My Top Ten Episodes of "The Good Place"

Here we go. It's been a while since I've done one of these, but the show is done and it's time to take stock. Below, find my ten favorite episodes of "The Good Place," unranked and listed in chronological order. Many, many spoilers lie ahead. And everything is fine.

"Jason Mendoza" - The introductory episodes of "The Good Place" were fine, but it was when Jianyu revealed himself to be Jason that I felt that the show really kicked into gear. Manny Jacinto's performance as a genial dumbbell was such a great surprise, I spent most of this episode just grinning at him and anticipating what else the writers had in store. This was the first major twist that I felt the show successfully pulled off - one of many, it would turn out.

"Chidi's Choice" - Chidi is stuck between the two Eleanors, and we get some insight into the horrible indecision that's plagued his life. It also continues the multiple-Eleanor storylines from the prior two episodes, resulting in some important character development for "Fake" Eleanor. This is all well and good, but the real reason this episode is on the list is because it's the one where Jason and Janet get married in the most delightfully adorable wedding ever.

"Michael's Gambit" - I wasn't quite won over by the big reveal to start with, because the implications didn't quite sink for me immediately. However, Ted Danson's evil demon smile was so great, and I love the way that Eleanor seizes control of the narrative for a few moments, and keeps the audience in suspense while seemingly courting disaster. And knowing what I know now about what the writers were going to do with their "reboot" makes this development so much better in hindsight.

"Dance Dance Resolution" - My favorite episode, where Michael reboots The Good Place hundreds of times to try and torture the humans, only to fail each time and finally give up in frustration. All the different reboots are a delight, Michael's increasing desperation is amazing, and Megan Amram's legendary food puns are off the charts. And Jason figured it out? Jason? The episode is like a mini-"Groundhog's Day" packed into twenty-odd minutes.

"The Trolley Problem" - This was my first wake-up call that the show was taking moral philosophy much more seriously than I had anticipated, going so far as to build a whole episode around one of the classic philosophical thought experiments. And also to make it absolutely hysterical to watch, nicely calling back Chidi's problems with indecision. I wasn't a big fan of the Michael redemption storyline, but the writers sure managed to mine some good humor from it.

"Derek" - Comedian Jason Mantzoukas can be an acquired taste. He's perfect casting for Janet's rebound boyfriend and first attempt at creating a human, though. The second season is full of these wacky conceptual surprises that the show would spring on us at random. Derek was one of the best, and the show's creators were very good about how they used him throughout the show. His introduction was the show at its most metaphysical and silly.

"Rhonda, Diana, Jake, and Trent" - If you couldn't tell, the second season of "The Good Place" is my favorite for all the ways it kept breaking the structure of the show and speeding through massive amounts of plot. Having abandoned the original Good Place neighborhood in the previous episode, the gang take the train to the Bad Place. Everyone's undercover, the mood is tense, and it's all terribly exciting and very funny. And Michael does the thing.

"Jeremy Bearimy" - Chidi goes off his rocker upon learning the truth about his existence, giving William Jefferson Harper the chance to really go over the top in the best way. The rest of the episode isn't too interesting, because the season's larger plot had gone a little sideways, but the actors still do a fine job with the material. If nothing else, Janet and Michael's "Jeremy Bearimy" explanation of how afterlife time functions is one of the show's iconic moments.

"Janet(s)" - All hail D'Arcy Carden for pulling off a real acting feat, playing all the characters stuck in Janet forms in Janet's void, plus a new Neutral Janet for good measure. This is also the episode where Michael visits the Kafkaesque Accounting and finally gets some answers about the points system, introducing some real stakes for the rest of the show. Bonus points for the technical difficulty of juggling all those different Janet characters, and the great sight gags.

"The Funeral to End All Funerals" - I'm still getting my mind around the final season, but I've settled on my favorite episode - the reveal of the experiment's results and the setup for the show's last big existential crises. There are some fun surprises like the Janet army, but I like that a big part of this episode is its hangout nature for the humans, with all the different funerals. It's an important pause before the climax, and a nice way to refocus on the core characters.

Honorable mentions: "Most Improved Player," "Mindy St. Clair," "Existential Crisis," "Best Self," "Somewhere Else," "Don't Let the Good Life Pass You By," "The Book of Dougs," "The Answer," and "Patty."

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