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Recap

The episode opens with Michael making a voice recording of his notes for attempt number three of the Good Place. Eleanor arrives and meets her soulmate. As in the last episode, she is at the welcome party wearing her "Best Person" sash. Tahani comments on it, and after she walks away, Eleanor calls her a giraffe.

The next day, giant giraffes roam the neighborhood. Eleanor calls for Janet and asks for someone who can teach her to be a good person. Janet introduces her to Chidi, but Eleanor thinks he's too big of a nerd. We cut to day 128, and Eleanor, Chidi, Jason, and Tahani are arguing about which of them must climb into the obelisk to go to the Bad Place. Eleanor suddenly realizes they're in the Bad Place.

Michael records his notes again, but it is now attempt number 11. He reviews the positives: Eleanor always hates her house, Tahani always hates Eleanor, Jason hates being quiet, and Chidi immediately gets a stomachache. The same familiar scenes play out, although this time Eleanor leaves her ethics lesson for a surprise from her soulmate, Sebastian. The surprise is a three-hour spoken word jazz opera, and she quickly realizes she's in the Bad Place.

Michael resets Janet again.

We see a montage of several other attempts. While Michael is talking through attempt 108, Eleanor walks in, forcing him to start again. He gives Eleanor many different soulmates, including Tahani and a golden retriever. Eleanor always figures out that they are in the Bad Place.

A montage plays showing Michael rebooting Janet.

By attempt 484, Michael is clearly in crisis. He has a beard and is drinking, and Shawn still thinks he's on version one. He is stress eating. The camera pans and we see Eleanor was sitting there the whole time, but he says it doesn't matter, because this one doesn't even count.

In one attempt, Jason figures out they're in the Bad Place, which particularly wounds Michael.

Finally, attempt 802 begins. Michael says that Chidi is teaching Eleanor, Tahani still thinks Jason's a monk, and everyone is miserable. He is optimistic.

Vicky is sitting in the town square alone. She tells Michael she and her fellow demons are on strike until their demands are met.

Michael and Vicky meet in his office. Vicky says everyone is sick of his experiment and can barely remember what they are supposed to be doing anymore. She's still upset about the size of her role, but all 318 of the demons have demands.

Michael says he can't fulfill all of the demands, because some would be dead giveaways (e.g. Gunner's desire to bite the humans). Vicky agrees, but says some are doable.

This is day two of Eleanor's ethics lessons. She's ignoring Chidi, so they take a break at the chowder fountain. Chidi notices no one else is around. They hear voices from around a corner and investigate.

They overhear two Bad Place demons smoking cigars and complaining about their jobs. Todd, the lava monster seen in a previous episode, makes an appearance. One of the demons doesn't care if they're spotted, because Michael will just reboot the humans anyway. Eleanor and Chidi flee.

Realizing they're in the Bad Place, Eleanor says they have to keep their cool. They call Janet and ask if there's somewhere they can go.

Eleanor and Chidi are with Janet on a train. They figure out that Jason and Tahani are probably humans too. Eleanor and Chidi bicker over being sent to the same place in the afterlife.

They arrive at Mindy St. Claire's house. Eleanor starts introducing everyone when Mindy interrupts, asking if they remembered to bring the cocaine this time. Mindy says they've visited fifteen times before.

Michael and Vicky are still talking in Michael's office. Vicky wants to reboot the humans one more time and take over, executing her version of the neighborhood. Michael threatens her, saying she needs to do what he says or she's going down, but Vicky holds the power. She hands him a folder in which she's documented each of his mistakes, ready to give to Shawn.

Eleanor and Chidi interview Mindy. They find out that Eleanor and Janet come each time, but Chidi is usually there too. Sometimes Jason and Tahani are in the mix, and one time all five of them came.

Eleanor wonders aloud what they should do next, suggesting they stay at Mindy's forever, but Mindy explains that she has that idea every time but always formulates a plan to defeat Michael and goes back.

Chidi decides they need to form a plan, but worries they'll come up with a plan they've tried before. Apparently, he reacts this way every time as well. Mindy shows them every plan they've ever tried, which includes physically attacking Michael, seducing Michael, making Michael think he's the one in the Bad Place, and "catch that magic panda use her powers" (Jason's idea).

Back in the Bad Place, Jason happens upon Michael on a bridge. Michael greets him, using his real name, and asks if he can bounce some ideas off him. He casually mentions they're in the Bad Place and that Jason is being tortured.

Eleanor and Chidi are devising a plan but can't stop fighting. Eleanor goes inside to vent to Mindy, but apparently has done so fifteen times before. Mindy announces that Chidi and Eleanor have it "bad for each other." Eleanor denies this, but Mindy puts a tape in the VCR.

Eleanor and Chidi are cuddling in bed. Chidi is shirtless. Eleanor says, "I love you," and Chidi says he loves her too.

Mindy says they've slept together 20 times across eight different days, but they only said "I love you" once. Mindy drilled a hole in the wall to tape them--it's her lookin' hole.

Eleanor has only said "I love you" to two men in her entire life: Stone Cold Steve Austin and some guy in a dark club whom she mistook for Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Mindy says when Michael finds out he's failed again, he'll just reboot them. Eleanor calls Chidi and Janet and announces that they're leaving. She takes the tape with her.

Michael asks Jason what to do, although most of his questions seem rhetorical. Jason offers wisdom: he was once a member of a dance crew in Jacksonville called Dance Dance Resolution: We Resolve to Dance. One day, he and Donkey Doug got into a fight, so Donkey Doug left and formed his own dance crew. Donkey Doug immediately challenged them to a dance-off. Dance Dance Resolution came together with renewed determination and slashed Donkey Doug's tires.

Michael finds that Jason's inane story contains a bit of good advice. Jason still thinks he's in the Good Place.

Michael enters Eleanor's home, where she is with Chidi and Tahani. She immediately cuts Michael off and calls Jason over. Tahani explains that they know everything. Eleanor says that they keep figuring it out, so they're winning and Michael is losing. They have the power.

Michael says they're on the same page, and he wants to team up with them. He says he's in a bind and needs backup, or, as Jason put it, he needs a new dance crew. The episode ends with Michael saying, "So what do you say? New best friends?"

Show:
The Good Place
Season:
Episode Number:
3
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The Good Place Season 2 Episode 3 Quotes

I have tickets to Hamilton next week, and there's a rumor that Daveed Diggs is coming back!

Janet

Jason: Yo, yo! Homies, check it! There's something messed up with this place. We keep fighting with each other, none of the TVs get the NFL RedZone channel, my soulmate doesn't even know who Blake Bortles is. I know this sounds crazy, but I think we're in the bad place.
Michael: Jason figured it out? Jason? This is a real low point. Yeah, this one hurts.