THE GOOD PLACE Recap: (S03E07) The Worst Possible Use of Free Will

Melody McCune

DISCLAIMER: This recap of The Good Place contains more spoilers than the number of times Michael’s attempts at torture were thwarted by our fledgling Team Cockroach. You’ve been warned. Prepare for some soul saving, and enter at your own peril. 

Welcome back, Soul Squad! The Good Place continued to up the ante for an already stellar Season 3. Consider this ante upped! This was an incredibly Michael/Eleanor-centric episode, wherein the latter debated with the former on the true nature of free will. Eleanor believed free will is nonexistent, whereas Michael argued that human beings have complete control over certain aspects of their short lives. Michael also revealed the Greatest Hits clips of Eleanor and Chidi’s on-again-off-again romance. Eleanor learned that she has the capacity to love, fully and unconditionally. Fun stuff! Oh, and Shawn has constructed a door to Earth, with our favorite Bad Place actress Vicky in tow. Evil has arrived!

Alright, ready to delve into “The Worst Possible Use of Free Will?” Just be sure to avoid eye contact with Tahani’s mirror centaur. She finds the act to be very plebeian. 

We open with Eleanor (Kristen Bell) and Michael (Ted Danson) inside an Arizonian library after the latter dropped that relationship bomb in the previous episode. They decided to make this little detour so Eleanor can learn more about her previous romance with Chidi in the afterlife. Michael procures a device that Janet crafted, one that contains a library of Michael’s failed neighborhood reboots. He decides to show Eleanor a short clip of an afternoon in the artificial Good Place, wherein our girl and Chidi (William Jackson Harper) encounter Vicky (Tiya Sircar) and another Bad Place demon.

Pictured: Kristen Bell, nbc.com

Now, although the clip was very brief, we see the devastating effect it has on Eleanor. She’s bald, eyebrow-less and almost toothless. We learn that revealing tidbits of the afterlife to a mortal has consequences. Michael assures Eleanor that she’ll return to normal in 20 minutes, and then they can continue their Greatest Hits journey. 

Later, once Eleanor regains her luscious blonde locks and is able to speak, the duo soldiers on. Michael reveals another clip from Eleanor and Chidi’s ethics class. Said class plants the seeds for their romance to inevitably blossom. Then, the duo joins Tahani (Jameela Jamil) and Jason (Manny Jacinto) for a day of choosing between a plethora of animals for the perfect soul pet. Janet (D’Arcy Carden) is also present, providing information about each animal. There’s everything from exotic creatures to mythical creatures to dogs. Eleanor latches on to an iguana, while Tahani stumbles upon a mirror centaur. Said centaur’s human half takes on or “mirrors” the appearance of its master. Thus, Tahani can now own a Tahani, but with a horse’s body. How very Tahani of her. 

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Meanwhile, Chidi can’t decide between two adorable puppies. Story of my life! In the end he settles on an owl, once everyone else scoops up the remainder of the pets. We learn that Spencer is quite the vicious little winged friend – he claws at Chidi’s arm when the latter gets too close. Eleanor urges Chidi to ask Michael for a dog. However, Chidi is using this missed opportunity to punish himself for his indecisiveness. Eleanor vows to ask Michael for Chidi, and the two exchange a charged glance. Suddenly, Michael yanks the device out of Eleanor’s ears back on Earth. And it was just getting good!

Of course, Michael attempts to appease Eleanor by telling her that she can take a gander on what happens next. Eleanor’s act of kindness leads to snogging which leads to fun sexy times which leads to love. Eleanor urges Michael to keep the clips rolling. Michael relents and allows Eleanor to continue watching. Never go against a Shellstrop, Michael. It won’t end well for you. 

Now, we’re back in the fake Good Place. Eleanor approaches Michael with her new iguana perched atop her head. She asks on Chidi’s behalf for a pet swap – Chidi returns his belligerent owl for a friendly puppy. Michael agrees to said swap. Success! Michael then asks Tahani to throw a fancy soiree at her mansion for all neighborhood residents and their new soul pets. 

Suddenly, we learn that Eleanor has misplaced her iguana. Chidi suggests that she call upon Janet to find the missing pet. However, Eleanor cites that doing so could alert Michael to her true identity, and that she doesn’t belong in the Good Place. Eleanor decides to sit the party out, and urges her friends to attend sans Shellstrop. We see Eleanor searching high and low for her pet, strolling through sections of the neighborhood we haven’t seen since Season 1. It was nice to revisit the old stomping grounds in this episode. She stumbles upon Chidi, scaring the afterlife out of him. He falls into a pond, but thankfully Eleanor is there to help him dry off…and give him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation (wink wink). Thus, Chidi and Eleanor’s romance is born. 

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

Next, Michael explains that, in every reboot, Chidi and Eleanor always connected on a romantic level. They always “found” each other in that regard. In one reboot, we see them escaping to the Medium Place. We also witness their declarations of love to each other post coitus. There’s even a clip where our duo confronts Michael hand in hand, claiming that their love will destroy whatever evil schemes Michael may be concocting. In short, they thwarted Michael’s attempts to torture them every single time. 

Then, Eleanor takes out the device, and Michael reveals that he initially didn’t want to gift the former with all of her memories. He didn’t want Eleanor to see just how cruel he was to our Soul Squad. Thankfully, Michael is a completely different being now. Eleanor finds it difficult to believe that she truly loved Chidi, despite having watched evidence of her love coming to fruition countless times. This is where the free will debate comes into play. Michael is on Team Free Will, claiming that Eleanor declared her love of her own volition. However, Eleanor believes her love was “orchestrated,” a plot point in a scheme of Michael’s design. Michael insists that he never planned for the pair to fall in love. 

Later, after being kicked out of the library, Michael and Eleanor continue their debate in a diner. Eleanor still believes that one’s impulses or choices are carefully devised by genetics, ancestry, circumstances, etc. No one truly possesses free will – every choice is influenced by some outstanding force. Michael shows Eleanor another clip where the latter takes the fall for Chidi’s mistake which, again, was not something predetermined by Michael. In fact, in the following clip we see Michael lament to our lovebirds about how they always seem to foil his plans. Eleanor then poses the query of whether Michael’s own choices were predetermined by a demon higher on the ladder than himself. That’s when Michael dumps a glass of iced tea over Eleanor’s head. Check and mate!

Pictured: Ted Danson, nbc.com

Of course, Michael was trying to prove a point – that he has free will. He decided to pour said glass over his friend’s head because she was being annoying, and to snap her out of her funk. What a good friend! Eleanor finally understands that she’s always avoided being vulnerable, and brushed off anything that reeked of vulnerability. Thus, she was terrified of the fact that she admitted she loved someone. It’s her defense mechanism, and one that she shares with many a human.

Next, our duo picks up Janet, Jason, Tahani and Chidi from the airport. Next stop: home! The game plan? Continue to save souls as the Soul Squad. Eleanor apologizes to Michael for her behavior, and broaches the idea of taking the Soul Squad to the next level. They do know what’s up with the afterlife, after all. Michael agrees to this, and proposes they track down the perfect human, someone who can act as a “blueprint” for humanity. That way they can use said person to help others rack as many Good Place points as possible. He knows of a certain prime individual for the job. Not Rihanna, unfortunately. Michael rallies the gang together and informs the bunch that they’re heading to rural Canada. Aw, Canadians are good people!

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Meanwhile, we see Shawn (Marc Evan Jackson) return to the fray with a cocooned Vicky in tow. He releases her from said cocoon and forces her through a newly crafted portal. She crosses the threshold to Earth, and thankfully doesn’t promptly explode. Shawn follows suit. Now, the Baddest of the Baddies has finally arrived on Earth. This can only spell danger for our Soul Squad. 

Now, I believe this was the best episode of The Good Place Season 3 thus far. Not only did we get to see clips from the old neighborhood, but Vicky and Shawn made their triumphant returns in tandem. Danson and Bell are magical together, while the former proves that he may be the heart and soul of this show. Yes, a demon can change its stripes. Danson is a comedic force to be reckoned with. Of course, I love it when TV makes me think, and this episode sure did challenge my own views on free will. 

Do you think Shawn will track down our crew in Canada? Will Vicky enact her revenge on Michael? Can Eleanor overcome her natural defense mechanism and allow herself to love? Join me next week as I 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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