Non classé
The Good Place
- « Right, so, you, Eleanor Shellstrop, are dead. Your life on Earth has ended, and you are now in the next phase of your existence in the universe. » « Cool. » But everything was not cool, as you dear viewer will come to realize after watching the pilot of this philosophical comedy.
You see, Eleanor was welcomed with open hands into « The Good Place », a heaven-like place where only the cream of the crop good-doers are accepted, but she did not belong there. Eleanor, who was a fake-medication seller that profited off swindling old people, is mistaken for a philanthropist who dedicated her life for the service of others.
Continuing her typical behaviour, Eleanor embarrasses herself and everyone involved during a welcome party after indulging in too much Shrimp and Alcohol. But her actions have consequences even in the after-life, as her misbehaviour causes things to fall into disarray and her negative actions redisplay themselves in a grotesque manner; causing a nightmare sequence with flying shrimps and giant frogs and raining trash, among others. Her only hope: laying low and learning how to fit in by being a good person. A task that a professor of philosophy of ethics and her supposed soulmate: Chidi, seems to be the perfect candidate for.
The many plots and subplots that this show presents as well as the very interesting philosophical questions it and the lighthearted manner with which it tries to answer them make it all of a pleasure to watch, even if names such as Socrates and Kant only strike boredom in your heart. The hilarious interactions between the polar opposites of Chidi and Eleanor as well as their neighbours Tahani, a very talkative British socialite who spent her life throwing donation parties for charities, and her soulmate Jianyu, a mysterious Taiwanese monk who took a vow of silence when he was eight and which he keeps even after his death. - So you’re probably wondering « so who was right about the afterlife? » Well, let’s see. « Hindus are a little bit right, Muslims a little bit. Jews, Christians, Buddhists, every religion guessed about 5%, except for Doug Forcett. Doug was a stoner kid who lived in Calgary during the 1970s. One night, he got really high on mushrooms, and his best friend, Randy, said, « Hey, what do you think happens after we die? » And Doug just launched into this long monologue where he got like 92% correct. »
This monologue as well as a running joke of the show of replacing swear words with expressions such as « go fork yourself » and « bullshirt » illustrate best the type of humour this comedy tries to convey and the lighthearted family-friendly approach it takes to matters as serious as religion and afterlife, and how it attempts to adapt to the sensitivities to its audience ( unlike another favourite and guilty pleasure of mine: Family guy, which in opposition to the name, is anything but family friendly)
The show is available on many websites and apps which need not be named *cough*popcorn time*cough*, so happy binging!
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