S02.E11: Rhonda, Diana, Jake, And Trent

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani, Janet and Jason head to a destination that may have lasting implications.

[cleo]

It seems silly to post just to say I love this show, but there's nothing more to say. I love this show. So much.

[mmccpp]

Yeah.  Jason saves the day.  At least temporarily.  Bortles!

 

Michael!  No!

[CofCinci]

I gasped when he pushed her into the portal, even though we knew it was coming. Is this the end for Ted Danson?

[Dots And Stripes]

Michael sacrificing himself got me. Well done, Ted Danson. Nice touch to have Michael sacrifice himself over Eleanor's objection. They have both grown. 

That was Dax Shepherd, Kristen Bell's husband, playing a demon, right?

Jortles!

[Affogato]

I throw a molotov cocktail and them I have a Totally different problem.... words to live by! 

Michael just solved the trolley problem !

1 minute ago, Dots And Stripes said:

Michael sacrificing himself got me. Well done, Ted Danson. Nice touch to have Michael sacrifice himself over Eleanor's objection. They have both grown. 

That was Dax Shepherd, Kristen Bell's husband, playing a demon, right?

Jortles!

I believe so. 

[festivus]

Oh man. That's the funniest episode they've had yet and that's saying something. I LOVE Rhonda Mumps. Also Kristin Bell was rocking that retro look. The glasses were awesome.

[SeanC]

Chidi's sudden hesitancy about lying really made no sense, since he's been doing that pretty much since the series premiere.

Semi-relatedly, one of the concerns he had about contributing ideas when they got to Hell was that this would make him a bad person, but if the people he's talking about "deserve" to be in Hell according to whatever moral schema this universe runs on, then that shouldn't be an issue.  That actually goes to a larger issue I have with this show, namely, that the characters spend their time reading about different ethical philosophies, rather than trying to identify the ethical philosophy that this universe actually runs on, which is the only one that really should matter for their purposes.

[CofCinci]

3 minutes ago, Dots And Stripes said:

That was Dax Shepherd, Kristen Bell's husband, playing a demon, right?

Yes, and he had chewing tobacco in his mouth, which is something she hates.

[Dots And Stripes]

5 minutes ago, Affogato said:

Michael just solved the trolley problem !

Kimmy Schmidt had the same solution. Not involving a magic portal, but the self sacrificing part.

[Ailianna]

I thought Eleanor would give Chidi the Anne Frank lie test, but she zigged when I thought she would zag.  

I'm so happy for Jason--and he's quick with the cocktail!

Love this show, love this episode.  I told 2 people about this show today, and they said they might try it--but I don't think you can just jump into this show, because almost everything relied upon knowing the characters and their history for the laughs and the feels.

I can't believe there are only 3 episodes left!

I don't think they did solve the trolley problem, because a trolley is on rails, and can't just be steered into a random course.  How would you stop the trolley by sacrificing yourself?  Likewise the doctor version--if the doctor somehow sacrifices himself, then everyone on the tables dies plus the doctor.  

Edited January 19, 2018 by Ailianna

[SeanC]

6 minutes ago, Ailianna said:

I don't think they did solve the trolley problem, because a trolley is on rails, and can't just be steered into a random course.  How would you stop the trolley by sacrificing yourself?  Likewise the doctor version--if the doctor somehow sacrifices himself, then everyone on the tables dies plus the doctor.  

Yeah, Michael's "solution" isn't actually a solution to the trolley problem.  It works as an emotional moment for him, but the trolley problem is about choosing between two options.  Just assuming there's a third option that allows you to duck the choice is cheating.

[Affogato]

14 minutes ago, SeanC said:

Chidi's sudden hesitancy about lying really made no sense, since he's been doing that pretty much since the series premiere.

Semi-relatedly, one of the concerns he had about contributing ideas when they got to Hell was that this would make him a bad person, but if the people he's talking about "deserve" to be in Hell according to whatever moral schema this universe runs on, then that shouldn't be an issue.  That actually goes to a larger issue I have with this show, namely, that the characters spend their time reading about different ethical philosophies, rather than trying to identify the ethical philosophy that this universe actually runs on, which is the only one that really should matter for their purposes.

They are trying to be good people. What matters if you gain the world and lose your soul?

[BobH]

This might be the first time since I got a dvr that I was watching the clock to make sure I got home on time to watch a scripted program live.

this was pretty amazing.  Tahani in character.  Jason's devotion to Bortles and Molotov cocktails. Good Janet playing Bad Janet. Shawn's "I’m a naughty bitch".  Elinor swearing. Michael's sacrifice.  Can’t believe it was only a half hour.

i guess the Girls Gone Wild guy not being in the Bad Place yet supports the notion that the timelines are fluid, so while hundreds of years might have passed for Michael in the neighbourhood it hasn’t been as long for Shawn or on Earth.

[Affogato]

3 minutes ago, SeanC said:

Yeah, Michael's "solution" isn't actually a solution to the trolley problem.  It works as an emotional moment for him, but the trolley problem is about choosing between two options.  Just assuming there's a third option that allows you to duck the choice is cheating.

But he isn’t on a trolley. It works in this case, it has been adapted. It’s the theme of tonight’s symposium. 

[tennisgurl]

Michael solved the trolley problem *sniffle*. Maybe sacrificing himself for his cockroach friends will get him a trip to heaven? This cant be the end of Michael!

"You cant hang out with Johnny Depp without getting god at lying" "Even name dropping in Hell". 

Hi Dax! 

[Gurkel]

I loved Janet trying to be bad. “Farts!”

Other great moments: Dax Shepherd telling Chidi, ‘you’ve got that good stank.’ Talking about his wife. Awww

Eleanor remembering her mom Stealing Vicodin from nurses at the hospital . 

Eleanor and Chidi talking on the train. She can finally curse!

and Jason grew a brain and used his Molotov cocktail to actually help their situation. Jortles!

[Paloma]

6 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

Michael solved the trolley problem *sniffle*. Maybe sacrificing himself for his cockroach friends will get him a trip to heaven? This cant be the end of Michael!

That's what I'm thinking/hoping--that he can't be punished in Hell for letting his friends escape, because that act of selflessness should qualify him for Heaven (or at least for a hearing by the judge).

[Rinaldo]

Alan Sepinwall is especially insightful about what makes the "Jortles!" moment so brilliant.

[Linny]

Damn, that was quite the ride. So many good lines ("Jason, this is hell, of course there's a gift shop") and funny touches (First White Person to Grow Dreadlocks and Call Ultimate Frisbee "Ultimate" was my favorite exhibit), and everyone looked amazing in their costumes (Jason looked especially dapper). But it was Michael's sacrifice that got to me the most. All season we've seen him change, seen him value these people as his friends, and in particular we've seen his close camaraderie with Eleanor, so to see him risk everything to save her felt totally natural. And Michael tying his action in with Chidi's ethical thought experiment was a great callback and demonstrates again just how much Michael has learned and grown.

Dax Shephard's character hitting on Eleanor was a nice wink and a nod to their real life relationship and I'm glad the show took that subtle approach. I also really loved Tahani's continuous namedropping (Elon Musk's underwater mansion, how fancy) and getting to hear Mindy enthusiastically enjoying Derek. Jason's Molotov cocktail rescuing them from the party was epic, and I think it's so smart how each character's unique skill set has played into their survival throughout this entire ordeal. They all bring different things to the table and they all make each other stronger.

[secnarf]

27 minutes ago, Ailianna said:

I don't think they did solve the trolley problem, because a trolley is on rails, and can't just be steered into a random course.  How would you stop the trolley by sacrificing yourself?  Likewise the doctor version--if the doctor somehow sacrifices himself, then everyone on the tables dies plus the doctor.  

 

Derail the trolley?

[SeanC]

18 minutes ago, Affogato said:

They are trying to be good people. What matters if you gain the world and lose your soul?

“Good” in this universe has an official definition, and it has judged that everybody in Hell deserves to be there. The 

[CaptainTightpants]

I think for once the best line of the night has to go to one of the supporting cast. Shawn's "I'm a naughty bitch" was epic, and flawlessly delivered!

[JessDVD]

This show. THIS SHOW. Sweet Moses, I am never going to make it until next Thursday.

Otherwise, my thoughts are all of yours. This is the most brilliant TV and I've already informed Mr. DVD, who is working late next Thursday and the week after, that I will not be waiting for him.

[Chaos Theory]

I think my favorite moment was when Eleanor not only showed that she was paying attention but that she was reading ahead and brought up a topic that Chidi hadn't discussed.  Chidi's "You read on your own."  made me chuckle.  

[ItCouldBeWorse]

39 minutes ago, SeanC said:

Yeah, Michael's "solution" isn't actually a solution to the trolley problem.  It works as an emotional moment for him, but the trolley problem is about choosing between two options.  Just assuming there's a third option that allows you to duck the choice is cheating.

Michael Kobayashi Maru'd the problem.

ETA: Oops. just read Sepinwall, and he says the same thing.

Edited January 19, 2018 by ItCouldBeWorse

[DrScottie]

That was magnificent. I can't wait for the extended cut. 

13 minutes ago, Paloma said:

That's what I'm thinking/hoping--that he can't be punished in Hell for letting his friends escape, because that act of selflessness should qualify him for Heaven (or at least for a hearing by the judge).

One of his selling points to Team Cochroach was that the act of rescuing the foul smelling humans to the actual "Good Place" might be enough to convince the judge to let him in too. That selflessness should help bolster that argument. 

2 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Michael Kobayashi Maru'd the problem.

More precisely, Spock's solution to the problem to sacrifice himself to save the ship. Kirk's solution was to rig the simulator. 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

I predict that Good Janet, pretending to be Bad Janet, will rise to the occasion and somehow rescue Michael.

[tennisgurl]

I just love this show so much. I need to watch it several times to get everything that goes on in just one episode. There are tons of great jokes, but also some really deep concepts, and character development going on as well. It allows for a brilliantly set up and executed joke like Jortles, while also showing it as a surprising bit of character development for Jason, and him using his brain. There is just so much set up and then paid off, its just a marvel to see them spinning all of these plates, and only letting them fall when its funny and makes sense for the story. 

Someone last week made the brilliant Wizard of Oz comparison, and I think we might be going further with it. Jason had a brain the whole time. 

“It makes you smell the way Transformers movies make you feel”

[thuganomics85]

You know, I'm mainly indifferent towards sports, but I think I'm going to be rooting for the Jacksonville Jaguars to go all the way now, just for Jason.  Even though I know he's a fictional character, but I don't care.  Jortles!

Brilliant episode, which is really saying something about this show.  Loved the main four's fake identities from Eleanor/Kristen Bell rocking that hair and glasses, to Tahani/Jameela Jamil's American accent, and watching them interact with all the demons in Hell.  Chidi with the guys who torture frat boys and internet trolls was great.  Not a huge fan of Dax Shepard (although if Bell loves him, he must have something going for him), but he was used pretty well in all of his scenes.  Janet pretending to be Bad Janet was hilarious as well.  And, of course, it all ends with Jason busting out Chekov's molotov cocktail, like any good show would do! 

Marc Evan Jackson deserves an Emmy or at least a place in the Comedic Delivery Hall of Fame for his “I was going to go through the proper channels, but then I remembered, I’m a naughty bitch.”  Glad we have gotten more of Shawn this season.

Of course, Hell has a Transformer fragrance.  Michael Bay and Mark Wahlberg probably use it all the time.

The "audio" of Mindy and Derek slayed me as well.  Especially hearing the wind chimes.

As soon as they got to the portal and said they were missing a pin, I knew it was going to end with Michael sacrificing himself.  He really has changed!  But this can't be it for him, right?!  Ted Danson has been perfection on this show.

As I find myself saying almost after every episode, I really can't wait to see where this goes from here.  This show is simply the best!

Edited January 19, 2018 by thuganomics85

[wilnil]

1 hour ago, SeanC said:

Chidi's sudden hesitancy about lying really made no sense, since he's been doing that pretty much since the series premiere.

Yeah, but that's been making him worry himself sick since the season premiere. Nearly every reboot, Eleanor has confessed to Chidi and asked him to keep her secret, and he's gotten an immediate stomach ache just at the thought of being complicit in Eleanor's lie, without having to actively lie himself.

[Samsnee]

Man I love this show. No way Michael is gone. That sacrifice surely has earned him a spot in the Good Place. 

 

And Tahani doing an American accent? Kinda hot. 

[DrScottie]

7 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

Someone last week made the brilliant Wizard of Oz comparison, and I think we might be going further with it. Jason had a brain the whole time. 

To quote that dippy song by America: "Oz never did give nothing to the Tin Man, that he didn't, didn't already have " In Jason's case, it's the Scarecrow, but Tahani (the Tin Woman in this case) is growing a heart as well. 

[Paloma]

This is how much I love this show: My husband and I are leaving this weekend to go to Israel for a month, to visit our precious 15-month-old granddaughter (and her parents), whom we only get to see a couple of times a year. But all I'm thinking about now is that I am going to miss the remaining episodes of The Good Place and have to wait until late February to catch up (too late to discuss with all of you). Even worse, we gave up cable at the end of 2017 so we can't DVR it or see it On Demand when we get back, so we'll have to watch it on a computer screen at a desk instead of on TV from the comfort of our sofa (assuming it is still available at the NBC website). 

[Sakura12]

This show is so great. It's so great about keeping the characters in character, like Eleanor laughing at the Chidi robot. I'm glad she finally got to swear too. Of course Jason would fit in with the demons in charge of torturing frat boys and internet trolls.

I was wondering when Dax Shepard would be making an appearance on this show. 

Michael has really grown more human sacrificing himself for Eleanor. 

I think trapping a guy in a room with nothing but Philosophy books for eternity would be torture. 

[Mr. R0b0t]

Fantastic show.  Wonderfully biting satire.  TGP is simply a show running on all cylinders right now.  Jortles indeed.

[DrScottie]

37 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

I think my favorite moment was when Eleanor not only showed that she was paying attention but that she was reading ahead and brought up a topic that Chidi hadn't discussed.  Chidi's "You read on your own."  made me chuckle.  

I wonder if that was the moment that Chidi fell for Eleanor like when she anticipated his sneeze in attempt 119. 

[chaifan]

7 minutes ago, Paloma said:

This is how much I love this show: My husband and I are leaving this weekend to go to Israel for a month, to visit our precious 15-month-old granddaughter (and her parents), whom we only get to see a couple of times a year. But all I'm thinking about now is that I am going to miss the remaining episodes of The Good Place and have to wait until late February to catch up (too late to discuss with all of you). Even worse, we gave up cable at the end of 2017 so we can't DVR it or see it On Demand when we get back, so we'll have to watch it on a computer screen at a desk instead of on TV from the comfort of our sofa (assuming it is still available at the NBC website). 

Paloma - get an hmdi cable, and hook up your laptop to the tv.  Spring for a month of Hulu if it's no longer on NBC's site.

[chaifan]

1 hour ago, BobH said:

i guess the Girls Gone Wild guy not being in the Bad Place yet supports the notion that the timelines are fluid, so while hundreds of years might have passed for Michael in the neighbourhood it hasn’t been as long for Shawn or on Earth.

Good catch on the timeline.  I'm surprised that they have time running faster in the Good/Bad place.  I would have thought time would go slower there.  Figure it this way - if you die before your spouse, then you're not just waiting x years until he/she joins you in the Good/Bad place, you're waiting 100x years.  It would make more sense that time there went slower, so that within a few days of arriving you're joined by your friends and family, even if they died 30 years later than you.  eh, I'm over thinking this.  It's just a tv show. 

[steelyis]

This episode was 104% perfect.

 

1 hour ago, CaptainTightpants said:

I think for once the best line of the night has to go to one of the supporting cast. Shawn's "I'm a naughty bitch" was epic, and flawlessly delivered!

 

It was easily on par with Andre Braugher's, "You're just a common bitch!" on Brooklyn 99.

[Pamela]

"Soul food from Maine, bagels from Arkansas, and of course, Hawaiian pizza."

That got a huge laugh from me because a few co-workers and I spent part of today's lunch hour debating the merits (and horrors) of Hawaiian pizza. For the record, it was two in favour and two VEHEMENTLY against. (I was one of the latter. Fruit on pizza definitely belongs on the menu in the Bad Place.)

[Rinaldo]

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

“It makes you smell the way Transformers movies make you feel”

The truly sublime part of that came 15 minutes later, when Michael returned to the four, and Eleanor asked him how he could smell loud and confusing.

[DrSpaceman73]

What were the two torture room they mentioned checking or in passing, "Children's recitals" and "Weekend at ikea?"

Janet acting like bad Janet was the best

[Darian]

8 minutes ago, Pamela said:

"Soul food from Maine, bagels from Arkansas, and of course, Hawaiian pizza."

That got a huge laugh from me because a few co-workers and I spent part of today's lunch hour debating the merits (and horrors) of Hawaiian pizza. For the record, it was two in favour and two VEHEMENTLY against. (I was one of the latter. Fruit on pizza definitely belongs on the menu in the Bad Place.)

I love Hawaiian pizza and I love the Red Hot Chili Peppers and for some reason, I love it so much when the show skewers stuff I love. That menu was perfect. 

[Pamela]

20 minutes ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

What were the two torture room they mentioned checking or in passing, "Children's recitals" and "Weekend at ikea?"

Janet acting like bad Janet was the best

I believe they were specifically "children's dance recitals" and "holiday weekend at IKEA".

[Mockingbird]

Oof. Still wiping away tears from that last scene between Eleanor and Michael. Perfect episode. Perfect show. 

[TheOtherOne]

I happened to have been eating Hawaiian pizza while watching the episode, so I had to laugh at that. The pizza was great.

Things I'd never admit to anyone in real life: I actually burst into tears when Michael shoved her into the portal and she was screaming no with her arms outstretched before disappearing. Admittedly, it's been a rough week, but I may be overly invested in this show.

[theatremouse]

Shallow time: daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn KB looks good with that retro hairdo.

[twoods]

Echoing on how much I love this show. Besides Dax as a demon, I thought it was hilarious that the guy who is on death's door on How To Get Away With Murder (he isn't a good guy) was in hell as a torturer. Poor guy can't catch a break on being a nice character, but at least he's getting work.

This can't be the last of Michael. Maybe he's in the Good Place now, or the crew spend a few episodes trying to save him from Shawn.

Edited January 19, 2018 by twoods

[Dowel Jones]

3 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

"You read on your own."  made me chuckle.  

"Just because I'm a straight up hottie doesn't mean I can't read philosophy."  Don't ever change, Eleanor.

Last week I was thinking that Dax Shepherd might get a cameo as the judge, but that's out.  Still in the wind.  Maybe it will be Schur himself.