Can a season finale be so good that it makes the entire season better in hindsight? If the first season of The Good Place is any indication then absolutely.
The Good Place is a sitcom about Eleanor dying and going to heaven (which in this show is called The Good Place), which leaves her shocked since she was a pretty awful person during her lifetime. Adamant that she doesn't belong in The Good Place and that something's not right, Eleanor spends the season adjusting to her new unlife, getting to know the others in The Good Place, and unraveling the mystery of what she's doing there. As you can tell from the summary, The Good Place is incredibly high concept for a sitcom, seeing as it takes place in heaven. The show uses special effects fairly frequently and isn't afraid to use its uniquely fantastical sandbox to creative some truly weird and trippy gags. But even with all the fancy set-dressing, The Good Place is as funny as any sitcom written by the guy responsible for The Office, Parks And Rec, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. If anything, the setting allows for even more comedic creativity. There are a lot of very smart, witty, and quotable lines in pretty much every episode that just wouldn't have been possible outside of that heaven setting. The cast is also absolutely fantastic and has incredibly strong chemistry with each other, with Ted Danson as Michael and Jameela Jamil as Tahani being the most noticeable highlights for me.
The Good Place does two things that really sets it apart from other sitcoms though. First, there's the fact that the show actually deals with philosophical themes and morality. What would earn someone the right to go to a theoretical heaven? Are selfless acts really selfless if they have a motivation behind them? Is it possible for someone to reform and redeem themselves? The Good Place tackles some really complicated and heavy questions, but manages to do so in an impressively light and easy-to-digest manner. The Good Place is incredibly close to being an educational show about philosophy, which makes it all the more admirable that it manages to balancing being entertaining and discussing these topics without watering them down. The other thing that makes The Good Place, especially this season, stand out is the utter lack of a status quo. The Good Place became known for its ridiculously fast plot progression, plot twists that repeatedly pull the tablecloth out from under you, and unwillingness to stay still. Nearly every episode has some big twist or reveal, all culminating in the phenomenal finale where we learn The Good Place was actually The Bad Place (hell) all along. It's a perfect twist, expertly foreshadowed, incredibly unpredictable, and it makes you want to rewatch the season to see how brilliantly everything has been set-up. The only problem is that Season 1 of The Good Place hinges on that twist, so the season can actually be a bit slow-moving on first viewing, especially before the midseason finale where things really start to kick into gear. Unfortunately, even with the meticulously twist planning, not even The Good Place could really escape sitcom growing pains.
Highlights:
Most Improved Player: The Good Place's midseason finale was a big turning point for the series in terms of quality and stakes, as Eleanor publicly announces that she doesn't belong in The Good Place. Most Improved Player does a great job at following up with that cliffhanger by giving a bunch of juicy The Bad Place lore with the introduction of Trevor and "real Eleanor". Trevor also happens to be played by Adam Scott and his devilish (literally) performance adds a lot of humor to the episode.
Chidi's Choice: In between a lengthy streak of big plot twists, Chidi's Choice feels like a bit of a breather, and it's all the better for it. Chidi's Choice is pure comedy from start to finish, from Jason's bizarre wedding with Janet, to the love triangle shenanigans that get blown completely out of proportion, to Chidi's indecisiveness that's at least funny for most of the episode.
Mindy St Claire: Coming right before the season finale, Mindy St Claire lays the final bit of groundwork for the big twist, while also revealing a lot more lore as we learn about the titular character and her "Medium Place". The episode also introduces one of my favorite running gags in the series, Jason's molotov cocktail.
Michael's Gambit: I pretty much said everything I needed to say about the big twist in Michael's Gambit earlier on in the review, it's a perfect twist. It fits perfectly into the information you've been given while also recontextualizing everything to the point where you want to rewatch the whole season. The delivery is perfect, from Eleanor's big "ah-ha" moment to Michael's sudden burst into demonic laughter (amazing performance from Ted Danson there, by the way). And even if you did see the twist coming or were spoiled, there's still a pretty massive cliffhanger that can easily leave you just as blindsided. Michael's Gambit is a phenomenal piece of television and one of my favorite episodes of all time.
Overall, while it probably fares better on a second or third viewing, this is a strong first season for The Good Place. The cast is memorable and has great chemistry, the writing expertly blends great humor with thought-provoking philosophical discussions, and the final twist completely recontextualizes the season in the best way possible.
4/5 Stars
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