The Good Place Episode That Changed Everything (Isn't The One You Thought)

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  • Опубліковано 6 чер 2024
  • Do not watch this video if you haven't seen The Good Place! It isn't worth it! This video is not better than the experience of watching The Good Place unspoiled!
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    #thegoodplace #videoessay #everythingisfine
    In The Good Place, Eleanor, a deceased saleswoman who lived a morally corrupt life, finds herself in a heaven-like afterlife in a case of mistaken identity and tries to hide her past in order to stay there. The Good Place is an American fantasy comedy television series created by Michael Schur. It premiered on NBC on September 19, 2016, and concluded on January 30, 2020, after four seasons and 53 episodes.
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 597

  • @craigmcfly
    @craigmcfly Рік тому +9195

    The greatest moment of anguish, from any character in the history of cinematography, has to be "Jason figured it out?!"

    • @auldthymer
      @auldthymer Рік тому +650

      When Eleanor says "Because I wanted that mom" caught me up short and made me cry.

    • @johannaelloso9418
      @johannaelloso9418 Рік тому +270

      ​@@auldthymer That episode blew my mind so much and really sticks to the moral of the show: shitty people can change.

    • @bfish89ryuhayabusa
      @bfish89ryuhayabusa Рік тому +418

      ​@@auldthymer what really hit me was seconds later. "That means she could change, and that... I wasn't worth changing for."

    • @MikeDCWeld
      @MikeDCWeld Рік тому +46

      That one hurt.

    • @joelmanaussie
      @joelmanaussie Рік тому +207

      He actually did figure out it first. He said they were on a prank show early on in the show.

  • @keysburntgucci9016
    @keysburntgucci9016 Рік тому +4858

    Even when Eleanor laid it all out and told the guys her epiphany, I was still skeptical, only until Michael laughed.
    That really changed things.

    • @irissupercoolsy
      @irissupercoolsy Рік тому +55

      nah, i figured it out it would be the bad place before Eleonor did. It was kinda obvious, it was everything they didn't like

    • @PvblivsAelivs
      @PvblivsAelivs Рік тому +17

      @@irissupercoolsy
      Well, it's not like the twist was a new idea.

    • @keysburntgucci9016
      @keysburntgucci9016 Рік тому +26

      @@irissupercoolsy so what did you think Chidi did to go to the bad place

    • @irissupercoolsy
      @irissupercoolsy Рік тому +14

      @@keysburntgucci9016 i didn't think that far, but I knew it must be the actual bad place

    • @keysburntgucci9016
      @keysburntgucci9016 Рік тому +20

      @@irissupercoolsy then let's say you had a strong hunch but you weren't 100% convinced

  • @stwbmc98
    @stwbmc98 Рік тому +5938

    I’ve always said one of the most impressive things about this show is its refusal to have a status quo

    • @hefoughtabear118
      @hefoughtabear118 Рік тому +84

      Technically it does have a status quo it just changes every season.

    • @stwbmc98
      @stwbmc98 Рік тому +279

      @@hefoughtabear118 Even within seasons it changes several times though. Things keep happening that change the entire trajectory.
      Season 3 is the best example. At first, the status quo is the humans learning to be better on Earth while Michael and Janet watch from afar. Then Michael and Janet get locked out of the afterlife and one of the demons shows up to drive a wedge between the humans. Then the humans find out about Michael and Janet and it ruins the experiment, and they decide to save other people instead. Then they uncover the fact that the points are rigged and have to convince the judge of this.
      Even at the very end, when it seems like a status quo for season 4 is being established, they throw in one more wrench by having Chidi wipe his memories. These changes happen so frequently that you can hardly call anything a status quo.

    • @hannahmiller4663
      @hannahmiller4663 Рік тому +37

      There's no status quo except for one. The theme.

    • @20000dino
      @20000dino Рік тому +41

      As someone who, whilst watching this show back in 2020, was going through an intense manic depressive episode, this is why it was such a hard thing to sit through. What I needed most in my life at the time was a semblance of status quo, of routine - and this existentialist show masquerading as a regular sitcom gave me everything but.
      Looking back, I can recognize how unique of a show this was for it. It’s a crucial aspect which sometimes works against it - but I don’t think I would want it any other way.

    • @devinkerr5474
      @devinkerr5474 Рік тому +21

      I originally wasn't big on the show and my wife got me into it, but hadn't seen past season 1, so we watched the first season together with her getting to see things I wouldn't notice yet, and then we reached this masterpiece together and it solidified it as one of my favorite shows

  • @AgusSkywalker
    @AgusSkywalker Рік тому +4572

    Yeah, it's still crazy to me how this show starts radically changing its main premise every 4 to 6 episodes starting with season 2. If you want to describe the show to a new person you can only describe the premise of the first episode, you can't get into the ways the show evolves later.

    • @JNDReacts
      @JNDReacts Рік тому +200

      Exactly! You can’t even mention that it includes one of (if not the) biggest twists of all time because then the person you’re recommending it to will be on the lookout!
      Really the best way to sell it is the first episode premise, Ted Danson and Kristen Bell, and Michael Schur’s resume.

    • @bumbobaggins
      @bumbobaggins Рік тому +64

      A group of people navigating the afterlife.

    • @RHKang-hl3ps
      @RHKang-hl3ps Рік тому +29

      I say it's about learning to be a good person lol

    • @pattheplanter
      @pattheplanter Рік тому +38

      @@RHKang-hl3ps I just say it is a sitcom about the philosophy of ethics.

    • @liesbethverlaeckt8083
      @liesbethverlaeckt8083 Рік тому +22

      THIS"! I've had such trouble trying to get people to watch the show because I can only describe the first season and then tell them it gets better. But usually they're like 'I dunno, it doesn't sound like my cup of tea' and I'm just left sitting there like NO IT'S REALLY GOOD THERE'S JUST A LOT OF TWISTS

  • @vyt2622
    @vyt2622 Рік тому +2498

    "They could have stretched this out and didn't" is a recurrent theme for the Good Place and something I truly appreciate about it. Season 2 is a big example of it, though I would argue the first big instance is when Eleanor reveals her identity in the mid-season finale of season 1. A different show would have made that the season finale. Mike Schur went "no, we all know it's inevitable she'll be found out, let's do it and move on". The show never lets itself stay in a known or predictable place for long.

    • @NrettG
      @NrettG Рік тому +86

      I really appreciate how Season 1 feels like it's going through the strokes as well. It follows almost a perfect formula of how a show like that would happen, just to flip it on it's head and defy almost everything. It's hard to get through Season 1 the first time through and it's a bold choice as well but that payoff just does not stop once you see it through.

    • @Elgsdyr
      @Elgsdyr Рік тому +55

      @@NrettG Yeah, I almost abandoned the show before that scene because I thought I had figured out the whole premise and wasn't too enamored about the idea of watching season after season of variations over the same concept. There are so many formulaic shows and movies these days so it was easy to believe a show, that initially presents itself with a formulaic premise, actually also is one. Luckily, this scene enticed me enough to finish the season and ultimately fall absolutely in love with the show.

    • @paulbraun4820
      @paulbraun4820 Рік тому +53

      Listen to the podcast. Mike Schur says, on multiple episodes, that a main story goal for them was "beat the audience to the punch" and "get to it sooner than later". I feel like they did a good job at that.

  • @BlueBeetle1939
    @BlueBeetle1939 Рік тому +2387

    My absolute favorite episode is the one where they go to the bad place proper for the first time and Tahani does an American accent the whole time it's so funny

  • @yourfavoritebubbe7444
    @yourfavoritebubbe7444 Рік тому +2009

    This show could have easily had 7-8 seasons but it didn’t and that’s what makes it amazing. It never over stayed its welcome and I really appreciate that

    • @sixoffcenter80
      @sixoffcenter80 Рік тому +24

      I have wondered how it would have worked if they went for a 5th season. stretching the actual good place out to fill it. Ultimately it might have been better to wrap that up in two episodes though.

    • @everythingisawesome2903
      @everythingisawesome2903 Рік тому +13

      I love 'The Good Place' and it's one of my favourite shows of all time but I still think this show should have ended after Season 2 cause that was really an perfect series finale. I still enjoyed the later seasons, though.

    • @capn_toad
      @capn_toad Рік тому +95

      ​@@everythingisawesome2903 While it COULD have ended there, I truly do believe that seasons 3 and 4 are necessary to complete the character arcs and truly explore the philosophy of the show.

    • @lytsedraak
      @lytsedraak Рік тому +4

      I love that about The Good Place. So many shows start out good, but they go on and stretch plots to a point where I lose interest.

    • @jonmayer
      @jonmayer 10 місяців тому +4

      I think they ended it perfectly though. In the end, you feel like you didn't need more because it was time to just accept nothing more.

  • @engineer-of-souls
    @engineer-of-souls Рік тому +1914

    For me the episode that changed everything was S1E7 when Eleanor admits being in the "Good Place" by mistake. A lesser show could have milked the idea of Eleanor hiding for couple of seasons easily, but here it happens halfway of the first! It turned a series I enjoyed good enough to a great one, one I could trust to not be afraid to make big swings.

    • @rachelripstra1839
      @rachelripstra1839 Рік тому +76

      At that point, I knew the writers had their foot to the floor, but I don't think just how fast they wanted to go was clear until S2E1. Man, what a great show.

    • @JAZZYMETALSONIC
      @JAZZYMETALSONIC Рік тому +62

      I heard somewhere that they specifically wanted to write it in a way that the plot keeps moving on / finishing conflicts and starting new stuff before the viewer expects it and honestly? They did forking* great because that's exactly how this show felt

    • @growingupwithdisney
      @growingupwithdisney Рік тому +35

      That’s what I thought the video was gonna be about. I also think making Eleanor be the one to admit it rather than just getting caught also plays into what the show is all about

    • @Elgsdyr
      @Elgsdyr Рік тому +19

      That was the moment where I went from thinking I had the whole premise figured out and seriously considering abandoning it, to feeling it suddenly started to get interesting. Of course, the finale blew me away and I was forever hooked.

    • @harrisont2004
      @harrisont2004 9 місяців тому +3

      @@rachelripstra1839Same! I was so skeptical with this show because I thought it’d get repetitive and milk the concept. Instead it rocketed forwards when we least expected it. So good!

  • @coolboss999
    @coolboss999 Рік тому +374

    Honestly, I didn't even expect that plot twist. I never knew a sitcom could do that 💀

    • @cherchehacknostale
      @cherchehacknostale Рік тому +39

      ME TOO ! The ending was even worse. I cried like a baby and was thinking what forking journey did I take ?? I wanted some good laugh about a girl being in heaven stealing a saint's spot and fooling every one. Not having that life crisis about wanting to die in heaven 😭

  • @Conor_Tuohy
    @Conor_Tuohy Рік тому +935

    A great observation. Also, S2 Ep1is probably the strongest episode in the whole show... and probably also one of the most expensive to have made, with all of the 5 second throw away moments.

    • @JNDReacts
      @JNDReacts Рік тому +85

      At least they got a chance to reuse the hideous striped outfits! During the second episode of the podcast they had the costume designer on as one of the guests and she talked about how they had to have that fabric custom-made and then make each one of the outfits!

    • @wvu05
      @wvu05 Рік тому +44

      The sound of utter defeat when Jason figures it out is priceless.

    • @JNDReacts
      @JNDReacts Рік тому +7

      @@wvu05 I think that was actually episode 2 or 3, depending on how you count the long episode. Anyway, the one titled Dance Dance Resolution.

    • @wvu05
      @wvu05 Рік тому +9

      @@JNDReacts Oh, okay. I couldn't remember the specific episode, but my favorite one was definitely when he figured it out and Michael seemed to take it as a personal insult.

    • @NrettG
      @NrettG Рік тому +13

      Dude it's one of my favorite episode of television out there. The idea of Season 1 being a slog just for them to go "Yeah that's the point, here's the other attempts" was genius.

  • @potterpotty01
    @potterpotty01 Рік тому +384

    yes this episode was when it really clicked for me, specifically Ted Danson was brilliant in this episode
    "Jason figured it out. Jason! oh yeah this is a new low"

    • @ilianamedina903
      @ilianamedina903 Рік тому +5

      I only watched the first season because I had nothing else to do over Summer Break and BAM, one of the best shows hands down. Excellent writing from start to what is in my opiniom, best series finale!

  • @hannaparikh8843
    @hannaparikh8843 Рік тому +522

    it's cool how many times the direction of the show changes, first its the s1 plot of eleanor trying to pretend that she belongs in the good place, then its what you described in this video of the gang getting rebooted a discovering over and over again that they're in the bad place, then it's about the gang trying to pretend they're being tortured to keep michael's job and keep them out of the normal bad place, then it's about michael and the gang's quest to make it to the actual good place, then about the gang living on earth again trying to be better people and gain enough points to make it to the good place, then it's them trying to reform the broken points system through an experiment by recreating the s1 bad place with new people, then it's about them creating a new afterlife system while finally living in the good place, then it ends with them fixing the good place by creating an end to it. it's like 8 shows all wrapped into one and you never could have guessed the direction it would take next

    • @sirplayalot
      @sirplayalot Рік тому +28

      And it never really feels unnatural or uncanny... like all plots are very finely welded together

  • @edrift3d
    @edrift3d Рік тому +114

    I’ve always felt that one of the biggest moments in the show was at the end of ep 24 when they’re trying to escape through the portals to go see the judge and Michael is short one pin. When he decides to send Eleanor and says he figured out the trolley problem. I’ve always felt that moment was huge because we see Micheal truly start to become human as he sacrifices himself to save the others. Gets me every time.

  • @M.W.2
    @M.W.2 Рік тому +506

    I love this, Michael Shur showed that shooting an entire season only after you have wrote the next one allows to absolutely wild plot progressions without milking them for an entire season just to fill your paycheck while you try to figure out the rest of the shoe on the spot. It's revolutionary for the entire industry

    • @TheNoiseySpectator
      @TheNoiseySpectator 8 місяців тому +3

      No, he showed that is _possible_ to make up a great show from season to season.
      Usually it is a _terrible_ idea.
      Look at how Mork and Mindy ended, or Happy Days, or "LOST" or Ronald D. Moore's version of "Battlestar Galactica."

  • @DezMarivette
    @DezMarivette Рік тому +554

    Personally I wish more people talked about S1E10 - Janet and Jason get married, Eleanor and Tahani bond, but most importantly - it’s the first time Eleanor realizes she’s in love. She’s an adorable goofball in her confession and it never gets referenced again. Even in later seasons when Eleanore finds out they got together in past reboots, she never gets to see the first time it happened. We do. So pure ❤️

    • @growingupwithdisney
      @growingupwithdisney Рік тому +13

      I think they don’t reference it to show that they actually can be platonic. I feel like they genuinely were just friends in season 1, but season 2 is when things changed

    • @stevec6002
      @stevec6002 Рік тому +23

      Yes she does. Michael gave them all their memories back.

    • @RayofMurr
      @RayofMurr Рік тому +5

      So S2E4 and 6 both let her see herself falling in love.

    • @platoniczombie
      @platoniczombie 15 днів тому

      Who's to say that actually was the first time? What if Michael was also rebooted along with everyone else?

  • @rachit1042
    @rachit1042 Рік тому +631

    I never thought a sitcom could do such a mind-blowing twist in such a perfect way. This show is something else. ❤❤

    • @TheNoiseySpectator
      @TheNoiseySpectator 8 місяців тому

      But, this was not a Sitcom.
      One of the most important characteristics of a Sitcom is that the goal of the protagonists is to return to the point where they started, and return everything to normal, not for the characters to change and the setting to change.
      Every season of "The Good Place" ended with the main characters having changed from when the season began. 💡
      👏👏👏👏

  • @kayamonn3220
    @kayamonn3220 Рік тому +324

    Honestly, I didn’t want to watch the show bc from every trailer I saw, I was like “that sounds more like Hell than Heaven tbh”, and then I heard that that was in fact the twist, and I immediately loved that a show was willing to do that, so I sat down and watched it, and now I love the show so much

    • @JNDReacts
      @JNDReacts Рік тому +23

      I recently tried to convince my parents to watch the show (they tried back when it was first airing but gave up after a few episodes) and even spoiled the twist, but they still refused. I’m glad that it convinced you!

    • @kayamonn3220
      @kayamonn3220 Рік тому +24

      @@JNDReacts damn. Honestly, it’s an incredibly underrated show. Sadly a lot of people seem to have kinda just written it off

    • @mylesleggette7520
      @mylesleggette7520 Рік тому +1

      @@kayamonn3220 The ending really ruined it for me. I always found it hard to imagine how they would manage to combine the concepts of human growth and change with the concept of an eternal afterlife, but was enjoying everything they were doing so far that I just went with it. But when I got to the end and found out they couldn't come up with a way to do it and just gave up with that lame cop-out ("let's just have people die in the afterlife too!") I was so disappointed that I haven't once felt compelled to rewatch a single episode. Sad really, it was a great show with great performances.

    • @kayamonn3220
      @kayamonn3220 Рік тому +36

      @@mylesleggette7520 I disagree tbh. I think it’s the inevitable conclusion. The point is that death is a necessary part of human change. Essentially, the afterlife becomes a place where one can achieve the actualization you wish without a ticking clock looming over you. You can finally pursue all that your heart desires, and then, when you’ve done so, you can end. I think it’s a perfect ending for the show’s ideas tbh

    • @rachelmp2401
      @rachelmp2401 Рік тому +3

      @@mylesleggette7520 what would you rather have the ending be?

  • @Ceares
    @Ceares Рік тому +187

    As tv addict for 45 years, I can honestly say the Good Place is one of the most well written, creative pieces of art I've ever seen on my tv screen. It deserves a spot with the all time great sitcoms and I hope it becomes a classic.

  • @itsmeike
    @itsmeike Рік тому +112

    This is a show that did exactly what it intended to, then ended when it was ready. A lot of shows could learn from that

    • @tookitogo
      @tookitogo Рік тому +5

      Absolutely! Another show that ended when it was ready was Schitt’s Creek. I would love to have more of it, but it did what it meant to do and ended on a high note. I think it’s always a sign of a great series when you wish it wasn’t over.

    • @mylesleggette7520
      @mylesleggette7520 Рік тому +2

      Eh, the whole Earth resetting arc added nothing, if you ask me. I would much rather they skipped that drivel and spent enough time in the Good Place to find an actual resolution to the show's final unanswered question. The route they chose made the whole concept of the afterlife moot, which raised the question of why do any of it at all?

    • @Cloverfr
      @Cloverfr 11 місяців тому

      It truly lived to it's last season message.

  • @krobinson4494
    @krobinson4494 Рік тому +144

    I remember being shocked at how they burned through potential plot that first ep of S2! Made me nervous. Loved his frustration when JASON guessed!

  • @ThePonderer
    @ThePonderer Рік тому +115

    This show really does spend its whole run priming your for how fleeting the dynamics you take for granted are.

  • @HarvestLockwood
    @HarvestLockwood Рік тому +64

    I had a blast watching this show, and then sobbed like a baby watching the final episode. My sudden emotional reaction to it came out of left field for me; I just realized while I was sitting there that it was over, and it hit me like a ton of bricks.

    • @AlanFehr
      @AlanFehr Рік тому +5

      I sobbed for an hour after it was done.
      It was the last show my wife and I "enjoyed together" before we separated. The ending of the show was (still is) such a devastating metaphor for our marriage. It sucks being Chidi. It's so hard to be the one saying, "I love you, but I know that it's time to go."
      What's worse, she didn't understand why the show's ending hit me so hard, and I couldn't tell her. Just a gut-wrenching time.

    • @chateaudisco1436
      @chateaudisco1436 4 місяці тому

      Oh yeah - during Melbourne’s looooooong Covid lockdown I went down the good place rabbit hole with my wife and 2 young daughters - final ep; we wept together for an hour, sometimes stopping to giggle, blow our noses then back to sobbing… not exactly tears of devastation, more like after an intense philosophical awakening

  • @dr.braxygilkeycruises1460
    @dr.braxygilkeycruises1460 Рік тому +69

    Please, PLEASE do more videos on *The Good Place!!!!* It was definitely one of the greatest shows of all time. Nothing wasted. Perfectly acted, written, and directed.

  • @abigfavor
    @abigfavor Рік тому +35

    The most interesting question the show posed to me was about Michael (a demon) wanting to be a good human. It reminded me of Star Trek, where you have androids, aliens, and technology that don't exist to reframe these questions

    • @tookitogo
      @tookitogo Рік тому

      Really good observation!

  • @cashmerenerd
    @cashmerenerd Рік тому +101

    this show (and particularly michael) is so important to me. part of it is i think luck, mike schur's idea of what an actual good place would be matches up with mine pretty much exactly, so it really-really worked for me, and michael's story is so beautiful and perfect and i love him so much.
    it's especially interesting now that i'm rewatching parks & rec, because i truly think this is mike schur's leftmost show. not just because they say "everything goes to the bad place because of capitalism", but immoral beings cannot create an afterlife for humans, because they fundamentally don't understand humanity - this sounds like the 1% to me.

  • @acumbess
    @acumbess Рік тому +98

    The good place is one of the best shows ever made. And I don't know that we would still be talking about it if it went the route of "see how different it is this time, how will they figure it out?"
    Every episode or season. It keeps reinventing itself which is why it's so great (plus the awesome writing😂)

    • @auldthymer
      @auldthymer Рік тому

      Holy Shirt! You're right.
      They could have made into Gilligan's Island -- great show, buy it never made me cry. The choice to aim bigger was awesome.

    • @Elgsdyr
      @Elgsdyr Рік тому +1

      While I agree that it's a big part of what makes it great and stand out in the massive ocean of formulaic shows and movies, it could very well have gone terribly wrong and ended in an incoherent "anything goes" type of scenario. It's a massive credit to the skills of the writers that they managed to pull it off so amazingly well as they did.

  • @voldlifilm
    @voldlifilm Рік тому +102

    What makes the Good Place so fantastic is that it embraces impermanence and endings in a popculture that has become obsessed with infinite shared universes. Star Wars, Star Trek or the various superhero universes aren't allowed to end, so they become these shapeless patternless patterns. Just noise where the sound have might, and might have once been, music. By embracing impermanence fearlessly by rushing through what lesser creators could have milked for years the Good Place became an antithesis to mainstream popculture. it's why it had to end the way it did, because anything else would have been hypocrisy. A stumble at the finish line.

  • @Xcandescet
    @Xcandescet Рік тому +35

    I know plenty of people who have a show that they can rewatch over and over. The Good Place is that show for me. I love finding new UA-cam first watch channels and seeing their reaction to the entire series - what they figure out when, who their favorite characters are, and general commentary as they move along through the show's many stages.
    Thanks for creating content on it. I love identifying new layers of this fantastic and delicious onion of a show.

    • @davidmcleod5133
      @davidmcleod5133 Рік тому +2

      One of my favorite joys in all of existence is watching a reactor scoff and make fun of Eleanor when she says, “THIS is the Bad Place”… then seeing their faces contort and twist in confusion as the camera zooms in on Michael’s laugh. That pure, uncut, unadulterated “…wha???” they have…. *chef’s kiss*

    • @madisonresnick600
      @madisonresnick600 Рік тому

      yes! rewatching this show never gets old because it’s so dynamic and fun!!

  • @lauroralei
    @lauroralei Рік тому +33

    Definitely. Season 1 was great. The refusal to play into everyone's expectations for season 2 was genius. I was hooked so hard and then the entire show kept changing until the most stunning beautiful cathartic finale. Incredible.

  • @JNDReacts
    @JNDReacts Рік тому +67

    1:50 Ok, before I go further in the video I’m gonna guess which episode you’re referring to.
    Season 3 Episode 10 “Janet(s)” where we learn that no one has gotten into the Good Place in 521 years.
    I’ve been watching UA-cam reactions to The Good Place recently, and every time one of them guesses someone recent who’s in the Good Place I just smirk like Season 1 finale MIchael and say, “Just you wait.” Like when I first started watching reactions I genuinely forgot how late in the series we find out that information because it’s one of the things about the show that just stuck with me. Particularly the scene from a later episode where the Judge learns how buying a tomato on Earth loses points.
    We learn that it actually was the almond milk all along!

    • @JNDReacts
      @JNDReacts Рік тому +3

      1:59 Ah, well, that one’s good too!

    • @NrettG
      @NrettG Рік тому +9

      I love that judge tomato episode as well. It's such a huge sucker punch that it opens your mind to "Oh shit, yeah that really is bad". Beforehand she sounded arrogant and still somewhat knowledgeable but just buying a fruit? Damn.

    • @Elgsdyr
      @Elgsdyr Рік тому +20

      What's even more mind-blowing about this revelation is that the logical conclusion must be that Mindy Saint-Claire is actually the best scoring person in all of those 521 years. I find that immensely hilarious. :D

  • @sennacookie5043
    @sennacookie5043 Рік тому +20

    I've always been almost hesitant to even call this show a SitCom, because I always thought that they were supposed to return to some kind of status quo. With pretty much all sitcoms I've ever watched, most people can usually jump into some season 3 episode and get the gist in a few minutes, while with this show you'd be absolutely lost. Season one is a bit like this, like you said. It's almost like they made a sitcom for one season and after that decided to create a whole different kind of show with only some remains of the genre in it.
    It's fuckin awesome

  • @kevinredding5804
    @kevinredding5804 Рік тому +15

    I agree 100%. I was also expecting that Season 2 was going to be a different version of Season 1. And then when it didn't, I was surprised. But then the episode 2 really made me blink, do a double take..."where the heck are they going with this??" I LOVE that! It is so rare that a show really surprises us like the Good Place did. And then they just kept doing it again and again... I never knew what was going to happen next... I loved that show.

  • @kvoltti
    @kvoltti Рік тому +19

    Ted Danson had three great revel moments. The First season reveal. The gang under the train reveal and the one where he solves the trolly problem.

  • @ebrowne72
    @ebrowne72 Рік тому +52

    The episode that changed everything was S1E7, where Eleanor admits that she shouldn't be in the Good Place. You talk about what the show was at the start, and the entire show could have been just Eleanor trying to evade Michael. This episode is the one that broke the mold, that announced that this show was going to be different. I remember being astonished at what Eleanor did.

  • @FutureDeep
    @FutureDeep Рік тому +5

    I rewatch The Good Place from start to finish every now and then. Jeremy Bearimy, baby.

  • @Gab19
    @Gab19 Рік тому +14

    It’s fascinating how characters changed so much and yet kept some level of essence all throughout the show

  • @RetroPotato
    @RetroPotato 9 місяців тому +3

    I loved that how Tahani changed from her single-focus-of-life (as in overshining Kamilah) she eventually was able to focus on literally everyone else - and that made her stay in afterlife rather than walking through that arch.
    its the best show out there and forever will be.

  • @Imserious184
    @Imserious184 Рік тому +8

    The good place isn't just a series, it's art.

  • @JNDReacts
    @JNDReacts Рік тому +35

    I’m so glad a friend of mine convinced me to finish season 1 before season 2 started, and that I somehow managed to avoid having the season 1 finale spoiled! They asked if I watched the show and I told them I’d seen like half of the first season. All they said was that I needed to finish the season and that I wouldn’t be disappointed, and they were right!

  • @pintpullinggeek
    @pintpullinggeek Рік тому +5

    7:33 I don't even need to hear the dialogue to have the tears start coming.

  • @papa-rounch9946
    @papa-rounch9946 Рік тому +14

    A lot of people I know thought it was too rushed but I thought it was paced beautifully and never overstayed. A very fun watch in my opinion would love to see the longer video on it.

  • @tasmiatahia_write_dream_change
    @tasmiatahia_write_dream_change Рік тому +24

    The start of Season 2 is my absolute favourite part of the show, and I'm so glad to see this brilliance being recognised. I'd have loved to watch every one of the reboots but Eleanor saying "hang on/wait a minute/ you know what/holy smokes - this is the bad place" is legit the best part of the show for me. While season 1 was fun, season 2 takes us on a much more exciting ride, getting deeper and closer to the philosophy of the show

  • @cb034
    @cb034 Рік тому +2

    Michael's s1 Finale laugh is music to my ears

  • @hissingwillows668
    @hissingwillows668 Рік тому +6

    S1 finale was such a huge reveal and probably the most enjoyable plot twist out of any show at the time I had been watching but I was kind of wary when they reset the memory because I wasn't sure how they were supposed to follow the twist, especially since the characters were wiped clean. It was so important for s2 e1 to acknowledge and then totally toss out the "and then we inch along" plot like you mentioned other sitcoms do, or it would've been so stale. the good place was so
    unexpectedly creative and emotional for what could've been such a basic sitcom and I love it so much

  • @octosalias5785
    @octosalias5785 Рік тому +8

    And HUNDREDS of years take place in one or two episodes. I do wish they slowed down a little during either the reincarnation arc or after Chidi gets back because it feels so fast and then we are at the end

  • @elytra404
    @elytra404 Рік тому +3

    to be honest, the scenes that stuck with me the most where eleanor's "i wanted that mom" speech and chidi's "waves return to the ocean" speech. neither where big reveals, neither where big moments. but holy s$!t, they stuck with me. both sound like they where written by someone throwing down all of the trauma, their feelings, their entire soul. and it hits so hard.

  • @TSDTalks22
    @TSDTalks22 Рік тому +39

    Still one of the best twists I’ve ever seen in a show

  • @TheFiteShow
    @TheFiteShow Рік тому +6

    i cant believe the entire show wasnt planned from the start, it felt so perfect

  • @PillarofGarbage
    @PillarofGarbage  Рік тому +79

    Watch the followup video here: ua-cam.com/video/FNccHJ8eJsY/v-deo.html
    And if you're enjoying these types of videos, please consider supporting me on Patreon! www.patreon.com/pillarofgarbage

    • @JasonTorpy
      @JasonTorpy Рік тому +1

      do a review like this on the reveal that no one goes to the good place. shows that afterlife is messed up (which closes plot holes) and gives a more epic quest for characters to solve the afterlife.

    • @PlzStndBi
      @PlzStndBi Рік тому +1

      Hey, i was wondering how you do get the footage for you videos to edit with? how does it avoid copy right? - im just starting out on YT and im not sure of a clear way to do it that's fair/legal

    • @PillarofGarbage
      @PillarofGarbage  Рік тому +1

      @@PlzStndBi I mostly use OBS to record from streaming platforms (you gotta use Firefox - platforms like Chrome automatically block screen recording on streamers)
      re: avoiding copyright claims, the best way is to make sure you're never using more than 9 seconds of consecutive footage.
      Sorry for the late reply, and I hope this helps!

    • @PlzStndBi
      @PlzStndBi Рік тому

      @@PillarofGarbage nw, thank you very much!! hoping to make similar vids of my own just for fun.
      Loving the channel btw!!

    • @PillarofGarbage
      @PillarofGarbage  Рік тому +1

      @@PlzStndBi best of luck!

  • @tobesleroney8696
    @tobesleroney8696 10 місяців тому +2

    Thanks for the video! I remember being absolutely floored at the beginning of season 2 when the show didn't just cycle a different story with the same outcome for the entire duration of the season. It hadn't occurred to me that there was any other route this story could take.

  • @PaulRWorthington
    @PaulRWorthington Рік тому +18

    TGP was such an amazing show. Thanks for this essay.

  • @damienkakoschke3099
    @damienkakoschke3099 Рік тому +5

    Agree completely. Looooved The Good Place. That every season was different from the season before, yet still felt true to it's creative core was one of the things that made so wonderful & unique. And yes the 2 episodes you highlighted, the finale of season 1 and it's reveal (that was such an OMG! moment, glad you put the spoiler at the beginning because anyone who's going to watch this show needs to experience that reveal completely fresh), and the first episode of season2 where we revisit the subsequent attempts to reset & each time the same thing happens, brilliant concept. Thanks for reminding me how much I loved this show & everyone in it.

  • @summersevening
    @summersevening Рік тому +1

    Love this - captures exactly what made this show special. And yes, please do the in-depth video, can’t wait to see that

  • @anone.mousse674
    @anone.mousse674 Рік тому +8

    Way to demolish MY expectations with a legit banger of a video today of all days

  • @pointnclick22
    @pointnclick22 Рік тому +7

    This show felt like a thought experiment put to television and that is what made me fall in love with it. The conclusion of the thought experiment was so human as well. We all feel like this life wont be enough for us but in truth i feel like in the end we all decide it was. A true masterpiece of a show in my opinion.

  • @lolifred8289
    @lolifred8289 Рік тому +3

    Micheal´s casting choice is truly a stroke of genius

  • @davidmcleod5133
    @davidmcleod5133 Рік тому +9

    Your points about what makes S2E1 so great, so groundbreaking, are also what makes it SO HARD for me to unconditionally recommend this show to everyone. I try to let people know that season one is essentially prologue, that it doesn’t hit its stride until season two. People are used to hearing, “Give it three or four episodes before making up your mind or quitting”… not “Commit to a whole season before making up your mind.”

  • @lyricbot8513
    @lyricbot8513 Рік тому +6

    This reminds me of your recent ananlysis of community- shows which commit to jumping the shark and reinventing thenselves will not only avoid becoing stale, but will avoid alienating their viewers, and ultimately end up with something more rewarding. Thanks for the essay!

  • @mlucasl
    @mlucasl Рік тому +3

    The episode that changes everything is S2 E2, when the alliance is formed. Also, it has the best joke of the whole series. "Even Jason figure it out".

  • @doineedanid
    @doineedanid Рік тому +4

    ill watch any good place video essay honestly

  • @limeycheesehead97
    @limeycheesehead97 Рік тому +5

    The Good Place deserves as much in-depth analysis as you are capable of. It's one of the best shows ever!

  • @nadiakent4082
    @nadiakent4082 Рік тому +6

    I’ve seen all seasons of the show four times. Every year or two I end up binging it again. It’s like a course on practical moral philosophy yet somehow made it fascinating. No other show like it.

  • @M.W.2
    @M.W.2 Рік тому +10

    We need more good place videos, someone as versed in writing as you can definitely explain a lot more of what we understood from just watching the show

  • @peytonpalmour5368
    @peytonpalmour5368 Рік тому +5

    What a good video. I remember when I watched the second season, wondering what they were going to do. And the revelation and then list of resets really blew my mind. Where the Good Place goes is kind up surprising if you only know the first season, but it's also has such a clear path!!!

  • @ThePseudologist
    @ThePseudologist Рік тому

    Looking forward to seeing the next video in this series!

  • @kaptenteo
    @kaptenteo 11 місяців тому +4

    This is one of the best TV shows ever made. The writing is genius throughout and the comedy style is right up my alley, while many more dramatic scenes made me cry.

  • @TheLetterbomber
    @TheLetterbomber Рік тому

    glad i subscribed this morning, great timing ✌️

  • @thisurldoesnotexist
    @thisurldoesnotexist Рік тому +6

    I would love to see more videos about this show, I just finished rewatching it for the fourth time

  • @ImekaSF
    @ImekaSF Рік тому +5

    YES. Season 2 was when I really fell in love with this show. Spot on video.

  • @oliver-violet9381
    @oliver-violet9381 Рік тому

    i love the first line of the description! excellent choice

  • @viniciuslucke6757
    @viniciuslucke6757 Рік тому +3

    To me the most powerful, most enlightening twist was finding out that no one has been admitted to the good place in a long time because there's no ethical consumption under capitalism.

  • @mariannedarrow7227
    @mariannedarrow7227 Рік тому +2

    Great video!

  • @kingflumph5968
    @kingflumph5968 11 місяців тому +2

    I started the good place right when the first season released, and it took me some years to finally finish. Watching Ted Danson laugh evilly still gets me every time.
    I love the whole show though! I was ugly crying all through the final episode.

  • @CapnSnackbeard
    @CapnSnackbeard Рік тому +2

    I appreciated that they did this so much. I was excited for season 2 when I thought I knew where it was going. Then it got 10x better.

  • @akashita
    @akashita Рік тому +2

    Great video! I've seen so many of your earlier vids that I am pleasantly surprised to see that Patreon list is so much longer now. I'm unfortunately not in the position to contribute there, so I'm dropping this comment for the algorithm. Definitely looking forward to more Good Place videos!

  • @newthejsterjacob408
    @newthejsterjacob408 Рік тому +2

    Please bless me with the big chonker video. Btw your previous video got me to rewatch the show and I’m already on season 3😅

  • @sleambean
    @sleambean Рік тому

    Great vid!

  • @gregc8831
    @gregc8831 Рік тому

    Great video thanks! I felt like the "no one gets in anymore" was also an amazing twist.

  • @therealtosis
    @therealtosis Рік тому +5

    Dance Dance Resolution is definitely the episode I've watched the most, dozens of times, and it is so defining of The Good Place and just a unique and super fun episode in all of TV show history!

  • @jeremyusreevu237
    @jeremyusreevu237 Рік тому

    Fantastic analysis, POG. As a massive Good Place fan, a lot of what you're saying makes complete sense. Also, the part where Jason figures it out is legit hilarious!

  • @christinavanbeek
    @christinavanbeek Рік тому +2

    I'm loving the Good Place content!

  • @KamilDevonish
    @KamilDevonish Рік тому +5

    Had the same feeling with the first season of Homeland. The cat and mouse game of Brody and Carrie after she learns the truth could have been an entire series. Instead they throw all of it in the trash, and turn the show into The Fugitive. So unexpected and refreshing.

  • @clairehelfrich5805
    @clairehelfrich5805 Рік тому

    Completely, 100% agree. Amazing show, great video. Keep up the great work!

  • @oliviawilkerson5376
    @oliviawilkerson5376 Рік тому

    I love this video! This is an amazing analysis of my favorite show. I would love to see the 'chonker'.

  • @w1ll1amtv
    @w1ll1amtv 11 місяців тому +1

    Time to rewatch this show again :)

  • @adgreenfield
    @adgreenfield Рік тому +3

    More Good Place content is always beloved!

  • @hoobslice
    @hoobslice 8 місяців тому +1

    It was this moment that I saw on twitter and it got me to watch the show - which I’m so grateful for. I wish I went into it without knowing this happened, but I’m still happy I watched it regardless.

  • @Random-Draw-Time
    @Random-Draw-Time Рік тому

    I can't wait for the next good place video!

  • @ninreck5121
    @ninreck5121 Рік тому +2

    yes please do the other Good Place idea you had!!

  • @Unicat9
    @Unicat9 Рік тому

    This is one of my favorite shows of all time! I'm really glad to see someone making a video on it this late in the game, as I'm always deeply curious of what people have and will continue to have to say about it! And it also may spark some interest for new potential fans, which makes me happy!

  • @katetoolate234
    @katetoolate234 Рік тому +1

    I definitely remember being surprised how Season 2 started off. I was entirely expecting a repeat of season 1 with a few changed variables. (I also love the "THIS is the Bad Place" montage. Just so much to infer from each clip yet so many questions. 😆)

  • @donearl77
    @donearl77 Рік тому

    I remember having the same thought while watching the start of season 2. The show just kept rebooting itself so fast! I couldn't believe how often they decided to jump ahead. It really kept me engaged and so excited to see what they would do next. LOVE this show.

  • @quickfrog57
    @quickfrog57 Рік тому +4

    I honestly never considered this perspective before, that it was possible that they would just go slow with reboot 2 (or 3 for that matter). I did watch the beginning of season 2 minutes after finishing season 1 on netflix, so I don't know that I had time to consider that possibility. But it feels so natural that everything just begins going off the rails in the beginning of season 2, it works so well.
    Please start working on that big chonker, I love Good Place content. One of my top 3 shows of all time, and #1 comedy.

  • @0PlaylistMaker0
    @0PlaylistMaker0 Рік тому +5

    Yes yes yes yes. Love this pair of episodes and couldn't agree more.

  • @latue87
    @latue87 Рік тому

    Awesome video. I've had similar feelings watching this show.

  • @hypatiakovalevskayasklodow9195

    i completely agree with this take, i remember watching it and wondering why the pace was so quick there and what even is going to be

  • @darrenskjoelsvold
    @darrenskjoelsvold Рік тому +1

    Still my favorite line is "Jason figured it out?" And Michael just gets so dejected it's fantastic.

  • @na3rial
    @na3rial Рік тому +1

    I remember ending season one and wondering how the crew are going to work this out again in the new season, only to be surprised they speedrun it all and it was so much better for it

  • @jonathansendker7871
    @jonathansendker7871 Рік тому

    Comment for the algorithm and for you to make more good place content

  • @MarkARoutt
    @MarkARoutt Рік тому

    I'm like 90% sure this is the first video essay I've seen on The Good Place. Nailed it. Loved it. Likening it. Subscribing.
    This is the first sitcom I've watched that I was genuinely happy getting lost in and have dubbed it a Philosocom. The show itself has also help me understand some of the philosophy things I've heard about in the past.