The Good Place (Season Three)

Season Three of The Good Place picks up the reboot initiated at the end of Season Two, with the four humans back on earth and given a second chance to improve themselves enough to make it into The Good Place. The show has essentially (and necessarily) taken on a different premise for each season to keep the plot from getting stale and it has largely worked. It's a good, consistent comedy with sharp wit and superb writing.

In addition to laughs, The Good Place is a contemplative show that continuously considers the question of what it means to be a good person. There's things that are obviously bad, like the crimes that Jason's father Donkey Doug (plot twist!) and Pillboi commit, but the show digs even deeper this season into exploring the unintended consequences of ostensibly good actions. It points out that life on Earth has gotten so complicated that it's practically impossible to make decisions that have perfect levels of morality, and nearly all that we do has shortcomings. It's a bit of a grim message, and a rather overwhelming one. The Good Place effectively distracts from these big questions with well-timed laughs, but it presents them nonetheless.

The falling action of the season created some drama in Eleanor and Chidi's romantic relationship, and I suppose how well that hits home depends on how much one truly buys into the pair as a couple. I never really saw it, and it's probably because it felt like Eleanor forced it after finding out that they fell for each other during some of the simulations. Plus, it's hard to see the romantic side of either character given how their exaggerated flaws (Eleanor's selfishness, Chidi's indecisiveness) have tended to dominate their characters over the first few seasons.

The show set itself up for yet another reboot in Season Four, and it's clear from the outset that there's going to be some pretty high emotional stakes for its main characters. I look forward to seeing what Ken Tremendous & Co. have in store for us next.

Season Grade: B+