‘The Good Place’: What Happened to Everyone in the Finale?
Just like that, The Good Place is officially over. The series finale of The Good Place aired on Jan. 30 on NBC. While it was an emotional sendoff, it was the perfect goodbye for the characters fans have grown to love. Disclaimer, this article contains spoilers for the series finale of The Good Place.
Where the show left off
In the second to last episode of The Good Place, “Patty,” the group discovered the entire afterlife system was broken. It was not just the points system or the Bad Place. Everyone in the Good Place was miserable because of how bored they were from feeling happiness nonstop. The Good Place committee had no idea what to do, so they quit and left Michael in charge.
To combat the happiness burnout, Michael designed a special door. If or when a Good Place resident feels they have gotten all they can out of the afterlife, they can walk through the door and end their existence in a peaceful way.
‘The Good Place’ finale brings out emotions early
“Whenever You’re Ready” kicked off with Jason deciding he was ready to leave the Good Place. After playing the perfect game of Madden with his dad, Jason holds a farewell party with his friends. He DJs the entire night, and explains to Eleanor and Chidi how he came to his peaceful realization.
The next morning, Janet walks him to the door deep in the forest. They say goodbye, and viewers believe that’s it. Except a thousand Jeremy Bearimys later, Jason returns.
It turns out, he never went through the door. Before he could, he realized that he forgot to give Janet her goodbye present. So he stayed in the woods for an infinite amount of time, waiting for Janet to come back.
While he waited, he reflected on life’s meaning and meditated. In doing so, he echoed his former alter ego Jianyu the monk, symbolizing he finally overcame his impulsiveness. After giving Janet the gift, he runs through the door.
Tahani never walks through the door
In the series finale of The Good Place, Tahani is the next of Team Cockroach to decide she is ready to leave the afterlife. She’s made up with her sister and her parents and accomplished everything she wanted to. At her farewell party, she realizes she doesn’t want to leave. However, she also doesn’t want to stay.
Deciding she wants to actually have purpose and help people, she decides to become an Architect of the new system. Tahani’s story line shows how she finds her fulfillment, and shows there is a third option in the afterlife. A human does not have to walk through the door or stay in the Good Place forever.
Chidi tries to make a sacrifice in ‘The Good Place’ finale
After Tahani, Chidi is the next person to realize his time in the afterlife should end. Eleanor picks up on it, and does her best to distract him. When he finally talks to her about it, she breaks down into tears. While it’s possible for Eleanor to live alone, she doesn’t want to.
Chidi agrees to stay until she is ready to leave too. After making that sacrifice for her, Eleanor realizes just what she is asking him to do. She knows it’s selfish of her to expect that of him, and decides to let him go.
The two spend one last night together, and per Eleanor’s wishes Chidi leaves before she wakes up. In the forest, Jason briefly appears to give Janet her gift before following Chidi through the door.
Eleanor and Michael struggle in the season finale of ‘The Good Place’
After Chidi leaves, Eleanor struggles to find her true purpose. Michael also has trouble after Judge Gen disbands the afterlife committee. The new system is working so well it’s no longer needed.
Both of them find themselves at the door at the same time. Once she reaches the door, Eleanor realizes she is not ready to go yet, which frustrates her. Meanwhile Michael is more than ready when he realizes that the door does not work for reformed demons.
So Eleanor goes to Judge Gen and asks for one last favor. Thanks to Judge Gen, Michael achieves his true wish and becomes a human. He is sent to Earth where he will eventually die, go through the afterlife system, and then have the choice to leave whenever he is ready.
Having fulfilled her purpose, Eleanor walks through the door. Her essence becomes part of the universe and encourages acts of good. Viewers see a small speck of light from her essence land on an unnamed man on Earth. He then retrieves a piece of mail from the trash that he previously threw away and returns it to its rightful owner, Michael.
Overjoyed with the junk mail and the man’s small act of kindness, Michael smiles at him and says, “With all the joy in my heart, and all the wisdom in the universe—take it sleazy.”
