It was definitely time for the show to end and that was an okay way for them to do it.
Janet’s place in the universe sort of reminds of the position of the Overlords in Childhood’s End. Spoilered just in case some one never read it and might still. Far more intelligent than individual humans can ever be but just as Overlords were unable to ever become part of the Overmind, she can never walk through the door and be water no longer wave but as part of the ocean. Never knowing what that is.
I was reluctant to open the thread today because I thought it was a wonderful and satisfying conclusion to the series, and was afraid I’d come in here to find people shirting all over it. But it looks like that is not the case (so far…)
Lots of fun cameos, including
Mrs Danson as the guitar teacher!
I was expecting to see her as a love interest after he became human. Wasn’t disappointed to see her in that role.
Why are we spoiler-boxing stuff? The music teacher was played by Mary Steenburgen, who is the real-life wife of Ted Danson (since 1995).
The Tempest 2: Here We Blow Again!
This left me feeling similar to Rise of Skywalker. I was emotionally drained and cried the whole time, but I didn’t exactly feel satisfied.
However, I didn’t feel manipulated and it did make sense in-verse. And really thinking about it, I can’t think of another ending that would have been satisfying. All of them still doing the same thing for millennia with no end in sight? It turning out to be another Bad Place trick? A concrete answer on an after-afterlife? Pass.
It didn’t try too hard so for a Good Place episode it fell a little short for me, but it wasn’t an INFURIATING ending like Dexter or HIMYM, endings so bad they make me too angry to watch reruns.
Questions were answered, but some things left hanging. Real emotional growth. No cliffhangers. Nothing that undermined the series as a whole. I can live with that.
I thought it was a great ending.
Heck, people upthread were bitching about speculation not being spoilered. You can never be too careful around here.
The ending seemed really sudden, like no coda at the end to wrap up the show. I was surprised. On Hulu, it showed 11 minutes left and it was the reunion with the cast.
I thought the show was going to roll out a bit slower.
I expected Eleanor to wait for Michael to die and when he showed up, they’d walk through together…
Agreed. I loved Tahini becoming an Architect in the end. Also, was that Ron Swanson teaching her how to make furniture?
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It was! Or rather, it might have been the actual Nick Offerman in the afterlife, since he’s actually a really good woodworker.
A lot of those actors are good friends in real life. Offerman is friends with Kristen Bell and her husband Dax Shepherd, as I recall. And of course Mary Steenburgen is Ted Danson’s wife. I got the sense that the show invited some friends in for the big blowout.
Offerman Wood Shop. My wife got me a Christmas present from there last year.
Nick Offerman is well known as an accomplished carpenter.
Actually, when you think of it, the Judge, as much as I love her, is the only character that really didn’t show any growth. Even Shawn, who tried to be Mr. Demon throughout the transition, started to like the new system and (presumably) the humans. Judge Gen really didn’t care one way or the other what happened to humans, and was willing accept whichever argument she heard last. Even at the end she joked about erasing part of humanity because of something she saw on TV.
StG
Better to end a year early than a year late. I think the show did end early, but a very satisfying ending it was.
I loved Ron Swanson praising Tahani’s chair.
I didn’t like the ending. It was probably time for the show to end, but this was unsatisfying to me. I think I was still waiting for a twist but nothing happened. Not a bad twist, a good twist, mind you. But nothing really happened. It’s unclear to me if the sparkling lights are supposed to continue existing or if they go out after landing on earth. A bit of a downer IMO.
Bollards
Emotionally, the finale did a great job of attending to each character. And the cameos were fun. I appreciated the effort to bring back so many actors from the run of the show.
Story-wise, I don’t think the finale came anywhere near the high bar set by the show as a whole. It ticked off the boxes, but it failed to do what the show has done so well: examine Big Questions in a fresh way.
So the Ultimate in the afterlife is to follow around people you liked in the earlier part of your afterlife…just watching them? Kinda creepy.
Also, other bits felt under-thought. (Michael couldn’t have gotten guitar lessons in the Good Place?)
I guess my favorite bit was Jason actually living the life of a monk, for yea-many Bearimies. That was nice.
Taken all in all, the finale certainly didn’t ruin the show. But I don’t think it really measured up to it, either.
Woof!
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That hit me a lot harder than I was expecting. From Jason’s dance party through Chidi’s farewell, I was pretty much sobbing like a baby. Not exactly my normal reaction to sitcoms.