“Picture a wave…in the ocean.
You can see it, measure it, its height, the way the sunlight refracts when it passes through and it’s there, and you can see it, and you know what it is, it’s a wave.
And then it crashes on the shore…and it’s gone.
But the water is still there.
The wave was just a different way for the water to be for a little while. That’s one conception of death, for a Buddhist.” ~ Chidi Anagonye
If there is one favour you can do for yourself, it is to watch The Good Place. And yes, it is worth stopping your work (although I can say with certainty that you weren’t doing any to begin with). Michael Schur, the mastermind himself, has written some of the most brilliant TV sitcoms that we all know and love, but The Good Place is on a pedestal of its own.
In the beginning of Season 1, the viewers are introduced to Eleanor Shellstrop, a woman who died after being run over by a boner pill truck while chasing her margarita mix in a supermarket parking lot. Wow.
She ends up in the Good Place which we can see someone of her disposition clearly does not belong in. A simple blunder on the architect’s part puts Chidi Anagonye, a (dead) professor of ethical and moral philosophy and Eleanor’s soulmate, in an ethical trauma. Should he snitch on Eleanor and consequently send her to the Bad Place, or help her become a better person by teaching her philosophy?
This might sound like a plotline which could be milked throughout multiple seasons, but Schur keeps the viewer on their toes. I daresay, this might be the least significant twist which has been introduced on this show. I could list the sheer number of shocking, anger-inducing, tear-jerking twists I was exposed to, but I won’t spoil it for those intrigued by my poor explanation of a remarkable show. The Good Place kept me hooked by introducing unexpected problems for the characters in almost every episode, plot twists I couldn’t anticipate even after rewatching numerous times, characters with whom I bonded with wholeheartedly, all against the background of perfect comedic timing.
The impeccably convincing acting of every single actor on this show scared me sometimes. How would I deal when this show saw its end?
I didn’t. I rewatch it frequently because in a stressful time, it calms me. It fills me with a sense of fulfilment and tranquility. From no other show can you expect a balance of scripted jokes which don’t require a laughing playback track, and moral lessons which leave you contemplating hours after the episode has ended in just twenty minutes.
With the sheer amount of TV shows being released annually, it might seem like a faint praise to label a show the best. So I won’t. But I will say that it is a show that you can come back to any time to embrace in the warmth and comfort it brings. The characters feel like home. Their struggles, achievements, and pain feel like mine. For a show that is based in the afterlife, their journey feels so realistic.
And so, I urge you to open Netflix right now, and begin The Good Place Episode 1. You will laugh, cry, feel restless and desperate, and go on an emotional journey of your own. Please do comment and let me know if you watched it, and whether you liked it. Also, let me hear your thoughts on Season 2 Episode 5, a personal favourite of mine.
Most of all,
Take it sleazy!
