That first reveal is one of the greatest twists in television history, and the montage of failures from season 2 is one of the funniest scenes ever put to screen. I also love how the spoken word jazz was too far and was an immediate outing.
You're gonna love the film theory video on this topic. They basically argue that this entire elaborate plan was really Michael being tortured as even when he wins, he somehow ends up losing.
@@tasmiatahia_write_dream_change I mean, Michael was exposed to the idea on a few occasions, one of the ideas the group had for how to defeat Michael was "convince him _he's_ the one in The Bad Place", and Eleanor mentions the idea as well on Earth during a freakout. He just seems to shrug the whole thing off.
For the record, Jason figured it out at least twice, he's just not great at contextualizing his realizations and often buckled to other influences. The first time we met him, he was sure they were in some kind of prank show, which was basically correct, but Eleanor dismissed it.
@@ChristophBrinkmann They aren't being set up in a specific way by a whole crew of people who are in on it while they aren't? Also, I said 'basically' correct, which means it wasn't 100% correct. Also also, the showrunners really clearly intended that to show Jason's hidden depths, and have said as much.
@@AdamdiditJason is kinda like some sort of anime protagonist. I wonder if that's the reason I found his...aura (in lack of a better word) super cute.
I remember the writers not to color the acting only divulged that information to ted and kristen before the reading of the script for the season 1 finale. Theres a video online of that script reading where the other principle cast member react to that reveal
Really…? I figured it out by the third episode. By then I thought to myself “the Good Place doesn’t seem very good.” Then, it hit me, just like it hit Eleanor…
That first laugh of Michael's was so good. The first time I watched this, I thought Eleanor was completely wrong and her impulsive accusation was going to make everything worse for the group. Then Ted Danson lets out that deliciously villainous "GDLHUHUHUeheheheheh"
I watched an interview with Ted Danson after the first season aired and apparently the whole cast thought he had the evil laugh impression perfected but that is just his normal laugh lol, I can't find it again but that interview was hilarious he just seemed so confused about it
I don't know what's worse: Jason figuring it out, or poor Tahani never actually figuring it out, despite Attempt #2 essentially pushing her too far. Like even Chidi got to figure it out once.
@@tasmiatahia_write_dream_changeto be fair we don't actually see all the reboots so it's possible she did. But on the other hand part of the reason she's here in the first place is that she also self-assured of her goodness so even if she figured something out she might not get to an answer that means she didn't make it to the food place
For me, it's the look of disbelief and fear on Michael's face as Jason's getting to the point, because he really couldn't believe what was about to happen.
Jason said the first time he thought they were on a prank show, which was getting there,close. He also said he would try to figure out what was going on when “meditating.” He knew something was wrong just not what. He’s not as stupid as everyone thinks.
The fact that the music for the good place and the whole in general remind me of how it feels to play the Sims and suddenly they start doing things that cause massive chaos 11:46
I'm not surprised because Tahani and Chidi were convinced that they definitely deserved to be in the good place so that would explain why they wouldn't entertain the idea that maybe they were actually in the bad place. As for Janet, maybe she knew but didn't say anything because of how she was programmed.
@@angelanders.nActually, I think this is talked about in the epsiode that talks about how Micheal got Janet in the bad place. I think he lied to Good Place Janet that she was in the Good Place, and due to her Good Place programming she probably never thought he would lie to her.
"This is your soulmate: Tahani." - I can work with that. "This is your soulmate: a golden retriever." - If I can still hook up with Tahani, I can work with that.
I just find it hilarious that one of Michael's attempts involved trying to convince Eleanor that she's into bestiality... I wonder how long it took her to figure it out that time
no. No. You cant seriously think that the revelation that the place that has pretty much been torturing our incredibly flawed main characters the whole time wasn't actually an eternal paradise was somehow clever, right?
@@jacobhargiss3839 Even the actual Good Place towards the end of the show turned out to be far from perfect, so, yes, obviously tis would've been an option.
One of the greatest? I don't know about that. It is a great show, to be sure, but I think how strong it started actually makes how weak it finished even *worse.* I find that, unlike other shows, I have absolutely zero desire to rewatch it. (Of course, here I am watching clips, so maybe not, lol.)
@mylesleggette7520 Personally I think the ending was very good and absolutely satisfying! I totally love the ending and I don't think it could have been much better. Also I think the final Season was as great as the seasons before! But hey everyone has a different taste and your opinion is as good as mine.
It was so emotional when they all dissolve into the light at the end, after having lived thousands of life times together, yet in the end it's not enough, just you grow tired and want it all to end.
I struggled with this aspect of the show. The thing i realized was the people in the actual good place would not be bored. I mean Earth is the ultimate TV show. Pick a spot and watch what happens. Also, they had options to be architects and continue to grow and help others. They rushed this so hard. That last season was ridiculous. I'd be watching history replays.
It's ultimately a look at what the afterlife would be like if there's no God. If we define Heaven as nothing more than a series of experiences, we would eventually get bored and tired of it all. It would be useless. It wouldn't actually be Heaven. The only way eternal life actually makes sense is if we spend it in the presence of the very reason we exist.
@epiphany8429 Thank you for this statement. It is true. A demon running heaven as a good guy. Marketing hell as not that bad and you don't need to live in Christ you'll have many chances in the afterlife. Wow. That's the point of the show. I wasn't even close in my first assessment.
@@merie1969I don't think you quite grasp what eternity means and how quickly you will experience everything. Your brain only gets excited by new experiences so it will be absolutely bored after it witnesses a human do the same thing for the 10 trillionth time
@hippiecheapskate i just disagree with your statement entirely. Yes, I get it will be in the blink of an eye. Maybe timelines are slowed or sped up based on what you believe. I dont think heaven exists in the same timeline events Earth does. I have my beliefs and when I watched the show I found it great. The last season though I realized it was a sketch comedy to make us think we have more chances to getting into heaven than we do.
When they found out that the Good Place is actually BORING AF. We waited to see the Good Place for so long just to watch it being the most boring Place.
Kristin Bell is such a phenomenal actress. Sometimes I feel like i never would have been interested in the constant "figuring it out" but she truly is able to display such a wide range of emotions and also be so relatable
The writing of this show is a masterclass example to all Hollywood "Lost" type producers, that revealing the genius concept, or getting together two main characters does automatically mean "end of the show" you don't have to split people up, or create "drama", the audience is invested, we care about what happens next, just be inventive, pay your writers properly, and it will only get better. They revealed the twist at the end of the FIRST season, then all this was in ONE episode. The "Friends" producers would have made every one of these a season of their own, until no-one cares any more.
Those subtle moments are what they do absolutely brilliantly. Like each of the characters slowly morphing into real versions of the good people they were pretending to be or thought they were. Jason becomes a zen “monk”. Eleanor becomes so good she refuses to leave until she has saved everyone including Michael, Tahani becomes the hard working philanthropist putting in max effort to lessen suffering and Chidi gains actual wisdom into the ethics that he had no real world basis for at the start. This is why this is one of the best shows ever.
I still understand how he ever thought this could work. Manipulate four different people into torturing eachother, convince them they are in the good place, and all this hinges on two of them staying convinced they are in the good place by mistake and nothing can be done about it for all eternity? He only kept this up for what a year max?
I think Michael was relying on the improvisational aspect of the experiment to keep it going indefinitely. He also believed that all humans were selfish, predictable, and incapable of change (which seemed to be the normal Bad Place mentality at this point), so all of those were massive curveballs for him.
@@jkta97 Yep, that was the basic flaw, he expected a static situation he could manipulate at will. Like, you can push a tetherball around all you want, but it's forever tied to the pole.
Really if he wanted humans to torture eachother, all he needed to do was split them into groups where some had complete authority over the others. That always results in suffering and violence.
@@kylewilkins6149 I think they explained this during Jeremy Bearimy. Time doesn’t flow in a straight line, it’s full of loops. The equivalent of 300 human years have passed. So Michael has been torturing them, reseting, and doing it over and over again for 300 years time.
Honestly the fact that their was an attempt where Eleanor and Tahani where matched as "soulmates"...and it's only a one second throw away joke and not a full episode(or at least a 5-10 min bit) was seriously wasted potential. Watching their characters that hate each other by default try to fake a loving relationship to not be found out as being in the wrong place would've been hilarious.
even just 2 minutes of them trying that... then again, knowing them, I doubt that "relationship" would have lasted even 1 minute before falling apart...
At least in the first few times, it seems the major error is that they forced an ultimatum situation. Even if it worked out, you had them on a time limit to decide. Where were they planning to go after that? It's a limited time torture, and then you're left with 3 potentially guilt ridden people. Maybe bring in a new number 4 and rotate people around? (I know, it's the way it's written, just suspending disbelief). That said, it seems to be every time they hit a certain 'pain threshold' that it got discovered. Seems to be the kind of thing like in Good Omens with the highway. Low level evil, constantly generated. Their best bet was to maintain a neighborhood that would constantly do low-level stress and psych torture and never rise above a certain threshold. Use it as a low intensity workplace for the Bad Place workers lol
He got some of those little things absolutely right, like Chidi doing the dishes every night, which was a low level annoyance for him, and added on top Eleanor not even realising that it's not magically done is the cherry on the cake.
The point is it's supposed to be an automated solution to hell. Getting the humans to torture each other instead of demons. This is a beta test, with the idea that you eventually replace all the Demons excluding maybe an Administrator as Torturers. If you need to randomly cancel and reset the scenario or continously monitor the people or rotate the cast every time a human 'works it out' then the automation isn't working and it's actually more work than the traditional torturer demon - torturee solution, and Jason is the final nail in the coffin, because if Jason works it out, any human, will eventually, work it out.
The "Eleanor figured it out" scene may have been the big twist for the audience - but the point where Michael's plan really fell apart came few episodes earlier when Eleanor stands up and publicly confesses to being a fraud in a way that Michael couldn't sweep under the carpet. After that, The Plan was circling the drain and Micheal was clutching at straws to keep going - such as forcing the ultimatum. Attempt 2 was doomed as soon as Eleanor found the note. In the other "ultimatum" reboot with them standing around the obelisk - it looks like, once again, one of the humans had "come out" and wrecked the plan. I guess the exit strategy from the ultimatum scenario would be that the "bad humans" should have grabbed at the chance to send "real Eleanor"/Vicky - and maybe some other "innocent" - to the Bad Place in their stead, so the torture could continue (...helped by the need to conceal what they had done from the other "residents") - but Michael is still desperately improvising at that point. Again, Eleanor wrecks this by agreeing to go - although this time she's worked it out and is calling Michael's bluff rather than sacrificing herself. One observation - Michael *did* succeed in torturing them for over 300 years - aided by memory wipes and reboots - and that only stopped because Vicky caused trouble.
The season 1 twist was definitely something we have not had in a TV series, in a very long time. This show really connected with a wide range of audience preferences. Maybe not deep mainstream culture but definitely people who need a bit of reflection in their lives. Pandemic also gave that real world pause to reflect on society and individual efforts in life.
I remember watching this for the first time, and i know everyone else has said the same thing, but the scene when Jason figured it out is the funniest scene for me in this whole show. No one would ever have expected that.
Ted Danson's acting when Jason figures it out needs to get some flowers. The slow realization and dying inside makes me wheeze until he's outwardly baffled and repulsed. Just amazing.
When this first aired, I suspected something when Sean went into a chrysalis in “time out.” It hit me when Eleanor first realized it. Holy shirt! The Screwtape Letters!
@@andreal5445 The Screwtape Letters is a novel written by CS Lewis, in which a senior devil (Screwtape) is coaching his nephew Wormwood on how to tempt the human he is assigned to. When Sean went into a chrysalis mode when he was angry or annoyed, that should have tipped me off right then, because Screwtape had done much the same thing. I didn’t remember it right away because it had been years since I’d read the novel. But when Eleanor figured it out, it hit me.
You'll never convince me that the first time Eleanor figured it out isn't the best plot twist in any TV show ever. Not a single plot hole, and rewatching it knowing the twist makes the first season even better.
Ted Danson's laugh is just perfect and completely shattered his character in a way that made the story work better. It is 5 seconds of acting that tied half a season together and should get more praise!
I love the gliding clown one, how Eleanor gets shushed by Chidi and Tahani when she figures it out, as though they're like "we KNOW, don't make it WORSE!"
All the background props and ideas for the stores, teh fountain, all of it. So immaculate. What's like ice cream but a crappier version? What's an "evil" soup? Stuff like that.
Even if they kept figuring out that it was the bad place, it was already enough proof that Michael’s system really did work 😭 they could literally just be stuck in an endless hell on loop, torturing each other and resetting for all eternity, that’s a pretty solid hell.
@@Obozo_Gaming Well I want short 2~6 minutes form of new content for this universe. I can watch another few hundred of those. You know those spinoffs on disney+ for shows like zootopia or the Simpsons.
I appreciate the commitment years later to hiding this spoiler from new people. One of those golden show-recontextualizing moments where if you know from the start youre just kind of waiting for it but if it surprises you it brings new meaning to every scene that came before
A tremendous reward for anyone who watched this first season, well done, writers and staff and all you crazies. Special shout-out to that scene in a later season with all the point totals for various mortal acts, that was among the most rewindable things ever.
That first reveal is one of the greatest twists in television history, and the montage of failures from season 2 is one of the funniest scenes ever put to screen. I also love how the spoken word jazz was too far and was an immediate outing.
She was like now hold on, this is too far
@explosivtarknas1996 Aahhh, S2E2, "Dance Dance Resolution". My favorite of the series because of all the reboots!!!
I first watched the show right before season 4 came out, and I am SO glad I avoided spoilers. What a moment!
It was guessable from the 1st episode. If you really didn’t see it coming, you weren’t paying attention.
This was really well put!
Michael thinks he is torturing the group but the group are the ones torturing him 😂.
Fictional demons often underestimate humans hability to turn everything upside down.
@@JabamiLain Michael forgot to human-proof his "torture the humans" plan.
You're gonna love the film theory video on this topic. They basically argue that this entire elaborate plan was really Michael being tortured as even when he wins, he somehow ends up losing.
@@tasmiatahia_write_dream_change I mean, Michael was exposed to the idea on a few occasions, one of the ideas the group had for how to defeat Michael was "convince him _he's_ the one in The Bad Place", and Eleanor mentions the idea as well on Earth during a freakout. He just seems to shrug the whole thing off.
Snap. Nice twist!
"I'm too young to die and too old eat off the kids menu. What a stupid age I am!" - Jason was a wise monk all along
Accurate description of him.
😂
AGE??? I thought that he was saying Asian, well, makes more sense
@@vit.gsouzasame
This line cracks me up every time
For the record, Jason figured it out at least twice, he's just not great at contextualizing his realizations and often buckled to other influences. The first time we met him, he was sure they were in some kind of prank show, which was basically correct, but Eleanor dismissed it.
in dnd terms jason would be called a low intelligence/high wisdom character
It's not a prank show though...
@@ChristophBrinkmann They aren't being set up in a specific way by a whole crew of people who are in on it while they aren't?
Also, I said 'basically' correct, which means it wasn't 100% correct. Also also, the showrunners really clearly intended that to show Jason's hidden depths, and have said as much.
@@AdamdiditJason is kinda like some sort of anime protagonist. I wonder if that's the reason I found his...aura (in lack of a better word) super cute.
@@Adamdidit he’s not high wisdom on any level
"Jason figured it out? JASON!? This is a real low point. Yeah this one hurts..."
Dammit beat me to it
I always liked how Jason figuring out his plan brought Michael physical pain lmao
Michael's incredulous expression always sends me into giggles.
Technically Jason figured it out twice
I want to give you an upvote but can't get myself to move you over 666 upvotes. So this comment is my appreciation.
The first reveal was the best. I definitely didn't see that coming. After that I was pretty much hooked.
Michael's transition laugh was so perfect 😅
I remember the writers not to color the acting only divulged that information to ted and kristen before the reading of the script for the season 1 finale. Theres a video online of that script reading where the other principle cast member react to that reveal
Really…? I figured it out by the third episode. By then I thought to myself “the Good Place doesn’t seem very good.” Then, it hit me, just like it hit Eleanor…
When I first saw it I 100% thought she was completely wrong. It blew my mind when she was right.
Seriously? The better twist would have been to not have a twist in the first place.
That first laugh of Michael's was so good. The first time I watched this, I thought Eleanor was completely wrong and her impulsive accusation was going to make everything worse for the group. Then Ted Danson lets out that deliciously villainous "GDLHUHUHUeheheheheh"
the laugh and that smile were just perfect. Man looked like the perfect devil in that moment.
It was the most over-the-top "evil villain laugh." Ted nailed it!
I watched an interview with Ted Danson after the first season aired and apparently the whole cast thought he had the evil laugh impression perfected but that is just his normal laugh lol, I can't find it again but that interview was hilarious he just seemed so confused about it
I watch it and wonder how many takes Danson did before it was just PERFECT.
The laugh still gives me goosepumps
I completely forgot there was a period where Tahani was convinced she was in love with Chidi 😂
Same here. That caught me by surprise
same lolol they did a lot of switching around
Same!!!
I'm so glad they didn't continue that 😂
Jason figuring it out was such a low point for Michael that even I felt sad for him
I don't know what's worse: Jason figuring it out, or poor Tahani never actually figuring it out, despite Attempt #2 essentially pushing her too far. Like even Chidi got to figure it out once.
@@tasmiatahia_write_dream_changeto be fair we don't actually see all the reboots so it's possible she did. But on the other hand part of the reason she's here in the first place is that she also self-assured of her goodness so even if she figured something out she might not get to an answer that means she didn't make it to the food place
For me, it's the look of disbelief and fear on Michael's face as Jason's getting to the point, because he really couldn't believe what was about to happen.
Jason said the first time he thought they were on a prank show, which was getting there,close. He also said he would try to figure out what was going on when “meditating.” He knew something was wrong just not what. He’s not as stupid as everyone thinks.
This whole section is hillarious, I wish I could watch every single reboot from start to finish lol
RIGHT
Some of them lasted several months so that would've been quite a watch.
I would love to see the reboot where Tahani is her soulmate
That will take at least one Jeremy Beramy
@@kyuvenmaybe just like the highlights and important moments
The fact that the music for the good place and the whole in general remind me of how it feels to play the Sims and suddenly they start doing things that cause massive chaos 11:46
I immediately thought of sims
The best "after the fact" joke is the realization that Tahani, Chidi, and Janet never figured it out on their own.
I'm pretty sure in a later episode Michael tells Eleanor that both Chidi and Tahani did figure it out a few times.
I'm not surprised because Tahani and Chidi were convinced that they definitely deserved to be in the good place so that would explain why they wouldn't entertain the idea that maybe they were actually in the bad place.
As for Janet, maybe she knew but didn't say anything because of how she was programmed.
@@angelanders.nActually, I think this is talked about in the epsiode that talks about how Micheal got Janet in the bad place. I think he lied to Good Place Janet that she was in the Good Place, and due to her Good Place programming she probably never thought he would lie to her.
One of the best parts of this sequence and this entire series is that one demon who keeps taking his shirt off.
"I'm heading to the gym"
"Bad news! I've been going to the gym. A LOT."
Ok but I would genuinely give anything to see how the reboot with Tahani as Elenor’s soulmate went down
TOXIC YURI
wouldn't we all
I feel like it made her realize she was in the bad place a lot quicker.
I would too. Kinda like an OVA arc.
I was thinking the same thing!! That would honestly be such a fun reboot to watch!
The meta here is that THAT is the bad place for Michael too, he is being tortured.
I really thought that was going to be the second twist.
Yup. The layers in the story are sick
Film theory is that you 👀👀
I also thought this would be the twist at end of S2. It was just too perfect.
Didn't all the other demons hate him even before he started liking people
ok fine i'll rewatch the good place
Same
keep kleenex near by
It’s about time for me to do a rewatch as well.
You mean reboot?
Fine I'll do it to, you convinced me
"This is your soulmate: Tahani." - I can work with that.
"This is your soulmate: a golden retriever." - If I can still hook up with Tahani, I can work with that.
Now I'm getting all Mindy like. I want to see that.
Maybe... if it was a real golden and not a demon in a golden suit like a husky.
@@jamesmilleur3706lol😅 i like huskys but didnt know they were such demons
I just find it hilarious that one of Michael's attempts involved trying to convince Eleanor that she's into bestiality... I wonder how long it took her to figure it out that time
@@jessepinkman5702 soul mate isn't inherently romantic.
Probably among the greatest twists in television history.
They may have gotten the idea from an episode of the Twilight Zone...lol
@@er1chawk True. Still pulled it off very very well.
no. No. You cant seriously think that the revelation that the place that has pretty much been torturing our incredibly flawed main characters the whole time wasn't actually an eternal paradise was somehow clever, right?
@@jacobhargiss3839 Even the actual Good Place towards the end of the show turned out to be far from perfect, so, yes, obviously tis would've been an option.
"why can't to people be more smarter like me it was so obvious idiots"
Yea okay bud
Truly one of the greatest sitcoms of all time, from the beginning to the bittersweet ending!
This is not a situational comedy.
@@ItCameFromTheSkyBeLo
Call it fantasy comedy or philosophical comedy then, I don't really care!
One of the greatest? I don't know about that. It is a great show, to be sure, but I think how strong it started actually makes how weak it finished even *worse.* I find that, unlike other shows, I have absolutely zero desire to rewatch it. (Of course, here I am watching clips, so maybe not, lol.)
@mylesleggette7520
Personally I think the ending was very good and absolutely satisfying! I totally love the ending and I don't think it could have been much better.
Also I think the final Season was as great as the seasons before!
But hey everyone has a different taste and your opinion is as good as mine.
Michael Schur's best work ever. He's brilliant. And he should be ashamed of The office. Its rubbish
It was so emotional when they all dissolve into the light at the end, after having lived thousands of life times together, yet in the end it's not enough, just you grow tired and want it all to end.
I struggled with this aspect of the show. The thing i realized was the people in the actual good place would not be bored. I mean Earth is the ultimate TV show. Pick a spot and watch what happens. Also, they had options to be architects and continue to grow and help others. They rushed this so hard. That last season was ridiculous. I'd be watching history replays.
It's ultimately a look at what the afterlife would be like if there's no God. If we define Heaven as nothing more than a series of experiences, we would eventually get bored and tired of it all. It would be useless. It wouldn't actually be Heaven. The only way eternal life actually makes sense is if we spend it in the presence of the very reason we exist.
@epiphany8429 Thank you for this statement. It is true. A demon running heaven as a good guy. Marketing hell as not that bad and you don't need to live in Christ you'll have many chances in the afterlife. Wow. That's the point of the show. I wasn't even close in my first assessment.
@@merie1969I don't think you quite grasp what eternity means and how quickly you will experience everything. Your brain only gets excited by new experiences so it will be absolutely bored after it witnesses a human do the same thing for the 10 trillionth time
@hippiecheapskate i just disagree with your statement entirely. Yes, I get it will be in the blink of an eye. Maybe timelines are slowed or sped up based on what you believe. I dont think heaven exists in the same timeline events Earth does. I have my beliefs and when I watched the show I found it great. The last season though I realized it was a sketch comedy to make us think we have more chances to getting into heaven than we do.
glad to see I’m not the only one still obsessed with this show after years
If you haven’t listened tot he audiobook by Michael Shur you should really check it out - it’s so amazing and I listen to it all the time.
*Eleanor trying to explain the whole matrix*
Tahani: you don't love me?
The character writing so so so good 🤣🤣🤣
Chidi: PLEASE DON'T ASK ME THAT RIGHT NOW
@robardin 🤣🤣🤣
lol. Remember when "It was the Bad Place all along!" was the biggest spoiler for the Good Place?
Is it not still? I don't remember anything else on this level happening in the show
@@dolapo5179did you not SEE the Time Knife?
@@schoo9256 Yeah, it's the just the time knife, it's fine
@@schoo9256???
When they found out that the Good Place is actually BORING AF. We waited to see the Good Place for so long just to watch it being the most boring Place.
9:34 I LOOOVE the way Tahani presents herself. Especially since we know that Eleanor subconsciously lusts after Tahani 😂
"Oh this is the bad place" has permanently entered my lexicon ever since this aired
Eleanor constantly hitting on Tahani is such a great running joke.
Kristin Bell is such a phenomenal actress. Sometimes I feel like i never would have been interested in the constant "figuring it out" but she truly is able to display such a wide range of emotions and also be so relatable
phenomenal person too
One of the best plot twists in TV history. And then one of the funniest moments when Jason figured it out
I don't get it. Sumarry of christen bells' sloth pet general , biography?
Eleanor is one of my favorite fictional protagonists EVER ! And surprisingly relatable.
and her growth between the seasons is remarkable. Loved it so much
@@tasmiatahia_write_dream_changeindeed !
A bisexual mess, I can relate
Lol right when Michael snapped in the second clip, a YT commercial for the election came on and I said "this is the bad place!"
Brilliant!
So true
Holy forks this IS the Bad Place!!
the smile on Jason face when Michael confirms he figured it out. Michael's day is ruined but Jason is just so proud he figured something out.
The writing of this show is a masterclass example to all Hollywood "Lost" type producers, that revealing the genius concept, or getting together two main characters does automatically mean "end of the show" you don't have to split people up, or create "drama", the audience is invested, we care about what happens next, just be inventive, pay your writers properly, and it will only get better. They revealed the twist at the end of the FIRST season, then all this was in ONE episode. The "Friends" producers would have made every one of these a season of their own, until no-one cares any more.
And a good ending...
9:25 -- I like how he starts out 109 with doublechecking that the door to his office is shut this time. It's subtle but funny.
Those subtle moments are what they do absolutely brilliantly. Like each of the characters slowly morphing into real versions of the good people they were pretending to be or thought they were. Jason becomes a zen “monk”. Eleanor becomes so good she refuses to leave until she has saved everyone including Michael, Tahani becomes the hard working philanthropist putting in max effort to lessen suffering and Chidi gains actual wisdom into the ethics that he had no real world basis for at the start. This is why this is one of the best shows ever.
Jason figuring it out is always a highlight for me.
Ted Danson's laugh the first time she figures it out is incredible. I'll never forget that moment.
I still understand how he ever thought this could work. Manipulate four different people into torturing eachother, convince them they are in the good place, and all this hinges on two of them staying convinced they are in the good place by mistake and nothing can be done about it for all eternity? He only kept this up for what a year max?
I think Michael was relying on the improvisational aspect of the experiment to keep it going indefinitely. He also believed that all humans were selfish, predictable, and incapable of change (which seemed to be the normal Bad Place mentality at this point), so all of those were massive curveballs for him.
@@jkta97 Yep, that was the basic flaw, he expected a static situation he could manipulate at will. Like, you can push a tetherball around all you want, but it's forever tied to the pole.
Really if he wanted humans to torture eachother, all he needed to do was split them into groups where some had complete authority over the others. That always results in suffering and violence.
To be fair, it was a million step plan. Way beyond our understanding.
@@kylewilkins6149 I think they explained this during Jeremy Bearimy. Time doesn’t flow in a straight line, it’s full of loops. The equivalent of 300 human years have passed. So Michael has been torturing them, reseting, and doing it over and over again for 300 years time.
I truly wish I could go back and rewatch this entire series without knowing the twist, one of my absolute favourite twist in TV history in my opinion
I actually watched this for the first time relatively recently and that plot twist will never not be exciting.
If only we could wipe our memories and experience the twist for the first time again.
6:03 Michael’s body language just like “there you go” lmao
The best part of Jason figuring it out is the dawning realization/horror on Michael's face 🤣
Honestly the fact that their was an attempt where Eleanor and Tahani where matched as "soulmates"...and it's only a one second throw away joke and not a full episode(or at least a 5-10 min bit) was seriously wasted potential. Watching their characters that hate each other by default try to fake a loving relationship to not be found out as being in the wrong place would've been hilarious.
even just 2 minutes of them trying that... then again, knowing them, I doubt that "relationship" would have lasted even 1 minute before falling apart...
@tektonik4616 I wonder if in any of the Reboots she and jason were put together
At least in the first few times, it seems the major error is that they forced an ultimatum situation. Even if it worked out, you had them on a time limit to decide. Where were they planning to go after that? It's a limited time torture, and then you're left with 3 potentially guilt ridden people. Maybe bring in a new number 4 and rotate people around? (I know, it's the way it's written, just suspending disbelief).
That said, it seems to be every time they hit a certain 'pain threshold' that it got discovered. Seems to be the kind of thing like in Good Omens with the highway. Low level evil, constantly generated. Their best bet was to maintain a neighborhood that would constantly do low-level stress and psych torture and never rise above a certain threshold. Use it as a low intensity workplace for the Bad Place workers lol
Please don't ever go in to management
He got some of those little things absolutely right, like Chidi doing the dishes every night, which was a low level annoyance for him, and added on top Eleanor not even realising that it's not magically done is the cherry on the cake.
Till it all went off the rails with Eleanor discovering it a few times in the _very first room she enters_
The point is it's supposed to be an automated solution to hell. Getting the humans to torture each other instead of demons. This is a beta test, with the idea that you eventually replace all the Demons excluding maybe an Administrator as Torturers. If you need to randomly cancel and reset the scenario or continously monitor the people or rotate the cast every time a human 'works it out' then the automation isn't working and it's actually more work than the traditional torturer demon - torturee solution, and Jason is the final nail in the coffin, because if Jason works it out, any human, will eventually, work it out.
The "Eleanor figured it out" scene may have been the big twist for the audience - but the point where Michael's plan really fell apart came few episodes earlier when Eleanor stands up and publicly confesses to being a fraud in a way that Michael couldn't sweep under the carpet. After that, The Plan was circling the drain and Micheal was clutching at straws to keep going - such as forcing the ultimatum. Attempt 2 was doomed as soon as Eleanor found the note. In the other "ultimatum" reboot with them standing around the obelisk - it looks like, once again, one of the humans had "come out" and wrecked the plan.
I guess the exit strategy from the ultimatum scenario would be that the "bad humans" should have grabbed at the chance to send "real Eleanor"/Vicky - and maybe some other "innocent" - to the Bad Place in their stead, so the torture could continue (...helped by the need to conceal what they had done from the other "residents") - but Michael is still desperately improvising at that point. Again, Eleanor wrecks this by agreeing to go - although this time she's worked it out and is calling Michael's bluff rather than sacrificing herself.
One observation - Michael *did* succeed in torturing them for over 300 years - aided by memory wipes and reboots - and that only stopped because Vicky caused trouble.
Michael’s reveal is great but the pushing vase off table like a cat was the cherry on top
The season 1 twist was definitely something we have not had in a TV series, in a very long time. This show really connected with a wide range of audience preferences. Maybe not deep mainstream culture but definitely people who need a bit of reflection in their lives. Pandemic also gave that real world pause to reflect on society and individual efforts in life.
Totally agree, it was very fun to watch while also reflecting on your mortality the whole time 😂
3:34 My cat knocks stuff over just like that. Should I be worried that my cat acts like a demon? 😂
It's demons who act like cats. You should still be worried. ٩( ᐛ )و
All demons are written by humans. Cats are their real life examples. Source: Currently living with 4 cats.
I remember watching this for the first time, and i know everyone else has said the same thing, but the scene when Jason figured it out is the funniest scene for me in this whole show. No one would ever have expected that.
The delivery and reaction of Ted Danson was the cherry on top.
11:18 Jason figures it out😊
No show has ever made me more genuinely wish I could wipe a show from my memory to watch it again fresh 😅 genuinely the greatest twist in TV history
Ted Danson's acting when Jason figures it out needs to get some flowers. The slow realization and dying inside makes me wheeze until he's outwardly baffled and repulsed. Just amazing.
The pig's getting angry!
Bees! Bees! Bees! Bees!!!
*whispers* "oh, this is bad place."
That first evil laugh is just SO GOOD
3:00 Ted Danson is a national treasure
This show was so clever. What great writing and fabulous performances.
“Hell is -other people!” - Jean Paul Sartrè, No Exit
The fact Jason figured it out meant Eleanor wasn’t the problem for Michael.
Michael never worked out, this was the bad place for HIM too.
I'm just shocked Chidi never figured it out.
This show is awesome, every aspect of it! D'arcy Carden must have had so much fun playing all the Janets!
"Attempt 109...I've closed and locked the door."
Had me rolling LOL
When this first aired, I suspected something when Sean went into a chrysalis in “time out.” It hit me when Eleanor first realized it. Holy shirt! The Screwtape Letters!
Pls explain
@@andreal5445 The Screwtape Letters is a novel written by CS Lewis, in which a senior devil (Screwtape) is coaching his nephew Wormwood on how to tempt the human he is assigned to. When Sean went into a chrysalis mode when he was angry or annoyed, that should have tipped me off right then, because Screwtape had done much the same thing. I didn’t remember it right away because it had been years since I’d read the novel. But when Eleanor figured it out, it hit me.
"This is your soulmate, Tahani." - I want to see that timeline. Does that mean Jason and Chidi get each other too?
😂😂
to be fair she did also become Chidi's soulmate once so I'm guessing it's just her getting passed around LMAO
Also the Golden Retriever one. Like how is that torture unless the poor doggo was being tortured
It’s torture for Eleanor. Who wants to marry a dog?
@@tasmiatahia_write_dream_change Plot twist: It was a demon inside a dog suit
2:52 this is the biggest plot twist I had ever seen when I was like 10 lol
So you’re like 11 now?
@ no?
@@drcjtonkin oh good for you 😅
@@zakiahmedi7083the good place came out in 2016 lol
@@henrymccue2922 yeh my I guess time is a basketball person always running
9:31 "this is your soulmate Tahani" always gets me
One of the best shows ever. I watch it. It ends. I rewatch it. It ends. Repeat.
Michael’s biggest mistake was ramping it up every time. You’ve got to trick the prisoner into choosing the world they’re in.
I always laugh at the image of Eleanor holding the balloons in the field of cacti. It’s one of the better single images in the series.
This was one of the most unique and refreshing television shows I have seen in my entire life. Thank you everyone who participated in making it.
"This is your soul mate, Tahani."
Well, now hang on. Go back. We need to explore that iteration more. For, uh, science.
Definitely.
Hey, Mindy, give me an extra camera.
The way michael changes states the first time she figures out. Absolute cinema!
You'll never convince me that the first time Eleanor figured it out isn't the best plot twist in any TV show ever. Not a single plot hole, and rewatching it knowing the twist makes the first season even better.
Michael’s face when Jason refuses to go with the other monk guy always gets me
That zoom in on Danson was such a head-f for me when I watched this the first time. Such a great show
Im am so glad this show exists. I never watch it, but im just glad that it exists and these tallented folks are making real art.
Ted Danson's laugh is just perfect and completely shattered his character in a way that made the story work better. It is 5 seconds of acting that tied half a season together and should get more praise!
Watched this in lockdown and wasn’t expecting much at all…ended up loving it and recommending it to everyone! Great show
I love the gliding clown one, how Eleanor gets shushed by Chidi and Tahani when she figures it out, as though they're like "we KNOW, don't make it WORSE!"
All the background props and ideas for the stores, teh fountain, all of it. So immaculate. What's like ice cream but a crappier version? What's an "evil" soup? Stuff like that.
Such a good show. Loved during COVID time, and I watched it again. I love how Michael grows up over time.
OMG this show was SO GOOD, WHERE ARE YOU MICHAEL SCHUR MAKE TEN MORE OF THESE
"This is completely unacceptable. I demand to speak to a supervisor " "I am so sorry Madam. Please forgive me " Snaps fingers & we're out.
This show is a high ranking contender for "best show I ever saw", really, truly, amazing
11:24 you can see the genuine panic and dismay in Michael’s face 😂
I would do unspeakable things to be able to watch this show again without knowing the twist
Even if they kept figuring out that it was the bad place, it was already enough proof that Michael’s system really did work 😭 they could literally just be stuck in an endless hell on loop, torturing each other and resetting for all eternity, that’s a pretty solid hell.
The Jason one kills me every time 😂😂😂
The best part of this will always be Michael's dread at realizing that Jason would figure it out
One of the greatest plot twists in TV history. I did not see it coming; was completely blindsided.
I think “buzz off bambajan” to myself at least once a week.
November 2024 feels like the bad place
"Jason Figured it out!" is a family quote for something crazy thing happening
This is genuinely one of my favorite montages in all of television. Wish I could show even more people this show
i need this show back!
With how the show ended, I feel like it'd be wrong to bring it back.
@@Obozo_Gaming Well I want short 2~6 minutes form of new content for this universe. I can watch another few hundred of those. You know those spinoffs on disney+ for shows like zootopia or the Simpsons.
@@Obozo_Gaming 💯
@@Obozo_Gaming they could do "all the reboots you missed" kinda thing?
@@tasmiatahia_write_dream_change I could maybe see that as a RUclips mini series.
This show is one of the best ever made with a great beginning, middle, and an end that absolutely wrecked us all- weeping and snotty!
Realising Netflix will probably never let a show like this even get to a second season now hurts.
It got 4 seasons
I appreciate the commitment years later to hiding this spoiler from new people. One of those golden show-recontextualizing moments where if you know from the start youre just kind of waiting for it but if it surprises you it brings new meaning to every scene that came before
"This guy can't hold a *CAMEL* to pill boy!" 🤣🤣🤣
I miss this show greatly and I wish I could forget it all, and watch it again for the first time. ❤
A tremendous reward for anyone who watched this first season, well done, writers and staff and all you crazies. Special shout-out to that scene in a later season with all the point totals for various mortal acts, that was among the most rewindable things ever.
My dad spoiled it for me right away when he introduced me to the show. He said “and obviously it’s the bad place”
Its great going back and rewatching all of s1 and seeing the little hints. Its great.
Fantastic editing job. What a great compilation!
I like how this show ironically challenges you to imagine a good place that isn’t just another day in life