The Good Place’s “Tinker, Tailor, Demon, Spy” brings back Glenn, because even The Bad Place guys deserve their chance at something resembling redemption, while pitting ¾ of the human side of team cockroach against their favorite demon. And, no, nothing of what I said is the surprising part. The surprising part is that Jason Mendoza, finally, gets to be the one to save the day.
You heard that right.
It’s been a long time coming for Jason, a character who often feels like …well, like plain old comedic relief, even on a show where everything has nuance. In fact, it’s often felt like that’s the joke – everyone but Jason has depth, everyone but Jason contributes. But Jason, like Eleanor, Tahani, and Chidi – even if he doesn’t remember it – have grown. And hey, so have Brett, Jason and Simone, even if they still have a way to go. Because that’s the point.
We can grow.
It was easier, I think, to try to figure out where this show was going, before we knew the end was in sight. And by easier, of course, I mean we weren’t even close once, but we weren’t trying to come up with an endgame theory, just middle game ones. That’s always more attainable.
Now, we’re four episodes in and with just nine more to go in this final season, it feels increasingly like everything could happen. Jason saved the day in this episode, after all! That surely means we should just give up on guessing and just get some popcorn and resign ourselves to being along for the ride?
However, I do want to say this. The Good Place is a fun show, but it’s rarely just that. It’s also a show that has managed, throughout everything, to teach a lesson of self-improvement and kindness. We are better because we try, every day, and we are better because we learn from our mistakes. In 2019, especially, that feels like the kind of lesson we should all be taking to heart.
So, when it’s over, and before it is, I hope we can all take a moment to just …appreciate this show. Yes, it’s a good comedy, and yes, it has a couple we’re rooting for and interesting characters the likes of which we hadn’t seen before, but it also has the pulse of, what I think, is the one true message we all need to understand to get through the seismic cultural changes that are going on right now.
We aren’t all perfect. In fact, some days, we aren’t even good. But no day is the end. There’s always a chance to improve. There’s always a chance to get better.
Don’t give up – not just on others, but on yourself. The Good Place, and self-improvement, is right around the corner. And yes, that journey is never ending, but it’s okay. We’re all in this together.
Things I think I think:
- Dude, magic Pictionary SUCKS.
- “Shawn is so mean, you guys.”
- I still can’t get over Kevin being Shawn and Shawn being mean. I always expect Holt to come judge Kevin. Or for Kevin to wake up and realize he’s being Shawn and be all like WTF is happening to me.
- Oh, I miss Brooklyn 99.
- As much as I could care less about Glenn, I’m glad he brought up the whole: well, if the humans aren’t actually bad, should we be torturing them of it all.
- Chidi and Eleanor.
- And nachos.
- Eleanor is sorta right about nachos.
- SOCIAL MEDIA CEO IS RIGHT BEFORE DEMON.
- As predictable as the Michael twist was, it gave me feels.
- You know what WASN’T predictable?
- Jason
- Saved
- The
- Day
- WHAT?
Agree? Disagree? Did you enjoy “Tinker, Taylor, Demon, Spy”? Share with us in the comments below!
The Good Place airs Thursdays at 9/8c on NBC.
