfect and beautiful!
The goodbye scene between Eleanor and Chidi really struck a cord with me and brought a tear to my eyes. A few years ago, I spent the day with my stepdad and mom. My stepdad, Walt, needed help picking out a birthday gift for my mom and wanted to make a day of it. We had a great time, laughing and reminiscing. As the day went on, I thanked him for always being there for me and he told me how I was the son he would have chosen to have. We then said our goodbyes. The next day, I get a phone call from my mom telling me that Walt was dead. As upset and sad as that made me, I was so glad I had told him how much he's meant to me, and vice versa. The pain of the loss is still there, but knowing that he loved me like a son and that he knew I felt the same, has brought me a peace that I wouldn't have otherwise found. Don't wait to tell people you love how you feel, you may not have the chance that I had to let them know while they're still here.
I literally used part of that wave analogy in my grandma's eulogy. The series just had so much to offer and gave me a different view on existence. Great finale and I liked the way you tied this video together.
I loved that the main 4 didn't all have the same ending. Though it would have been just fine for them all to walk through the door, I liked that Tahani stayed on to become an architect. Also worth mentioning: the open-ended resolution for Mindy St. Clair and seeing Doug enjoying the buffet.
My favorite moment I think was when Eleanor walked through the arch and just became dust that fell back on Earth. I am terrified of death and the idea of just not existing is very confusing and scary for me, but the way they showed it in the show was, in a way, kind of reassuring to me. To me, this truly was a perfect ending.
Eleanor: "Is like, who died and left Aristotle in charge of Ethics?"
Chidi: *points to the blackboard* "Plato!"
I love when shows do a call back to a much earlier season. The good place did that perfectly with Michael saying “take it sleazy” to the postman. It makes the viewer remember where it all began and using it as the end quote is powerful. The journey is over but it’s memories still stand.
Gosh, I cannot believe how amazing that ending was. It was so satisfying it was unsatisfying. What I mean by that is that it had such a great resolution and end to the characters that I can’t stop thinking about it. Mostly I am struggling with the concept of ceasing to exist. Just ‘going away’ is a thought that is so open ended and the fact that The Good Place has instilled that into my brain makes me think way too much. I hate when an ending to a show is so perfect. It makes me stay up at night.
Fave scene: After they've solved the problem of eternal afterlife they show Michael's office. Notice that Doug Forcett's picture is replaced with pics of Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani, and Jason.
Fave Scene 2: Doug Forcett pigging out at the rager once he arrives in heaven. He freaking EARNED IT.
Fave scene 3: S1, E1:
Michael: "Brought to you by otters holding hands as they sleep. Demons in disguise: *Awwww.*
(Honorable mention: I love that after a thousand Bearimy's, Brent still couldn't figure out how much of an ass he was. Some people truly never learn 😆)
Doug Forcett ate like potatoes or something that he grew himself and drunk pee water he DEFINITELY and all the food he got
You’re right. This last few episodes were very emotional and the ending just felt right. When Jason realized it was time to go, it really got me. They all did, but the first one was pretty strong. It was a powerful ending to a great show.
Micheal saying “Take it sleazy” made me cry 10x harder. I was already crying, but when he got to do the thing he wanted to do most on earth, it stuck with me, and it was amazing. I think this exemplifies the show, a stupid phrase like “Take it sleazy” has impact, and reason. It has a well written plot and is (In my opinion) the best show made. Ever.
I understand that Janet experiences time differently than us but her being there with each of them in their final moments, having to say goodbye to each of them kills me every time I think of it
I was crying like a baby and so sad and still my heart was warm and calm. This show is really THAT show.
Characters are saying goodbye to each other, we are saying goodbye to the character, but also actors are saying goodbay to each other. At least I personally felt that (maybe myself being an actor makes me see that idk). The way they played their character felt extremely real, because that's also what they are going though as individuals in their real life. Obviously they won't ceese to exist but their group adventure in the good time is over too.
The best moment/ episode has to be Janet's Void. Between D'Arcy's amazing portrayal of all the characters, and that big, romantic, universe-saving kiss, its one of the greatest things I have every seen.
I was so sad when they left.. but then Jason just popped out and was like, “I was waiting here!” I laughed my a** off.
Also...
I WANT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS TO MICHAEL!!!!!!!
Nguyen Reactions Micheal will obviously die, go to the good place and eventually go through the door like the others
Never thought a series review would make me emotional. I miss the show so much and I’m happy that someone explained the ending exactly the way how I thought about it. It just goes to show how amazing and special this series was to so many people. Everything was not fine, rather, it was perfect!
Couldn’t stop crying that whole episode. It was glorious. The perfect ending for the perfect show! It will live on in The Good Place.
I loved and hated that ending. When the second to last episode happened I thought that was the end. And seeing the final episode being an hour instead of 30 minutes, I thought oh it’s probably like a clip show, or like where the actors talked about their favorite parts. Stuff like that.
Nope.
So wrong.
It gave me so much extetential crisis. 😭 but it’s still one of the best series ever.
The finale of the Good Place reminds me so much of Lord of the Rings after the destruction of the Ring. The book still has the Scouring of the Shire, but both the films and the books shift the conflict to an internal one in Frodo. The Ring is gone, but his trauma lingers on. His decision to sail west to the Undying Lands is what I was reminded of the most by the door to rejoin the universe in the Good Place. Frodo's emotional journey comes to a close when he is able to let go of his trauma and failure, and sail into the sunset, and beyond a far green country under a swift sunrise.
Remembering that as I read your comment made me cry peaceful tears. Both are excellent works. Hugs 💚
i love that jason became a legit monk
I remember a few months ago watched the finale with my brother and I just said this, "Man, this is perfect"
I literally cried watching the flashbacks of the sad parts without even the sound dude what a good show
at first... knowing that the series will end in its fourth season, it kept me thinking "why would they do that?" "i like to watch more of the series" without knowing what the actual ending was. at the first few seconds or minutes of watching the finale episode , i have come to think, "i don't want this to end, how couldn't his be?" but then, as the whole episode was rolling , i started shedding tears and realizing what the creators want us to realize.
this series made me realize... i know, i am not a perfect person, but at least i could try.
there are two scenes that i can say is my favorite: 1. Kamila and Tahani hug 2. the very first time Eleanor said "this is the bad place'
I just finished it and I’m rewatching again to catch all the things I missed. EVERYTHING comes full circle at the end. EVERYTHING.
I cried at the end but ten minutes later I was just happy this show had one of.the best endings I loved this show but now I got nothing left to watch
The night before I finished The Good Place, I finished watching Angel for the first time, which had been about a 2.5 year process if you include when I started my rewatch of Buffy. While the ending was thematically and tonally very appropriate and probably the only sort of ending they could do that would work, it broke me. I was VERY nervous to finish TGP bc I was feeling very fragile, but despite making me cry a lot TGP’s finale was just so healing and made me feel so much hope. I very badly needed it in that moment. I can’t think of another show that was just so consistently good and truly uplifting.
This was a great video, really highlighted why I felt so like CALM after watching it.
Also every time you mentioned the reasons other shows don’t have good endings...
**Game of Thrones flashbacks ensue**
Well while you all were feeling your ‘peaceful calm’ during the emotional waves of the finale- I was having an existential crisis. And it lasted many days.
This show, man.
I don't think I've ever cried more in my life than when I saw this last episode. It completely broke me.
When i started the series, I didn't know about the legacy of Ted Danson. So i wasn't sure about this goofy character that i was introduced to. I totally underestimated this character and the actor.
And That's why Michael story arc made me cry the hardest.
This show genuinely turned it up to eleven, even though we all know that 10/10 is all there can be in the real world. So, so, good. So, so, good!
I love how they tied up pretty much every single thread of the series. Not jut the main six, but every significant character we've met gets a moment, or at least a mention.
I'm really bumped that the show is over but it is very satisfying that it had a perfect ending. All that's left to do is follow Michael's advice and... "Take it sleazy"
"like many of you I spent my time watching the good place finale weeping" I did not need to be called out like this
How dare you wound me with the reminder of my incomplete closure from Happy Endings
All of this, yes. So sad to see it go, but honestly, the best ending they could have given it. I had a literal box of tissues handy for the entire episode. Pretty sure I used half the box.
Everything you described about cancelling a show just made me think of Agent Carter and Pushing Daisies :(
I love those shows I can now add Anne with an E to those cancelled shows too. :(
Agent Carter was so damn good
Dirk gently
favorite moments, easy: 1.) Jeremy Bearimy 2.) The Time Knife.
Aw so many fave moments! One I havent seen in the comment yet was seeing that when Eleanor walked through the door she became light that encountered a human and became that little voice encouraging him to act compassionately- the same way the little voice in her head encouraged her to act more compassionately toward others when she was alive. It was such a full circle moment!
it’s genuinely the best finale i’ve ever seen
Micheals ending most satisfying. You can tell in his arch he always loved humans and wanted to be more than a fire squid. When he finally gets to be human its a dream come true. The show also shows what being a human really is about: none of us know what truly will happen but we still enjoy life and go through ups and downs.
I've watched the finale episode 4 times over already, and I'm still weeping everytime
I cried buckets watching the final season! 😭😭😭
I’m so sad this show has ended I’m crying even hearing about it makes me sad I feel like I have lost the most impactful people in my life the show has taught me show much about growth and how no one is beyond improvement. I am so happy I got introduced to the show but am devastated it’s over. This show has done so much for me that it has to be something that has changed my life. Crazy to think it’s just a show but can change a life.
I feel that!
The season one finale will now and forever be my favourite television episode ever.
I have never seen a series finale, or movie ending for that matter so perfect.
Shawn's little smile in the last episode genuinely made me cry and not stop
I felt that after they looked into the views overtime, they knew it was about time. They didn't want to go down in history as "it started as good, then got lame" type of show so they actually planned the finale in small bits and pieces at a time starting at episode 1 of season 4. It wasn't rushed, it just melted into this beautiful palatable experience. Yes! It was an experience for all of us too... Well written and I'm so grateful who ever approved this show's pitch... and shout out to the stoned writers of this show too.
It literally was the most fulfilling finale to a series ever. I never cried so much during a show. It was sad, but it was so satisfying.
I very rarely cry at endings of shows/films but the ending just gave everyone what they wanted, both the characters and the audience.
The other times I have become emotional at the ending of films and shows were gravity falls and endgame.
Also the Percy Jackson film but that was mostly just how bad it was
Michael Shur knows how to nail the endings.
Also, imo, Eleanor and Chidi are the ultimate couple. Their chemistry is stuff of dreams!!
I think it's fair to point out that mostly only American tv shows operate within the never-knowing-when-theyll-get-cancelled/ perpetually-trying-to-get-more-seasons-out model. European tv shows for example have planned endings and usually secure funding before they start filming. So we most often end up with well planned shows, like the Good Place
This was such a good explanation! This show was so precious. I think you would really enjoy Anne with an E! Its a show that could have had a fantastic ending but was cut short. But it’s one of the best shows that I have ever seen 🧡
Why was this show so weirdly amazing
Favorite moment of this episode in particular: Jason popping out from behind the tree after Chidi leaves. It's the show's final big surprise and it truly blew me away. And I think it's another example of how special this show is just in its premise alone. I mean, imagine the same exact scenario happening in ANY other show. I beloved main character has an emotional send off and they ostensibly die. Then they appear again as a quick gag. And then they immediately die again? That's just going to piss people off. I just don't see it working. But here, it does!
Top three moments of the whole series:
3. There's a blink-and-you-miss-it moment that I did completely miss until my tenth or so rewatch of the whole series and it is a truly perfect character moment for Jason. In the scene after he asks Michael if he can keep the cactus that pricked him, Jason can be seen watering it from the little decorative fountain Michael has in the waiting room outside his office. On one hand, it's such a sweet gesture for him to want to take care of this plant even though it hurt him... on the other hand, he is unwittingly, absolutely, for sure drowning the thing.
2. "Oh, oh. Ok. I get it, I get it. You want me to admit that I was wrong. You want me to say "Ooooh Chidi. I'm SOO sooooorry because I didn't understand human ethics and you do. It made me feel insecure and I lashed out and 'Oh pleeease help me because I feel so so lost and vulnerable. Pfft."
"... Yes."
Literal 5 seconds of silence
"Oh Chidi, I'm so sorry. I, um... I didn't understand human ethics. And, and you do. And it made me feel insecure and I lashed out. And I really need your help because I feel... so lost and vulnerable."
Again, this kind of scene should NOT work. But Ted Danson forking NAILS it. On first viewing, there's still enough nuance that you aren't certain whether or not he's getting one over on Chidi again, but it's also sincere enough to make you wonder... and then on second viewing when you KNOW he's being sincere, it's absolutely heart-wrenching.
Number 1: The train pulls away from the station. Michael looks down and sees the humans with Janet still in cuffs. He seethes with raw emotion, but is he furious that the humans tricked him PLUS triumphant that he caught them again, OR is he bursting from dread, guilt, and then relief when he sees that they understood his message? Exact same music and slow zoom as the reveal of the twist at the end of season 1: "YOU GUYS! I WAS SO SCARED FOR YOU!" Uh! Perfection. Michael was my favorite character throughout season 1 and I was COMPLETELY taken by surprise by the twist, and to be honest, I felt betrayed too! I really didn't like the beginning of season 2 the first time through because I hated seeing cruel, evil Michael, and I had no idea there would be a redemption arc, let alone such a quick one (and yet utterly believable) and such a satisfying one. Now, the first few episodes of season two rank among my faves because it has some of the best gags, and story, and it's so fast-paced. And this is the culmination of that. Love it!
I do wish they made a fifth season but I'm glad that it ended the way it did it's one of the best shows on Netflix and It made me almost cry and I miss these characters every single day and Tahani and Jason and Janet will always be my favorite Characters
Chidi describing the wave, oof. I think about it when I can't fall asleep,it comforts me so much.
So happy I stumbled on your channel, first time I saw you appear on my subscriptions tab
OMG you got me all teary-eyed... I can cry all over again because of you, subscribing to your channel now!
This is very well put! It was with this unique combination of factors and beautiful, caring writing that The Good Place finale worked so well!
My favorite part was when the show literally said "there is no ethical consumption under capitalism"