The Good Place, S03E01-E02, "Everything Is Bonzer!"

[kate_nepveu]

(I number these as two episodes because then there are 13 episodes in the season and that is the Proper Number of episodes in a half-length season and I am happy. And because they're Chapter 27 and Chapter 28 on-screen.)

I sat on the floor so I could pet the dog while watching this and I am so, so glad for that whole experience, especially today.

SPOILERS

What an extremely short "previously on," such a contrast to season 2's opener!

The key on the desk is flagged so hard as a gun on the mantelpiece that I almost wonder if it's a red herring. (The frog mug was also genuinely nice, even if Michael had a dual motivation! (I keep waiting for the show to revisit the question of motivation.))

Simone is great. I love her and even though I firmly believe that "I was dropped into a cave, and you were my flashlight" is one of the most romantic lines of recent memory, I also love that Chidi and Eleanor get along really well platonically—another nail in the coffin of soulmates—and I will nourish a small flame of hope for some more substantial Eleanor/Tahani.

We shall lightly pass over why Chidi is a professor (?!) and writing a thesis. Maybe he's not a professor, maybe he's an adjunct or lecturer or equivalent? I could've sworn that Michael got him to throw his book in the trash in S1, not his thesis. Anyway. I will check later. Maybe this is a purposeful divergence, one of those ripple effects?

"Twenty for seven." Jason, I love you. And I also love how sweet he is and that he wasn't where Michael thought he would be, that he was moving again on his own too.

Trevor! I thought it would be Shawn, but Trevor is much worse because Adam Scott can much more plausibly worm his way in there. Ah external threats as well as internal!

Yes, Janet, thank you for lampshading the weirdness of the quasi-parental relationships here, and also for continuing to be you and awesome.

Richard Marx approved the use of that song, with great generosity and good humor. And here are some annotations.

I'm so happy to be back with this show and just go with it.

Comments

[jenett]

I really really loved the Eleanor and Tahani interactions (I finished watching the last episode of S2 just before watching S3 tonight, and the two bits of that are also a really interesting thing together.) I don't necessarily ship them, but I don't not, either, but I adore seeing them be friends.

Simone is awesome, and all her geekiness that is not like Chidi's geekiness, especially.

(I agree on the thesis. And he's got an awfully nice office. His door sign says "Professor", fwiw.)

This episode also made me go "Ted Danson is a really amazing actor" about every five minutes. (Everyone else was great, too, but seeing the range he was playing...)

[kate_nepveu]

In S01E03, Michael tells Chidi that he couldn't read his book, which Chidi generally refers to as a manuscript. Also, looking at Michael's face during that speech is _really different_!

And you're right, the door does say Professor, and not even Assistant or Associate, just Professor.

They consult with academics on the philosophy, so I give it slightly higher than usual odds that this is on purpose.

I need nothing bad to happen to Simone at all ever. I think I can probably trust the show to get that level right.

Edit: also re Eleanor and Tahani, yes exactly; I listened to the official podcast which pointed out something I'd felt but not articulated, which is that this is the warmest we've been Eleanor be at this point in a reboot because she doesn't have her back against the wall, Tahani's not a threat or being compared to her, and it's just really nice.

[ironed_orchid]

Professor is a pretty serious title in Australia, I've only met one who was under 40.

Buuuuuuuuut.... this is a US TV show, so I give them a pass on pretty much anything that is going to make it easier for viewers to understand.

I just hope that watching Chidi struggle with working on his [whatever it is] is enough of a deterrent to most of those who think philosophy professor looks like a fun job, (I mean, I'm sure it can be and I used to desperately want it, but the job opportunities are awful and there are lots of other good contexts to engage in ideas about ethics.)

I do enjoy the constant reminder that everyone hates moral philosophers :-D

ted danson is amazing

[(Anonymous)]

just gonna throw this incredibly trivial detail here in case you don't know about it. it's my favorite thing in the show

last episode of season one, when everyone is sitting around after the reveal, ted danson knocks an object off the table in annoyance. it's an homage to steve martin's "ruprect" in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (on Stan in my parts, which is australia btw and yes professorships are career pinnacles because they usually come with permanent tenure), knocking things off a mantelpiece (around 36:30). totally worth cueing the two scenes up for a look. actually totally worth watching DRS

Re: ted danson is amazing

[kate_nepveu]

thank you, kind anon!

[skygiants]

Simone is so good! I also love Chidi/Eleanor but I love how well these episodes emphasized that there are all these different kind of close relationships and they're all important - romance is a thing but not THE thing, Chidi and Eleanor don't make each other better because they're destined to be in love but because they complement each other regardless.

I also hold out hope that this will be the Eleanor/Tahani season -- although Michael's frustration of thwarted OTP was hilarious, and I look forward to someone eventually explaining to him about multishipping.

[kate_nepveu]

My ideal ships at present are, Simone/Chidi, Eleanor/Tahani, and Janet/Jason, just because and then no-one is left out!

[skygiants]

I think my ideal is Simone/Chidi/Eleanor/Tahani sedoretu with side Jason/Janet!

[ironed_orchid]

We shall lightly pass over why Chidi is a professor (?!) and writing a thesis.

Yeah, I am actively suspending my disbelief on this one. In Australia we don't call all lecturers/tutors professor in the first place, and it's highly unlikely anyone without PhD would be a course co-ordinator. Maaaaaybe he means his post-doc?

I loved this episode and even the terrible Australian accents were adorable. Simone is a great addition, and I am so happy Eleanor did not response with jealousy. I really enjoyed Michael's excursion to earth and the frog cup.

That's so CUTE about Richard Marx. What a nice human.

[kate_nepveu]

Hmm! I guess we'll see if any of the academic stuff ends up having plot significance--I just keep remembering S1 and all the stuff I shrugged at as sitcom logic, you know?

I know, I loved that response of Marx's.

[naomikritzer]

I adore Simone, and I was really delighted to see that rather than going for "romantic rivalry, love triangle" they had Eleanor decide to play matchmaker for these two delightful nerds. Both because I like the platonic versions of Eleanor and Chidi just fine, and because I ship Eleanor with Tahani.

ABD Chidi having a super-desirable job with "Professor" on his door makes no sense, but whatever. Hollywood so consistently gets academia wrong, this one barely even pinged my radar.

[kate_nepveu]

On the official podcast Jen Statsky, who cowrote the first chapter and wrote the second, said that they were extremely deliberate about avoiding women fighting over a dude because fuck the patriarchy.

I'm hoping that they will be as deliberate about avoiding the subtler ways that black characters can get mistreated.

And as I said above, re: academia, I just keep remembering S1 and all the stuff I shrugged at as sitcom logic, you know? So just have to wait and see.