The Good Place Season Premiere Review: Everything Is Bonzer!

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Holy motherforking shirtballs! The Good Place is back and ready to kick some serious ash with a brand new season.

Fans of the NBC show should find themselves rejoicing over this double feature of The Good Place Season 3 Episode 1 and The Good Place Season 3 Episode 2 because yes, everything is indeed bonzer!

Stepping In - The Good Place

When we left off at the end of The Good Place Season 2, Eleanor had been on Earth for about a year before she gave up on her moral progress and resorted back to her old ways. With some help from Michael, Eleanor found herself on a plane to Australia to seek help from a moral philosophy professor who happened to be none other than Chidi Anagonye. 

Related: The Good Place Season 2 Episode 13 Review: Somewhere Else

The Good Place Season 3 premiere picks up right after Eleanor enters Chidi's office in what is essentially another reboot. 

I almost died. And it made me want to become a better person. Which I did for a while, but then I fell back into my old trashbag ways. But yesterday I saw your lecture and something just clicked.

Eleanor

It was an interesting direction for the show to take considering that the audience has found themselves witnessing quite a few do-overs.

It's almost like the character and relationship development we spent the whole season invested in was for nothing. After finally building everything back up it is a little hard to watch it all come crashing down. 

While wiping the characters' minds once more had the potential to be both exhausting and frustrating, the new spin on the gang's situation has managed to keep the show fresh. 

The whole premise of the show was believed to be built upon the lives of those living in The Good Place. But when the series threw its viewers for a loop, the show quickly became about something else. "How do we stay in The Good Place?" turned into "How do we get to The Good Place?"

Related: The Good Place Season Premiere Review: Everything Is Great!

Even though they weren't physically in The Good Place, the series still took place in the afterlife. Now that that very concept has changed it's opened the door for so many different questions.

Just how long are they planning to keep the group on Earth? Do they get to live out the rest of their lives or do they only have a certain amount of time to prove that they can become good people on their own merits? Will they ever go back to the afterlife, or is Earth going to be their home for the next few seasons?

No matter how long their experiment will ultimately last, Michael's devotion to his friends is admirable. He will do whatever it takes to get them to The Good Place no matter the cost to himself. And it, of course, comes as no surprise that Michael's multiple trips to Earth were some of the most comedic parts of the episode.

I saw this place that was at once a Pizza Hut and a Taco Bell! I mean oh! The mind reels! A Pizza Hut and a Taco Bell!

Michael

Janet and Michael - The Good Place Season 3 Episode 1

Michael isn't the only one fighting tooth and nail for Eleanor and the gang. Janet is next to him every step of the way and is just as invested in their friends as he is. 

As the show went on, Janet gradually started to act less like an informational database and more like a real person. Her feelings for Jason and relationships with the others obviously helped humanize her, but during the premiere, I found myself forgetting that Janet was still a computer. 

Related: The Good Place Season 3 Preview: A New Type of Reboot

It seems like the change in Janet we'd been witnessing over the past season sped up immensely offscreen as there's a significant difference in Janet's behavior in the Season 2 finale compared to what we just witnessed.

It's almost as if the show used the break as an opportunity to ditch Janet's role as a computer to more heavily incorporate her with Eleanor's circle of friends.

Janet - The Good Place Season 3 Episode 2

On another note, there's one thing that has stayed true in every season, and that is the bond between Chidi and Eleanor. Just like always, Chidi didn't hesitate to help Eleanor when she showed up at his door, and the two quickly went back into their student-teacher role.

Chidi posts flyers - The Good Place Season 3 Episode 1

But this time Chidi isn't the only one lending a helping hand. Eleanor decides she's going to help Chidi right back. Chidi has started to fall for one of his colleagues and considering that he's not always the smoothest person, Eleanor decides to take matters into her own hands.

Eleanor: Next question. You are into Simone.
Chidi: That's not a question.
Eleanor: So you agree, it's a fact.

There's no denying that Chidi and Simone are cute, but there's also no denying that they're nothing in comparison to Eleanor and Chidi. 

The "will they/won't they" factor in Eleanor and Chidi's relationship is especially exasperating because they actually have and haven't. Their relationship status just depends on what reboot number they're experiencing.

At the end of Season 2, it seemed like the two finally realized that they were meant to be together, but we should've known it wouldn't come that easy.

All their progress was once again wiped away along with their memories, and it was a little hard to hold back the screams of frustration. 

The Good Place does an excellent job at building up Chidi and Eleanor's romance, as they somehow seem stronger in each reboot than the last. The wait for them feels absolutely excruciating at times, but that only means The Good Place is accomplishing its goal.

Eleanor and Chidi's relationship affected more than just them; it made those around them better too. It was always their connection that helped to bring the group together, and with a little help from Michael, it has done the same once again. 

Tahani's whereabouts over her year on Earth initially came as a surprise, but when an opportunity arose for her to step back into the spotlight it wasn't at all shocking that she took it. When a certain investor showed up at her door and called her out on her selfishness, Tahani realized it was time for a real change. 

Tahani finds her center - The Good Place Season 3 Episode 2

Jason's passion for dance is always entertaining to watch, but ultimately he found himself feeling like he should be doing something more. 

I know it sounds crazy, but I'm starting to think there might be more to life than amateur street dancing competitions.

Jason

With a nudge from Michael, both Jason and Tahani found themselves participating in Chidi's study of near-death experiences and how it affects ethics. And just like that, the gang is back together!

Unfortunately, nothing can ever go smoothly for Team Cockroach, and Trevor's appearance makes it obvious that things are about to get messy. But incorporating a demon into the group might be just the external conflict the show needs to make the gang's time on Earth as explosive as possible.

Dance Dance Resolution - The Good Place Season 3 Episode 2

Overall, The Good Place Season 3 started on a good note. Although it wasn't the most exciting episode to-date, the premiere kicked off with the perfect blend of plot and comedy and kept us engrossed the entire time.

The Good Place has managed to create endless possibilities for future seasons while simultaneously proving that the show can always find a way to be innovative and new.  

Miss the episode? Do you just wanna see it again? You're in luck because you can watch The Good Place online anytime on TV Fanatic!

Everything Is Bonzer! Pt.1 Review

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The Good Place Season 3 Episode 1 Quotes

I saw this place that was at once a Pizza Hut and a Taco Bell! I mean oh! The mind reels! A Pizza Hut and a Taco Bell!

Michael

I almost died. And it made me want to become a better person. Which I did for a while, but then I fell back into my old trashbag ways. But yesterday I saw your lecture and something just clicked.

Eleanor