The Good Place: Jeremy Bearimy (3x05)

I'm in love with this show.

Cons:

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Pros:

This show never rests on its laurels. It never stops trying new things, expanding its world, going further. Just a few episodes ago, we set up a premise that our core cast of characters would be participating in a study and learning ethics. Now, in episode five, that entire premise is just out the window and we're on to something new. I was just saying how much I was looking forward to the whole group being united and on the same page, and now that Michael and Janet have told the four humans the truth, they can all go forward together without anymore secrets. And, hopefully, without anymore resets.

Also, straight up, this show is so good at teaching ethics. It makes things simple without being condescending. It shows useful examples, and makes those examples stick in your head. I loved watching Tahani, Jason, and Eleanor all try to do good things in the wake of the horrifying realization that there is a "Hell," and that now, because they know the truth about it, they have no chance of making it to the Good Place. Of course, Eleanor starts to backslide at first, and Chidi really backslides, arguably because he's the one with the best grasp on the ethical implications of this new information.

I laughed a lot this week. Janet took more of a backseat, so the laughs came from other sources. Jason's well-meaning but incompetent charity, Eleanor getting in the face of the poor bartender, Tahani asking people if they're poor and offering $5,000 for a new stroller... all gold. But taking the cake this week for absurd comedy is Chidi, who ends up putting a bunch of peeps into a pot of chili in front of his classroom and ranting about nihilism. He wanders through a grocery store shirtless, he offers the cashier his car keys for no discernible reason, he wears a t-shirt that says "who, what, when, where, wine" on it. Watching Chidi collapse in on himself like that is the perfect mix of funny and sad. You feel so deeply connected to him, and you want him to be okay, but you also can't help but laugh at the over the top antics going on in front of you.

We didn't get a glimpse of the afterlife this week, which I think was smart. We kept things firmly on Earth, as these four humans contemplate the potential future that has been taken from them by one stupid mistake. However, we do learn a bit about the afterlife, like the fact that time doesn't move in the same way that it does down on Earth. Apparently, it moves in a "Jeremy Bearimy" pattern, or at least that's the nickname they have for it. This whole sequence was so delightfully absurd, and I especially liked Chidi having a breakdown over what the dot in the "i" of "Bearimy" is meant to represent. Apparently, Tuesdays. Also, July. Also, sometimes nothing.

As the episode ends, we have a moment where all of our characters are at a real crossroads, and they all make a decision to do good. Just because. Michael and Janet had been planning to write down everything that had happened and everything they learned, and then turn themselves in. And the humans all know that they are doomed. But after brief moments where all of our core characters contemplate throwing in the towel, they decide that they might as well try to do good with their lives. They can't get to the Good Place, but they could help other people get there!

This simple decision catapults the show into yet another premise-shift, while also showing that even through all of the resets and dying and coming back to life and confusion, they have made real progress towards becoming good people. I guess we'll see how that goes in the coming weeks! We're starting with a real test for Tahani, who conveniently forgot about her Hemsworth fiance in light of the shocking revelations about her own experiences while dead.

9.5/10