I feel like the problem with Michael's premise is that it started too small. Like I don't think it's arguable that humans can make life hell for each other you just need to be able to factionalize and divide them. Four people is in the network where everyone can know everyone and humans can show a lot of empathy to people in the community that they live with and see every day.
Like honestly you could just run an earth sim and just have demons as politicians/heads of state and just gin up a lot of hatred, war, and misery.
I think the point of Michael's experiment is that it was custom tailored to exploit the very particular weaknesses of each of the people involved in a way that a one-size-fits-all environment can't. Like there is something particularly heinous about this type of targeted psychological torture, even though to most people it's just awkward and unpleasant.
Of course that's still probably the most ludicrous idea presented on the show, comparing this to any one of the real Bad Place tortures we've heard about first hand. Even Eleanor's group clearly agrees that being sent to the real Bad Place is a worse fate than what they have. The second most ludicrous part is that the Bad Place thought it was such a good idea that they put 10 times as many demons on it as there are humans involved, including a full time high ranking architect.
Maybe from the very beginning, the entire arc of the story will have turned out to just be Michael's bad place all along?
While they didn’t want to go to the “real” Bad Place according to one of the demons (I think Kevin?) they suffered far more in Michael’s creation.
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ChaosHatHop, hop, hop, HA!Trick of the lightRegistered Userregular
Honestly the realization that you've done this over and over and it's futile because they have the power to wipe your mind and have absolute power is probably more horrifying than anything else. Just put you in some creepy ass "normal" town with something insidious going on that slowly gnaws at you until you figure out they're all demons. Or make you relive a home invasion like The Strangers only to escape to a place that has countless TVs showing every time you've come here and every time they've caught up to you and killed you.
I feel like the problem with Michael's premise is that it started too small. Like I don't think it's arguable that humans can make life hell for each other you just need to be able to factionalize and divide them. Four people is in the network where everyone can know everyone and humans can show a lot of empathy to people in the community that they live with and see every day.
Like honestly you could just run an earth sim and just have demons as politicians/heads of state and just gin up a lot of hatred, war, and misery.
I think the point of Michael's experiment is that it was custom tailored to exploit the very particular weaknesses of each of the people involved in a way that a one-size-fits-all environment can't. Like there is something particularly heinous about this type of targeted psychological torture, even though to most people it's just awkward and unpleasant.
Of course that's still probably the most ludicrous idea presented on the show, comparing this to any one of the real Bad Place tortures we've heard about first hand. Even Eleanor's group clearly agrees that being sent to the real Bad Place is a worse fate than what they have. The second most ludicrous part is that the Bad Place thought it was such a good idea that they put 10 times as many demons on it as there are humans involved, including a full time high ranking architect.
Maybe from the very beginning, the entire arc of the story will have turned out to just be Michael's bad place all along?
While they didn’t want to go to the “real” Bad Place according to one of the demons (I think Kevin?) they suffered far more in Michael’s creation.
There's a line by Shawn I think, that's something like 'the psychological torture these humans are experiencing is equal to our largest penis flatteners' or something like that, so yeah at the worst of times it was pretty bad, but that may have also been because Michael was purposefully sending false reports to Shawn.
Michael wasn't necessarily doing it because it was worse for the humans, he was doing it because it was better for the demons. And he needed a tightly controlled test environment because it was extremely experimental.
Michaels fake persona inseason 1 seems to be mainly a lie built on truths. The same reason Michael wanted to live with humans as a good place architect is the same reason demon Michael created this experiment
Most of what he says in season 1 about his motivations is probably true.
If there's one thing this show has proved beyond a reasonable doubt, it's that Infinite beings with mundane names is always funny. Michael, Shawn, Trevor, Vicky, Gen, Jeff, Janet...
In any other show, something this big would be a huge mid-season break split, or an end of season thing. Not this show. For this show, that's just a Thursday.
MVP of the episode though was the Judge at the start. The gesticulations get me every time.
I read one sci-fi/fantasy story that dealt with the Real World finding iron-clad proof of the existence of heaven and hell.
It made the case that the only logical conclusion was mortals going to war with the afterlife.
I don't see that happening here, but I suspect that the entire points system is going to end up being thrown away.
how many timeline resets are they going to pull off this time? I am 100% sure that every positive timeline will end with the Brainy Bunch moving separate ways after they have grown into better, confident adults.
how many timeline resets are they going to pull off this time? I am 100% sure that every positive timeline will end with the Brainy Bunch moving separate ways after they have grown into better, confident adults.
Speculation (does speculation go in spoilers?)
I don't think they'll go the reset route again. That was Michael's first instinct, and was talked out of it by Janet. I think they might go more after the point system makers/counters (they've mentioned the Accountants in passing before, I think?). I guess (and we've certainly been surprised before) they have to go through the door to somewhere away from Earth. They might spend some of the next episode debating it, or even that Janet and Michael have to convince them that they are in fact, not human, but they got to go through the door, right?
The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it. ~ Terry Pratchett
Janet using her knowledge to help people is great.
But she's helping them for the wrong reason. She just took the ticket worth $18k away from the person who WOULD have taken the 178th ticket, in favour of the people she likes.
And as she has no knowledge of the future, who knows how big an impact that money would have been.
We've already seen that there are unintended consequences to their actions. How do we know that that wasn't another one?
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joshgotroDeviled EggThe Land of REAL CHILIRegistered Userregular
All this plowing is going to cause the end of all places.
Janet using her knowledge to help people is great.
But she's helping them for the wrong reason. She just took the ticket worth $18k away from the person who WOULD have taken the 178th ticket, in favour of the people she likes.
And as she has no knowledge of the future, who knows how big an impact that money would have been.
We've already seen that there are unintended consequences to their actions. How do we know that that wasn't another one?
She also got the bartender to open up about his poetry and back together with his ex.
Neuroscience lady (I'm terrible at character names) is from The Good Place.
Definitely think this. Also that she:
is trying to subtly un-fuck up everything Michael is fucking up.
Also Michael:
I find it endearing how much he cares about those four humans. In a weird way I wouldn't be surprised if the twist is that all of this is a test for him to move to the good place.
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AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
Hi everyone!
Not reading these pages. Just wanted to say that I binged all of S1 and S2 today, including staying up WAY past when I should. I can't get Ariana Grande out of my head. I introduced the show to my parents.
I read one sci-fi/fantasy story that dealt with the Real World finding iron-clad proof of the existence of heaven and hell.
It made the case that the only logical conclusion was mortals going to war with the afterlife.
I don't see that happening here, but I suspect that the entire points system is going to end up being thrown away.
An episode with the team being MTV's Real World or some other reality show would write itself. Michael as host?
Janet using her knowledge to help people is great.
But she's helping them for the wrong reason. She just took the ticket worth $18k away from the person who WOULD have taken the 178th ticket, in favour of the people she likes.
And as she has no knowledge of the future, who knows how big an impact that money would have been.
We've already seen that there are unintended consequences to their actions. How do we know that that wasn't another one?
But think of it this way
She saved that person from the disappointment of only winning $18k. I mean, better luck next time...
The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it. ~ Terry Pratchett
In other shows, they could have made the Trevor situation to be the hook of the entire season. Instead, he's gone and the matter is resolved by the end of the next episode. It's just so good in that regard.
I like to compare Good Place with Brooklyn 99, because there is a lot of overlap between characters and writers (both coming from Parks & Rec and pulling from the same pool of actors and SNL comedians), but they went in such different directions with their story. In B99 everyone kinda resets to a status quo, but in TGP characters barely have time to take a breath between all the twists and turns they contend with. And that is ignoring all the times their memories got wiped.
I mean, I think B99 is hilarious, but TGP is hilarious and tells a compelling story.
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While they didn’t want to go to the “real” Bad Place according to one of the demons (I think Kevin?) they suffered far more in Michael’s creation.
brb gotta go write a screenplay.
There's a line by Shawn I think, that's something like 'the psychological torture these humans are experiencing is equal to our largest penis flatteners' or something like that, so yeah at the worst of times it was pretty bad, but that may have also been because Michael was purposefully sending false reports to Shawn.
Michael wasn't necessarily doing it because it was worse for the humans, he was doing it because it was better for the demons. And he needed a tightly controlled test environment because it was extremely experimental.
Most of what he says in season 1 about his motivations is probably true.
Thanks, Jeff
Did you guys end up in the Good Place or the Bad Place?
Now I want them to bring back that show 7 Days.
Anyway I just rewatched a bunch of the Mindy St. Claire stuff and I think she might be the best.
twitch.tv/Taramoor
@TaramoorPlays
Taramoor on Youtube
MVP of the episode though was the Judge at the start. The gesticulations get me every time.
I ALWAY want them to bring back 7 Days!
Story of my life, Michael.
T: Oh, better luck next time...
J: So you're saying that we shouldn't send Jason Blake Beartles?
But yeah, this show is just amazing at going, "Oh, so thats what this season is gonna be about." and then coming back 2 episodes later, going "Nope!".
It's gonna kill me.
If only I had a metaphorical snowplow to move things along.
It made the case that the only logical conclusion was mortals going to war with the afterlife.
I don't see that happening here, but I suspect that the entire points system is going to end up being thrown away.
Speculation (does speculation go in spoilers?)
And as she has no knowledge of the future, who knows how big an impact that money would have been.
We've already seen that there are unintended consequences to their actions. How do we know that that wasn't another one?
I think you're vastly overestimating Michael's power.
Definitely think this. Also that she:
Also Michael:
Not reading these pages. Just wanted to say that I binged all of S1 and S2 today, including staying up WAY past when I should. I can't get Ariana Grande out of my head. I introduced the show to my parents.
Holy forking shirt I need to catch up on S3.
But think of it this way
Every episode is listed as a chapter and it actually acts like the chapters of book instead of using the word meaninglessly. The plot moves along.
I mean, I think B99 is hilarious, but TGP is hilarious and tells a compelling story.