The Verse’s Allie Jackson reviews The Good Place Season 3 for us.
There may be spoilers ahead if you’re not all caught up so…be warned.
Season 3 of the show begins with Eleanor, Tahani, Jason, and Chidi being back on earth with their memories wiped, living their lives as if they hadn’t died. However, they’re being watched by Michael and Janet who are trying to make sure they live better lives than the ones they had before. But how much can they meddle before they totally ruin the timeline of the planet?
We watch the journey of the group navigating themselves through the search for learning the virtue of humanity. We find ourselves watching the characters go through their biggest character development of the show so far. Becoming a person of altruism due to learning that they had died, been to the afterlife, and cannot go to the good place as they’d only be doing good things with an ulterior motive, therefore, negating the very purpose of being a good person, the group decide to take the hands that they have been dealt and use what they know to help others to become good people and get into The Good Place.
However, this is, of course, a comedy, so we do get a whole episode of all four of them going completely off the rails knowing that they were ultimately doomed to go to the bad place so who cares what they do right? The fact that Eleanor is the character who realises they could be doing something so much better and fulfilling shows that the process for her has created a whole new outlook on life through the ethical issues she has faced and philosophical lessons taught to her. (And all without losing her humour and likability.)
The show is so well cast in a way that each character is relatable and likeable in their own ways. Each character is so very human and that is very pointedly a large foundation of the show. (Side note; you haven’t lived until you’ve heard Ted Danson say ‘Ya Basic’ or learn the floss.) There is no moment in this show wasted on filler episodes or scenes. Each line, each visual/verbal joke or emotional moment is so perfectly constructed and in character that it is not possible to lose interest in the show.
The fact that Michael Schur (the creator of The Good Place) has managed to navigate the show to a point where they’re back on earth has created almost endless possibilities for stories in the show. You could watch the series for the comedy, the jokes are ridiculous yet clever. However, you’re going to learn something whether you like it or not, and you’re going to laugh while you do.
