The Good Place Finale (100% public, 95% spoilery)

[author_by_night]

I was nervous about this finale for two reasons. First, I thought it might be sad. Second, in general, finales are hard to pull off. It's a show's (or book series', or movie series') last change to lay all the cards on the table and say "here's where the final point is, after everything." Everyone has different expectations (which may or may not align with where the creators ultimately decided to take it), everyone is a little sad, and I think everyone wants to be fulfilled just enough, yet also have it be open ended enough to leave some things to the imagination. Just not too much.

I think The Good Place, in true form, pulled it off. That's just my objective opinion, of course, and I actually avoided looking at any critical or fan responses before posting this so  you'd just get my opinion. I don't know what the fandom consensus is. But I think the finale was right.

Behind the cut are spoilers. 


SNAPE KILLS MICHAEL.

That was your fake spoiler, giving you one more chance to click on the backspace key. :P

I expected to be devastated, but I really wasn't. Maybe it helps that the "door" is pretty much how I often imagine the afterlife to be. And I loved that we get a hint that in some way, they still end up doing good on Earth. How sentient they are in doing so seems open-ended, but I think that's good. I like that we see molecule!Eleanor managing to touch Michael's life in some way. They're gone, but not really gone. And they'll always be together.

Eleanor and Chidi's goodbye did almost break me. I didn't cry, but I imagine when I rewatch I will. Or maybe I will in a few hours. I tend to have a slightly removed method of processing. At any rate, it still crushed me, but I was glad in the end that they didn't go together - even though that's what I had fully expected. Instead, Eleanor continues her work in reaching Mindy, in  reaching Michael, then she is ready.

I loved that Jason was first   -or so it seemed. Of course he ended up staying in the forest for a  thousand Bearimies after all. That is so Jason. But his true leaving was special. He had to give Janet the necklace. That was in his other pocket the whole time. 

I like that Tahani has become an Architect. At first I didn't think we'd seen much buildup, but if you think about it, it's been there this whole time. She was planning parties in season one, and when there's a hole in the ground, she goes outside to see what it is. Tahani has always wanted to help, she just initially had the wrong motivations. I love it.

My biggest question was this: How much time on Earth passed? Earth as Michael experienced it didn't seem terribly futuristic. But maybe it's best that it was left ambiguous.


I'm sorry to see The Good Place go. But I'm glad I had it. The Good Place, you're my 5,000 Bearimies in the wind.

Now to rewatch the entire seasons once it's on Netflix. That will be quite a journey.

Comments

[resnullius_bells]

I thought the finale really pulled it off. All the characters' endings felt right to me, including that Chidi and Eleanor went through the door separately. Or that Jason found peace first.

I loved that one member of the team stayed in the afterlife, finding a different type of peace. And I thought the last moment with Eleanor's atoms reaching Michael, influencing that guy to do what she did in s3 with the wallet, was really touching.

[divinemusings]

I loved how it ended. It was touching and sweet, and I liked the after commentary with Seth Meyers. Michael getting to be human was awesome, and that last line made my heart so happy that he got to live out his own dream. When Jason ran through the door, that was just so Jason and it was awesome too.

As for Michael being in a not futuristic earth, I think that just goes back to the passage of time. Jeremy Berimy (or however it's spelled) goes forward and loops backwards several times. It's like how Janet says she experiences all times at once, so to her, no one is ever really gone. I think of Michael going back like that. And if that's the case, and Jeremy Berimy loops around perhaps no one is ever truly gone in that regard. It's just a constant looping of time and space except for that dot in the i which might have been where they were spending their time together in the afterlife. There are just soooo many different ways this show can be thought of. But I like that it ended with hope. I figured it would, but...yeah. :)

[author_by_night]

When Jason ran through the door, that was just so Jason and it was awesome too.

It was!

Jeremy Berimy (or however it's spelled) goes forward and loops backwards several times. It's like how Janet says she experiences all times at once, so to her, no one is ever really gone. I think of Michael going back like that.

And I think, in the end, that's what the takeaway was meant to be.

[rahirah]

I liked it a lot.

[yourlibrarian]

Popped over from the community -- I had the same thought about time! In fact, I think I felt pretty much the same about all these things you mention.

[orangerful]

Chidi and Eleanor's final moment on the couch broke me, I could not stop the tears, just a beautiful moment.

I really loved the idea that it was your chance to say goodbye to everyone. That it was almost a death do-over. On Earth, you die and that's it and however it happened is how it happened. But this Good Place gave everyone time to think it over, decide it was truly their time and then give a proper goodbye to those closest to them. I think if people were asked how they would want their final days to be, it would be this.

Kristen Bell made a comment in the "after show" segment that it does just END and, like life, it felt too short but that is just how it is. And I think that was for the best. If the show went on any longer, it was likely to lose its way. It wasn't perfect, but it was a lot of fun and had some great moments.

[enemyofperfect]

SNAPE KILLS MICHAEL.

Okay, this made me laugh. The twist no one saw coming!

I did totally love that Tahani was the one to become an Architect, too. She's always loved arranging things, connecting people, getting the best of everything! She'll be great at it.

ETA: Forgot to mention I'm here via your comment on the_good_place!

[gwenhwyfar1984]

*waves* Hi!

I too felt that they pulled it off. I'll admit I cried several times. Starting with Jason's goodbye party and then with each goodbye after.

For me, the best part was Michael getting to become human. I had wondered what would become of him since he was a reformed demon. I was so happy that he got what he really wanted. His first words on Earth were perfect, although I really wanted a clip of him trying to find his lost keys...

I love the added bit of Eastern philosophy with the idea that they are "still a part of the ocean." It makes me feel better that Chidi and Eleanor are together after all.

[chocolatepot]

I'm still a bit conflicted. On the one hand, I think it felt right within the spirit of the show, especially with all of the focus on moral philosophy. On the other, a) I have a big big problem with the thought of oblivion in general, and b) when they met Hypatia and Michael saw how crappy the GP architects were at trying to improve the situation, I really thought that the solution was obvious: the GP needed to be less of a pure paradise, humans need enrichment toys like zoo animals, and Michael would use what he learned about dicking around with humans to make the GP suck just enough to keep everyone from losing their minds. You're only allowed to visit wherever you want to go once every Jeremy Bearimy. Only a limited number of people get to fly. There's only frozen yogurt and no ice cream. Etc. It's good enough to be like having a good day on earth, but not so good that it's unreal. So when that turned out to not be where they were going, I was a bit, huh.