S04.E05: Employee of the Bearimy

[ElectricBoogaloo 76,988]

Quote

Michael and Jason hatch a plan. Eleanor learns firsthand the difficulties of running the neighborhood.

Original air date 10/24/19

[ZootSuitWyatt 316]

I'm going to need a clip of Chidi saying "OOOOOOOOH I love puzzles."

[Ohiopirate02 50,940]

The last 30 seconds of this episode with the talk of the Jaguars quarterback situation had me rolling.   From Jason's glee at Nick Foles to Janet's "Nick Foles just broke his collarbone. "  

[judemorrigan 106]

I like to think that Gardner Minshew will be Jason's eternal reward.

[phalange 3,892]

DemonCon! “And worse, the spiders get bored.” I thought it would be harder for Michael and Jason to get Janet out of the Bad Place, but that demon vaporizer sure came in handy. And Janet and Jason are the cutest. “I love you girl.” “Not a girl.” 

And Chidi saying he really trusts Eleanor. Aww. I miss them together. Eleanor’s slightly crestfallen look when Chidi kissed Simone just hurt. 

Derek rebooting himself slayed me. “Don’t kill me, me!” 

No real cliffhanger, but I’m sure Shaun is going to get back at them somehow; it can’t be that easy. 

[jmonique 3,850]

Quote

Michael: "Listen, Jason, old friend: I already gave Eleanor and Tahani all their after-life memories back. I haven't restored yours, for obvious reasons..."

Wait, what?

When?

Huh?

[Linny 13,131]

MICHAEL ZAPPED VICKY! I didn't think I could love him any more, and then he fucking zapped her into goo! And Shawn took it in the face! That was spectacular, and so, so worth it after seasons of enduring Vicky and Shawn's obnoxious air of superiority and relentless mocking of Michael. And he didn't even hesitate! I only wish Eleanor could have witnessed it.

Jason reuniting with Janet ("not a girl") was super sweet, and Jason immediately bouncing back from the Bortles heartbreak with excitement for the new QB is just the most Jason response ever. He's like a cute faithful puppy whose spirit can't be broken, and I love him for it.

I laughed out loud at the sight gag of the denizens of Eleanor's neighborhood collapsing onto the ground, and blindfolded Chidi gingerly being led around the bodies. I feel like we were due a good Eleanor/Tahani subplot, and this delivered. The rare glimpses we see of Tahani's insecurities are always compelling, and Eleanor was a great friend by choosing to build Tahani up (after some gentle ribbing, of course) and drawing attention to her strengths. And man, thinking on the fly sure isn't one of them. (A horse stabbed in the head, Tahani, really? And after last episode's disastrous horse drawing, horses aren't getting off easy on The Good Place.)

MICHAEL ZAPPED VICKY! (Sorry, I'm still not over it. Best. Demon Con. Ever.)

[Yokosmom 1,623]

Shawn obviously doesn’t know how to control an audience. Loved the fact that Janet almost immediately tumbled that it was the real Michael.

[Ohiopirate02 50,940]

39 minutes ago, judemorrigan said:

I like to think that Gardner Minshew will be Jason's eternal reward.

Yes the guy who almost took a hammer to his hand to get a medical redshirt ** is totally Jason's kind of player.

**I probably would have also considered something this drastic if I had to play for Scotty Montgomery.  

[tennisgurl 107,838]

"What in the Kevin Spacey Christmas Eve video trying to get back on House of Cards is going on here?"

Jason and Janet reuniting was honestly really sweet. Not a girl indeed. Of course the worst torture Vickie could come up with is her being super method about her acting. Unintentional torture! Best demon con ever!

I was glad to get a Tahani and Eleanor plot, it was funny and sweet and I always like seeing some of Tahanis insecurities come out while also seeing her strengths. And Derrick is just a blast. "No please dont kill me me!!!"

[Sarah 103 5,885]

2 hours ago, jmonique said:

Wait, what?

When?

Huh?

I totally read this in Vinnie Barbarino's voice. It's probably not what you intended, but it's where my mind went. 

[Mockingbird 2,769]

Tahani trying to close the curtains so that Chidi couldn’t see outside was the perfect bit of physical comedy in the background of the scene. 

[GaT 52,584]

I am just not feeling this season.

[AnimeMania 14,754]

At least now we know that Janet with the help of Derrick was only in charge of giving the personalities and animus to the people in the good place. I am not sure why that would be so hard since she only needed to really provide a accurate facsimile when the test subjects were in their presence. She could offline most of the residents to reduce her workload.

[twoods 10,279]

Manny Jacinto is a national treasure. He plays Jason so perfectly- dumb yet endearing. I still can’t believe the actor has a civil engineer degree because he is so good at playing an idiot. So glad to have him and Janet back- their reunion was so sweet!

Did they bring Glenn back with them?

[possibilities 36,356]

I love that they brought Goo Glenn with them on the mission,  but I also didn't see whether they brought him back with them or not. I hope they did, because he really was being truthful, even if he got some of the details a little off.

[bros402 5,731]

That whole episode was great. Jason & Janet, DemonCon, the Tahani-Eleanor subplot - the entire thing was great!

[ItCouldBeWorse 11,363]

Shawn had a good comment about Jason's cheekbones.

[thuganomics85 30,155]

Chidi's excitement when he thought he was playing some type of puzzle game was the greatest!

Great seeing more of Jason and Michael together, and, of course, the reunion between Jason and Janet was sweet.  Their escape did seem a bit too easy though, so I'm not sure if Shawn was simply too shocked and unprepared to be effective, or if there is some other kind of angle he is working.  Either way, I'm sure he'll try something: especially after Michael blew up Vicky!  I'm guessing she's goo now, but it was still great seeing Tiya Sircar again.

Also liked seeing more of Eleanor and Tahani together, and the latter opening up about her insecurities.  I do hope we get more of their friendship again, but it has been lacking so far this season.

I'm usually hit or miss with Jason Mantzoukas (his Pimento on Brooklyn Nine-Nine was a bit much at times), but he really shines as Derek.

[Schweedie 1,563]

If we stick with the theory that this is all still a test for *our* four humans I feel like there were more arrows in that direction tonight, with Jason controlling his impulses and saving the demon exploder for the right moment, and Tahani realising she wants to be useful for real, learn and do something that matters.

Still not feeling this season as much as the previous ones, but the last couple of episodes have been more like it!

[SmithW6079 12,624]

9 hours ago, phalange said:

And Janet and Jason are the cutest. “I love you girl.” “Not a girl.” 

9 hours ago, Yokosmom said:

Loved the fact that Janet almost immediately tumbled that it was the real Michael.

I thought she realized it was the real Michael and Jason because of Jason's comment above. A real demon in a skin suit would know Janets are not real girls. That was Jason's way of tipping her off.

[BusyOctober 17,982]

"It's kinda like homework, so win/win!"  I love Chidi in his full on nerd mode.

Does Vaporized Vicky mean we never have to see her again?  It takes several thousand (hundred) years for the goo to re-demonize, right?  Please let our time with Vicky be over.

I hated Derrick when he first showed up, but I am warming up to him.  Too bad we probably won't see a fully formed, intellectual Derrick before the end of this show's run.

[SailorGirl 7,889]

2 hours ago, Schweedie said:

If we stick with the theory that this is all still a test for *our* four humans I feel like there were more arrows in that direction tonight, with Jason controlling his impulses and saving the demon exploder for the right moment, and Tahani realising she wants to be useful for real, learn and do something that matters.

Still not feeling this season as much as the previous ones, but the last couple of episodes have been more like it!

I have been re-watching seasons 1-3 on Netflix just because and last night I watched the episode with the judge's tests for the four individuals. Jason's test was impulse control in regard to Madden Football and having to play against the Jaguars, so yep!! 

Edited October 25, 2019 by SailorGirl

[slaterain 1,013]

Ok - so two demons got goo-ed last night - how easy is it to separate the goos?!? they could have some fun if Vicky comes back but is off slightly or they cast someone new because they couldn't separate them accurately! I am way too amused by this idea! 

[wingster55 1,897]

If Jason now has all of his afterlife memories...shouldn't he realize how Tahani's been more impactful and there for him than Janet? 
...then again he's never been the brightest.

[Seelouis 1,909]

11 minutes ago, wingster55 said:

If Jason now has all of his afterlife memories...shouldn't he realize how Tahani's been more impactful and there for him than Janet? 
...then again he's never been the brightest.

Well then again he has already forgotten most of them. 

[Rinaldo 10,225]

Plus... the heart wants what it wants. Do any of us choose our love objects on the basis of logic and statistics?

[Maximum Taco 3,343]

9 minutes ago, Rinaldo said:

Plus... the heart wants what it wants. Do any of us choose our love objects on the basis of logic and statistics?

Nobody selecting their football team based on logic and statistics would pick the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

[AnimeMania 14,754]

6 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Their escape did seem a bit too easy though, so I'm not sure if Shawn was simply too shocked and unprepared to be effective, or if there is some other kind of angle he is working. 

I think it is partly due to the demons never acting unless directly ordered to by Shawn and partly due to the demons being too stupid to realize that this wasn't part of the entertainment planned by Shawn.

I wonder if our guys could have rescued Janet by rebooting her.

[JessDVD 1,862]

I thought they were intending to communicate that the demons thought it was all the entertainment for Demon Con.

I felt like this season started slowly also but I laughed out loud several times last night, with a good amount of anticipation. Shaun commenting on Jason's cheekbones, definitely.

Totes thought that Eleanor and Tahani were going to lay one on each other at the end, the way they were looking at each other in the last scene with that scenic background behind them.

Also missed that Chidi and Simone are together in this season?

Impressive growth in Tahani and Jason.

This being the last season makes me sad.

[Helena Dax 4,175]

I'm sure I'm not the first one, but this episode made me realise that The Good Place is actually christianity vs buddhism. Or rather their respective concepts of Good and Evil. The old system is Christian, with no room for second chances (you go to Hell or Heaven and that's it) and the one the characters are developing/creating is buddhist, with eternal room for improvement. Even Janet and Derek evolve every time they die and get alive one more time. 

And I like the idea that some demos were only into torturing humans because they thought it was the right thing to do, since the humans apparently deserved it. Michael isn't the only demon able to evolve as well -we saw it last week. After Michael's speech, there might be hope for some of them, too. 

Edited October 25, 2019 by Helena Dax

[Traveller519 4,937]

WELCOME TO THE BAD PLACE
   "Population: Your Mom"

I had to get the pause on the DVR just right, but that made me laugh more than it should.

Oh Tahani, I don't know if "Your Friend's" MOST problematic role is Finding Forrester. May I direct you to midway through Goldfinger. But I was very glad to see you get a fully developed plot again this week, plus some of your great background work.

It's a little unfortunate that I feel like I have a good idea of how the show will wrap up its final plots already. The first season just set such a high bar for the mystery and then the twist. That said, I'm really enjoying the journey.

[iMonrey 49,386]

Quote

I'm going to need a clip of Chidi saying "OOOOOOOOH I love puzzles."

Definitely. The running gag of Chidi going "OOOOOOOOH!" throughout the episode any time he thought the puzzle was taking on new twists was both hilarious and endearing.

Quote

 Their escape did seem a bit too easy though, so I'm not sure if Shawn was simply too shocked and unprepared to be effective, or if there is some other kind of angle he is working. 

The demons in the audience seemed to think they were putting on some kind of show which is why they just let them walk out of there. Shaun was the only one who understood what was going on and yelling for their capture but the audience just thought it was part of a show. I can't remember what that fiery red rock demon said at the very end as they were walking out but it was something about how the production values were so much better than last year's.

Quote

I love that they brought Goo Glenn with them on the mission,  but I also didn't see whether they brought him back with them or not. 

I don't think they did. I can't think of any reason they would have brought him with them in the first place unless they were just returning him to where he belonged. It's not like he could have been any use to them.

[Gulftastic 1,668]

Chidi running into the room carrying random objects with a gleeful grin made me laugh lots, and Janet's 'not a girl's was so romantic. 

Eleanor and Tahani are great friends 

[Loandbehold 3,923]

8 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

I'm usually hit or miss with Jason Mantzoukas (his Pimento on Brooklyn Nine-Nine was a bit much at times), but he really shines as Derek.

I'm with you here. And Pimento was far better than the character he played on The League. But, he's really funny here and also doing a nice job of showing us how Derek is Dereking more (or is less) every time he's rebooted.

1 hour ago, JessDVD said:

Also missed that Chidi and Simone are together in this season?

One or two episodes ago, Eleanor pushed Chidi to help Simone by telling him that Simone was his soul mate. I guess they're relationship has progressed from there.

40 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I don't think they did. I can't think of any reason they would have brought him with them in the first place unless they were just returning him to where he belonged. It's not like he could have been any use to them.

Don't be harshing on Glenn. Jason did consult him during the trip to The Bad Place and Glenn gave a very supportive and enthusiastic "glurp."*

I've always enjoyed Tahani and Eleanor plots, so it was great seeing Tahani's insecurities come to the fore and Eleanor, in her own way, helping and supporting her.

How were Michael and Jason going to rescue Janet if it hadn't been Demon Con time? Did Michael know it was? Did Glenn "glurp" the information to him? Also, don't magnets make Janets drunk or am I mistaken on that point? Eh, I guess it could be due to all the reboots Janet has gone through and Bad Janet did say that she also was rebooted enough times to be able to pass for our Janet.

*That's the way I heard it, but I didn't have close captioning so it might not have sounded exactly like that.

[Yokosmom 1,623]

Quote

I am just not feeling this season.

I kind of agree with you.  Though every episode has it moments, it feels somehow "less" than the other seasons.  I think that it may be the loss of Chidi as a team player.

[Minneapple 12,202]

Vicky as fake Michael killed me. Ted Danson is a comic genius.

[BobH 727]

1 hour ago, Minneapple said:

Vicky as fake Michael killed me. Ted Danson is a comic genius.

Ted Danson playing Michael playing Tiya Sircar playing Ted Danson playing Vicky playing Michael. Is this what it's like to be in Inception?

[albinerhawk 432]

I honestly love Mike Schur's shows and The Good Place. However, I'm up a lot in the middle of the night with an infant so I had some time to reflect on this show. I recently read an article about how Schur loved the constrained format of network tv, but I think tonight's episode showed some shortcomings. A few things would have benefited from some time and explanation...

A. The fact that it was never explained until now that Michael had given Eleanor and Tahani their memories back. I was generally wondering about this as Eleanor seemed to have her memories. For example, she was the one who suggested the chaos sequence to rock Brent's confidence the same way Michael had done to her.

B. No explanation was given as to why Chidi was not curious to where Jianyu was. Two sentences for Eleanor to give Chidi some excuse would have been nice and given some clarity as to why Chidi was so relaxed.

C. I would have liked to have seen more of Brent's reaction to a Janetless afterlife. 

D. So how were the Janet babies operating from when Jason cuffed Bad Janet until Derek took over. Why were they behaving normally during Eleanor's Earth Day explanation? 

Feel like there is a logical explanation for some of these questions, but there were time constraints and probably tons of plot to get through before the season finale. Hopefully there will be more in the extended releases?

[whiporee 2,843]

35 minutes ago, albinerhawk said:

A. The fact that it was never explained until now that Michael had given Eleanor and Tahani their memories back. I was generally wondering about this as Eleanor seemed to have her memories.

They showed Michael giving Eleanor her memories, but Tahani came out of the blue. 

This show is my one of my favorite parts of the week, but I don't like this pacing. If they want us to give a crap about the three newbies, they need to spend some real time with them. If they don't want us to give a crap then we need to move on. The podcast hints that unexpected wackiness is coming soon, but right now we're sort of fighting a vortex with occasional boosts from hilarity or some empathetic moments. But we're not moving forward in any real way, and TGP's greatest strength (as far as I'm concerned) has been it's determination to keep things moving. 

[foxfreakinmulder 1,733]

Soooo funny! I love this show.

[albinerhawk 432]

1 hour ago, whiporee said:

They showed Michael giving Eleanor her memories, but Tahani came out of the blue. 

They showed Michael giving Eleanor selected memories from certain reboots, but not all 300 years.

[whiporee 2,843]

1 hour ago, albinerhawk said:

They showed Michael giving Eleanor selected memories from certain reboots, but not all 300 years.

We all see what we see, but I certainly thought it was implied he showed her everything, because Eleanor would not have stopped with just seeing snippets. 

[bros402 5,731]

15 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

I think it is partly due to the demons never acting unless directly ordered to by Shawn and partly due to the demons being too stupid to realize that this wasn't part of the entertainment planned by Shawn.

I wonder if our guys could have rescued Janet by rebooting her.

I think Janet might've been out of range of the button - otherwise wouldn't they have done that back when they went to Mindy's?

[Rinaldo 10,225]

Can they even get at a Janet reboot button now? The only one I recall seeing is back in the original neighborhood, and they're now operating in the Medium Place.

[Maximum Taco 3,343]

13 hours ago, whiporee said:

They showed Michael giving Eleanor her memories, but Tahani came out of the blue. 

Although it does make her storyline this week make a whole lot more sense. After 300+ reboots of her planning parties, it would make sense that Tahani is a little concerned that it's all she seems to be good at. 

[BobH 727]

I assume the reboot plungers follow Janets around somehow. Derek's was originally on the beach next to Good Janet's in the fake a Good Place, and then Mindy found it behind the house in the Medium Place shortly after he arrived.

Hm, does that mean there's a field of 300+ plungers out there for all the new Janet-babies? Or are they fundamentally different from Derek? They don't seem to have as much independent drive.

Edited October 26, 2019 by BobH

[BobH 727]

16 hours ago, albinerhawk said:

I recently read an article about how Schur loved the constrained format of network tv, but I think tonight's episode showed some shortcomings. A few things would have benefited from some time and explanation...

If you listen to the podcast a common refrain from the writers and directors is that they always write way more than can fit in the 22 minutes they have (or even the one or two minute longer extended cuts that show up on-line). It does result in some very packed episodes (I kept thinking the rescue of Janet would take several episodes, then I watch it and wonder why I thought that, given how much occurs in every episode), but I agree that sometimes a key bit gets left out that might have been fun to see.

[lucindabelle 5,787]

Omg I watched the first scene 10 times. I used to teach acting and have worked in theater a long time (now am a journalist).

if you’ve ever ever been in a rehearsal michael/vicky’s I’m in my HEAD now just killed. KILLED. 

[Rinaldo 10,225]

20 minutes ago, lucindabelle said:

Omg I watched the first scene 10 times. I used to teach acting and have worked in theater a long time (now am a journalist).

if you’ve ever ever been in a rehearsal michael/vicky’s I’m in my HEAD now just killed. KILLED. 

I totally agree. Also Janet's comment that "hearing you talk about your acting process is the REAL torture."