"The Bad Place isn't tampering with points. They don't have to."
"There are so many unintended consequences to well-intentioned actions. It feels like a game you can't win!"
— Tahani
The Soul Squad has entered the Good Place through their post office. To avoid arousing suspicion from the worker Gwendolyn, Michael poses as an accountant, has Janet disguise herself as a Neutral Janet, and claims the four humans have won a contest. Being rather gullible, Gwendolyn immediately believes it and tells Michael how he can contact The Committee to address the issue on his mind.
Eleanor is determined to get out of the post office, but humans can only get to the Good Place through the official gateway. Chidi gets her to calm down and suggests they just enjoy the moment. They go on their first official date, drinking, bonding, and enjoying their time together.
Meanwhile, Jason and Tahani discuss what they found out in Janet's void. Jason's not sure how he feels about Janet, and Tahani pushes him to talk to her about it directly. That backfires, though, when Janet gets embarrassed and confused by all these emotions she's suddenly feeling and she is having a hard time keeping up her Neutral Janet facade, feeling stressed and emotionally on edge. Tahani tries to help by making a divorce "Death Did Us Part" certificate for herself and Jason but it only makes them both feel worse—Jason is reminded of the fact that he's dead and Janet is reminded of the fact that she essentially killed her friends.
Michael meets with The Committee, a group of kind, considerate, and polite angelic beings. He pleads his case to them, stating that he's certain the Bad Place has hacked the system somehow, hence why no human has gotten into the Good Place in 521 years. The angels are horrified and promise to take immediate action. However, immediate action for them would take centuries, if not millennia, just to form their investigative team. Michael reiterates the issue is extremely urgent and in that time, countless innocent humans are going to be undeservedly tortured. However, the angels state they absolutely will not break or bend the rules and will follow them to the exact letter.
As Michael sulks in disappointment at yet another possible solution turning out to be a letdown, Tahani vents to him about how her genuine attempts to help Jason and Janet only make things worse for everyone. As she laments over the unintended consequences of her actions, a realization strikes Michael and he figures out what the problem with the points system is. Looking through the Book of Dougs, Michael sees that the points system also counts the positive and negative consequences of every action, and with the modern world being so interconnected, this means even the smallest and most well-meaning of actions can have multiple harmful and far-reaching ramifications causing harm to other people or benefiting a bad person in some way. The Bad Place never had to sabotage the system because the system itself was flawed from the start.
Tahani apologizes to Janet and lets her know she just wanted to help. Janet breaks down and tearfully hugs Tahani, admitting that she feels conflicted in her feelings for Jason, who starts crying to join in even though he has no idea what's going on. Gwendolyn sees the three of them crying and quickly becomes suspicious, which is worsened when Eleanor bursts out of a closet with Chidi to loudly and crudely announce they just had sex. Gwendolyn is hurt that they lied to her and tries to angrily shake her fist at Michael but can't make a fist, informing him that she will have to turn him over to the Judge. Michael replies that he already has contacted her. The Doorman then appears, telling the Soul Squad that they will be meeting with the Judge at the Interdimensional Hole of Pancakes.
Tropes in this episode include:
- Angry Fist-Shake: Gwendolyn tries to do it to Michael and the humans for lying to her, but she can't get the hang of making a fist.
- Bad "Bad Acting": Janet once again has a little trouble pretending to be a different kind of Janet, this time a Neutral Janet.Janet: Hello. Also not hello. It is nothing to meet you. End of statement. [awkward half not smile grimace]
- Bavarian Fire Drill: Michael poses as an accountant, has Janet disguise herself as a Neutral Janet, and says the four humans won a contest. This fools Gwendolyn the mailroom lady.
- Blatant Lies: Tahani apologizes to Janet for encouraging Jason to come clean about what they saw in her void.Janet: You saw that, too?
Jamil: ... no. - Brick Joke:
- Chidi dresses up as a sexy mailman for Eleanor.
- Janet mentions that she's feeling so many new emotions that she's worried they're going to burst out of her butt. Later she starts crying, and mentions that they're coming out of her eyes instead of her butt.
- A double-layered version happens with the Doorman. At the start of the episode, it's established the Good Place smells like whatever makes you happiest. When the Doorman arrives in the Good Place, he remarks it smells like frogs, referencing his endearment of them shown earlier in the season.
- …But He Sounds Handsome: While Michael is posing as an accountant, one member of the Good Place committee says that "every single Bad Place employee is a disgusting monster." Michael, who used to work for the Bad Place, tries to downplay that statement.Michael: Well, some of them are probably cool, handsome, man-about-town types.
- Call-Back:
- Eleanor immediately gets excited at the thought of being around heavenly mailmen.
- Michael learns that the problem with the system is the Running Gag Chidi has been obsessing over - the unintended consequences of supporting unethical systems like blueberry farms that use pesticides to grow their crops and unpaid labor.
- Likewise, he learns to his displeasure what he told Shawn and Val back in "Michael & Janet" is true - Good Place people really are that stupid and trusting.
- The episode ends with the team heading to the previously mentioned IHOP.
- Celestial Bureaucracy: In keeping with everything else we've seen of the afterlife so far, the Good Place turns out to be full of Obstructive Bureaucrats who tangle themselves up in red tape, memos and meetings about how they plan to address the issue Michael has raised.
- Character Development: This episode really illustrates how far the main cast has come from who they were in their journey.
- Michael is the strongest advocate for the humans and is utterly distraught over how many are being sent to suffer unfairly. He also has no trouble interacting with Gwendolyn in the mailroom, showing how far he's come toward being the sort of demon who deserves to work on behalf of the Good Place. He's able to manipulate her, showing his connection with humanity, but he's able to understand her, as well, showing he's fundamentally good as well.
- Eleanor is emotionally vulnerable to Chidi and completely owns it. Now she's actually worried about the consequences and found someone she cares about deeply.
- Chidi has no hesitation to act anymore, and even reassures Eleanor by suggesting they ignore the consequences.
- Jason actually reflects on his previous actions as wrong and considers the consequences they have for someone else and discusses with Tahani how to make amends.
- Tahani is truly selfless in her efforts to help Jason and Janet reconcile, with no ulterior motives of recognition on her part.
- Janet is deeply emotional throughout the episode and finally breaks down crying over a genuine emotional connection to all her friends.
- Clothing Reflects Personality: The committee from the Good Place wear loose casual clothing, knits, and vests, which strongly contrasts with the sharp lines of the demons and their 50s suits.
- Comically Missing the Point: Eleanor used to escape from escape rooms by breaking stuff until they kicked her out.
- Continuity Nod: Eleanor finds the smell of puke reassuring, just as way back in the second episode, she associated people puking on rollercoasters with joy.
- Could Say It, But...: A variation. Michael wants to set up a meeting with the Good Place committee, but Gwendolyn tells him that that's not allowed. Michael then asks her how, hypothetically, if he were to schedule a meeting with the committee, how he would do that without anyone noticing. Gwendolyn gives him the answer, but since she's from the Good Place where nobody ever lies or breaks the rules whatsoever, she's genuinely oblivious to the fact that Michael is probing her.
- Cue the Falling Object: After Janet blows up the accounting portal entrance, damaging the entire room in the process, Michael reveals that he was hoping to keep a low profile. A painting then falls behind him.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: Jason's comment, "We're refugees. What kind of messed up place would turn away refugees?" could easily be seen as a Take That! against the USA's Trump-era refugee policy.
- Don't You Dare Pity Me!: Janet is not exactly appreciative of Tahani's attempts at helping her and Jason because of this trope.
- Easy Road to Hell: Michael realizes that this has happened because whoever came up with the system never took into account how Earth's populace could become so interconnected thanks to technological advancements. Thus, even the smallest acts have massive consequences that never existed before the advent of mass telecommunications or global commerce.
- Easily Forgiven: Gwendolyn is hurt and angry at the Soul Squad for lying to her, but she still cheerfully waves goodbye to everyone and tells them it was nice meeting them once they leave.
- "Eureka!" Moment: Tahani tells Michael that every time she tries to help Janet and Jason, things only get worse. This gives Michael the idea to check the records and realize why the system is forked up—because the system adheres to a strict Black-and-White Morality code in an age of Grey-and-Gray Morality. For example, a person from the 1500s would easily get 145 points for giving their grandmother a bouquet of roses because they'd have to go outside, pick the flowers from a field and deliver the bouquet to Grandma themselves, whereas a person living in the modern age would lose points because they used a cellphone made in a sweatshop to order the bouquet and bought it from a company run by a racist Corrupt Corporate Executive who sexually harasses his female employees, the roses themselves were grown with a toxic pesticide and picked by exploited migrant workers, and the delivery process dumped a bunch of pollution into the air, contributing to the degradation of the environment. The latter person isn't intentionally doing anything wrong, but dealing with the nuances of modern life isn't something the system has adjusted to.
- Freudian Slip: Janet pretends to be a Neutral Janet, but at one point she slips up and lets her inherent goodness slip through by telling Gwendolyn "It's nice to be here." She corrects herself "And it's not nice to not be there."
- Friendship Moment: Having spent the episode trying to help Jason and Janet get together and just upsetting them a little, Tahani opens up to Janet she just wants them both to be happy because she genuinely loves them both. This makes Janet so happy that she cries and tells Tahani how wonderful it is to have a friend like her, which makes Tahani cry, and then they hug. Then Jason walks in and starts crying because he likes to be part of stuff.
- Good Counterpart: Obviously with the Good Place Staff in comparison to the Bad Place one. Unfortunately... well, read the next two tropes.
- Good Is Dumb: Gwendolyn, the Good Place employee at the post office, is incapable of imagining that Michael might break the rules or lie, even when he makes it obvious.Michael: Hypothetically, is there any way you'd know if I did use the phone? Any kind of alarm?Gwendolyn: Golly, no!Michael: So, it's entirely untraceable?Gwendolyn: [Cheerfully] Sure is! What a fun thought experiment.Michael: You said it, Gwendolyn. Sorry, is that a dog barking in another room?Gwendolyn: I doubt it because I don't have a dog. But, out of politeness and an abundance of caution, I'll go check.
- Good Is Impotent: Unlike the Bad Placers who regularly break the rules in order to take shortcuts for their problems, the Good Placers absolutely will not defy the rules no matter how urgent the situation is.Good Placer: We're the good guys! We can't just do stuff.
Michael: The Committee is a bunch of ineffectual dorks in fleece vests. The Titanic is sinking and they're writing a strongly-worded letter to the iceberg. - Hope Spot: The Soul Squad actually ends up in The Good Place... but only in the post office. And they will not be allowed in because of the rigid rules that the bureaucrats have. Eleanor is devastated and panicking, and then they have to leave to talk with Gen.
- Hourglass Plot: Normally Chidi is the anxious one and Eleanor has to calm him down or cheer him up. Here the roles are reversed; Eleanor is panicking with how close they are to the Good Place but unable to access it, and Chidi is the one trying to calm her down.
- Inherent in the System: Michael realizes the point system was not designed to handle extremely complex scenarios, things that are completely outside the intentions of the individual are deducting points because they happen to intersect with negative behaviors of other people in the most minute ways. The Bad Place didn't hack the system, it's working as intended and no one (other than demons like Shawn) knew the flaws due to communication barriers.
- Innocently Insensitive: A Good Place committee member says that every single Bad Place employee is a disgusting monster, not knowing that Michael used to work for the Bad Place. Her statement clearly makes Michael uncomfortable.
- Irony: Because the Good Place Committee are so committed to their nature as Always Lawful Good beings, they will be spending more than one-thousand years trying to build a committee to plead their case and a second committee to keep the first committee fair and impartial. This means that they will be complicit in the injustice of allowing countless humans to be tortured needlessly for over a thousand years before they could even figure out how to make their case. It's Michael, who used to be an Always Chaotic Evil Demon who defied his character alignment by learning moral complexity from the very humans he was meant to torture, who points out just how backwards their logic really is.
- Lawful Stupid: The Good Place bureaucrats never break the rules because it's the right thing to do — they're super polite about it though. Their obsession with sticking to the rules makes them this trope, especially since the problem they're discussing is incredibly urgent, and the actual ethical thing to do would be to treat it as such.
- Locked in a Room: None of the humans can leave the confined space of the mailroom. Eleanor starts to freak out because she's annoyed that their final destination is behind a locked door.
- Misplaced a Decimal Point: Due to the increasingly complex and interconnected nature of the modern world, actions done with the exact same intent hundreds of years ago have imploded in actual point total. One example is given of a man who lived in medieval times giving his grandmother a bouquet of flowers picked from his own garden, an action that earned him 165 points, while a man giving his grandma a bouquet in the modern day got numerous deductions due to all sorts of other associated actions like buying the flowers (which were grown using toxic pesticides) from a business owned by corrupt CEO by using a smartphone produced in a sweatshop, resulting in a net negative loss of points.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: This is why no human has entered the Good Place in 521 years.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: The Good Place committee claims that the legal process of forming a team to investigate the issue with the points system will take over 400 years, plus an additional thousand to do a background check on the members since they deem it unethical to take shortcuts with the process, much to Michael's annoyance.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Jason isn't sure how to process the things he discovered about his and Janet's marriage. Tahani finds his contemplative mood very concerning.
- Precision F-Strike: Muted because of the Good Place swear filter, but Chidi tells Eleanor to "pop that bench".
- Properly Paranoid: Not that it helped him in the first timeline, what with him being in the Bad Place in seasons one and two, but it turns out Chidi had a point when he was considering the ethical ramifications of food choices like almond milk and blueberry muffins.
- Puppy-Dog Eyes: Tahani gives Michael a sad face when he says he doesn't have time to help her, making him agree to help her with Janet and Jason.
- The Reveal: The Bad Place wasn't actually tampering with the points system. It turns out that there are external factors that can render good deeds invalid for points, such as ordering roses that were grown using toxic pesticides with a cell phone made in a sweatshop from a company run by a racist pervert.
- Right for the Wrong Reasons: It turns out Michael's suspicions of the point system being flawed were correct. But it's not because of the Bad Place "hacking" it, but because the system is horribly out of date for the factors of the modern world.
- Sequel Hook: The episode ends with the gang leaving the Good Place to parley with Gen at the Interdimensional Hole of Pancakes, the most dangerous place in the universe.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: The Soul Squad lost their chance to earn their way to the Good Place, died in this season, and stand right outside a door to it. Eleanor as she puts it wants off this ride.
- Shout-Out: The way Janet blows up the mail chute at the start is strongly reminiscent of the way Piper blows up stuff, with a very similar hand gesture from Janet to stick in the reference.
- Stiff Upper Lip: Tahani is horrified when she starts crying and lampshades this trope:Tahani: I'm British, I never cry!
- Strongly Worded Letter: Referenced. After a frustrating meeting with the Good Place Council, Michael describes them as "writing a strongly worded letter to the iceberg" while the Titanic is sinking.
- Take That!: Jason claims that the Good Place has to take them in, as "what kind of messed-up place would turn away refugees?"
- Tastes Like Purple: The air in the Good Place smells like whatever makes one happiest.
- For Eleanor, it smells like the water park she used to go to as a kid, specifically "chlorine, suntan lotion, Band-Aids, and a thick cloud of teen hormones". Later on, it changes to the barf-filled pool.
Eleanor: [deep, calming breath] Okay, the smell of the barf from the wave pool is really helping.
Chidi: How?! Why?!- For Chidi, it's absolute moral truth. It smells like fresh warm pretzels.
Janet: Those have very similar smells.- For Jason, it's Blake Bortles winning the Super Bowl and thanking him as his best friend. Also, weed.
- For Tahani, it's the closing of the curtain between first class and economy in a plane.
- For Jeff the Doorman, it's frogs.
- Tears of Joy: Eleanor breaks into tears when she sees Chidi in a mailman outfit. Janet and Tahani cry after their Friendship Moment.
- Too Much Information: Eleanor is overjoyed to learn that they're in a mailroom in heaven.Eleanor: I literally had that calendar and I didn't make it past March.
Chidi: Big "WHAT?!"?
Michael: Don't. - The Unreveal: We never actually see the full Good Place. The entire episode takes place within a post office, and the main entrance is trillions of miles away. Also, the windows are opaque, so no one can see outside.
