The Good Place: Pandemonium (3x13)

Well that was quite sad...

Cons:

I talked about this before. I get nervous with how often these characters are rebooted and we start at ground zero with their development. I was liking the fact that finally everyone was on the same page, and now we've got Chidi back to not remembering anything. I'm reserving harsh judgment, because I still think this situation is different enough that it could be intriguing, and this show hasn't let me down yet... but we'll have to wait and see.

Pros:

I want to start with the comedy this week, because there were so many funny moments. Just lots of witty repartee. I loved Janet telling Tahani about the effectiveness of a specific insult, given her social class. I loved Eleanor saying "cork blork" and then admiring the profanity filter for keeping the rhyme scheme. I loved Eleanor making a joke about being hot, Chidi calling her out on joking to deflect her pain, and Eleanor replying, through her tears: "It's not a joke, I'm a legit snack!" Through the pain, I was definitely smiling a lot in this episode.

This setup is just so genius. We've got this new experiment, with four new people, and the twist that Shawn has set up is that they're people specifically designed to neutralize the soul squad. One of the guys is someone who used to post cruel things about Tahani on his blog. And one of them is... Simone. Chidi's ex-girlfriend. This is just such an evil thing to do, and I love that I 100% didn't see it coming. The obvious ploy would be to send really evil, irredeemable people up to the new neighborhood, but Shawn didn't do that. He picked people who are totally able to be redeemed, but made it complicated for an unexpected reason. So sinister! So twisty!

I also love Eleanor needing to be the Architect because Michael had a freak-out. His character has certainly been through a lot since the show began, and I love that he is going through a rough time right now. As much as his human friends have suffered recently, it was about time for Michael to feel the effects as well. I loved the moment when he exclaimed that he's just middle management! This is all too much for him! I think Eleanor is going to take to the role with aplomb. After all, as she tells Chidi, she's a really good liar.

Oh, Chidi. This is so, so depressing. Simone's memory is erased so she won't remember them, but Chidi is absolutely sure that he'll mess this up. And he's probably right. If this experiment doesn't go well, they are all condemned to eternal torture. So Chidi needs to make the sacrifice. His memory will be erased, so he won't remember Simone. And he won't remember the other members of the soul squad either. It makes perfect sense, and it also means that Eleanor is the one who's making the real sacrifice. Chidi is going to be losing a chunk of his life, but he has no idea. He won't remember the loss. Eleanor is going to have to do what Chidi was so sure he couldn't - walk around and pretend everything is fine, while a person you used to be with is everywhere around you, unable to remember you at all. This is just so beautiful and tragic, and I love it!

The little video that Michael made for Eleanor and Chidi just broke my heart in the best possible way. We see memories of them meeting various times, their various dates and kisses and fights and adventures... it's all just so pure, and sweet, and their love seems like the one uncomplicated bright spot in a world of complications. I'm all about this kind of romance, and I'm sure they'll find their way back to each other in the future.

I'll end this review by talking about the ending of the episode - Eleanor asks Janet to tell her the answer - what is the point of life and love if you're just going to lose it all? This is one of those questions that gets to the root of this show, and of the big philosophical questions it's trying to answer. Janet's response is utterly beautiful. She says that becoming more and more human has made the world more confusing for her, but that this is a good thing. If the world all made sense, it would be a machine, it would be inhuman and automated. The chaos, the joy, the pain, it's all confusing, and it's all human. I love that, and I can't wait to explore it more.

That's it for this season! I can't believe it all happened so quickly! I'm so excited to see where this one-of-a-kind show takes us next.

9/10