The Good Place hasn’t quite come to an end but as there is a gap between season four and the final episode, we decided to review the season so far. So what has been going down in your favorite moral philosophy drama?
When season four begins, our trusty group of four are being put to the test. They must prove that humanity is worth saving by ensuring the four subjects of the judge’s experiment finish their time in the phony “Good Place” with more points than they arrived with. Unfortunately, the Bad Place gets to choose these subjects. One is a gossip columnist who frequently targeted Tahani’s reputation and another is an intolerable misogynist who thinks he is better than everyone. There’s also a demon in disguise and Chidi’s ex-girlfriend floating around in the mix.
To remove any complications, season three finishes with Chidi’s memory being wiped once again so that the experiment can be carried out smoothly. At this point, the notion of another memory wipe is tedious. We have watched the gang go back and forth season after season but as it is just Chidi starting over, the story remains more interesting than infuriating. The biggest challenge is of course for Eleanor, who once again finds her relationship with Chidi terminated prematurely.
Amazingly, even after three strong seasons, season four contains more twists and surprises. At this point in a series like The Good Place, “twists” usually become predictable. Nonetheless, no one saw Bad Janet’s reveal coming and when the judge comes to her conclusion, it was a season one finale jaw drop moment.
At points, the plot does get a little dry. Introducing a new set of characters was a bold move and occasionally, watching them go over the same process gets boring. Still, we are kept on our toes and new challenges do present themselves. The entire season is a roller coaster ride of disequilibrium followed by short-lived stability. Again, the unpredictability factor deserves praise.
The season four pre-finale finale ends with Chidi facing the biggest decision the whole of humanity has ever known. Chidi is the guy who can’t decide what to eat for dinner. His philosophy thesis was over a thousand pages of indecisive nonsense and now, he must create an afterlife system that is so brilliant, even the Judge didn’t think of it. Will he be able to save humanity or will his indecisiveness get the better of him?
All in all, season four is highly entertaining and once more, we are on the edge of our seat waiting to find out what happens next. The task of ending a series as genius as The Good Place is a tremendous task. Audiences are in a position where we are craving a satisfying ending, but don’t have any idea of the ending we are after. And that’s why Season 4 is so brilliant.
4/5
