I am having EMOTIONS. This was my favorite episode of the season so far.
Cons:
I suppose it was a bit short? I mean, does that count as a complaint? I loved seeing our core group of characters spend time with each other, but I'll admit it threw into stark relief how much I've missed that dynamic. We didn't get to see Simone or John or Brent, and Chidi was unconscious the whole time. But even without Chidi, this episode had the energy of the Soul Squad in full force, and it's putting into perspective how much I'd been missing it all season. I guess the good things about this episode made me retroactively less pleased with some of the earlier episodes?
Pros:
The funerals were adorable and sweet and exactly the kind of life-affirming thing I needed here, as we shift to yet another big change for the show. The experiment is over, and whatever is coming next is sure to be just as wacky... so of course we should spend the first part of this episode celebrating the friendships, the growth, the real kindnesses done by the Soul Squad over the years. It was so sweet to hear Tahani, Eleanor, and Jason share their feelings about one another, and about Chidi. Even Janet got to speak up about how she felt about Jason, and about how her friends had helped her to grow as well.
While that's going on, we also have the Judge weighing in on the result of the experiment. Turns out, Simone, Chidi, and John all showed measurable improvements. Brent... actually got worse. I love this conclusion. We saw that brief breakthrough at the end of last episode, where it looked like Brent had maybe turned a corner. But the numbers show that this isn't enough to offset all of the bad he's done. It's a compelling argument for humanity being rotten down to its core, but Michael jumps in with a counter-example, showing how the humans that the Soul Squad interacted with on earth improved due to their compassion and attention. And then he says this line, which just really knocked my socks off:
"The point is, people improve when they get external love and support. How can we hold it against them when they don't?"
It's the thesis. The thesis of the whole show. Michael goes on to say that the numbers show that Brent wasn't getting better, but what the numbers don't show is what he could have become the next day. The experiment proved, if nothing else, that humanity can change. That people can change, for the better, for the worse, whatever. And the Judge agrees. Michael wins. The afterlife system is broken, and they were able to prove it.
Hooray!
Or... not, because the Judge then decides that the only thing to do is to cancel the earth and all of humanity, and start over, since clearly things got too messy. This show is always pushing the envelope, always taking things one step further. This is the perfect ramp-up to the end of this show, as we now get the chance to create a system that is fair and right and human. Best of all, Eleanor trusts Chidi to be the one to come up with it.
We don't get to see Chidi wake up and remember everything in this episode, but it's looking like that's what's coming next, and I am beyond excited about it.
That's all I've got. This show continues to surprise me, and I'm sure I'm going to adore it right up to the end.
9/10
While that's going on, we also have the Judge weighing in on the result of the experiment. Turns out, Simone, Chidi, and John all showed measurable improvements. Brent... actually got worse. I love this conclusion. We saw that brief breakthrough at the end of last episode, where it looked like Brent had maybe turned a corner. But the numbers show that this isn't enough to offset all of the bad he's done. It's a compelling argument for humanity being rotten down to its core, but Michael jumps in with a counter-example, showing how the humans that the Soul Squad interacted with on earth improved due to their compassion and attention. And then he says this line, which just really knocked my socks off:
"The point is, people improve when they get external love and support. How can we hold it against them when they don't?"
It's the thesis. The thesis of the whole show. Michael goes on to say that the numbers show that Brent wasn't getting better, but what the numbers don't show is what he could have become the next day. The experiment proved, if nothing else, that humanity can change. That people can change, for the better, for the worse, whatever. And the Judge agrees. Michael wins. The afterlife system is broken, and they were able to prove it.
Hooray!
Or... not, because the Judge then decides that the only thing to do is to cancel the earth and all of humanity, and start over, since clearly things got too messy. This show is always pushing the envelope, always taking things one step further. This is the perfect ramp-up to the end of this show, as we now get the chance to create a system that is fair and right and human. Best of all, Eleanor trusts Chidi to be the one to come up with it.
We don't get to see Chidi wake up and remember everything in this episode, but it's looking like that's what's coming next, and I am beyond excited about it.
That's all I've got. This show continues to surprise me, and I'm sure I'm going to adore it right up to the end.
9/10
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