S03.E03: The Brainy Bunch

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Michael's grand scheme hits an unexpected snag and forces him to take drastic measures.

Original air date: 10/4/18

[Panopticon]

At least now we know why the Jacksonville Jaguars are good.

[Lady Calypso]

Oh man, more Trevor is always fantastic. 

Trivia Night being the worst thing ever: Logan Paul and Trevor being a "Logang for life"? Hilarious. 

I especially loved the ending to the episode. From The Judge flicking Trevor back to the Bad Place in the middle of his sentence to her describing the ways Michael and Janet messed up the world to The Doorman (named Jeff!) helping Michael/Janet escape, I am entertained to see what happens with Michael/Janet back on Earth without powers. 

[Rinaldo]

Man, once again I have never before seen a series so dedicated to giving us a season's worth of story in half an hour.

And once again, I have no idea what can come next. And I'm not going to speculate, because it's more fun to let them all delightfully surprise me. As they will.

[JessDVD]

Janet: I'm like a printer queue.

I knew no way would Eleanor be into Trevor's shtick... Not quite sure if that's what Trevor planned.

It's different, this season, but I like it so far.

[Linny]

It's to Adam Scott's credit that Trevor is such a delightful douche. He's thoroughly awful (poop hands slightly edges out telling Janet to smile as his worst attribute) but it was fun watching him size up the dynamics of the situation and play out his machinations. The Judge carelessly brushing him aside like a speck of lint was pretty great, also.

Every detail of The World's Worst Restaurant (™ Eleanor) was pitch-perfect. David Hasselhoff, Paris Hilton, Judge Judy, and Hulk Hogan as Mount Rushmore? Yeah, I'd say that pretty well covers the spectrum of American pop culture. Janet was adorable in her waitress gear! Loved her bemoaning having to physically walk and pick things up (and then the fallout of everything she had instinctively tried to summon raining down on The Judge).

I had been wondering if we'd get insight into any possible reverberations from the gang's return to Earth, and the answer did not disappoint. "The Jacksonville Jaguars are good now." "IMPOSSIBLE." BRILLIANT.

Finally, Eleanor and Chidi are still doing it for me. The way she let herself get vulnerable asking for one-on-one time with him and saying she considered them friends...I don't know if they'll ultimately have a romantic connection, but they fit together so nicely it'd be a shame to not capitalize on that chemistry.

[phalange]

Eleanor and Chidi always seem to bond and find their way back to each other, just as Michael said. Eleanor misses their one-on-one lessons. And the scene in the bar: "They're not the reason I flew all the way from Arizona. You are." My heart. And Chidi goes to find Eleanor and convince her to come back to the study. I just love them so much. 

The Cowboy Skyscraper diner and the Manifest Destiny package that lets you forcibly remove people destroyed me. The restaurant/food puns on this show are unmatched. Trevor remains spectacularly awful. He absolutely would tell women to smile. I'm glad his plan seems to be failing and cheers to Judge Gen for flicking him off the bridge. Janet's comment about humans living 80 years while always waiting for things to be over is spot on. 

Jason sleeping in a dumpster behind the hotel and trying to get superpowers from a spider is just so him. Poor Chidi only getting 8 minutes of sleep, but not consecutively. I can relate. 

The only thing Michael cares about is the four humans. He's come such a long way. Also, the doorman is hilarious, giving Michael and Janet the keys all because Michael gave him the frog thermos. And his name is Jeff. Printer!Janet is my new favorite Janet.

Edited October 5, 2018 by phalange

[thuganomics85]

So, it was Michael and Janet's meddling that has led to things like the Jacksonville Jaguars not sucking (yay, Jason!), Brexit, and the success of The Greatest Showman.  As what feels like one of five people on the planet that didn't adore that film, that remark definitely delighted me (not to say that it was bad by any means, but I just couldn't bring myself to connect with it like, well, apparently everyone else in the world did.)

Overall, I actually thought this episode was a bit rushed and scattered compared to the norm, so I didn't enjoy it was much as I normally do, but it still had its moments.  I loved the "All-American" restaurant in Australia, Janet dealing without her powers, and seeing the main four together and bonding (despite Trevor's meddling.)  Although, it does feel like they're going back to Eleanor/Chidi and Jason/Tahani again, which makes me wonder if those pairs are truly the endgame, or if there will be another swerve down the line.

The ending was awesome though.  The Judge figures everything out and tosses Trevor into the abyss (ha!), but Michael and Janet escape her and go back to Earth.  So, are they now stuck there good?  Is The Judge going to try and hunt them down, now?  And I have to imagine Shawn's attempts to stop them are far from over.

Of course Tahani issues apology notes for her "boorish" behavior via calligraphy!

I totally want to know how Chidi ended up with a socket wrench during his sleepless stupor to Eleanor's hotel room!

[Wanda]

Maybe it was the state of the news, but neither the good place nor Murphy Brown provided the salve they did last week.

[Chaos Theory]

Love that the show incorporated real life events into the mix most notably the a Jacksonville Jaguars not sucking.  

This show always surprises me.  Figured Trevor was going to stick around for a couple episodes but he was a one and done problem.  Now Michael and Janet have escaped to earth.  Glad the doorman turned out to be a nice guy. 

[AnimeMania]

I liked that Eleanor was reading "AUS Weekly" magazine.

[CherithCutestory]

So happy Australia has their own version of The Outback in the US. 

Trevor would not have been able to keep up his good guy bit for much longer. He was already slipping. Eleanor would have called him out in an extra day. 

It was a little rushed but this felt much more like The Good Place than last week's. 

Chidi was already not buying what Michael was selling this time. So, I wonder how that will work out. 

I liked the emphasis on the Chidi/Eleanor connection (not necessarily sexual or romantic) but Chidi didn't need prompting to help her in the afterlife. 
I would like if they explored Chidi's selfishness a little more. The others' flaws have been pretty well explored. But Chidi is passed off as just indecisive. When really although he is wonderful he is also quite selfish. (Not more so than any of the others. But it's less explored with him.)

Edited October 5, 2018 by CherithCutestory

[The Companion]

I love this show so much. The Jason/Tahani story was actually really sweet and watching Eleanor try to be polite was hilarious. I appreciate that they don't let the story get stale. I feel like Janet basically described how I feel waiting around another week for the next episode.

[Amarsir]

The Cowboy Skyscraper Buffet might be better than Fat Ammy's (from Arrested Development). So many details in there.

I knew they were working in the Jaguars but this was a pretty great way to do it.

[Endeavour]

1 hour ago, Rinaldo said:

Man, once again I have never before seen a series so dedicated to giving us a season's worth of story in half an hour.

Yes. This. I love how nothing drags on.

Not much to say other than I love this show. I do not watch many comedies, but I look forward to this one. So many great lines and laughs packed into each episode. 

[Kromm]

1 hour ago, Wanda said:

Maybe it was the state of the news, but neither the good place nor Murphy Brown provided the salve they did last week.

Half of that's been easy, since Murphy Brown's quality has been pretty lackluster. They've done little to nothing to update that show and despite modern subject matter it's so stale,

The Good Place is never stale.  I didn't wind up thinking of this as a banner episode, because it was more of a placeholder, but even as such the quality far exceeded anything vanilla and stale like Murphy Brown.

[Loandbehold]

4 minutes ago, Kromm said:

The Good Place is never stale.  I didn't wind up thinking of this as a banner episode, because it was more of a placeholder,

That's where I was until the final scene. Don't get me wrong, there were amusing jokes throughout, but the episode dragged a little. It was more like a generic sitcom episode that what I expect from TGP. But, Gen flicking Trevor into the void was awesome, as were her gesticulations over everything Michael and Janet impacted by heading down to Earth. 

[SailorGirl]

1 hour ago, Wanda said:

Maybe it was the state of the news, but neither the good place nor Murphy Brown provided the salve they did last week.

I want to acknowledge how much I agree with this statement but clicking a heart just feels very wrong, as there is nothing to love about what is currently happening so I'll just say I'm with ya'. I will stop there because otherwise I will get a virtual slap on the wrist for getting political. 

Tahani apologizing for the state of her apology notes because its impossible to find a decent calligrapher at 5 in the morning was just so perfectly Tahani. . . that gave me a giggle. 

[tennisgurl]

This totally explains the Jaguars not sucking lately!

I didnt think that Trevor would be gone so quickly, but he was perfect while we got him. He is just the perfect combination of every douchy person you could run into in your day to day life, its amazing. To think that I would find Ben from P&R so amazingly punchable! "Logang for life"

The American restaurant was so detailed, I feel like I need to watch it a dozen times just to get all the jokes! It was also super fun seeing Janet and Michael down on Earth, with Janet freaking out about losing her powers. "Did he finish the sandwich?" "I guess I could just kick him with my soft feet."

The last scene with the Judge was both hilarious as well as pretty epic. The Judge flicks Trevor into the abyss! The Judge knows what Michael and Janet are up to, and they have been messing with the natural order! Michael and Janet run off to earth, with an assist from Doorman Jess! And thats why you should always be nice to random people at their jobs. What will happen next? I truly never know with this show, and that is what makes this show so great!

[SailorGirl]

29 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

I didnt think that Trevor would be gone so quickly, but he was perfect while we got him.

I think that's why his annoying presence works so well -- its the perfect amount of annoying and then he goes away for a while. You don't get beaten over the head with it until you just can't watch anymore. 

[tennisgurl]

So, what do I have to do to get a Brainy Brunch shirt of my own? Go to Trivia Night? Get a mountain of coke for Mindy? Paint some creepy clowns?

[biakbiak]

Did anyone catch what the back of The Brainy Bunch shirts said?

[cpcathy]

If anyone follows Kristen Bell on Instagram, she posted some of the tidbits in the background. They are outrageous--the prop department is really earning their money! There is a drink with a whole roast chicken in it!

[Minneapple]

I loved the little details this week:

Michael and Janet's meddling caused the Jacksonville Jaguars to be good.

Michael's Dick Tracy disguise.

Jason trying to get a radioactive spider bite is hilarious.

A Church Lady cameo on the table!

I want a Brainy Bunch sweatshirt.

[Leia1021]

I usually really love this show.  The humor is funny but intelligent and thought-provoking at the same time.  This episode was really sub-par.  Enough with being hit over the head with bathroom humor.  It isn't funny and only makes it resemble those "comedies" that I don't watch.  Come on, Good Place.  You're better than that!

[whiporee]

For the first time in 30 episodes, i didn't care for this one. It felt much too rushed and much too forced. I'm used to the show being fast, but I'm not used to it forcing jokes or even situations as much as this one did. Even stuff that should have worked felt over the top -- the restaurant was just too much, Trevor was just too much, Gen's babbling was just too much. The doorman just giving away the only copy of the key without any real reason felt contrived. Jen's willingness to marbalize Janet seemed contrived, too -- conflict for conflict's sake. I know they needed out of this plotline, but i have to say this would have been much better served with some deliberate slowness. 

For most of the episode, the four didn't seem to have any flow or chemistry. I know that's because they just met, but it felt off. Forced.

Eleanor and Chidi at her place were golden, though. 

But, since Michael has the key, does that mean no one can come back through? So I am hopeful that now devoid of celestial interference, there's a decent chance we'll get to know these folks. That gives me a lot of hope for the rest of the season (and, as a podcast listener, the amount of affection the cast has for this season is remarkable) even if I thought this one was just plain off. 

[possibilities]

2 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

What will happen next? I truly never know with this show, and that is what makes this show so great!

I love that, too. Even shows I enjoy are often fairly predictable, and this one is good at thinking of ways to actually stop me from even guessing.

[arc]

Jason didn't just get bitten by a spider, he got bitten by an Australian spider! Man should be dead by now. =(

[biakbiak]

42 minutes ago, arc said:

Jason didn't just get bitten by a spider, he got bitten by an Australian spider! Man should be dead by now. =(

Australia has like 700+ different kind of spiders not all of them are deadly!

[cambridgeguy]

Quote

I liked the emphasis on the Chidi/Eleanor connection (not necessarily sexual or romantic) but Chidi didn't need prompting to help her in the afterlife. 
I would like if they explored Chidi's selfishness a little more. The others' flaws have been pretty well explored. But Chidi is passed off as just indecisive. When really although he is wonderful he is also quite selfish. (Not more so than any of the others. But it's less explored with him.)

They actually made a realistic point - since this isn't the afterlife Chidi does have an actual job.  It's asking a lot to also be giving private lessons for free, especially since he now has a girlfriend to spend time with.  I bet Chidi wishes he the money that Eleanor seems to have.  Her life savings are surprisingly large given what we've seen of her past.

I do think by the end Eleanor/Chidi and Jason/Janet will be couples.  After the end of season 1 that wasn't as certain but a lot of their arc in season 2 revolved around their romantic connection.  To throw that away after investing the audience in it would be highly questionable. 

[Melina22]

I'm glad I PVRd this episode because I stopped and rewound it so many times, sometimes to read a prop, sometimes to fully catch a joke, and sometimes just because something was so funny I wanted to see it again, like Maya Rudolph's hilarious speech. Love this show. 

I hope we get a lot more Simone in future episodes. She's delightful and fits in perfectly. 

After watching this episode, I attempted to watch 2 other sitcoms I had PVRd, and quit both after 10 laugh-free minutes. They couldn't come close to the experience I'd just had with The Good Place. Can't wait to see the next episode. 

[Mockingbird]

Janet’s sadness over the prospect of being marbelized was a 180 from her “Kill me, kill me, kill me” chant from season 2. I love the show’s theme that relationships and love—whether it’s romantic or platonic—can bring out the humanity  in anyone, demons and not robots included. Also, Michael’s “Those four humans are all I care about in the universe” was super sweet. (Though it may mean he needs a bit more moral philosophy...)

[Mabinogia]

I wasn't sure how the show would work with them alive and back on Earth but I LOVE IT!!!!!

I want a Brainy Bunch shirt and if NBC doesn't see the sales potential in such an item they all deserve to go straight to the Bad Place. Butthole spiders for all! I would by that sweatshirt in a heartbeat!

I love Janet on Earth. I love how they do callbacks you would never expect, like all the stuff she tried to summon raining down on the Judge like a copier queue. That was brilliant.

My sense of humor is very similar to the writers of this show and yet I never see the jokes coming. This show never manages to be predictable to me and for that I will always, always love it.

I rewatched the whole series over the past week and a half and even on the (for the first season) forth showing, it is still funny, interesting and there is always something new to see or hear that was missed the first one...two...three times.

I love that they use Trevor lightly. Another couple eps of him would have gotten tiring, but the show knows how to use their jokes just enough to not become tired.

It is very clear the thought and effort and care that goes into making this show and I, for one, greatly appreciate it.

[UNOSEZ]

11 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

totally want to know how Chidi ended up with a socket wrench during his sleepless stupor to Eleanor's hotel room!

Knowing this show a scene or an entire episode will deal with the time he left the hospital to when he showed up at Eleanor... And if they aren't planning to make chidi and Eleanor a thing... They are  not doing a good job of convincing us.. Tho most of the time she was always more smitten( Al least outwardly)  than chidi with all his indecisiveness and now he has a GF ( who's awesome btw)  so that adds some weight 

[Rockstar99435]

13 hours ago, JessDVD said:

I knew no way would Eleanor be into Trevor's shtick... Not quite sure if that's what Trevor planned.

I think Trevor's plan was to annoy Eleanor so much that she quit the study and went back to the US.

Janet is the best. I loved her line about how humans only live for 80 years and have to spend most of that time waiting for stuff. 

[Bruinsfan]

10 hours ago, SailorGirl said:

I think that's why his annoying presence works so well -- its the perfect amount of annoying and then he goes away for a while. You don't get beaten over the head with it until you just can't watch anymore. 

I must have a much lower tolerance for him, I was ready for him to be gone by the time he and Michael had their confrontation in the hallway.

Loved the idea of the America-themed restaurant in Australia, and pretty much every moment Janet was onscreen. And the end with the Judge confronting everybody.

[LBS]

Did anyone get the Luc Longley blurb on the AUS magazine?  Kristin Bell posted it on IG but I couldn't make out that corner.  Full disclosure - I had a massive crush on Luc when he was on the Bulls in the 90's so this is very important to me.  :)

I kind of liked how they all aren't fully invested in each other quite yet as a group yet but are forming similar "soulmate" bonds on their with own their original Michael picked soulmates.   He had picked them to torment each other but maybe they are actually meant to be (not even romantically but that they bring out the best of each other).

[cpcathy]

I have to say, I have NO clue as to where this season is going. Last year, I could not imagine a full season of the cockroaches sitting in a classroom learning ethics, and was happy when that wasn't entirely the case. Now, I can't foresee an entire season on Earth, with no powers for Michael and Janet. I do miss the fake Good Place, and the other demons, and even Eleanor's clown house.  We really do get something different each season.

[Mabinogia]

1 hour ago, whiporee said:

Also, according to the podcast, the back of the sweatshirt read: I went to Australia and all I got was this lousy cross-disciplinary study and a ton of new best friends. 

Now I want it even more!

[Danny Franks]

Okay, I laughed my arse off at "if you purchase our Manifest Destiny package, you can have anyone you want forcibly removed from the table." Although Australians are pretty much the last people who should be making jokes like that. But digs at obnoxious American culture are always fun.

Janet appearing in the restaurant was yet another genuine surprise, in this episode. Seeing her distress over not having the powers of a Janet on Earth was really interesting. Her character is progressing so quickly, and I'm actually finding her more interesting right now than the humans.

I really hope Trevor is not around all season. There's a certain amount of mileage to be had from a guy who is incredibly annoying and grating to everyone else... and they reached that limit by the end of this episode.

The gag about Jason wanting to become Spider-Man was great, and I'm enjoying Eleanor's sort of fond, tolerant treatment of him. And the gag about the Jaguars actually being good, and Michael gasping, "that's impossible!" made me laugh as well.

Eleanor has latched onto Chidi too quickly, for my tastes. It doesn't feel right for her character, even the improved version. I feel pretty sure now that they're heading towards a love triangle, with Eleanor as the third leg, yearning after Chidi and trying to be happy for him when he's with Simone. And that does not do it for me. I also have no interest in them revisiting Jason/Tahani, while Janet is tormented. Did that last season, and it ran its course in a handful of episodes. All in all, I'm not sure I like a lot of the 'new' dynamics on the show this season.

Hopefully the writers are too smart to fall into the same lazy, well-trodden writing tropes that most other shows would leap on. The writers should have earned my trust by now, but I've seen too many shows where I felt that was true, and they ended up disappointing me.

[meep.meep]

13 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

I liked that Eleanor was reading "AUS Weekly" magazine.

And the headline was something about a certain celebrity not being "Hemsworthy"

[RainbowBrite]

I have to wonder if viewer's enjoyment of Trevor (both in this season and the first) has to do with residual love for his character on Parks & Rec...because I watched Season 1 of the Good Place without having watching P&R and found Trevor to be fine but nothing special, although comments on here made me feel like I was missing something. Between that time and now, I have binged P&R and found Trevor to be more entertaining upon rewatch. I was still ready to be done with him by the end of this episode.

Edited October 5, 2018 by RainbowBrite

[Loandbehold]

2 minutes ago, RainbowBrite said:

I have to wonder if viewer's enjoyment of Trevor (both in this season and the first) has to do with residual love for his character on Parks & Rec

Before he was on P&R, I saw Adam Scott on Party Down. He plays a character different from both Ben and Trevor. You should check it out.

 

4 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

And the headline was something about a certain celebrity not being "Hemsworthy"

I missed that! And I forgot Luc Longley is Australian so that joke passed me by as well.

 

14 minutes ago, Danny Franks said:

Eleanor has latched onto Chidi too quickly, for my tastes. It doesn't feel right for her character, even the improved version. I feel pretty sure now that they're heading towards a love triangle, with Eleanor as the third leg, yearning after Chidi and trying to be happy for him when he's with Simone. And that does not do it for me.

I don't see that as out of character. Eleanor comes across as a see it. Like it. Have it person.

As for the potential love triangle,

Spoiler

I don't know if you listen to the podcasts, but you might want to check out the most recent one w/ Jameela Jamil and one of the writers. Actually more of an anti-spoiler, but to be safe I've put it here.

[festivus]

1 hour ago, RainbowBrite said:

I have to wonder if viewer's enjoyment of Trevor (both in this season and the first) has to do with residual love for his character on Parks & Rec...because I watched Season 1 of the Good Place without having watching P&R and found Trevor to be fine but nothing special, although comments on here made me feel like I was missing something. Between that time and now, I have binged P&R and found Trevor to be more entertaining upon rewatch. I was still ready to be done with him by the end of this episode.

I think you may be onto something there. I was totally ready for Trevor to be gone, a little goes a long way, but I absolutely loved Adam Scott on Parks & Rec. He ended up being my favorite character. Loved him in Party Down too.

[iMonrey]

I wonder if there really are American-themed restaurants in Australia, or anywhere else for that matter.

I thought this episode was stronger than the first two and felt more like the previous seasons, and that's mainly due to Janet's increased involvement, and Trevor. But there's still something off about the whole season. I guess it's because a.) they have no memories of "The Good Place" and their past interactions, and b.) they're no longer in "The Good Place," which is somehow less interesting. It's not as fun.

[arc]

Chidi and Simone are sleeping over! He can move pretty fast once he gets over his indecisiveness.

[Mabinogia]

9 minutes ago, arc said:

Chidi and Simone are sleeping over! He can move pretty fast once he gets over his indecisiveness.

I know. I have to admit, when she mentioned that he wasn't sleeping I was like, "hmm, how would she....wait, are they...OMG! YAY!!!!!!" I love Simone and I think her and Chidi are adorable together so it made me very, very happy that they are having sleepovers. I also love him and Eleanor and think I'd be happy either way the show goes. Honestly I am on board for whatever they choose to do. I trust these writers that much.

[meep.meep]

I thought she knew he wasn't sleeping because she found him at his desk in the morning.  And he said he'd managed to have  8 minutes of sleep, not consecutive of course.

[cpcathy]

11 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

I thought she knew he wasn't sleeping because she found him at his desk in the morning.  And he said he'd managed to have  8 minutes of sleep, not consecutive of course.

This is what I thought as well.

[AnimeMania]

2 hours ago, meep.meep said:

And the headline was something about a certain celebrity not being "Hemsworthy"

Hems-Worthless

meet LARRY the Hemsworth Brother They

Don't Want You To Know About