The Good Place Season 2 Episode 12 Review: The Burrito
Kaitlynn Smith
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The Good Place delivers another knockout episode, full of one-liners, surprise twists, and a special guest star!
On The Good Place Season 2 Episode 12, the four humans meet the judge who will decide if they deserve to go to the Good Place. Shawn is furious at Michael for helping the humans escape, and he plans to punish Michael for eternity.
Maya Rudolph guest starred as the judge, and as soon as I saw her on screen, I squealed in delight.
Rudolph was full of energy in the role, and she had great chemistry with the four regular cast members. She also delivered some of the best one-liners in the show's history.
And I love your passion! I mean, it takes a lot of guts to just show up here unannounced. Plus, I haven't had a case in like 30 years and I'm super bored. So, it's either this or start Bloodline. And I don't know. I just don't feel like I can see Kyle Chandler as anyone else but Coach Taylor.
Judge Gen
Each test the judge administered was brilliantly planned.
Jason's test had me cackling, especially since we know that the Jacksonville Jaguars almost made it to the Super Bowl this year. (I hope someone in the Bad Place told Jason this news. He deserves to know.)
I particularly loved Chidi's hat test, which he failed after he spent 82 minutes deciding between a gray or brown hat.
As an indecisive person myself, I connect with his inability to make a decision about anything, including which hat he should wear.
Okay, this is ridiculous. I'm just gonna choose. Brown. Gray is the obvious choice, which is probably why I shouldn't choose it. Brown. Nope. Gray. Nope. Brown. Brown hat.
Chidi
Perhaps the most surprising thing about the entire series is that Eleanor has clearly changed the most.
She was the only one of the four humans to pass her test with the judge, but she arguably started out as the worst of the group.
Her behavior on earth left a lot to be desired, but she has clearly grown a lot from her time in the Bad Place. Eleanor is incredibly intelligent, which is obvious every time she is the one who is able to figure out what is wrong with their current situation.
When she was alive, though, she failed to show her full potential and seemed to use her bad childhood as an excuse to be a horrible person.
Her time in the Bad Place and her relationship and training with Chidi have encouraged her to be a better person. She even lied about failing her test so that her friends would not feel bad about failing their test while she passed hers.
Judge Gen: Now, Eleanor's test was about her selfishness, and she actually...
Eleanor: I failed. I shoved an old lady down the stairs to get to the raw bar because I'm a shrimp fiend. So, we all failed. Let's not dwell on it.
That prevailing goodness in human nature is the beauty and heart of The Good Place (and really of all of Mike Schur's shows).
Tahani's test was the most heartbreaking. I have always been uncertain about my feelings of Tahani. In my opinion, she is the most frustrating character.
She is selfish, pretentious, and often cruel, especially to Jason.
Forcing her to see the names of people talking badly about her was painful to watch, even with some of the funny combinations of people (Blue Ivy Carter and North West, for example).
The whole point of this afterlife test is that everyone in these rooms is supposed to be talking about me. And yet even in this scenario, you are still talking about Kamilah. Which is exactly the point. I was never going to be enough for you, never going to earn your respect.
Tahani
The scene with her parents was the most I have ever liked Tahani because I finally felt sympathetic towards her.
I hope this moment gives her the chance to move on and grow as a person in the future.
The reveal of Bad Janet being Good Janet all along was another great twist, even though I had guessed that might be the case early in the episode.
D'arcy Carden is consistently my favorite part of the series, and any time she gets to be Bad Janet is quite entertaining. Despite how much fun I was having watching her as Bad Janet, I was thrilled to find out I was right.
The real Janet is back with Michael, and now that they have traveled through the portal, I hope they are able to convince the judge that the humans deserve a second chance.
I'm not scared of any burrito. I'll eat it. Unless the burrito is the judge!
Jason
I am curious to see what will happen to Shawn now. Did Janet and Michael lock him in that room with the endless supply of New Yorker magazines? Will he be able to get out and stop Michael and the humans?
I hope he does not stop the humans from getting to the Good Place, but with the season finale airing next week, I imagine we will have to wait for the start of season 3 to find out what happens. It is just the nature of The Good Place to leave us hanging.
Each episode of this series is filled with twists and surprises, but it somehow never feels overdone or annoying. Instead, the show gets better and better as it goes on, which makes me excited and anxious for next week's season finale.
After the complete reset of the show during The Good Place Season 1 Episode 13, I cannot wait to see how they trick us this time!
What did you think of the episode? You can watch The Good Place online! Then, share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
Chidi: If this isn't a test, then it's something way worse!
Eleanor: What?
Chidi: A choice! That we have to make!
Kaitlynn Smith was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in May of 2018.
