The Good Placedebuted almost a decade ago, and while it was obvious from the beginning that the sitcom was a standout project, one episode quickly cemented the suggestion that no one would ever be able to guess what would happen next. WhileThe Good Placeoften thrived on its more lighthearted moments, its high-concept storyline regularly came to the forefront to set itself apart from other sitcoms. It boasts an impressive amount of lore for a show comprised of 20-minute episodes, but it’s also the twists and turns that allowThe Good Placeto shine.
Ted Danson’sMichael and his plan to deceive Eleanor Shellstrop(Kristen Bell) and her friends kickstartedThe Good Place’s story. With so many possible reasonswhy someone could be sent to the Bad Place,Eleanor and the others understandably fell for Michael’s ruse at first, but eventually worked out what was happening.The Good Placeremains one of thebest shows on Netflix, even though half a decade has passed after it ended. It remains a four-season masterpiece, and one episode in particular helped it achieve that title more than others.
The Good Place Went From A Good Comedy To A Masterpiece With Just One Episode
“Michael’s Gambit” ended The Good Place season 1 with a bang
The Good Place’s plot initially seems to revolve around the concept of mistaken identity, and it addresses the theme very well with jokes and storylines relating to ethics and related topics. While Eleanor believes she has to hide the fact from Michael that she thinks she’s taken someone else’s spot in the Good Place, the season 1 finale, “Michael’s Gambit,” throws in an unexpected twist. In short,Michael had been watching Eleanor and her newfound friends from the beginning, knowing full well who they were and that he was the one who put them there.
“Michael’s Gambit” reveals that Eleanor and her friends are actually in the Bad Place, and that Ted Danson’s character has been toying with them while experimenting with new torture techniques.
AlthoughThe Good Placewas still very engaging toward the end of season 1, how the story would continue started to become unclear. The two biggest possibilities seemed to be that the human characters were discovered to be in the Good Place by accident and sent to the Bad Place, or that they’d somehow manage to assume a permanent disguise. Neither option seemed particularly satisfying, but"Michael’s Gambit" proved to be what everything had been leading to, and it proved to be one of the most vital moments in security’s the show’s eventual legacy.
The Good Place Season 1 Finale’s Twist Will Go Down As One Of The Best In Sitcom History
Michael’s ruined plan is iconic enough to stand the test of time
The Good Placestands out for its simplified, secular take on the concept of an afterlife, although such elements aren’t common in traditional sitcoms. The show ventures more into the realm of fantasy at times, although it also doesn’t forget about more recognizable sitcom themes, as proven by thewill-they/won’t-they love story between Eleanor and Chidi(William Jackson Harper). So, in many senses,The Good Placeis still possible to hold up and compare with other sitcoms.
The twist in “Michael’s Gambit” comes right near the top of the list when it comes to the best left turns ever. The reveal thatthe human characters have actually been in the Bad Place all alongcomes out of nowhere, with the false premise of them being mistakenly in the Good Place acting as a perfect piece of misdirection that had taken up the entire season to that point. It’s tough to think of many existing sitcom twists that can top it, nor how it can ever be fully beaten by future competitors.
Later Seasons Of The Sitcom Continued To Prove How Great It Was
Eleanor outing Michael’s real identity as a demon rather than a Good Place Architect was a massive turning point in the show, and one that could easily have derailed the deceptively complicated story that had already been told. Thankfully,The Good Placesucceeded in using “Michael’s Gambit” as a jumping-off pointfor the seasons that followed, which thoroughly explored the fallout of Michael’s plan being smashed to pieces by Eleanor and the others.
4
13
9.6/10
1
“Michael’s Gambit”
9.3/10
3
9
“Janet(s)”
9.0/10
2
10
“Rhonda, Diana, Jake, and Trent”
8.8/10
12
“Somewhere Else”
Rather than being defeated by its own ambition,The Good Placecontinued to tell a hilarious story for three more seasonswhile never failing to revisit its ongoing relationship with ethical debates - often led by Chidi, but also Eleanor. The twist in “Michael’s Gambit” had a huge part in what would become the show’s main storyline, which was a quest to find and reach the genuine version ofThe Good Place’s titular location.
