Good, getting great

 

Unfortunately, just as The Good Place hit its stride in its second season, because of the NFL, TV network NBC has pushed the show into an early hiatus and the rest of the season won’t appear until next year (January 4th), leaving us on a lacklustre cliffhanger.

If you’re planning on watching this show at all you really should watch the first season. You can read all about the first season here.

Now I like The Good Place, don’t get me wrong. It has hit its stride this half-season, but to me hasn’t reached the same heights of Parks and Recreation (another Michael Schur creation). We’ve got the ensemble cast, and bonds are forming. It’s getting there with the warm family dynamic, but it’s not quite there yet. Self-interest still remains as a large part of these relationships.

Season One was mostly focussed on Ted Danson and Kristen Bell, but this season, we’re getting more time with our other cast members and changing up the pairings. You get more time with Janet (D’Arcy Carden) and Michael (Danson), and Tahani (Jameela Jamil) and Jason (Manny Jacinto), and of course Eleanor (Bell) and Chidi (William Jackson Harper).

Now Janet is the clear stand-out of this season. As an AI created by Heaven, she serves as a sort of human-shaped Alexa. But she becomes so much more than that and begins to register human feelings. Carden’s delivery of bubbly enthusiasm even while saying the most depressing of statements, is worth the price of entry alone.

For me, a particular favourite episode of this season would have to be “The Trolley Problem”, which hurls Chidi into a realistic simulation of the classic problem of an out of control train; would you change the tracks to run over one person instead of a group of people?  Some side-splitting dark humour and a change of locale. More of this, please!

The Good Place is running at a fast clip and is playing with a number of story ideas this season. With the cliffhanger at the end of Season One, I was worried about where the show was headed. Thank the almighty Danson that the show didn’t falter. I should’ve kept the faith! With such a high concept as this, it could have been easy to get lost in confusing fantasy lore. Fortunately, the writers know a good thing when they have it and are keeping the show “grounded”—as grounded as a show about the afterlife can be. I’m missing this band of misfits already. Needless to say, this hiatus is going to feel like a long one.

Show The Good Place: Season 2 (Part One)

Network NBC, Hulu (US), Netflix (NZ)

Release Date 20 September — 2 November 2017

Episodes 8

Binge Time 3 hrs