By: Elena Donatone
The popular fantasy comedy The Good Place (2016-2020) came to an end earlier this year and, now that it’s over, we can finally look back at its four amazing seasons and gather our thoughts on the greatest lessons we learned from Eleanor (Kristen Bell) and the other quirky and lovable characters.
1. People can improve if they receive external love and support
“We choose to be good because of our bonds with other people and our innate desire to treat them with dignity. Simply put, we are not in this alone.”
When Eleanor gets to the famous “Good Place” (which we now know is in reality the 'Bad Place'), she is quite a selfish and manipulative person and she doesn’t care about other people’s opinions and feelings.
But with the help of her friends Chidi (William Jackson Harper), Jason (Manny Jacinto), Tahani (Jameela Jamil) and especially the sweet and redeemed Bad Place architect Micheal (Ted Danson), Eleanor slowly learns how to be better and more caring as a person.
As she grew up by herself, without the help of her parents, Eleanor found it hard to love and trust others, but when she realises she has friends in her life that need her and care for her, the woman changes for the better and becomes such a strong and loveable character in the show.
And it is Eleanor’s example that leads to the start of a new era for the Good and Bad Place alike, where a new afterlife system is created that leaves people space to make mistakes and consequently learn and improve from them.
2. It is perfectly normal to be sad, it is part of the human nature and we shouldn’t ignore the feeling
“If you try and ignore your sadness, it just ends up leaking out of you anyway. I’ve been there. And everybody’s been there. So don’t fight it.”
Unfortunately, we live in a society where being sad is frowned upon and where being happy is the synonym of being successful and loved.
In the episode “Existential Crisis” of season two, Michael, the demon experiences human emotions for the very first time and he goes through ups and downs when he can’t seem to succeed at creating the perfect neighbourhood for the Bad Place.
Thankfully, Eleanor is there to comfort him and to explain to him that being down, but trying to avoid the sadness in our lives is pointless and we should always listen to ourselves and accept the pain we are feeling.
3. Earth is messy and unreliable, but one person can change our mindset and therefor our world
“If there were an answer I could give you to how the universe works, it wouldn’t be special. It would just be machinery fulfilling its cosmic design. It would just be a big, dumb food processor. But since nothing seems to make sense, when you find something or someone who does, it’s euphoria.”
If there is one thing The Good Place always reminds us of, it's how unpredictable and scary our lives can be. Each and every one of us, just like Eleanor, doesn’t know what will happen in life or when it will be our last moment on earth. And that is quite unsettling.
But at the same time, having the right person next to us will lessen our fears and will make us appreciate life more.
While the adventures Eleanor lives through in both the Good and Bad Place can be scary, she knows she will always have Chidi by her side. Her love for the man is stronger than life’s unpredictability and usually pushes her to succeed in every challenge.
4. When we feel lost, helping others can make us feel better and useful
“Sometimes when you’re feeling helpless, the secret is to help someone else. Get out of your own head. Trust me. Next time someone asks for help, say, ‘Yes'.’”
It is hard to think about other people’s lives and problems when our ones seem so big and challenging. But what if helping others is sometimes a way to help ourselves as well?
Chidi, as a professor of ethics and moral philosophy, is usually scared at the prospects of making any kind of choice in life and always ponders at what will happen in every specific scenario because of that choice.
When he is back on Earth, Michael lets him in on a secret. It is always helpful to support and assist other people in their journey and to stop being in our own head for a second.
Thankfully, Chidi follows the advice and that’s how he reunites with Eleanor!
5. We need to listen to that little voice inside our head that tells us what’s wrong and what’s right
“I had a friend that said whenever she was doing something bad, she’d hear this little voice in her head… Distant little voice, saying, ‘Oh, come on now. You know this is wrong.’ And then when she started doing good things, that voice went away. It was a relief.”
And finally, The Good Place's most important lesson is undoubtedly about morality.
From Chidi’s philosophy classes for Eleanor and the group, to Eleanor’s improvement in the afterlife, the show focuses on how we can be better people and how we should try to do the right thing even if it doesn’t result in a personal benefit.
As Eleanor says, it is hard to do the right thing, but it is better than doing the wrong one. Every time she carried out a selfish act on earth, she could hear a little voice in her head reminding her that what she was doing was wrong. As soon as Eleanor started acting better and caring about others, that little voice disappeared. And that is why we should all try and improve ourselves. We can all distinguish between an act of dishonesty and fidelity, and we can all try to listen to our little voice and become more loving and selfless people!
If you have never watched The Good Place, all four seasons are now available on Netflix! Follow Eleanor in her journey through the afterlife and get ready to fall in love with all the loveable and unforgettable characters!
What are you waiting for?
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