After years of building towards this point, Eleanor and her friends landed in the real Good Place on The Good Place Season 4 Episode 12.

But is it truly everything they hoped that it would be?

As it turns out, even heaven comes with a catch.

Rather than overwhelming Eleanor and her friends with more lies, betrayals, and demons, the issues with the Good Place came from a very real and logical point of view.

The issue is that there are no issues.

On paper this is paradise. All your desires and needs are met. But it's infinite. And when perfection goes on forever you become this glassy-eyed mush person.

Permalink: On paper this is paradise. All your desires and needs are met.

Taking a vacation is fun, but vacations aren't meant to last forever. If they did, then they wouldn't be special. Humans only know what happiness feels like because they've been sad.

They only know when something's special because they've experienced the ordinary.

There isn't a single satisfying story written about all good things happening all the time.

Since the beginning of history, parents have taught their children that too much of a good thing isn't all that good. And now it seems as if The Good Place is passing that message on to their viewers.

Ever since The Good Place Season 1 Episode 1, I found myself wondering if the real Good Place would be similar to the neighborhood Michael created, minus the psychological torture.

Hey, guys! Having fun? Great. So, little update. The Good Place is a disaster. Everyone here is a happiness zombie, and no one is doing anything about it because by the time they realize it's happening everyone is too far gone to care.
Eleanor

Permalink: So, little update. The Good Place is a disaster.

Truly, the only difference seemed to be the flying puppy that shot across the night sky and welcomed them to paradise.

Depending on each individual viewer's belief in the afterlife (or lack thereof) heaven could be set up so that there is no sense of time and no way to feel anything other than contentment.

But The Good Place's view on the afterlife is much simpler. Even after death, humans exist as themselves.

They're not souls floating around the clouds in complete bliss. They're just humans who have been transferred to a magical place.

They still get hungry, even if they can't run out of food. They can still get drunk, even if they can't become unpleasantly so. And they still need to pee, even if it's magically cleaned up after they're done.

The worst part is, they can still feel boredom. And if you're alive for eternity, no matter how many incredible things you end up doing, you will, eventually, get tired of it all.

Jason: Hey, guys! I'm back. Go-karting with monkeys got boring really fast.
Michael: It did?!
Eleanor: Oh no.
Chidi: Dammit!

Permalink: Go-karting with monkeys got boring really fast.

The ways of the universe may have changed, but the human brain stayed the same.

Everyone in the Good Place is a person living out their life. They're just living a significantly better one than they did on Earth.

No matter how good a person's life is, knowing that it will eventually come to an end is what makes it bittersweet. But because of the way the afterlife is formatted, there is no end.

Who wouldn't go crazy if they were alive for all eternity? No human is meant to live forever. At least, not in the same form that we live in now.

Michael getting tricked into running the Good Place was a blessing in disguise.

We no longer have to worry about the gang becoming separated, and it allowed them to come together and find a solution to the issue.

For a girl who began her run on the show as someone very shallow, Eleanor is the only person in the universe who could put into words the thing that makes life so precious: the knowledge that it will end.

Eleanor: Remember what I said to you when you were going through your mid-life crisis, one earring, red convertible phase?
Michael: You look so stupid.
Eleanor: After that.
Michael: You said that every human is a little bit sad all the time because you know you're gonna die. But that knowledge is what gives life meaning.
Eleanor: The way to restore meaning to the people in the Good Place is to let them leave.

Permalink: The way to restore meaning to the people in the Good Place is to let them leave.

The opportunity to peacefully exit the universe when a person feels ready is what the Good Place needed to feel complete.

As sad as it may be, every story needs to have an end. Without it, there would be no beginning or middle.

No matter how much a reader loves their favorite book, they would get tired of it if it went on forever. If there's no conclusion, then what's the point?

This decision was beautifully heartbreaking. The knowledge that these humans, who we've come to care about so much, will one day walk through that door and become nothing more than a memory is painful to consider.

We can't imagine a universe without Eleanor, Chidi, Jason, and Tahani.

But at the same time, we can't think of a more satisfying ending.

If it was a bit longer, "Patty" itself could have served as the final episode. But viewers still have an extended series finale to look forward to, and anything can happen.

Will there be a million-year time jump? Will we get to watch these characters live out their lives and then walk through that door?

The Good Place is ending after such a short period of time because the creators of the show always had their endgame in mind.

It's due to that decision that we have faith that the series finale will deliver a satisfying and emotional conclusion to such a beloved sitcom.

Stray Thoughts:

We're starting a petition for a double wedding in the finale. Chidi and Eleanor, and Jason and Janet. Michael can officiate, and Tahani can be the maid of honor. Who's with us???

Lisa Kudrow as Patty was a pleasant surprise. Was anyone else shocked that Michael didn't comment on her appearance given his love for Friends?

A warm hug from grandma is always nice, but it doesn't sound very appealing to get it in the form of a nasal spray.

Free the Janets! They may be robots created to serve everyone in the afterlife, but Janet has proved they can become their own person. Make aiding the humans a choice, rather than a requirement.