The Good Place has come to an end after four gripping seasons, concluding the adventure of the six beloved main characters through their afterlife. After episodes filled with philosophical banter and many crazy, unexpected twists, I had high expectations for the season finale, although I was also slightly apprehensive that the show would take a strange turn in the last second. Thankfully though, it didn’t and I’m pleased to say that the finale held up to my expectations.
The almost-hour long final episode ended with a profound and sincere message but didn’t spill over into a teary and over-sentimental finale. It wasn’t as humorous as the show usually is, but I think it was intentionally done to increase the emotional payoff of the episode. It was a gentle, comforting end to the spiritual and moral explorations of The Good Place, and the overall acceptance of death in a very peaceful manner seemed fitting for the show's message to always try to be better.
The ending was also very unambiguous, and after watching the last episode the show feels satisfyingly complete; lots of shows I’ve finished recently often try too hard to conclude in ways the audience don’t expect and end up abandoning the development of the characters. However, The Good Place had an endearing and conclusive ending — each character made the important decisions required of them to conclude their character arcs, and then said their bittersweet goodbyes.
The Good Place is an incredible show, stemming from a slightly absurd concept — if you’d ever told me before watching the show that I would be laughing, crying and cry-laughing to a show about philosophy, morals and heaven, I wouldn’t have believed you. The concept, production design, humour and characters in The Good Place are unique and different to any other shows I’ve ever watched. Knowing that the show was ending made the journey of each character have even more heart and meaning.
I can give The Good Place my sincere recommendation, as it manages to be outrageously funny one second and incredibly heartfelt the next. If you’re looking for wonderful characters and innovative TV to occupy you during quarantine, I would seriously encourage you to check it out.
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