The Good Place: A Fractured Inheritance (3x07)

This show!!!! I cannot!!!

Cons:

I literally cannot think of anything to complain about. I was going to say that I miss seeing stuff in the afterlife, but to be honest, I think it's great that we're not seeing that. It makes perfect sense to create some distance from that part of the story, at least for the time being.

Pros:

I like how thematic this episode was - after last week with Jason's dad, this week we see the two ladies both exploring very contentious familial relationships. This connects the two plot threads, while also giving different character combinations a chance to work off of one another. Eleanor and Michael spend the episode together, Tahani and Chidi do as well, and Jason and Janet provide good subplot humor.

Let's start with Tahani. She goes to see her sister at an exhibit full entirely of Kamilah's art. When Tahani tries to apologize for her role in their contentious relationship, Kamilah does not accept this apology, which sends Tahani into a rage. Later, however, Tahani comes to a realization about her sister's art, and realizes that Kamilah is just as lonely as she is, and that their parents really did a number on them. The two sisters embrace and mend some fences.

This is going to sound weird, but this plot thread reminded me of Guardians of the Galaxy 2. Specifically, Gamora and Nebula's sisterhood. The two of them were constantly fighting each other, but it was all because of abuse from a parent. The same thing is going on here. Gamora = Kamilah, Tahani = Nebula. Both sides have to realize together that their parents are the real villains in this situation. This feels true to what children from abusive homes would go through. Also, I like that everything didn't get wrapped up with a nice little bow. The competitive spirit between Tahani and Kamilah will probably continue on, but at least now they've made strides towards a better relationship.

Chidi didn't have a ton to do, but it was fun seeing him being a supportive friend. I loved the moment when he met Kamilah, trying to mediate the conflict between the sisters, and instead fell under her spell just like everyone else! Jason and Janet similarly had very little to do, but it seems that Janet's infatuation continues. I loved Jason's glee at Janet's encyclopedic knowledge of information about Kamilah's art.

Over in the other story, Michael and Eleanor confront Eleanor's mom Donna, now going by Diana. She has changed her identity, and seems truly happy living in the suburbs with her boyfriend and his daughter. She's even running for the PTA at little Patty's school. Eleanor is convinced her mom is running a con, and when Michael presses her on it, Eleanor admits that she doesn't want to confront the fact that her mom changed to belong to this new family, but wasn't able to change for Eleanor. This was exactly where everyone expected the story to go, and it did, but what happened next was excellent. Eleanor helps her mom realize that what she has going here is a good thing. She should put away her emergency funds that she hides away in case she needs to make a quick escape. She should use that money for Patty.

Later, we see that Eleanor is conflicted. She tells Michael that she's glad that her mother has changed for the better. She's happy for her. But that positive change doesn't just erase the damage from the past. This was so important and wonderful to hear. Just like in Tahani's plot thread, things aren't wrapped up with a bow. Eleanor can be happy for her mom while still feeling anger over her messed up childhood. She can encourage her mom to do better, while still wishing she could have reaped the benefits a lot sooner. This is human. It's not straightforward. This show does such a good job with that kind of thing.

We end the episode with Michael dropping one more knowledge bomb on Eleanor - he tells her about her and Chidi falling in love in the afterlife. We'll have to see where that goes!

9/10