The Good Place: Employee of the Bearimy (4x05)

So much fun! As always!

Cons:

Derek is a really funny character, and I'm genuinely amused by his antics. But with that said, I'll admit that I don't really get what his purpose is, in the larger scheme of things. If he's just there to be comic relief, I guess that's fine, but he kind of feels superfluous to the story that's being told. I'm prepared to eat my words. This show has certainly surprised me in the past. But right now, he's kind of just shrug-worthy for me.

Pros:

I've been complaining about Tahani not having much to do, and then we get this episode, where we discover that the character herself is having some anxiety about her usefulness! Great timing. While the others are all planning big things to proceed with the mission, Tahani is basically tasked with babysitting the humans and being a party planner. She's insecure about the fact that this is all she seems to be good for. But Eleanor, in a very Eleanor-ish style, tells her to suck it up. She reminds Tahani that cultivating an environment for these humans to bond and form friendship is literally what is going to save all of humanity. Tahani has lived a life of privilege, and she's never had to fight very hard for what she wanted. But now, she's realizing that she wants to do something more "worthy" with her time. I loved this element of Tahani's characterization, because on the one hand, it's great that she wants to expand her horizons. And on the other hand, Eleanor is sure to point out to her that her current skills aren't worthless. There's real skill and knowledge required to host events like Tahani does, and that shouldn't be dismissed out of hand.

Eleanor and Tahani's scenes together also had what might have been my favorite exchange of the night. There were a lot of funny lines, as always, but for whatever reason this one was the one that got me the most:

Tahani: "What am I, Welsh?"

Eleanor: "Are you? I don't know. No, right?"

Kristin Bell's delivery was just so great!

We also see Chidi being pushed out of his comfort zone. This is partially out of necessity, as Eleanor and Tahani need to hide the way the neighborhood is malfunctioning with Derek in charge, in Janet's absence. But this is also good for the overall plan of our heroes - Chidi changed and improved last time because he was forced to confront the problematic elements of his old habits, and really stretch those boundaries for himself. Even if in this case all he needed to do was go to a cabin and spend some time with his friends, that's honestly no small accomplishment. Take it from an introvert with some social anxiety - just getting out of the house and trying something different can feel like a huge win sometimes!

And then we've got the Bad Place plot, where Jason and Michael mount a rescue mission to bring Janet home. I've already stated my less-than-fond feelings towards Jason and Janet as a romantic couple, but I must admit that his determination to get her back was quite lovely! I also liked seeing Jason and Michael as a dynamic duo. It's not a pairing we've explored all that much, and their comedic chemistry was excellent! Once again, even though Jason is a darling little idiot, he actually doesn't screw everything up, and instead proves integral to the plan of getting Janet home safely. I like how he purposefully calls Janet "girl" so that she will say "not a girl" and thus confirm her identity. That was actually so smart!

And Michael kicked ass. He tried to give a pitch to the other demons of the Bad Place about why what they were doing was wrong - if this isn't part of maintaining the balance of the universe, then clearly they should reevaluate! Of course they don't suddenly defect and agree with Michael's perspective, but there is some confusion in the air, as some of the demons seem convinced that Michael and Jason's presence is all part of Shawn's presentation. I loved that they basically just created a bunch of very public chaos, and then ran off with Janet, turning demons into goo as necessary. That was a lot of wacky fun!

This show in general is wacky fun, but it has such a heart to it, that underpins and imbues everything with so much meaning. I love it so dearly and will be sad to say goodbye in just a short while!

8/10