The Experiment to Save Humanity Continues in ‘The Good Place’
Warning, this article contains spoilers for the newest episode of The Good Place. In last week’s episode, viewers saw Michael and Jason visit The Bad Place to rescue Janet. Eleanor and Tahani stayed behind to take care of the residents. In “A Chip Driver Mystery,” the focus returns to the experiment to save humanity with the new residents.
Brent struggles to improve on ‘The Good Place’
Out of all the new residents, Brent is undoubtedly the worst. Chidi is mainly there to help the new humans, Simone seems put there mainly to torture Chidi, and John has never really shown true awfulness. However, Brent comes off as misogynistic and racist.
Team Cockroach only has a few crucial months to see vast improvement in the new residents. In the new episode of The Good Place, Simone and Brent clash and Brent has a meltdown. This is truly the first time Brent has ever been challenged.
By the end of the episode, he shows small improvement. It’s not much, but it is enough to give the group and viewers hope that he is capable of improvement. Hope seems to be the running theme of both the episode and the fourth season of The Good Place as a whole.
Michael lets Bad Janet return to The Bad Place
In The Good Place, Michael attempts to have a philosophical conversation with Bad Janet. Because this Bad Janet has been rebooted so many times, she does appear more curious to hear Michael out. In the end, Michael decides to let Bad Janet return to The Bad Place.
He provides Bad Janet with an updated manifesto of humanity. Even though she mocks him for gifting her with a book, she does accept it. Like with Brent, the moment is small enough that it provides just a glimmer of hope for her own improvement.
“What matters is if they’re trying to do better today than they were yesterday. You asked me where my hope comes from, that’s your answer,” Michael tells Bad Janet.
This quote encapsulates the entire purpose of the show. In The Good Place episode, the characters are hopeful about the experiment against the troubling odds. The small improvements give them hope that while they might not be the best people in the world, they will continue to improve every single day.
Fans wonder if the experiment to save humanity will be successful
While “A Chip Driver Mystery” returned to focus on the experiment, the new residents still take a backseat to the main characters. Because of this, some fans of The Good Place wonder if the experiment will be successful. The Good Place is known for its twists and turns, and it’s possible that a twist could mean the experiment will not matter in the end.
“I think the main point is again that we are being led into a bait and switch. Its not about the new humans + Chidi getting better, its about the old humans and Michael staying good in the face of adversity…,” wrote a Reddit user.
“Theory: Brent is not going to change. Itll appear like the gang has failed the experiment, but then the judge surprises them by changing the system. The humans would have unknowingly changed Bad Janet and they definitely made Glenn side with them,” one Reddit user theorized.
They continued, “If they could change demons, they can change humans. But not all humans, which is why the scoring system will be changed in a way where humans will be given second chances after death. Whoever shows improvement goes to the medium place, people like Brent move onto The Bad place.”
