Forking Good!
Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell) is dead. To her surprise, she’s ended up in the “Good Place” instead of the “Bad Place” and the architect of the Neighborhood named Michael (Ted Danson) has no idea. Eleanor must keep her secret and her soulmate Chidi Anagonye (William Jackson Harper) could be the key. Eleanor’s secret is big and avoiding revealing it to her perfect neighbor Tahani Al-Jamil (Jameela Jamil) and her soulmate Jianyu Li (Manny Jacinto) could be impossible…plus, Michael and his watchful recorder Janet (D’Arcy Carden) could always uncover the secret. Eleanor is learning being dead is forking hard.
The Good Place—Season 1 aired from September 19, 2016 to January 19, 2016 on NBC. The comedy was released to critical acclaim but did struggle with ratings.
I would watch a whole spin-off series about Nightmare George Washington Clown
The Good Place was one of those shows that promos looked promising. NBC and other networks have burned me multiple times with shows that look good but only contain the good jokes in the promos. Fortunately, The Good Place isn’t one of those shows. Do to some of the storyline, a *******spoiler alert******* exists for the show.
The Good Place is one of those shows that builds on itself. While the first few episodes are good, the series gets better. The characters build on each other and each episodes. There are repeating jokes, throwback jokes, and tons of little jabs that make the show fun to watch (and rewatch). If you look at the story as a whole, you can see where it is leading and how it leads there, but the individual episodes are a nice lead up. Of course with Chidi being a philosopher, you’d kind of expect him to know the play No Exit since it is essentially the same concept…Hell is other people.
I’m waiting for an all karaoke episode
The cast is good. Kristen Bell gets to play a bit closer to her Veronica Mars character (combined with most of the villains from the show) which works well for her, and Ted Danson works because he gets to play against his character (within the show). The rest of the core cast backs up the two “stars” and works well as an ensemble. There aren’t really any weak links since the characters all serve a different purpose in the story
The series also is allowed to play a lot with visuals. Since it is the afterlife, anything is possible and the series plays that up. It is allowed to mix everyday visuals with extreme visuals which adds fun…and all comes into question at the end.
The Good Place—Season 1 is a good start to good series…so it isn’t a misnomer. Give the series and a chance and definitely watch more than one or two episodes to let the characters and the events sink in. It is the type of show that benefits binge watching and viewer loyalty. I don’t know where the series will go from how the season ends but I look forward to finding out the path to enlightenment.
The Good Place—Season 1 Complete Episode Guide:
“Everything Is Fine”
1.1 Everything Is Fine Airdate: 09/19/16
Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell) has died. Due to her good life of servitude, she’s ended up in “the Good Place” where her neighborhood is managed by Michael (Ted Danson). Unfortunately, Eleanor doesn’t belong in the Good Place…in fact, the Bad Place is more her style. Eleanor reveals her secret to her soulmate Chidi Anagonye (William Jackson Harper), but Eleanor’s actions might have an effect on her neighborhood.
“Flying”
1.2 Flying Airdate: 09/19/16
The neighborhood has been struck by trash and disaster…and Chidi realizes that Eleanor is responsible. Faced with cleaning up the neighborhood or flying, Eleanor thinks it is an easy choice, but Chidi has other ideas. Michael finds his neighborhood is in self-destruction and questions what he’s done wrong.
“Tahani Al-Jamil”
1.3 Tahani Al-Jamil Airdate: 09/22/16
Eleanor receives a threatening note and suspects someone knows her secret. With Tahani Al-Jamil (Jameela Jamil) as her prime suspect, Eleanor decides to spend time with Tahani and learn if she has a secret. Michael and Janet (D’Arcy Carden) tries to get Chidi to get new hobbies other than ethics. Tahani’s soulmate Jianyu Li (Manny Jacinto) has his own secret.
“Jason Mendoza”
1.4 Jason Mendoza Airdate: 09/29/16
Eleanor and Jianyu question why they are in the Good Place, but Eleanor and Chidi worry that Jianyuwill reveal their secret. Michael and Tahani try to cheer up the neighborhood by opening the Good Plates.
“Category 55 Doomsday Crisis”
1.5 Category 55 Doomsday Crisis Airdate: 10/06/16
Chidi continue to try to educate Eleanor and Jianyu. Michael and Janet find that the sinkhole is actually getting bigger instead of repairing itself. Bart (John Hartmann) and Nina (Monnae Michaell) are brought stay with Eleanor and Chidi, but their background could be dangerous for Chidi and Eleanor. Tahani discovers that she’s rank second to last in Michael’s manual and sets out to right it.
“What We Owe Each Other”
1.6 What We Owe to Each Other Airdate: 10/13/16
Eleanor learns Michael is exploring every aspect of the neighborhood to try to determine what is the weak point, but it could backfire. Jianyu convinces Chidi to join him and Tahani at a couples retreat.
“The Eternal Shriek”
1.7 The Eternal Shriek Airdate: 10/20/16
Michael has decided to retire, but retirement for an Architect isn’t what it seems. Chidi remembers being tested in life by a colleague (Dominic Burgess) and his cowboy boots. Chidi and Eleanor debate killing Janet to keep Michael in the neighborhood, but fate could step in.
“Most Improved Player”
1.8 Most Improved Player Airdate: 10/27/16
Eleanor comes clean about her misplacement in the neighborhood, but Janet’s rebooting could keep Michael from clearing up the problem. Chidi and Jianyu worry they might have to go to the Bad Place, but Michael begins to go through Eleanor’s file…and Trevor (Adam Scott) from the Bad Place might have to claim her.
“…Someone Like Me as a Member”
1.9 …Someone Like Me as a Member Airdate: 11/03/16
The real Eleanor Shellstrop (Tiya Sircar) is in the Bad Place…and as long as Eleanor Shellstrop stays in the Good Place, the other Eleanor must stay in the Bad Place. Michael finds he is bending over to Trevor and that he must make a decision.
“Chidi’s Choice”
1.10 Chidi’s Choice Airdate: 01/05/17
Tahani has uncover Jianyu’s secret and questions who her real soulmate is. Real Eleanor works on Fake Eleanor’s defense, and Eleanor makes a discovery about her relationship with Chidi. Chidi tries to help Michael with the trial and deals with his indecisiveness.
“What’s My Motivation”
1.11 What’s My Motivation Airdate: 01/12/17
Jason and Janet celebrate their marriage, and Jason debates going public about their relationship. Eleanor and Tahani try to boost Eleanor’s score, but Eleanor realizes a flaw in the plan. As Jason, Janet, and Eleanor come up with a plan, the judge Shawn (Marc Evan Jackson) arrives in the neighborhood.
“Mindy St. Claire”
1.12 Mindy St. Claire Airdate: 01/19/17
Jason, Janet, and Eleanor escape to the Medium Place and meet Mindy St. Claire (Maribeth Monroe). Shawn makes his decision on Eleanor, and it could mean problems for the Neighborhood.
“Michael’s Gambit”
1.13 Michael’s Gambit Airdate: 01/19/17
Jason, Janet, Tahani, and Chidi must decide who will go to the Bad Place…but Eleanor discovers the heart of Michael’s plans.
