S02.E05: Existential Crisis

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Tahani throws a dinner party to impress. Eleanor and Jason both have to lend a hand when things don't go as planned.

[MrWhyt]

mid life crisis michael was an eight

[Mockingbird]

Nooooooooo! My Janet/Jason ship!

But it was actually super lovely to see someone finally be truly kind to Tahani. Chidi felt badly for her last season because he knew about her “fake” soulmate and so he did nice things for her initially (like the Tahani Degas painting), probably out of guilt. Jason is just too dumb to have any ulterior motives. 

If Michael’s not forking with Eleanor and Chidi, this show is again progressing with their relationship so much more quickly than I imagined it would. 

Edited October 13, 2017 by Mockingbird
Adding context, because, you know, people can’t read my mind.

[Dots And Stripes]

I thought Tahani would start to crush on Jason when he was nice to her and fed her ego, but I wasn't expecting that.

Do we trust Michael now? I feel like after how skeptical Eleanor was last week, she should have at least considered that Michael was torturing her for kicks. Crisis Ted Damson is amazing and I hope the Emmy's remember that next year.

Oh and I noticed Demon Vicki likes her memos the same way Trump does. I see what you did there, Michael Schur.

[Affogato]

Danson owned this except Eleanor and the toothbrush family. Oh, dear. This is the best family she's had and she will fight to protect it..

Edited October 13, 2017 by Affogato

[Linny]

I love this show like crazy, but I reaaally didn't like the story about the dog dying in the hot car. I know it exhibited how callous Eleanor's mom was, but I didn't find that one bit funny.

Ted Danson, however, carried this episode on his back and killed it with Michael in existential crisis mode. The Chinese tattoo, the earring, the chugging of Red Bull, and dancing with "Jeannette" were all pitch perfect. I wish we could have seen this Michael hanging with Mindy, I think they could have caused some trouble.

I love Jason with Janet, but I can't blame him for hooking up with Tahani, since Janet is of course not human. Plus Tahani is super hot, so well done, Jason.

I appreciated Eleanor's offer to get Michael cool ranch babies, because fuck yes, cool ranch flavor is the best. And the fact that the demons' idea for a fantastic party included a Build a Real Bear Workshop was amazing. Vicky drives me crazy but I'll admit her party was pretty kickass.

[wingster55]

18 minutes ago, Mockingbird said:

But it was actually super lovely to see someone finally be truly kind to Tahani. Chidi felt badly for her last season because he knew about her “fake” soulmate and so he did nice things for her, probably out of guilt. Jason is just too dumb to have any ulterior motives. 

 

I disagree. I think Chidi grew to have genuine feelings for her. Of course that's all been rebooted now..

[pennben]

I'm still laughing about Eleanor grabbing the plunger and crying into it.....twice!

I think what I love about Schur shows is there is generally an underlying kindness to them.  Tonight, we saw that with Jason/Tahani, Eleanor/Michael.

Although, I have to give it up for Vicki, she knows torture.  Sometimes the simplest plans are better than flying shrimp!

[CaptainTightpants]

This one kept hitting all the high points! 

I thought it peaked early with Ted Danson's facial gymnastics when Chidi threw him into his first crisis and he was contemplating "no me". But then Eleanor quickly followed it up with the offer of "cool ranch babies"! I thought for sure that was going to be the best moment of the show, but how wrong I was! 

Between the real-bears and unicorns party for Gunnar and Tahani's realization that she could be tortured with "event planning mishaps" I think this may actually have been the strongest episode of the entire 2 seasons so far! And that bar is set awfully high! 

THEN, just when you think it is all over, WHAM-Jason and Tahani in bed!!!!! 

[DrScottie]

4 minutes ago, MrWhyt said:

mid life crisis michael was an eight

Yes, it was. The midpoint of one to thirteen is actually seven. Then I remembered this is Jason, so of course, it's eight. His tent would be a little lopsided. 

[CaptainTightpants]

As an aside, I think Eleanor's mother is shaping up to be the literal worst person ever. Killing Eleanor's dog in the hot car is pretty much the most appalling thing we have seen anyone in this reality do so far. I actually can't come up with a torture that I think would be worthy of this. Maybe Todd could go old-school and roast her in a hot car for all of eternity. 

[JessDVD]

"These millennials have no work ethic"

"Are you trying to say valedictorian?"

and

"But you're going to have to pay for that toilet plunger"

... are what I texted to Mr. DVD as we watched this more or less together, from afar as he's out of town right now.

[Chaos Theory]

Sometimes the basic tortures are the ones that work the best.  Damn Millennials!!!!

Seeing Eleanor with her mom explains a lot. A very lot.   I know I shouldn’t and it’s wrong of me but I found the dog story funny in all the wrong ways.  

I know a lot of people ship Jason and Janet but I am all for Jason and Tahani.  They make a sweet pairing.  (And this comes from a Eleanor/Tahani shipper)

Michael and his existential crisis ruled the episode.

[thuganomics85]

Tahani and Jason suddenly ending up in bed reminded me of a similar incident on Michael Schur's other show, Brooklyn Nine-Nine.  Still a bit surprised by this development, but I'm curious to see where this goes.  This easily could end up being just an one time thing or it could actually go somewhere.  Still, no matter what, I enjoyed their interactions and how supportive Jason was to Tahani.  I liked that Tahani knew that Vicky was deliberately stacking the deck against her and this was all planned, but she still couldn't help but feel upset about it, because sometimes that is the case.  Hopefully Tahani will get her revenge!

Michael's existential crisis was epic!  Loved how it ran the gambit from literally being frozen and putting his head in Chidi's lap and then going into mid-life crisis mode complete with too much drinking, a sports car, and the get-up he had Janet wear.  Ted Danson was perfection during the entire thing.  Have no idea if this will end up being a ploy of some kind or if he is truly being changed by all of this, but I'm really digging this idea.

Well, the flashbacks now have solidified that Eleanor's mom is, in fact, the worst.  Really hope she joins Tahani's family in a truly worst place.  Eleanor's meltdown over the family toothbrushes was both sad and hilarious.  Kristen Bell really knows how to make the character a jerk a lot of times, but still someone to root for.

Again, making Vicky the main baddie has become one of my favorite developments this season.

I really hope we see a flashback about Jason's time with "Jacksonville's sixty person dance crew", because the more info that is given, the more insane it sounds.

[Samsnee]

So wait, is the fact that Tahani and company know Jason isn’t really a Buddhist monk known by their torturers? It didn’t really seem like they were trying to hide it. 

 

Michael was MVP this episode as usual. I figured they would hook up Tahani and Jason at some point, but didn’t think it would be so soon. 

[Fukui San]

11 minutes ago, Samsnee said:

So wait, is the fact that Tahani and company know Jason isn’t really a Buddhist monk known by their torturers? It didn’t really seem like they were trying to hide it.

It sure seems like everyone knows he knows. They'll have to figure out a kayfabe reason that he's miserable.

[secnarf]

I wondered about Jason as well - I thought everyone still is supposed to think he was a silent monk.

[Mockingbird]

57 minutes ago, Samsnee said:

So wait, is the fact that Tahani and company know Jason isn’t really a Buddhist monk known by their torturers? It didn’t really seem like they were trying to hide it. 

 

Michael was MVP this episode as usual. I figured they would hook up Tahani and Jason at some point, but didn’t think it would be so soon. 

Hypothetically, Eleanor, Chidi, and Tahani knowing that Jason’s a fake should be more torturous for them. Eleanor, because he’s literally the dumbest person and might blow her cover, too. Chidi, because lying about Eleanor AND Jason is doubly vexing and stomach ache inducing. Tahani, because she knows she’ll never be matched with her actual soulmate for all of eternity. They just have to act like all of this is actually torturing them. 

Big sap that am I, I would actually be totally on board with the two couples put together to make eternity miserable for each other actually being perfect for each other. 

[Maelstrom]

2 hours ago, Linny said:

I love this show like crazy, but I reaaally didn't like the story about the dog dying in the hot car. I know it exhibited how callous Eleanor's mom was, but I didn't find that one bit funny.

Yeah, as someone who’s lived in Arizona for a couple of decades I’ve heard far too many stories of pets and even children dying in hot cars. I know how brutally hot my (poorly air conditioned) car can be just to sit in for a short drive. So the story of her dog’s death was not so much funny as sad and rage-inducing.

Apart from that, another fantastic episode. So many perfect jokes, and just when I think I have an idea where they’re going, they throw a twist like Jason and Tahani in bed together. It was nice to see them actually bond, since Jason didn’t get to interact with Tahani much last season. As himself and not Jianyu, that is.

[Dots And Stripes]

13 minutes ago, Mockingbird said:

Hypothetically, Eleanor, Chidi, and Tahani knowing that Jason’s a fake should be more torturous for them. Eleanor, because he’s literally the dumbest person and might blow her cover, too. Chidi, because lying about Eleanor AND Jason is doubly vexing and stomach ache inducing. Tahani, because she knows she’ll never be matched with her actual soulmate for all of eternity. They just have to act like all of this is actually torturing them. 

Big sap that am I, I would actually be totally on board with the two couples put together to make eternity miserable for each other actually being perfect for each other. 

Eleanor confessing is what threw off Michael’s first attempt. I would think Jason confessing would do the same. 

I wasn’t paying that much attention, but did Jason actually talk in front of the demons? He was still wearing the robes so I assumed he was still pretending.

[steelyis]

I really enjoyed the episodes leading to this one. I had at least four or five belly laughs during every one, but I appreciate the show slowing down a bit. Plot was whooshing by and did not allow for the excellent character development we got in this episode.

I didn't think there was a convincing direction to take Micheal this season and I'm glad I was worried for nothing. Ted Danson needs an Emmy for his perfect re-enactment of The Scream. He's been killing it all season, actually.

I don't know how I feel about Tahani and Jason hooking up, not that it's super difficult to see two attractive people in bed together. I like we got to see them play off each other since they rarely got scenes together last season. Leaving out the hook up, they work nicely.

I knew Eleanor's mom sucked, but dear lord, that lady is a piece of work!

And can I just say: Damn, Janet! I thought Bad Janet was at peak hotness, yet Janet in that dress... I mean, damn.

[mammaM]

Jason running off to ride in a kangaroo's pouch was priceless. This episode gets an eight!

[possibilities]

And they started to explain how Jason got to be so stupid-- brain damage from toner!

[NJRadioGuy]

I was almost going to say that Eleanor's mother deserves to be drop-kicked into the sun, but then what fun would that be. It would be over too quick. Maybe drop-kicked into the sun s-l-o-w-l-y, following a prolonged stay in the company of Todd.

[HunterHunted]

I've got to say that the demon birthday party was waaaaaaay cooler. When I saw Tahani's party, it made start wondering if she was completely delusional and a total fabulist when she was alive. No one who was allegedly at her level would think that it was cool. 

I loved Jason and Janet, but I think this version of Janet might be too smart for Jason. I wonder if Jason might be able to find a demon soulmate. He's not inherently mean, but he's so dumb and thoughtless that he makes everyone else miserable.

A toothbrush family

Ted Danson is just so good.

Edited October 13, 2017 by HunterHunted

[arc]

9 minutes ago, possibilities said:

And they started to explain how Jason got to be so stupid-- brain damage from toner!

I think this is gonna be a Rose from Golden Girls situation, where there’ll be a cornucopia of different reasons.

[GaT]

The whole toothbrush scene with Eleanor crying into the toilet plunger killed me. In a really good way.

[Amarsir]

This is the first episode since the first half of season 1 that feels like this show could last for years. At the pace we’d been going I thought plots would really have to convolute before long. But this demonstrates how the show is willing to slow down with a simple couple of ideas to explore character. That’s what they need if we’re going to have a long future.

[DrScottie]

32 minutes ago, HunterHunted said:

I loved Jason and Janet, but I think this version of Janet might be too smart Jason.

Given the number of reboots, she might be the most advanced Janet in the universe. 

2 minutes ago, GaT said:

The whole toothbrush scene with Eleanor crying into the toilet plunger killed me. In a really good way.

Me too. It was a very moving scene for how she yearned for a family. She has one now. 

If/when they get to the Good Place (for real), I hope their version of the Rainbow Bridge is real so Eleanor can be reunited with her beloved pet. 

5 minutes ago, Amarsir said:

This is the first episode since the first half of season 1 that feels like this show could last for years. At the pace we’d been going I thought plots would really have to convolute before long. But this demonstrates how the show is willing to slow down with a simple couple of ideas to explore character. That’s what they need if we’re going to have a long future.

It's been very well crafted and I think the 13 episode seasons play a great role in doing that. 

[sjankis630]

All I came here to say was.. Janet....... Dat ass! Smoking as Ted Danson's girl toy. 

[Isazouzi]

That party was fabulous! A pool full of puppies! Flying!

The Chinese tattoo saying "Japan" was the best.  It reminds me of a friend of mine who got India tattooed in Sanskrit, which I find incredibly dumb (yeah, I'm a bad friend, I'm so going to the Bad Place... Oh wait, THIS is the bad place!)

It can't be said enough, Janet is amazing. When Tahani was telling her how to decorate for the party, she perfectly mirrored Tahani's expression of pride and excitement. She always does that, as if she could feel what the others feel. The actress is so good.

When you see what Eleanor's life was like, there's no way this "soft" torture could work on her. Life on Earth is so much worse that having a slightly wonky Good Place.

[Blakeston]

When Michael did "the Scream" after Chidi asked him to imagine a world with no Michael, I thought Michael was mocking him with a fake reaction.

I'm sure I'm in the minority on this, but I thought it was far too exaggerated to work.

[CinAZ]

Did not care for the dog dying in a hot car storyline. Not cool. I know they were trying to show what a complete asshat Eleanor’s mom was, but .... 

There was more back story on Eleanor, I like that. She did have a shitty childhood. Doesn’t that somehow explain her adult behavior? How could someone who was never taught how to act expect to behave in a decent manner? Doesn’t the good place/bad place decision makers take that into consideration?

LOVED Janette. 

Ted Danson is doing an amazing job as Michael.

Tahini and Jason. Well. At least they were both smiling...? And I thought it was cute that Jason jumped up to make her cereal. He wants to make her happy, in his own dumbass way.

[Lawgiver]

"It's Chinese for Japan." The best line of a night with great lines.

 

I wish women of a certain age would stop getting too much Botox. First Mindy St. Clair's actress last year was OB'd. At least this year her brow has calmed down a little. Now, Eleanor's mom. It looks awful. I say this as a woman of a certain age who is confronting aging and dating again after a divorce. I think so much Botox looks worse than wrinkles.

[sacrebleu]

Quote

I'm sure I'm in the minority on this, but I thought it was far too exaggerated to work.

@Blakeston you can sit by me, I thought the Michael stuff was a bit broad-- but really enjoyed the Eleanor flashbacks and everything about the dueling parties.  I really hope one day I achieve a level of goodness that will allow me to attend a party with a Build-an-Actual-Bear Workshop.  

[Affogato]

5 minutes ago, sacrebleu said:

@Blakeston you can sit by me, I thought the Michael stuff was a bit broad-- but really enjoyed the Eleanor flashbacks and everything about the dueling parties.  I really hope one day I achieve a level of goodness that will allow me to attend a party with a Build-an-Actual-Bear Workshop.  

I actually wondered if Michael isn't still trying to torture them, certainly it's getting close to the point where his betrayal will really wound Eleanor, leading to another end of season reveal?  So many possibilities. Perhaps Sean demoted him while keeping the place running for a while and promoted Vicki. 

I could use a puppy pit right now. 

[Duke2801]

This show indeed continues to be an "8" indeed.  Eleanor's meltdown in Bed Bath and Beyond and Micheal's entire existential/mid-life crisis were the highlights for me.  However... 

Quote

Did not care for the dog dying in a hot car storyline. Not cool. I know they were trying to show what a complete asshat Eleanor’s mom was, but .... 

Quote

Yeah, as someone who’s lived in Arizona for a couple of decades I’ve heard far too many stories of pets and even children dying in hot cars. I know how brutally hot my (poorly air conditioned) car can be just to sit in for a short drive. So the story of her dog’s death was not so much funny as sad and rage-inducing.

Quote

I love this show like crazy, but I reaaally didn't like the story about the dog dying in the hot car. I know it exhibited how callous Eleanor's mom was, but I didn't find that one bit funny.

....yeah I was right there with all of you.  I am one of those people who can't even watch those ASPCA commercials (but send in my donation every month!) because it makes me upset.  So that bit about the dog was upsetting and definitely not funny to me.  However, I will say, that I understand the this show is pushing some boundaries when it comes to "comedy" and so - even though I hated it - I still "get" what they were doing there.  

That said, Eleanor's mom definitely deserves to be sent to the Really Bad Place, stat.  Lots of butthole spiders for  her!

[Chaos Theory]

I guess I must be the evil mom in the room because the dog story made me laugh BECAUSE it was just so wrong.  Now if they had actually shown it I probably would have cringed a bit.  However listening to Eleanor’s mother tell the story was just the kind of wrong humor that I find funny.

[tennisgurl]

I hope Eleanor's mom ends up spending a thousand years being forced to watch Vikki sing 70s disco covers.  

Michael in existential crisis mode followed by midlife (midmillenium?) crisis was just amazing. I thought I couldn't love Ted Danson anymore in this show, and then they prove me wrong! "Its Chinese, it means Japan." 

The toothbrush family! The toilet plunger! 

Yeah, its hard to beat a party with Build an Actual Bear and unicorns you can ride. I can only aspire to that level of Extra. It was really sweet that Jason was so supportive to Tahani, but I dont know if them sleeping together is going to end well. It might though, who knows? 

Damn Janet, that dress!

Edited October 13, 2017 by tennisgurl

[NJRadioGuy]

7 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

I guess I must be the evil mom in the room because the dog story made me laugh BECAUSE it was just so wrong.  Now if they had actually shown it I probably would have cringed a bit.  However listening to Eleanor’s mother tell the story was just the kind of wrong humor that I find funny.

It wasn't just "so wrong" to me, it's a mark of absolute callousness and an evil that is irredeemable in my book. If they had shown it that would have been the end of this show for me, and probably a boycott of ABC. I get why they did it, though, but they went a bit too far. She was a douchecanoe of a mother in every way and I'm fine with them portraying her interactions with people as such, but that there crosses every single boundary between douchecanoe and just plain rotten-to-the-core evil. So yeah. Twisting Department, butthole spiders, acid vats; the works. Then slo-mo drop-kicked into the sun.

Edited October 13, 2017 by NJRadioGuy

[Mabinogia]

23 minutes ago, NJRadioGuy said:

It wasn't just "so wrong" to me, it's a mark of absolute callousness and an evil that is irredeemable in my book.

That was the point, which is why I had no problem with it. No dogs were harmed in the telling of the story. It was meant to point out that Eleanor was raised by the worst possible people. I didn't think it was meant to be funny at all.

I loved everything about this episode. Michael dealing with his own mortality is everything I didn't know I needed in my life. I want a puppy pit. I NEED a puppy pit. I am putting puppy pit in the suggestion box at work. Tahani and Jason were just sooo sweet together I can accept that Jason and Janet won't be a thing again and would happily board the SS Jahani.  I love getting backstory in Eleanor. She really has had such a horrible life. It still makes me wonder if this Good Place is more like a rehabilitation center for bad(ish) people. If not, it should be.

For me the moral of the story is that people change people (TM Corey Matthews) and these four could have lived very different lives had they had better influences in their lives. It's true for both Tahani (parents ignored her, made her feel inferior to her sister her whole life so she is constantly trying to win affection) and Eleanor (parents just plain sucked and taught her zero social skills and she learned to always look out for herself and never depend on anyone). We need to learn more about how Jason and Chidi grew up, what it is that made Jason a petty criminal and Chidi so wrapped up in ethics. I hope we do learn more about the boys soon. I love all these characters so very much and want to know all about them.

[iMonrey]

Leslie Grossman, who played Eleanor's mother, has been on every show ever.  I swear - she's also on American Horror Story this year, and I had to look her up when I first saw her on that because she looked so familiar. Turns out, there's a reason why. She's been on at least two dozen shows I watch over the years. Wow she gets around.

I have to admit I was surprised by what a nice figure D'Arcy Carden (Janet) has. Nothing they've dressed her in up to this point really showed that off. But then she's more or less been fashioned like a flight attendant up 'til now. 

I agree Ted Danson deserves some Emmy love for this role. 

[truebluesmoky]

I didn't even think the dog story was supposed to be funny. I thought it was supposed to be completely over the top horrifying and another good reminder of why Eleanor ended up the way she is. I gasped and cringed when her mother told her that she would be annoyed with her if she was sad.

[Xantar]

I think it's perfectly valid to react to the dog story with horror. Not everything on the show has to be (or is supposed to be) funny. There is genuine character development and pathos, and the story takes on really big issues of morality.

I'm actually thinking that Eleanor's mom being such a horrible person is going to be a major plot point. If Eleanor was so severely messed up by her upbringing and never learned how to truly love and trust, then how responsible is she for the fact that she turned out to be a selfish asshat? Does she really belong in The Bad Place? 

[Chaos Theory]

I guess for me it’s how you tell these admittingly horrible stories is what makes it funny...and a lot has to do with who tells it and to who.   I am not going to go into it because I am definitely in the minority but Eleanor’s entire backstory was so sad that I found it funny.  Of course she turned out the way she did but a person is ultimately responsible for their own choices the backstory did show the so far nice guy boyfriend so she did have her chances.  

Tahani has made some two steps foward one step back breakthroughs.  She realizes that Vicki was able to torture her through party planning but then let Jason’s simple act of kindness land her in bed with him.  Tahani is more self aware at least.  

[CouchTater]

I must admit, when Jason told Tahani that she should be nicer to herself, that melted my heart a little, too.  His delivery was so sweet and sincere.

Given the context of the story, the way the dog died served to illustrate the mother's true awfulness.  I would argue that seeing the dog get kicked into the sun last season (didn't we actually witness that? or am I misremembering?) was much "worse" than hearing about a dog that was left in a hot car 20 years ago.  But also:

1 hour ago, Mabinogia said:

No dogs were harmed in the telling of the story. It was meant to point out that Eleanor was raised by the worst possible people. I didn't think it was meant to be funny at all.

[ally862]

Is it weird that I was happy for Jason when Tahani agreed that the sex was good Haha?  I like the idea of that sweet numbskull being surprisingly good in bed.  

[Mabinogia]

37 minutes ago, CouchTater said:

I must admit, when Jason told Tahani that she should be nicer to herself, that melted my heart a little, too.  His delivery was so sweet and sincere.

Right? I want a Jason. He was so sweet in that scene. He might not be bright but he's a sweetheart.

[BoogieBurns]

3 hours ago, NJRadioGuy said:

If they had shown it that would have been the end of this show for me, and probably a boycott of ABC.

May not have the intended effect... show comes on NBC. *wink*

[arc]

3 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I have to admit I was surprised by what a nice figure D'Arcy Carden (Janet) has.

All y’all who are surprised are clearly not regularly watching Broad City.