The Good Place
Season 1 Episode 10: “Chidi’s Choice”
Original Air Date: January 5, 2017
I didn’t realize how much I missed The Good Place until I finished the winter premier “Chidi’s Choice” and noticed that an ear to ear grin had not left my face since the episode began (and only part of that is because the episode ended with N’Sync’s ‘Digital Getdown’). There was so much goodness in this episode: plots were propelled forward, relationships were examined, and one-liners were successfully zinging left and right.
Jianyu and Tahani
The fall finale of The Good Place left the audience on a major cliffhanger – Tahani discovering Jianyu/Jason was a fraud. This was addressed immediately when the episode starts with this amazing gem:
Jianyu: “Number 5 is #1, Seven is #2, Number Three and Number Four are tied for #3…”
Tahani: “What are you talking about?”
Well, I thought he was listing his favorite number but no, what he was doing is so much better. Jianyu felt that the best way to show who he really is is by RANKING HIS FAVORITE FAST AND THE FURIOUS MOVIES. Tahani suggests that telling her his actual real name is a better option and with every second that Jason’s mouth stays open Tahani realizes what an absolute moron her fake soulmate really is.
Jason admits to Tahani that all of those nice gestures of love he did in the past were all orchestrated by Chidi, prompting Tahani to conclude that Chidi is her true soulmate. Jason is sad that Tahani left him and decides that Janet should be his soulmate since she is nice to him and brings him Buffalo Wings.
Meanwhile…..
Michael has put together the top-notch team of The Real Eleanor and random humanitarian Bambadjan to build a case for Eleanor to stay in The Good Place.
Since it is pretty obvious Eleanor did very few good deeds while on earth, they decide that focusing on the good she did during her time in The Good Place is a better strategy. After mentioning a few of her missteps in The Good Place, she starts listing all the ways that Chidi has made her a better person, how he is annoyingly cute and that he is surprisingly jacked. Bambadjan and The Real Eleanor exchange looks over the way Eleanor discusses her fake soulmate:
Real Eleanor: “You know, a lot of Death Row inmates feel regret about things the never said. Admissions of guilt or anger or love.”
Eleanor: “Are you making a move on me? It’s fine, I just didn’t see it coming. Well, hooking up with someone with the exact same name it is kind of a fun narcissistic fantasy”
Real Eleanor insists that she was referring to the feelings that Eleanor clearly has for Chidi. Eleanor tries to deny her feelings but after letting out a few more ‘Shirts’ and ‘Forks’, Eleanor realizes that yeah, she is in love with Chidi.
Chidi Indecision
I am a very indecisive person. I once spent over two hours at an EMS store trying to decide which backpack I wanted to buy. That said, Chidi makes me look like the most resolute person in the world. Chidi’s indecisiveness goes all the way back to grade school when he essentially filibustered recess by taking too long to pick a team for soccer. This continued through his adult life and eventually ended in his untimely death when the air conditioner from his apartment struck him on the sidewalk while he was trying to pick a bar to go to.
So, when Chidi realizes that it is up to him to make up an ethical argument for why Eleanor should stay in The Good Place, he starts freaking out. He can’t even help Michael decide on whether they should take notes on a dry erase board or with paper and pen. Little does Chidi know that he is about to have a lot more difficult decisions coming his way soon.
Love, Friendship, and Weddings
After Eleanor’s realization, she tracks down Chidi to confess her love. She delivers it in the eloquent way only Eleanor can pull off. First, she describes how horribly annoying all of her exes were due to the fact that they wanted to talk and spend time with her. Next, she explains how Chidi is a million times worse than all her exes, but despite that, she is in love with him.
Just as Eleanor is about to bounce, Tahani storms into the house to confess her love to Chidi, unaware of Eleanor’s presence. This is all too much for Chidi so he sprints out of his own house leaving Tahani and Eleanor to their own devices. The pair decides not to be those girls that fight over a guy and instead each choose an activity to do together that will make them happy. Tahani’s choice is to watch a British sitcom about two unconventional friends.
Eleanor: “What’s this show called again?”
Tahani: “It’s Dierdre and Margret. It ran for 16 years in the BBC. They did nearly 30 episodes.”
Eleanor’s chosen activity is to braid insanely tacky blonde extensions into Tahani’s hair. After some more girl talk, Eleanor decides that Jason is actually her soulmate since he too has been both banned from public transit and does not belong in The Good Place. Right on cue, Janet pops into the living room to announce that her wedding to Jason will start in ten minutes. Tahani and Eleanor grab a large bottle of wine and head over to witness Jason and Janet’s nuptials.
During the “wedding reception,” The Real Eleanor comes by to see if Eleanor had a chance to talk with Chidi. Seconds later Chidi also arrives which is perfect because now he has his three possible soulmates in front of him at the same time. He can finally make his decision and say how he feels. But…. actually, he can’t because before he has a chance to say anything Eleanor admits that she and Chidi are more like best friend soulmates and Tahani admits that she only proclaimed her love because she was upset about Jianyu. The Real Eleanor is the only soul mate left for Chidi, so in the end, he never had to make a choice.
Do you think that if Eleanor and Tahani didn’t cut him off he would have made a choice? Who do you guys think he would have chosen?
Quote of the Week
Tahani: “So is that a family member?”
Jason: “I wish! That’s Arianna Grande, the sexiest woman alive.”
Tahani: “You wish you were related to a woman you want to have sex with.”
