The Good Place: Tinker, Tailor, Demon, Spy (4x04)

I laughed a lot at this episode and I also had feels. So great!

Cons:

I don't really root for Janet and Jason as a couple, so I'm not sure how I feel about the revelation that it was Bad Place Janet who broke up with Jason. I liked the exploration of Janet having a romantic relationship, as a theory, but I've never bought completely in to the reality. So this is sort of a wait-and-see situation. They could always do something interesting with it, but it remains to be seen if I'll enjoy it or not.

Pros:

Eleanor and Chidi are giving me all the feels. I loved their conversation over nachos, and how Eleanor can be there for Chidi and help him with his anxiety and doubt. It's so nice to see her as a good person, who is confident and willing to be there for the people she loves. It's also so fascinating to see this version of Chidi, who is slowly being made a better person, and yet who doesn't remember Eleanor. You can see a connection between them, but there's distance there because of Eleanor's role as "The Architect." For obvious reasons, Chidi isn't going to think of Eleanor as a romantic prospect. It's just so tragic but also lovely to see them being there for each other in the only way they are currently able.

Michael being willing to sacrifice himself for the experiment was surprisingly emotionally affecting. His devotion to his friends, and to the experiment of humanity itself, is touching. I hope that I can believe in something with that much fervor in my life, and be willing to go so far to preserve my principles. Michael the Fire Squid is an inspiration to us all.

I love that this is the second week in a row that Jason proved to be pivotal in saving them all. His realization that Janet wasn't really Janet was inspired, and it saved Michael from blowing himself up, and saved the entire experiment from being restarted. As I've said before, Jason is such a fun character because he's so dense about really basic stuff, but has these flashes of pure insight that are actually really inspired.

One of the challenges in reviewing this show is that a part of me just wants to list all of my favorite jokes, and I don't think that makes for a good review. But just a few of my favorite funny moments:

- The grotesque Pictionary pony that Chidi brings to life, and Janet is forced to kill (and then explain in gruesome detail how it struggled and she decapitated it).

- The sex toys and how they keep accidentally touching them throughout the episode.

- Michael describing what his true form looks like, and Jason being all excited and totally wanting to see it.

- Michael's description of the stages of life for a demon, including "creepy little girl" and "teenage boy" and "social media CEO."

And on and on and on. This show is brilliant, and I can't wait for what's next!

8.5/10