I didn’t love this one.
The Good Place is certainly one of my favorite comedies on television, but something about grounding the show on Earth feels anticlimactic. There are less of the whacky fantastical elements that this show pulls off so well, and the pace just seems remarkably slower. It doesn’t help that our gang isn’t united for the majority of this 2-hour premiere; I really hate it when we don’t see Tahani or Jason for long stretches at a time. The beauty of this lies in our core four butting heads to hysterical effect.
The premiere does however introduce an intriguing character in the form of a neuroscientist called Simone. Kirby Howell-Baptiste is just bursting with charisma, and her character plays off Chidi beautifully. I’m definitely rooting for this two, which is a surprising feeling seeing as how Chidi and Eleanor often feel like the show’s endgame couple. Hmm…
Bits & Places
– Loved the sequence with Michael saving our core four from death. So well done!
– Tahani answering a mock-Vogue segment with the zillion questions was just priceless.
– The Doorman (and his frog obsession) are a hoot. Hope he sticks around.
– More Maya Rudolph please. Or at least keep updating us on her bingewatching habits.
– Was that Savage Garden playing when Shawn asked for something “Deeply terrible”? Hilarious.
– Eleanor wondering if Chiptole is pronounced like Aristotle killed me.
– Janet barely had any screen-time in the premiere which is a real pity. I did find it remarkably endearing to see her refer to the judge and Michael as her mom and dad.
– Shawn cocooning his staff never not makes me nauseas.
– Tahani’s contact list includes The Queen, The Rock, Tom Brady and many more.
– Jason refers to Australia as “Atlantis”. Epic!
– Hey look, Trevor’s back! This should be good.
Heavenly Quips
Interviewer; Who would you say is the most famous person in your phone?
Tahani: It’s not about who you know. Enlightenment comes from within. The Dalai Lama texted me that.
Eleanor: I’m not, like, the best person in the world. I’m a trash bag from Arizona, which is saying something. Our biggest exports are racist sheriffs and HPV.
Chidi: I grew up in Senegal, so my native language is French. But I went to American schools, so I also speak English.
Eleanor: Oh.
Chidi: And German and Greek. And Latin, just in case it ever comes back.
Eleanor: Cool. I once got 12 out of 12 on a Buzzfeed quiz called “Do you know all the slang words the Kardashians invented?”
Chidi: Congratulations?
Eleanor: Thank you. I’m going to be honest. I did cheat.
Chidi: I’ll start you off with some introductory philosophy books, and then we’ll meet here once a week.
Eleanor: Great. Ideally, some of those books will have been made into a movie or maybe a funny GIF.
Chidi: I am absolutely paralyzed by decision-making, and it is destroying my life.
Simone: Yeah, I sort of got that when you couldn’t choose a chair to sit on.
Chidi: Well, I didn’t want to offend you in case you had a favorite.
Eleanor: Well, thank you, sexy librarian guy.
Chidi: I didn’t say he was sexy.
Eleanor: Oh, I know, but whenever anyone tells me a story about their life, I always imagine all the people as being super hot. Otherwise, I quickly lose interest. Do you not do that? You can do it for free.
Tahani: First, I cleansed myself of all the worldly possessions that had been weighing me down like anchors the dresses, the jewels. I gave them all to Good Will. That’s what I call Prince William. Since he’d married a commoner, I assumed he’d know some needy people they could go to.
Assistant: Also, they want you for “Oprah.”
Tahani: “Oprah” is off the air.
Assistant: No, they want you to take over for Oprah.
Jason: I’ve had a bad year. It started about a year ago.
Michael: I’m sure you’re already rolling in dough from this incredible scam, but have you thought about merch? Because we could, uh, we could partner here. I made a fortune selling Nirvana Orbs, which is to say, driving range golf balls that I painted silver.
Tahani: That’s awful.
Michael: No, it’s healing. Wink.
Michael: Hopefully, none of you is claustrophobic.
Jason: Clausterphobic? Who would ever be scared of Santa Claus?
Tahani: That should be fine for me. It’s roughly the same size as Nicole Kidman’s cryogenic anti-aging chamber, and I’ve never had a problem in there.
Conclusion
A solid but somewhat underwhelming two hour premiere from The Good Place. Still there’s no denying this is one of the greatest shows on TV. I’m not worried!
I’m liking the Earth-bound version of the show. True, it isn’t filled with the usual weird, out-of-this-world stuff The Good Place is known for. But it still has its charm, its focus on the characters bettering themselves, and a connection to the surreal afterlife which will become less tangential through Trevor’s involvement. I assume he is there to sabotage the progress of Eleanor, Chidi, Jason, and Tahini so they’ll be sent back to The Bad Place when they die again.
If it makes you feel any better, I don’t think this Earth-bound version will last an entire season. Half-season at most before being replaced by a new status quo.
haha so true! love how the status quo is constantly changing. That’s what makes this show so darn special!
I forgot to mention I love the Simone character. She and Chidi have delightful chemistry which leaves me torn since I do ship Eleanor and Chidi.