The Good Place kicked off its third season with a strong start, but ever since the premiere, the quality and plot of the show have been steadily declining. The Good Place Season 3 Episode 5 is a prime example of this.

The personalities of the characters prevent the show from ever truly being substandard, but recently, The Good Place just hasn't managed to hit the audience with the same level of shock and interest as it's done in previous seasons.

Although it was still a fun watch, the newest episode of The Good Place, unfortunately, fell a bit flat.

Eleanor and her friends were surprisingly quick to accept the existence of the afterlife and their experiences there.

It did feel a bit off that they believed Michael without question, but then again when you see a magic portal to another universe it would be hard not to believe in the impossible.

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While everyone handled the news about as well as could be expected, Chidi's breakdown was a bit hard to watch.

There were a ton of comedic aspects to Chidi's crazed reaction, but I have to wonder, was he really being all that crazy? It seems like Chidi was the only one who realistically handled the revelation.

The world is empty. There is no point to anything and you're just gonna die. So do whatever!
Chidi

Permalink: The world is empty.

Who wouldn't want just to give up if they found out that hell was real and that's exactly where they were going? And no matter what good they did on Earth their fate was already sealed?

Essentially, life just became a countdown to an inevitable eternity of misery. Anyone who doesn't suffer some kind of break down after that news is the actual crazy one.

Michael: As soon as you learned about the afterlife your motivation to be good was corrupted, so you can't earn points anymore. So sorry for eternally dooming you.
Janet: And that's our bad guys.

Permalink: So sorry for eternally dooming you.

In contrast with Chidi's response to the situation at hand, Eleanor's reaction served as further proof to just how far along she's come since the beginning of the series.

Eleanor's character development is remarkable, and she has very easily become the most selfless and open-minded person of the group.

Her ability to make light of even the darkest situations helps maintain the tone of the show as well as ease the minds of those around her.

See ya in hell. You know what I just realized? I always say that when leaving a room, but right now it's accurate. I will literally see you in hell.
Eleanor

Permalink: I will literally see you in hell.

Of course, Eleanor is still Eleanor, and she wouldn't be herself without a funny quip or two, but her desire to put others before herself has become one of her best and most redeeming qualities.

Her suggestion to help others get into The Good Place raises an interesting question.

Since the newly formed "Soul Squad" has accepted their fate and their only intention is to help others, does that automatically make their intentions pure once more?

That's insane. But it's also like the eleventh most insane thing to happen today so who cares.
Eleanor

Permalink: It's also like the eleventh most insane thing that's happened today.

When Eleanor realized she was doing good for the wrong reasons during the initial "Good Place" experiment, she ended up attempting to leave The Good Place to make amends.

Is this situation the same? It seems entirely possible that their good deeds with no expected rewards could get them into The Good Place after all.

Of course, the moment that any of them realize that, their intentions would once more be corrupt. They seem to be treading a very fine line where just one wrong thought could ultimately change their fate.

For some reason that I couldn't quite put my finger on, this episode felt like it disconnected the audience from the characters quite a bit. Maybe it's because the characters were split up for the majority of their time, but the revelation of the afterlife just didn't have the kind of effect I was hoping.

In the past, the show managed to surprise their viewers at every twist and turn, but the impact of what should've been a major plot twist was nearly non-existent.

In fact, despite the entire basis of the experiment getting destroyed, it feels like nothing's changed.

The plot of The Good Place was always quite literally like a "Jeremy Bearimy," but currently it's almost as if the show is going in a straight line with an occasional bump or two. Or it's stuck on that little dot on the "i" and can't find its way back.

As it turns out, The Good Place really does need the actual Good Place (or at least the concept of it) to truly succeed. It was the show's unique setting and concept that made it stand apart from other sitcoms.

The supernatural mixed into 30 minutes of comedy was what made it feel like something super special.

Now that the supernatural element is fading more and more each episode, The Good Place, while still a good show, is starting to feel more like your everyday sitcom.