S04.E02: A Girl from Arizona, Part 2

[iMonrey]

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Maybe even having Simone be perfect for him on paper.  But to have him slowly believe something isn’t quite right and have him drawn to Eleanor and can’t quite put his finger on why.   

Well they went through the same loop hundreds of times in Season 2 and were put into different groupings before. Like Eleanor was paired with the shirtless demon as her soul mate in one or more iteration of Michael's attempts at his experiment. But they kept figuring it out so at some point I expect Chidi to realize it again.

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I hate the idea of there only being one person that is your soulmate.   Both Simone and Eleanor work with Chidi and bring out good things in him.  Why not both?  Monogamy really doesn't make sense in an eternal afterlife. 

We don't know if the "soul mate" thing is a real thing in the actual Good Place or just something Michael made up for the fake Good Place to torture people with. It wouldn't really make sense because it would require both parties being dead. Assuming everyone on earth has one particular soul mate it's unlikely they all die at the same time.

[hertolo]

Nah, I can‘t see them making the soulmate thing canon for heaven. That would really push the idea that monogamy is right and everything else is wrong. I do think that they will go past that in the resolution of the story. 

The episode was good, I definitely get the impression that this show is on its home stretch. They still have a lot of fun and again: you learn a lot by watching the show. See Solipsism.

[Harvey]

Do you think we will see the real good place at any point during the run of the show? With each passing episode I am more and more doubtful.

[AnimeMania]

8 minutes ago, Harvey said:

Do you think we will see the real good place at any point during the run of the show? With each passing episode I am more and more doubtful.

Everybody in The Good Place should be really old fashioned since it has been hundreds of years since anybody got in.

[scrb]

Lost track of the metaphysics of earlier seasons.

Mainly tracking the dialogue now.

[Harry24]

2 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

Everybody in The Good Place should be really old fashioned since it has been hundreds of years since anybody got in.

Yet when we met some of them (the feckless committee) they were all dressed in modern day (albeit dowdy, earnest) clothing.

[Black Knight]

It seems to me that a truly Good Place wouldn't just have its residents be static - that was the issue Linda seemed to have, before we learned her real issue was being a demon in stealth mode to sabotage the experiment. Eternity would be unbearable otherwise.

And even if Good Place residents can't see what's going on on Earth, they would still get glimpses of the changing fashions and such from the beings they encounter. They may not see demons in the Good Place but they likely see angels and Good Janets if nothing else. I'd expect them to adopt whatever they see because who wants to wear the same thing for 500 years?

I waited for the second episode to come out before watching the first so that I could watch back-to-back as the show's writers likely envisioned would be the way NBC would run the episodes. I'm glad I did as by the end of this episode I felt distinct progression on the show's part after the heavy set-up of the first.

I know Jason has impulse and instant gratification issues, but still, Janet didn't actually break up with him, she just needs to wait until the experiment is done. If all goes well, they've got all eternity. A year's less than a drop in the bucket. So I felt like he somewhat overreacted. Maybe that'll be part of his progression this season.

[AnimeMania]

36 minutes ago, Harry24 said:

Yet when we met some of them (the feckless committee) they were all dressed in modern day (albeit dowdy, earnest) clothing.

I don't think those were people from The Good Place, but the people who tally up the points to decide who goes to The Good Place.

[Mabinogia]

7 minutes ago, Black Knight said:

I waited for the second episode to come out before watching the first so that I could watch back-to-back as the show's writers likely envisioned would be the way NBC would run the episodes. I'm glad I did as by the end of this episode I felt distinct progression on the show's part after the heavy set-up of the first.

I know Jason has impulse and instant gratification issues

I wish I had done that as I do think they would have worked better seen together but like Jason I have impulse and instant gratification issues and I couldn't wait. lol Maybe tomorrow I will watch them both together and see if that flows better. 

[scrb]

Remind me, is the real Good Place suppose to be anything like the GP in season 1 or they haven't really depicted it on the show yet?

Because it seems to be a pretty American-centric place, with shops offering anything one might image, walkable or you can just fly.  It's basically a consumeristic heaven, though no money is needed, because you get goods and services which people aspired to obtain on earth if they had enough money.

If at the end of the show, the GP ends up anything like that, it would be surprising coming from the guy who created Parks and Rec.

[BobH]

On 10/4/2019 at 1:00 PM, Seelouis said:

It wasn’t an act. He lied to Eleanor when she asked that 

Hm, yeah, I can see that from the way Danson delivered the line. In any case, that's going to be head canon unless they actively contradict it as some point.

[Guest]

5 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

I don't think those were people from The Good Place, but the people who tally up the points to decide who goes to The Good Place.

They were The Good Place Committee. The accountants are the ones who tally up the points. 

5 hours ago, scrb said:

Remind me, is the real Good Place suppose to be anything like the GP in season 1 or they haven't really depicted it on the show yet?

We don’t know yet. Michael said that he researched the Good Place but he doesn’t really know what it’s like. The only things that have been confirmed are Good Janet, the swear filter, and that the air smells like whatever makes you happiest. 

9 hours ago, Harvey said:

Do you think we will see the real good place at any point during the run of the show? With each passing episode I am more and more doubtful.

I think we will. If we don’t I’m going to be really disappointed. 

[bros402]

11 hours ago, hertolo said:

Nah, I can‘t see them making the soulmate thing canon for heaven. That would really push the idea that monogamy is right and everything else is wrong. I do think that they will go past that in the resolution of the story. 

The episode was good, I definitely get the impression that this show is on its home stretch. They still have a lot of fun and again: you learn a lot by watching the show. See Solipsism.

I could buy it if they said "oh everyone has a lot of soulmates, and they always end up with at least one in their neighborhood"

[theatremouse]

On 10/5/2019 at 3:57 PM, Black Knight said:

And even if Good Place residents can't see what's going on on Earth, they would still get glimpses of the changing fashions and such from the beings they encounter. They may not see demons in the Good Place but they likely see angels and Good Janets if nothing else. I'd expect them to adopt whatever they see because who wants to wear the same thing for 500 years?

If the Neighborhood concept is real (by which I mean something Michael knows about the actual Good Place), then not necessarily. They'd be with people from approximately their time, or so it seemed in the model he used, which could be nothing to do with anything, but would also make sense.

[Dbolt]

If languages are automatically translated, maybe fashion is too?  So you see others wearing what you would consider normal?  

[ByTor]

8 hours ago, Dbolt said:

If languages are automatically translated, maybe fashion is too?  So you see others wearing what you would consider normal?  

That is exactly what I thought.

[Bruinsfan]

On 10/4/2019 at 12:37 PM, cpcathy said:

Ted Danson has off the charts chemistry with everyone.

Except perhaps Terry Farrell...

[cpcathy]

14 minutes ago, Bruinsfan said:

Except perhaps Terry Farrell...

They didn't get along?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I love all of the philosophical and moral questions that the show has addressed, but I also love how much the show makes me laugh. White Guillermo and Mexican William!

And as usual, Jason got a lot of funny lines. The next time I need to cheer myself up, I'm going to steal an ATV and drive it through a Panda Express. And the next time I throw a party, I will make sure to have a bouncy house, some ninja stars, and a bunch of ambulances.

I'm not sure what was more devastating to Jason - Janet saying they needed to take a break or finding out that Jacksonville cut Bortles.

[seacliffsal]

Well, I've read all of the posts and know that this is an unpopular opinion, but I'm just not enjoying this season as much as the previous ones.  I watched both episodes and felt that the story was slow.  I will watch the 3rd episode later tonight and hope it gets better.

[piccadilly83]

Whoo lord, I felt like I was in the middle of a P-rade for part of this episode.

Also, Jason is ridiculously pretty. I feel so ashamed every time I look at him. I can't have a crush on someone so dumb. I'm going to need Manny Jacinto to call me.

Although I know Eleanor only told Chidi he was Simone's soulmate to get him interested in helping Simone to take the Good Place seriously, I do like the idea of Chidi and Simone together.  I actually preferred their coupling in Australia to his coupling with Eleanor in the Bad Place and the pseudo-Good Place.

[betha]

On 10/4/2019 at 12:38 PM, BobH said:

Not sure how I feel about the revelation that Michael's breakdown was all an act.

I’m not sure that it was. She asked, and I think he just agreed so that she would go along with remaining in charge. 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 10/15/2019 at 2:25 PM, piccadilly83 said:

Whoo lord, I felt like I was in the middle of a P-rade for part of this episode.

Good observation! Are you also '83?

[BobH]

On 10/4/2019 at 1:00 PM, Seelouis said:

It wasn’t an act. He lied to Eleanor when she asked that 

Spoiler

Hey, congrats, you not only called it, but it turned out to be an important plot point.

Edited October 19, 2019 by BobH

[secnarf]

@BobH Can you spoiler-tag your post?

I haven't seen the next episode yet but figured this thread would be safe. I believe the rule for episode threads is that anything beyond the topic episode is a spoiler.

[piccadilly83]

On 10/18/2019 at 2:40 AM, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Good observation! Are you also '83?

No, but I am familiar with Princeton Reunions.

[aradia22]

Well, I feel validated that Eleanor went with the bad dream strategy from season 1 I mentioned in the Part 1 thread. LOL, that Brent twisted it and someone concluded he belongs in "The Best Place." Woof.

I'm curious what will happen with Brent. I do think that the test is still for the original 4 humans. Eleanor and Michael understand the moral dessert thing but do we as viewers think Brent will really change? I'm doubtful. He really seems like a throwaway joke kind of character. Like, he's pretty on par with Trevor.

Laughed too hard at Chidi getting thwacked in the head by the book he summoned. That actor is so good at comedy. I hope he gets a ton of roles after this.

I hope Simone is coming around. I need at least one of the new humans to gain some depth.

[aradia22]

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And even if Good Place residents can't see what's going on on Earth, they would still get glimpses of the changing fashions and such from the beings they encounter. They may not see demons in the Good Place but they likely see angels and Good Janets if nothing else. I'd expect them to adopt whatever they see because who wants to wear the same thing for 500 years?

I'm very curious about what the writers imagine as The Good Place based on what they've already established. I feel like most shows with an afterlife either replicate your life on earth or go with something generic (e.g. angels all in white, shapeless robes). But imagining people from different eras mingling and having to decide what to wear... it seems like it would stir up conflict. Like what if people from older time periods are happy in their clothes? And what if they get offended by the shocking hemlines of the newcomers? Or what if some of the women decide to adopt bloomers. I just feel like regardless of how "good" the residents of The Good Place are, if you introduce change, humans are too prone to conflict for it to really feel like The Good Place. Can people get kicked out of The Good Place?

[jacehan]

On 11/4/2019 at 6:12 AM, aradia22 said:

But imagining people from different eras mingling

Would they, though? Or is the actual Good Place also broken up into neighborhoods of people from roughly the same era in time? That would alleviate conflict from changing norms. (Also, if the residents are actually good people, that would also probably.)