The Strangely Melancholy Ending to The Good Place - Brandon Sanderson
Vložit
- čas přidán 10. 06. 2021
- I’m a little behind everyone else when it comes to this show, as my wife and I tend to give television programs a good rest between seasons, rather than binging the entire thing as once. So I only just watched the ending to The Good Place, and found that I wanted to talk about it. So, fair warning, there will be massive spoilers in this video. But, I mean, I’m kind of a year late on this anyway.
My channel’s primary purpose is to offer a professional novelist’s perspective on storytelling, with an eye toward helping aspiring writers hone their craft. I’ll therefore be looking at the finale of The Good Place through that lens--trying to pick apart what writers can learn from it. However, I’ll try to offer insight to those of you who are interested in stories in general. So I hope you’ll stick around, even if you aren’t yourself a writer.
Let me know if this was useful to any of you writers out there, or interesting to the rest of you. I can’t promise how often I’ll do this for films, but if you enjoy it, I can do more. - Zábava
Sanderson really just a full-blown CZcamsr now lol
Only thing missing was a SkillShare ad
@@guilhermearaujo5868 or NordVPN :D
@@studynot757 or even better a campfire sponsorship
When Shadiversity interviewed him, he said that Brandon would be able to run a very good CZcams Channel if he had editors to handle the video production element.
I think Brandon has come to believe in this.
@@studynot757 or Mistborn
Honestly the heaven they created in the end is just my ideal one. Being able to consume every piece of media you couldn’t while alive, spending time with loved ones who join you one after the other, and let the Jeremy Berimy advance until I ultimately feel that it has to end.
Same for me. I felt like they capture what we all want super well. Eternity is too long for me to have sentience, at some point we all need to rest.
I'm more on Sanderson's side here. I don't believe that there is any point after which I will want an existence without pain, deprivation, or true lack to end. I would always find somewhere, somewhen, or something more to go to, to see, to reinvision in order to gain a sense of meaning. Like Tahani, I wouldn't see the need to end to be an actual necessity.
I also agree with him (and disagree with philosopher Todd May who guided the series) that actions only have meaning if death comes ultimately. Numerous immortal characters in literature have meaning and place because of what they do with other people, their inability to die notwithstanding.
I liked that even in heaven there was the pain of loss. And the fear of not knowing what was on the other side. It just felt like a nice vacation before the true end! If you don't like this idea of heaven then the true end is just waiting for you to walk through the door. I loved it!
Indeed.
I agree that the characters definitely felt fulfilled; Sanderson is seeing pessimism because from their view humans don't actually gain fulfillment from completing things but from doing things.
It's the argument of the destination vs the journey. If the journey fulfills you and makes you happy then it doesn't matter how many times you arrive at the same destination just go back and do it again.
Though I tend to lean in Sandersons direction it is not impossible for me to imagine that both types of people truly exist. (Truly in the sense they actually only get fulfillment from the destination not that they happen to think they do).
So I can accept the characters are fulfilled and no longer can get further fulfillment in continuing on.
I think the characters WERE fulfilled, and their eventual acceptance of being fulfilled was their reason for passing in. They had experienced and done everything they needed to, and were at peace. The pessimism you describe was about as far from what I experienced watching as possible, I don't think I've had a more profound time watching a tv show.
I'm with you on this one! I feel like the characters who passed through the portal recognized that they had grown and lived and loved as much as they possibly could while remaining fundamentally their human selves. They make the choice to let go of what has been in order to move on to what is to come even though it takes the courage to go fully into the unknown.
I agree with both of you completely in this. True beauty is always touched with some form of melancholy, I've found. It elevates it
I completely agree with this. Its exactly what I saw when I watched the ending. I felt like they had been fullfilled and happy for quite some time. I would also like to add that the style of ending they went with is what I call bitter sweet. Bitter in that we dont want to see these characters go but sweet because we know they are doing whats best for them/others. Bitter/Sweet endings are my favorite as it leaves an emotional impact.
Agreed, I don't see it as pessimistic at all. I see it as objectively the best possible form of an afterlife.
Fully agreed. Even Jason and Chidi said it bluntly- a feeling of contentment in their souls.
I don't see the ending as an expression that the characters' quest was hollow at all. I see the characters looking fondly back at their quest, feeling proud and satisfied. Finally ready to accept a TRUE ending because they are ready for it.
Life before death.
Strength before weakness.
Journey before destination.
Those poetic tenets that you wrote all imply that there must eventually be an end.
damn fine points!
I agree - I found the ending to be satisfying, and even hopeful. One of the challenges with real life is that there might not be enough time to do everything we want to do, which can sometimes lend a sense of urgency, fear and hopelessness to things. In The Good Place, they had that time, and at the end I saw walking through the archway as the ultimate symbol of each of the characters having found peace.
@@JPWrites I agree with you. I didn't see the ending as them deciding "it wasn't enough" or that they were "dissatisfied". I felt that they'd gotten to a point where they'd "completed" existence. My husband actually majored in philosophy so while watching this show with him, I often paused it and asked him about the philosophers and the philosophies that were being touched on. I felt them walking through the arch was like completing a good book. When you get to the end of a really good book, you don't usually close the book and think that you're dissatisfied that the book didn't continue. When the story needed to end, it ended and it was good. Letting it go on forever (even if you love the characters and enjoy the plot), would simply make the story/plot/characters lose their meaning. The best part of the series was that, even though final death was an option, it wasn't the only option.
In relation to this though, you should totally watch the series with a philosopher. The discussions it spurred were fantastic.
I love this and love that you're doing it, especially about one of my favorite shows. It's a great analysis.
That said our interpretations on the final theme differ. I don't think they're saying human beings can't find fulfillment, and therefore eventually must stop existing. I think it's the opposite: that we can find fulfillment, and when we do, nonexistence is no longer something bad. They didn't choose self-annihilation because they weren't happy. They chose it because they were complete.
Chidi mentions the feeling of his skin feeling the same as the air around him. As if he has come as close to being one with the universe as possible while still in that form. So the next step was simply to become even more one with the universe.
I don't think the good place was, as you said, "not enough." I think for the characters, it was exactly enough.
Agreed-this is exactly how I saw it. Not really “self-annihilation” as much as being at perfect peace and not needing anything else from the universe.
The ending felt beautiful and hopeful to me. I’m startled that so many found it pessimistic and unsatisfying.
Excellently said. In fact until I saw this I had not considered that the ending might be seen as pessimistic or sad. It had seemed so peaceful and complete to me. Few stories leave me so satisfied with the ending, nor so okay with the story being over.
This.
@@OtherMeanings The term I would have used to describe the tone of the finale is "wistful", to be honest. I'd agree with sad, but not pessimistic.
I disagree with your argument on the philosophy here. The show makes it quite clear that without death, life has no meaning. Please recall the conversation between Michael and Eleanor in S4E12:
Michael: You said that, "Every human is a little bit sad all the time because you know that you're going to die. But that knowledge is what gives life meaning."
Eleanor: The way to restore meaning to the people in the Good Place is to let them leave.
This conversation is literally an argument from the authors of the show that there is no possibility of finding meaning in life without the possibility of death. So, it is not the case that "we can find fulfillment, and when we do, nonexistence is no longer something bad" but that we literally cannot find fulfillment without the prospect of non-existence. Eleanor's use of the word "restore" indicates that in the current iteration of the Good Place, there is no meaning and it has to be brought back, using the prospect of non-existence to do so.
Tahani becomes a Bodhisattva: the Buddha who, after achieving Enlightenment decides to linger in our world, refusing transcendence, to help others liberate themselves through her compassion. I thought it was an amazing choice for her!
You are right about Buddhism and this show. But I didn't see any self-annihilation. They are tired of the old life and want a change, a new existence. They continued to exist as these lights, which apparently are individuals with plans. Think about the mail that Ted Danson received at the end. This said, the oddest thing about the show is that the alleged monk was in love with the robot Janet. Although nice Janet was nice, she was a robot after all.
A crossover I did not expect but very much welcome.
“The world is full of people who long for immortality who have no idea what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon.” - Dorothy Parker
I found it peaceful and satisfying. I really liked how they pointed out that human minds did not evolve to exist for eternity and that constant pleasure can become just as torturous as constant pain eventually. When you find ultimate fulfillment, piling pleasure on top of pleasure will just sour it. Having the choice to actually to end gives that fulfillment meaning.
Death, ending, is ultimately a melancholy thing, and I think it would have been wrong to have a different tone.
Perfectly said.
"Piling pleasure on top of pleasure will just sour it" - perfectly said. The world is best experienced through contrasts. You'll never understand you're living in the light if it never gets dark.
I don’t see any of the characters as being unfulfilled at the end. The point is that they are all fulfilled. Once you are fulfilled, what is the motivation to continue action or existence? Nothing you can do will make you more fulfilled, you are fulfilled. Nothing you can do will make your (after)life better or more meaningful. Why continue to act? There is, literally, no where to go but down.
I also do not see their end through the door as oblivion. It is clear that, while they cease existence as an individual sentience, their experience and essence permeates the world and affects good change and inspiration in everything. It is a kind of apotheosis, the farthest thing from oblivion that there is
Yes, very well said.
"The farthest thing from oblivion there is."✨💓
And in that apotheosis, they aid others in overcoming their flaws to become worthy of the good place themselves. eleanor's soul fragment inspires an act of selflessness, for example. Chidi, to choose without fear. Jason, a love of jalapeno poppers...
"Janet remains Janet"
and there is no better ending for Janet's arc than this.
literally the most satisfying part, to my mind. with everything else that happens, all that Janet wanted was to be able to continue to have that sense of what it is to be a human, and she gets to have that, not TOO far off from the ending, but also not so far from the start that it takes too long to get her there.
it's a wonderful thing. wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.
I also find it beautiful that she is able to continue the memory of the other characters
@@dreamingnight13 great point, even more satisfying.
Wonderful essay. Made me all weepy like when I watched the finale last year. I would disagree about the interpretation of the ending though. I don't believe the characters stepping through the archway was about unfulfillment (is that a word? I'm making it a word) and self-annihilation. I think the characters stepping through the archway was about them achieving ultimate fulfillment and then choosing to become apart of the whole, rather than continue their existence as an individual being. Which I think is best demonstrated when Eleanor steps through and her essence ends up at Michael's front door. It seemed like the writers were saying, Eleanor isn't gone, none of them are. They're eternal, they're all around, they are everything, and we are all connected. Yes, it was melancholy, but it was beautiful too. Thanks for the thoughtful video!
Where does a wave go when it reaches the shore? They outright state it when Eleanor is talking to chidi on the couch. There's some classic buddhist philosophy here. The show is "largely" non religious but the themes certainly are leaning buddhist . The ending isn't sad, or pessimistic - it's just the wave returning to the ocean.
The way I interpret it, the characters ARE fulfilled and feel no reason to keep existing for infinity. They're ready to move on to what's next because they're happy. It still was a melancholy and slightly haunting ending, however
Love this instruction and commentary. This channel is a gem, Brandon.
I think Brandon's point is a wonderful example of the core difference between western and eastern philosophy. As some who grew with a very eastern concept of the afterlife, the idea that oblivion is the one true end is really cathartic to me. Chidi talks about the ocean and the waves and that is LITERALLY the most optimistic ending to me. The concept of the self is overrated compared to the vastness of the universe. And it's incredible that Mike shur thought people should have conversations like this.
Wow, Nithun, that is so wonderfully put. I (unfortunately) know little of eastern philosophy (any recommendations?) - but I agree with your take whole heartedly
@@chramesly I havent actually read a lot of philosophers. Most of my knowledge comes from an indian upbringing and my mom. She has read tons and tons on the topic and we love talking about stuff like this. A good recommendation should be Osho(he got a bad rap for some problematic shit in the US, but his take on eastern philosophy is on point). Jaggi Vasudev is also quite popular and has similar philosophies. Buddhism in general has some excellent takes on the subject, so maybe some reading on that could be great.
Essentially, it can be summarised by saying that all of us are just one part of the whole. There is only one true spirit. Buddhists say that buddha is the universe. Further arguments state, that all of us are part of the whole spirit of the universe. Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. So the best thing for the universe and yourself should be to lose the sense of self that we are all STUCK(yeah thats the actual idea) with. Enlightenment is losing the illusion/Maya of the SELF and attaining oneness with the universe
@@ninnusridhar in Western thought all what you said would be hight of pride
Wonderful criticism and analysis. I personally view it as the concept that instead of fullfiment being the end goal its meaning. And for something to be meaningful it must have finaliry
@@MohamedRamadan-qi4hl Lol. But it's basically the opposite. It's complete submission to the will of the universe. You are only a small part of the whole. You are but a fleeting wave. It's the most humbling thing I can imagine honestly
Personally I find myself agreeing more with you and Tahani about being fulfilled by helping others/friends and love and living eternally, but I think it's heavily implied that after the "annihilation option" is taken the souls are at least partially reincarnated as shown by the man that receives Eleanor's "energy"/soul giving Michael the letter in a nod to Eleanor's first selfless act on the show (returning a wallet) and Michael saying to him "Take it sleazy" - wich is peak Eleanor.
Brandon's provided us with something that I didn't realize I craved until I saw it; he's giving us the opinions of an expert storyteller on the works of other storytellers, which I find much more delightful than any number of reviews by professional critics. Frankly, he could be wearing a gunnysack and recording the video with a potato and I'd still watch it.
More Sanderson reviews please. I loved this so much even though I've not seen the show. The spoilers made me interested in it even. Journey before destination and all that.
pls go watch it, it is both hilarious and contemplative
I wish you watched without the spoilers but still do it is so so good
The beautiful part of the ending was Eleanor, after she had become her best possible self and fulfilled in every way, walking through the doorway and becoming a force for good in the universe, helping someone make a better choice. I disagree with Mr Sanderson (but I love your books!), I think the ending is incredibly optimistic. Eleanor became her best self, lived untold hundreds/thousands of lifetimes helping her best friends/loved ones becoming their best selves, lived untold hundreds/thousands more lifetimes with said loved ones in happiness, and then leaves the universe a slightly better place than it was when she knew she was done.
This was a really good analysis of the show, it's kinda sad that the fact that you can disagree with parts something and still appreciate its quality is not a popular view, when it should be common sense
And now I’m sad about the Rithmatist…
Chalk-fans unite... to sulk in the corner, forgotten by the Brando Sando.... feelsbadman.
@@TheSilverOrn Ikr waiting on a question about The Rithmatist to get through to Brandon's Q&A, but it can be said it's most likely not a priority project for Brandon, considering the success of his other series in comparison.
You could say it's a tragedy...
That was my first Sanderson book and I was told it didn't have a sequel nor would it. That's why I read it, then I get to the "To Be Continued" part at the end and got pissed there was no sequel XD
Not having read the rithmatist, I thought he was referring to warbreaker haha
Brandon's first review on his channel: Project Hail Mary - one of my favorite books.
Brandon's second review: The good place - one of my favorite shows.
This was already my favorite youtube channel, and it just keeps becoming more so!
He did a review of the Sonic movie
I'm part of the "immediately bought Hail Mary as my next read after hearing Brandon recommended it" club. It's a good club. We read this really good book.
My favourite author and my favourite show!!
This was basically everything I felt about this finale but wasn't smart enough to put into words. Excellent essay, thank you.
i remember crying like a baby watching this finale and then crying more about it later
Same! I can't even watch this review because I know I'll start bawling again! It was the best finale I've ever seen--they didn't get too corny and it was truly thought-provoking. I felt silly sobbing over a TV show in front of my husband but when I looked at him, he was wiping away tears too.
My new favourite author! Brandon Sanderson i love you and your work!!
An now im loving your youtube channel! You got such great oppinions an insight!
"I wish we were all willing to acknowledge when a work is well executed even when it isn't our favorite style." This is exactly how I feel everything Garth Ennis writes superheroes.
Hello again Mr. Brandon, hope you have a very long life. I love your novels, please create more of them. Thanks!
I finished this show over a year ago and it's amazing how accurate your comments are to my emotions at the show's resolution. Thanks for this brilliant video essay. I hope to see more content like this in the future!
An ending that I do not want....but also one that made such perfect sense that any other one would seem cheap and hollow in comparison.
It felt like a Buddhist take on heaven to me lol. To be is to want. To want is to suffer. Accept that your life is incidental and in constant flux with the universe, you find a measure of peace by not clinging to permanence. Long story short ... heaven would not be enough. I could be way off obviously, just how it made me feel.
Yeah, he even said it was a pantheist or panentheist view. That's pretty consistent with those outlooks.
It's very similar to the way humans act in Iain M. Banks The Culture books. In a sci-fi society so advanced that everyone is immortal, most people tend to kick off after 400 years or so, and everyone's okay with it. They find fulfillment, they find peace, and they decide to stop being. That isn't true for everyone, many people join some kind of group consciousness. Some people transfer their consciousness, one bit at a time, into an immortal artifical lifeform. Some people freeze themselves and wake up every 500 years to see what's changed. Some people just decide to *endure*, and never find true fulfillment.
It's not heaven, it's The Good Place, for a reason.
For me, calling it heaven makes it God-centric and denotes a fundamental failure in understanding what the show was about in the first place. Being simply the Good Place allows for the whole show's themes to existing growth, enlightenment, etc, of human nature. None of which require a god. In fact gods are a crutch for the weakminded viewed from that perspective. The existence of a god in the show wouldn't require growth, or betterment, just worship.
@@insertclevernamehere2506 That's certainly one perspective about the effects of the existence of a God or gods in the lives of people. But strangely enough, I've never heard monotheists claim anything approaching this about their religion. Rather, I've heard many counter-claims to the contrary, especially among Christians. In the Christian view, in order to become a fully-realized human being and achieve your full potential, worship of God is essential.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this! I love to think about this show. And as someone who has studied philosophy, I love that this show has exposed so many more people to ideas in moral philosophy.
Your discussion of the ending is really interesting, because my intuitions are more in sync with the show. For me, if I had eternity to learn and create, it makes sense that there would come a point where it would be just...enough. That could mean different things to different people and I love that the show depicted a variety. of moments where this happens. Achieving a lifelong goal, reaching a moment of perfect satisfaction, etc. And they include hte counterpoint, where some people may always be ready for more of eternity.
I particularly like the part of the ending that implies that these perfected souls go back and tilt the world just a little bit more toward the better angels of our nature.
This was an unexpected crossover of interests but man I digg it. There's a few different ways to look at and interpret this show and I applaud Brandons maturity in tackling the themes/philosophy of this show. In spite of how it conflicts with his own personal philosophy. I personally see this show as a love letter to existentialism and absurdism. In stead of seeing the ultimate end/oblivion as signifying a lack of fulfillment. It is the ultimate fulfillment, Humans are blessed and cursed by the awareness of our own mortality. That the journey of life ends, allows the choices we make have weight and meaning. Free will to choose our own meaning in life. The journey to self improvement never ends but journey of life is a separate matter(at least to me). Another way of looking at it is that the afterlife in the good place (after it's fixed) is what we could have on earth in the near future, maybe even right now. Their are after all enough resources for everyone to live comfortable and happy life's right now, it's just unfairly distributed. Like the utopia portrayed in Star Trek, once people are free of the struggle for survival, people are able to find meaning whilst contributing to art, science, literature and all the other wonderful things humans can create. This has gone on a bit of a weird tangent but I hope who ever followed it, enjoyed it. Anyways great show and great author. Love your books Brandon and if you have the chance you should check out Fear and Trembling and Either/Or by Soren Kierkegaard I think you would find them very interesting
The ending was melancholy, but I believe it is one appropriate way to tell a story that is about dying. The afterlife presented in "The Good Place" allows humans to become the best version of themselves and to have eternities to do everything they could possibly want to do. I think these are the two concerns people have in real life.
When a person honestly confronts the fact that one day they will die and they don't know for certain what comes after, they must decide what will make them satisfied with the time they have left. People want to explore all their desires and express their best self, often best loving self to friends, and family, and the world.
"The Good Place" provides an afterlife that represents everything we wish we could do with our real lives before the end. The uncertainty of what lies beyond the gate is very much like the uncertainty we face at our own physical deaths.
An excellent commentary on an excellent show. I differ from your feeling that walking through the final door is ending your existence. Chidi’s speech sums it all up best for me. “The wave returns to the ocean, where it belongs and where it’s supposed to be”. Eleanor, Chidi and Jason are still part of the universe but the form they had like the wave is no more. My interpretation is that Eleanor became the little voice inside someone’s head telling them to do the right thing before fading fully away but it’s still not really an ending because she’s not really gone. The are no endings. 😉
I loved the ending. It made so much sense to me. You get everything you want, do everything you can possibly dream off. There's nothing left to wish for or enjoy. Ultimately never ending existence must be boring af
I agree with this, I have been amazed at how this ending stuck with me. I have thought about it again and again for the last year or so. I have been amazed at how it stuck with me and how well done it was. Thanks for putting it into words
This is a fantastic essay. Not only do you highlight how The Good Place did well, but you also expand greatly on why, in more depth than other reviews I've seen.
Maybe it feels like... You're on a group vacation or an awesome party with your favorite people. You've had the best time! But when you've had enough, you know it. It's not because things went sour, or they've become unsatisfying. More like, your own bed sounds really good to you right now, and, you get to leave on a high note buzzing with all the love you feel.
I loved their concept of heaven and I was really moved by each character's ending 🥰
omg Brandon Sanderson talking about one of my favorite shows. Yes, please!!
Very sharp editing - good job Adam!
Nicely noticed mate.
Video essay from a world renowned novelist. what could a man ask for more
Love this form of content from someone of your perspective and experience! Really enlightening
Good thematic summation! I like your reminder that we can have some philosophical disagreements with a story's themes and still respect it as a good ending.
Thanks brandon, you have brighten my day
This was absolutely phenomenal. I would love to see more of these types of videos.
First he takes on Fantasy/Sci-fi publishing, then he takes on YA publishing, then he takes on Booktube, then he takes on media podcasting, now he takes on video essays. What's next? ASMR? Mukbang? Cooking videos? Tech reviews? Vocal coach reactions?
I'm really, really living for this.
My favourite living author talking about one of my favourite shows, today is a good day. 😀
I LOVED this show. The Good Place podcast, hosted by Marc Evan Jackson, was really good too and offers ALOT of insight into each episode
I just found this video series. Please keep making them! They’re super useful!
Thank you for this video. I really like listening to these reviews!
This was awesome. Would love to see more of these type of videos for shows, books, movies and franchises. Brandon gives such great perspectives.
I didn't see the choice of walking through the archway as a failure to find fulfilment - i saw it as the crowning of fulfilment. When one has really achieved all they set out to do, had time to savour it, be happy and then let go of all worldly things. Like a person serenely letting go of their struggle, surrounded by loved ones, knowing that they'll be ok. That they're happy. Happy to have been part of their journey, but acknowledging that it's ok for one's own journey to end - as there's no more greater happiness than what has already been achieved.
Still loved the video btw - I love how much thought and energy you put into it! I'd love to see more of your perspective on other TV shows/movies!
I love these video-essays, you should do more!
Wow, what great timing!! My husband and I just finished the Good Place as well. This video really gives some good commentary as to what I was feeling at the end of the show, but couldn't put into words as well as this. What Sanderson said in this commentary makes me really glad though, because I think the show's ending and Sanderson's wrap-up of the Cosmere will have similar philosophical endings that must be achieved, and Sanderson won't head into such a melancholy ending as this show did. It makes me excited to see what he has in store for how the Cosmere will turn out, and not dreading it like I might with other authors.
Fantastic review for a fantastic show, I appreicated your holistic approach in looking at this from as many angles as possible.
i loved this video, the good place has been my favorite show since it started essentially, and i still felt like i learned new things about it and the characters. thank you!
Great to have more video essays again! Always a pleasure to listen to Brandon's thoughts.
My thoughts of fulfillment is that as long as you exist you need to keep searching for ways to be fulfilled in order to be fulfilled. True fulfillment isn't in finding something to be fulfilled about but to find something, do it, and then feeling fulfilled by it and moving on. Imagine you could be fulfilled by mastering a specific recipe, but then how fulfilling would it be to only make that one recipe for all eternity? Then you have broader goals like mastering all cooking recipes, but eventually, given eternity, you would master them all... then what? Humans are like pacman, constantly moving forward, gobbling up fulfillment and accomplishment but always looking for more.
I feel like them saying the only way to rest, and not have to seek things to do or go crazy from boredom is to stop being aware of your existence is possibly a valid point.
This is really well done! One of the better, more thoughtful discussions I've seen on The Good Place. I really liked your point at 10:54, it's cool that the show did have multiple "answers" to the problem.
I'll preface my comment by saying i agree with Brandon, in that i believe humans can find fulfillment from service and creation. I do wonder though if characters stepping through the arch are unfulfilled. I think for Chidi this is th case, he was looking for more and couldnt find it so he sought to leave. However, for Jason he was fulfilled and his decision wasn't to step through because he was unfulfilled, but because he felt complete and whole and was ready to move on.
I feel like the bar for fulfilment for everyone is unique to them. I'd like to believe that in Chidi's case, he finally found his own fulfilment by coming to peace with the idea that there was no ultimately "correct" answer to any of the philosophical problems he'd spent his life studying. One of the major arcs of his character was as a moral and philosophical pillar to the other characters, but was always plagued by indecision which I see as a result of that background. His ultimate decision at the end there symbolises to me that he's finally at peace, and even his words of wisdom to Eleanor wasn't his typical spiel of "well, Aristotle said this, but conversely you can look at it like Plato wrote", instead it was one beautifully picked nugget of wisdom.
If you live long enough, you will eventually do all of the service and creation possible, and you will no longer want to live. Eternity is a very long time.
They really stuck the landing. I loved this show.
I thought the whole reason people passed through the door was because they HAD found fulfillment?
Appreciate your insight on this, thanks for sharing it with us.
Love your essays
This was a fantastic video! More video essays on anything you are interested in is welcome and I will be watching!
That was an awesome essay/video on an amazing show. Thank you :).
Love this show review. Love it! Wished Brandon had time to do these more often. He's a phenomenal writer and hearing his perspective of shows, is educational and I find them inspiring.
Thanks for bringing your unique PoV into this. You made some really excellent points. I personally love bittersweet endings, and generally prefer them over unambiguously-happy endings. The ending of this show is a little like the ending of Lord of the Rings in that way. I think it's beautiful and very satisfying.
I love your analysis of this show. Thank you very much for sharing it with us.
OMG, I love that you talked about this show, even if it has a fairly loyal fanbase it feels like not a lot people are talking about it considering how masterful it is
One of my favourite writers doing an essay on one of my favourite shows. Thank you so much. This was beautiful.
I’m so glad I found you! I deeply appreciate how give space to artist to create their own story even when we disagree or simply don’t like it. Social media has devolved critique into a place where the consumers of art feel some sort of ownership or entitlement around the creations of others. It gets so ugly.
On another note, while I respect your opinion, I have a different perspective on the ending. I wonder if you’ve considered that we don’t a forever option, at least that we truly know of. I felt it was a kindness to say in the story that if we live a life of love and kindness and fulfillment of our passions, that we might be very happy moving on into the unknown. We’ll all have to do that someday. It’s nice to have a story tell us that it’s possible to be at peace with it.
I waited to watch this until I finally finished the show. Great review Brandon, it got me to really think.
Wow, what a beautiful and insightful video essay Brandon! I loved the show very much and this video reflects a lot of my views. I think my philosophy matches yours as well. Hope you continue these style of videos; definitely will be checking out your new podcast!
Liked video for sophisticated and fair discussion on an interesting topic. Awesome.
Muchas gracias, en verdad necesitaba que alguien también compartiera este sentimiento melancólico que deja el show y que entendiera lo profundo de algunas cosas, lo mejor es que fueras tú, mi escritor favorito.
I agree with you absolutely about Art.
As a person who loves the humanities, I'm constantly horrified at the casual disregard for story archs that actually bring the realizations that we're finite, we end and move on!
It's like they think people can't handle death with full character arch story endings. I love the good place for their story and for being honest and direct with it!
This is a really interesting take and I agree with a lot of it. I fully cried at the ending, caught between the melancholy of the ending and the actual fact that the show itself was ending. I completely agree that it is the writers' ending to the writers' story and within that they really nailed it. I think it's one of my most favourite TV show conclusions.
But to engage in a bit of a philosophical discussion with you, Mr Sanderson, I think it is exceptionally ironic that you, as a writer yourself, ended up at odds with the shows philosophical idea that eventually humans will chose to end. That love or friendship won't sustain. That self-annihilation (beautiful word choice by the way), is the only true fulfilment.
We are storytellers. Human beings tell stories. For amusement, for warning, for passing down history, for comfort against the unknowns in the dark, we tell stories. And I think that as humans, we have some inherent understanding of good stories (despite some of what Hollywood and the like put out!) and what they contain. And as you yourself pointed out, sometimes a solid, definitive ending is what a good story needs.
Each of our individual lives are stories. And I personally believe that these stories need a definitive ending. I am in love and it definitely sustains me. There are goals in life I have that I hope will better humanity, or at least better some peoples lives, and that idea drives me. But without context of these things ending, of these feelings being finite, I think perspective gets lost. I think its honestly tragic. I guess that's part of being human...
Stories need endings. Some stories need definitive endings. I personally believe that human stories need that definitive full stop.
But that's just my opinion. And I am very grateful, Mr Sanderson, for you sharing yours. I am a big fan of The Good Place and its mission to encourage philosophical discourse and I'd say they were more than successful looking at these comments!
"I'll say this to you, my friend, with all the love in my heart and all the wisdom of the universe:
Take it sleazy."
This was excellent! You're so kind about your opinions, more reviewers should be like this! I hadn't thought about that "foot note" when I first finished watching the show. I still think is optimistic, everything must come to an end, love and friendship isn't enough to keep you here, alive, but it is enough for you to go to the afterlife in piece, happy with your life. Maybe I just didn't get it, because Brandon is much smarter than I am for sure, but that was how I interpreted it :)
Awesome!! Love hearing your masterfull analysis and opinion, your style of essay is exactly what i needed - very balanced and respectfull to creators. Also, Might check out the show, thanks.
A music lovers take. The music that played when during chidi and elanors final conversation broke me heart and soul. It's SPIEGEL IM SPIEGEL by arvo part. Or mirror in mirror. The whole piece is a mirror horizontally on the score sheet. And it adds more notes every time it repeats. It's beautiful. And it works great here, coz it's literally what chidi is talking about. The wave that crashes and mirrors itself. It's never the same, always evolving, but it has ebb and flow.
The music that played in the Season 3 finale part during "Some Memories You May Have Forgotten" was taken from Carter Burwell's "Where the Wild Things Are" soundtrack, the track called "We Love You So". czcams.com/video/O0ELmFUEmaA/video.html The specific part used in TGP starts at 3:00.
Best review about this show. Well done.
This was fascinating to listen to, would love to see more content like this about other stories!
Great analysis! I enjoyed the show quite a bit myself, definitely a happy part of my pandemic watching!
Great analysis of an amazing show!
It was the lack of choice that was making the real good place terrible, when the option to leave was added Patty says she is going to stick around longer. So it was the idea of eternity that was more of a problem than eternity itself. Once people had the option to leave they could work towards becoming truly fulfilled without the weight of eternity on their minds.
The immortal beings couldn't understand that, it wasn't a concept that would ever occur to them since they seemed to be perfectly fine with doing their jobs forever, it took one of them learning human philosophy to figure it out.
Excellent analysis! I love how you point out that even though that wouldn't have been your choice ( mine either, tbh) you love how it achieved the goal of giving is something to think about and a sense of closure.
Not what I expect to see uploaded but I'm happy it was and hope to hear more like this in the future.
What I appreciate about you most, in this video, Brandon, is your professionalism. Respect!
Damn. Recently found Brandon Sanderson stuff and videos. Always liked him but now he's one of my biggest role models after these videos for sure
MORE. VIDEO. ESSAYS.
Also if you're gonna do more essays make sure to edit in some relevant images or clips so that the audience doesn't get too bored with the visual aspect.
Oh my gosh I didn't know I needed this video but I'm so happy
I thought the ending was so beautiful. Even in an ultimate paradise, it is the knowledge of an ending that makes it worth living. And not to mention the idea that people CAN become worthy of this paradise, if given time, help, and opportunities.
Wow. This was amazing!! Sanderson and the good place? My day couldn’t get any better haha!
I loved this review, because I've watched two or three times the series already (yeah) and felt bad tastes in my mouth each time, even differently. Last time, I finally understood and accepted Eleanor's ending, because it felt awful when Eleanor crossed the portal as she wasn't peaceful, but always felt like she reached a point of out-of-placeness, of emptiness, as all her connections had moved on or gone through their own paths and there wasn't anything else that attached her to her existence. The last time, even though it still got me sad, I accepted it, and kinda embraced, this sort of ugly truth and actually appreciated that her ending happened like that. It's what I really think that would happen if we could choose to exist forever or choose when to end existence.
I have no idea how I got here, but you got me subbed, my friend.
That was an amazing video!
Loving you as a CZcamsr!!!
i watched the finale at a very critical time in my life - I had just finished high school, I was about to leave for university to live in a different city without my parents for the first time, I was having to leave my friends and my home. the themes of endings and how it isn't a bad thing, just a bookend to a new chapter really spoke to me. i read it as things are good because they end, and being sad for the ending meant that you enjoyed it while it lasted. it was very gratifying hearing you echo that reading of it. maybe I just like it so much because it spoke to me, who knows! but the show remains one of my favourites and so important to my journey. great video!
Sanderson is straight up doing video essays now and I'm very into it.
I love to hear a professional's perspective on other people's stories. I find analyses like these have been very helpful in developing in my own understanding of storytelling.