THE GOOD PLACE Recap: (S03E04) Jeremy Bearimy

Melody McCune

DISCLAIMER: This recap of The Good Place contains more spoilers than the number of times Chidi has endured a stomach ache while attempting to make an important decision. Our favorite ethical professor tends to overthink things. You’ve been warned. Prepare for the afterlife, and enter at your own peril. 

Welcome back, Team Cockroach! The Good Place blessed our Thursday night this week with another stellar installment. If you’ll recall, Michael and Janet were opening an inter-dimensional door in last week’s episode, one that lead to the Judge. Unfortunately, our Brainy Bunch caught them in the act. Michael and Janet explained everything – and I mean everything. The Good Place, the Bad Place, the whole shebang. Now, this blip in the radar royally messed up our quartet’s chances of ending up in the Good Place upon their deaths. Thus, Chidi spiraled out of control and Eleanor decided to return to her “trash bag” roots. Tahani gave away her money and married Jason. You know, existential crisis stuff. 

Alright, ready to delve into “Jeremy Bearimy?” Just be sure to wish Janet a happy birthday, which is sandwiched between sometimes Tuesdays, sometimes July and sometimes never. Backwards. Time progression is strange. 

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We open with the Brainy Bunch catching Michael (Ted Danson) and Janet (D’Arcy Carden) just as the latter are about to cross an inter-dimensional threshold. Well, so much for discretion. Michael attempts to sugarcoat the truth by claiming he’s an FBI agent. He’s knee-deep in an investigation with his partner Lisa/Frenchie/Janet, one that involves our human quartet. Unfortunately, Eleanor (Kristen Bell) has been involved in enough investigations to sniff out the ruse.

Pictured: D’Arcy Carden and Ted Danson, nbc.com

Thus, Michael and Janet are forced to spill the beans. They reveal everything about the Good Place, the Bad Place and their mission to make sure Team Cockroach winds up in the former. Michael delves into a convoluted explanation of how time progresses in the afterlife. It’s a “Jeremy Bearimy,” meaning time loops in a cursive spelling of the words “Jeremy Bearimy.” You know, the “i” is sometimes Tuesdays, sometimes July and sometimes never. Chidi (William Jackson Harper) suffers a mental breakdown, claiming that Michael’s time explanation broke him. It broke me too, Chidi. It broke me too. 

Now, unfortunately, because our crew knows everything about the afterlife and its rigorous point system, their chances of ending up in the Good Place are nil. They could strive to earn points as a means of going to “heaven,” and not simply because doing good is, well, good. So, thanks Michael and Janet for eternally damning Team Cockroach?

Next, Eleanor decides to return to her “trash bag” roots. She lies about her birthday at a bar so she can receive a free martini. Why not just do whatever the fork you want? Why does anything matter now that her chances of going upstairs are less than zero? Meanwhile, Tahani (Jameela Jamil) makes the executive decision to make an anonymous million-dollar donation to the Sydney Opera House. She follows this act up by doling out her millions to passersby on the street, with Jason (Manny Jacinto) by her side. Giving out one’s possessions because it’s the right thing to do and not to contribute to a merit system should be enough to earn one a place in heaven. Right?

Now, Chidi takes his mental breakdown one step further. He comes to the conclusion that God is dead, that nothing matters, and that his lifetime pursuit of ethics is a waste of time. He waltzes into a grocery store, shirtless (thank you, The Good Place Powers That Be), and proceeds to clean said store’s shelves of items. He maxes out his credit card, dresses himself in a fun shirt about wine and attempts to give away his car keys. Emotionally broken Chidi is a fun Chidi. Harper is stealing this episode for me. 

Meanwhile, Michael and Janet decide to write up the former’s manifesto detailing all the events we’ve seen thus far. Everything from Michael’s original neighborhood conception to the gang’s escape to Earth. Janet helps speed the process along with her inhuman dictation skills. Of course, once the manifesto is complete our duo intends to turn themselves in to the Judge. They’ve fully embraced their inevitable retirement. This breaks my heart. 

Later, Eleanor finds a stranger’s wallet near her bar stool. Her initial plan is to clear it of its contents (i.e. money), but her newfound ethical center forces her hand. She decides to trace said wallet to the owner’s address. However, upon arrival, she learns that the owner has moved. The new homeowner also dumps the previous tenant’s items on an irritated Eleanor. New address in hand, she circles back to a location next door to the bar she was just at. Eleanor returns the man’s wallet and the aforementioned items. He’s grateful, not just for potential credit cards or money within the wallet, but a picture his daughter drew for him. Said picture signifies good luck. He reveals that he hopes his daughter turns out to be like Eleanor someday. And Eleanor’s heart grew three sizes that day. 

Pictured: Jameela Jamil and Manny Jacinto, nbc.com

Next, Tahani and Jason are still on a giving spree, handing out wads of cash to unsuspecting strangers on the street. A weight has been lifted from Tahani’s shoulders. Jason reveals that he could have used money of that caliber back in Florida, when he was barely scraping by for rent. Tahani marches to a bank and asks for her account to be transferred to Jason. Every last pound be written in Jason’s name. Of course, the teller is bewildered by this request. They seldom let anyone from Florida darken their doorstep, let alone acquire large sums of money. This gives Tahani an idea. 

Meanwhile, Chidi is teaching one of his classes at the university. Well, more like crafting a delicious pot of marshmallow chili. Yes, his chili has Peeps inside it. Sounds…tasty? He launches into a rant about how everything lacks meaning. Nothing matters. His students are taken aback by his un-Chidi-ness. He also points out the three main branches of ethics, and we see them in action with the remaining members of the Brainy Bunch. After his students leave, Eleanor sardonically congratulates Chidi on a lecture well done. Then, she urges him to join her for a surprise mission. 

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Later, Michael and Janet ruminate on the tourist attractions they’ll visit in Sydney prior to their retirement. Suddenly, Eleanor and Chidi burst into the room, followed by Tahani and Jason. Tahani reveals that she married Jason, which almost makes Janet’s head explode. She follows up her declaration by insisting that said marriage is platonic, just so Jason has access to her money. Well, that’s a relief. Eleanor proposes that the six of them unite in an effort to ensure that everyone they know lives a good life. She dubs them the “Soul Squad.” While their souls are essentially damned to the Bad Place, that doesn’t mean they can’t focus on helping others. Making sure that those around them live their best lives. I’m digging this new initiative. Our Soul Squad, including Michael and Janet, heartily agrees to this. 

Pictured: William Jackson Harper and Kristen Bell, nbc.com

Suddenly, Larry Hemsworth (Ben Lawson) barges into the Soul Squad’s inaugural meeting and asks if Tahani is ready to leave. Uh oh. This won’t end well. Now she has to tell her current fiancee that she married some random dude from Florida. That escalated quickly. 

The Good Place is taking some unexpected turns this season. I genuinely can’t predict what’s going to happen next, and it’s altogether terrifying and exhilarating. Our Powers That Be have opened an inter-dimensional door to other possibilities beyond simply striving for entry into the Good Place. However, I do wonder if eventually Shawn will track them down, or if our group’s chances of gaining access to the Good Place will increase? Gotta keep raising those stakes, friends. 

Do you think Shawn will find them? Will we see Trevor again? Could we potentially travel back to the Bad Place by season’s end? Join me next week as I continue to recap The Good Place, here on Geek Girl Authority. 

The Good Place airs Thursdays at 8:30pm on your NBC affiliate. 

 

Melody McCune
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