I must sound like a broken record by now, but this was yet another brilliant hour of television packed with creativity and wit.
At this point I’m just curious: how long can The Good Place sustain its exceptional quality? Michael & Janet impressively keeps the focus on Michael and Janet (we barely see the rest of the cast) and does so with exceptional results. Ted Danson is predictably great, but D’Arcy Carden finally gets her time in the spotlight and elevates the material to another level. Although she’s playing something akin to a robot, Carden evokes real emotion and heart, and makes Janet one hell of a lovable character. Moreover, the friendship between Michael and Janet feels remarkably genuine and organic, and I have no shame in admitting that I actually teared up when Michael realized he couldn’t kill his “oldest friend”. Kudos Danson for always knocking it out of the park.
On top of everything else, this hour still finds time to advance the stakes by having Janet go completely nuts as she creates a whole new being in the form of Derek the “rebound boyfriend”. Sure it’s a hilarious twist, but it’s also got creepy undertones seeing as how Janet is slowly gaining consciousness, feelings (yup, she’s in love with Jason), and a whole lot of power. Who knows what happens next? I for one can’t wait to forkin’ find out.
Bits & Places
– How awesome was the Janet warehouse teaser? Notice how when one is taken, the next Janet in the lineup slides right in. Ha!
– I never get tired of seeing Bad Janet; you can tell Carden has a ball playing her.
– Hysterical visual gag: Janet picking her nose to retrieve the user manual.
– So Janets are usually 99.7 trillion degrees, produce no blood, and turn light coming in from one ear into rainbows out the other.
– The pencil ostrich thing made me laugh out loud.
– Even more epic visual gags: Janet barfing coins, the sandwich dropping, and Chidi filled with needles. This show knows no bounds!
– I love that the show revealed the origin of all those frozen yoghurt shops in the pilot. In fact, they used to be pudding!
– Michael saved that first spoon. Can you say awwww?
– Eleanor is the most “problematic” human. But of course!
Heavenly Quips
Demon: Where did you get this? Did you actually get into the Good Place somehow? Michael: Didn’t need to. They keep their Janets in a neutral pocket dimension beneath the shapeless time void. It’s right next to Accounting.
Demon: And you just walked in and stole her? It was that easy? You didn’t have to choke out an angel or anything?
Michael: Doors were unlocked, no security. I mean, it makes sense, right? They’re good, so they’re stupid and trusting.
Michael: Say, Janet, where can I get some delicious ice cream?
Bad Janet: Oh, there’s a wonderful parlor in the middle of town square. My favorite flavor is rocky road. It contains chocolate ribbon, marshmallows, and your dad’s salty nuts, you fat dink!
Michael: (reading) “Hello, and welcome to your new Janet. “Janets are brought to you by the makers of light, darkness, and everything.”
Michael: Hey, you know who could use some torturing right now? Chidi.
Vicky: Oh. I love torturing Chidi.
Michael: I know.
Vicky: No, actually, I had this great idea the other night. Thought it was worth exploring. Picture this. Needles.
Michael: (after waiting) Oh, that’s the whole idea.
Vicky: Yeah, yeah.
Michael: Needles.
Vicky: Genius, right?
Michael: Yeah.
Vicky: I mean, needles.
Michael: Oh, wonderful. Wonderful. So smart. Yeah. Needles. Yeah, run with that.
Michael: You two are sleeping together?
Jason: Only when we’re done having sex.
Jason: We got robbed! They took the walls, they took the floor, and we were standing here the whole time? These guys are good.
Michael: In the event of continued malfunction, “hold down Janet’s nose, and insert paperclip into small hole behind left ear.”
Janet: Yeah, right here.
Michael: “Janet will rapidly collapse in on herself. When Janet is roughly the size of a marble, she can be launched into space through an inter-dimensional suction tube or eaten as a midday snack.”
Janet: I’m very high in potassium. Like a banana.
Eleanor: Can you get drunk?
Janet: Not really. Although, if I stand next to a powerful array of magnets, I do get pretty loopy.
Janet: Eleanor told me that instead of being sad, I should go get it, girl. So I’m going to go get it, girl.
Michael: Get what?
Janet: Unclear. I’ll get everything, just to be safe.
Michael: Derek, could you please give me and Janet a moment alone?
Janet: Go back to the void, babe. I’ll be there in a minute.
Conclusion
A magnificent hour of The Good Place in every way. This show just blows my mind.
Nad Rating
A
Absolutely stunning show. Can you imagine if Janet becomes fully conscious by the finale and becomes a full-on villain or something next season? Reminds me of that British show Humans for a second there.
And there’s just so much subtext in the dialogue, it’s so hard to catch everything on the first watch! This show is truly BEGGING to be binged and rewatched repeatedly. I definitely teared up when Michael tells Janet she’s his oldest friend!
That quote section is brilliant too. I think my favorite one so far is:
Michael: Get what?
Janet: Unclear. I’ll get everything, just to be safe.
WE DON’T DESERVE THIS EPIC SHOW IN OUR LIVES.
Ahahahaha get EVERYTHING was masterful. Glad you’re appreciating this too! So darn good! Also, love the idea of Janet becoming a villain 😂😂😂