(Jun, 2023)
Philosophy, life and afterlife, heaven and hell, moral dilemmas, ethical lessons, and what it means to be a good/bad person.
Witty humor, mind-boggling imagination and unexpected plot twists.
The Good Place encompasses all of these all at once.
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It's cool how the first season mirrors "No Exit": Hell is other people. As the series progresses, it gradually evolves into "heaven is other people", a redemption for the characters and the afterlife world as well.
I've been wondering how it's gonna end while watching those seemingly repeats and twists in the subsequent seasons. And I think it delivers an incredible ending:
- The focus shifts from definitive goodness and badness to one's current perspective. (Considering that all factors are intertwined and that there are always unintended backfires to well-intentioned acts.) If given enough time, might there be the potential to improve in each person?
- I like the new good place where time doesn't stretch out forever. Instead, you walk through the door to the ultimate place whenever you're ready. Mortality offers meaning to our lives.
- Michael finally lives out his life as a human. And I think it's a reminder that while we all long for belonging to the good place, there's someone loving and cherishing the humble human life so much.
- In the s4 finale, those who walked through the door to the ultimate place transformed into tiny sparkling beings, and I deem those thoughts of kindness. Like a form of reincarnation, those will continue to guide mankind, to help them to be better, and perhaps to be worthy of going to The Good Place themselves.
