The Good Place – Season 1, Episode 10 (Chidi’s Choice)

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The episode picks up from where we were left off, with Jason and Tahani in Jason’s “meditation room”. Jason tells Tahani who he is and not tell Michael about his real identity. We then cut to Chidi, both Eleanors and Bambadjan (a human rights advocate) in Michael’s office preparing to argue Eleanor’s case for staying in the Good Place whilst awaiting Shawn’s arrival to the Good Place.

Eleanor recounts her time in the Good Place to Real Eleanor and Bambadjan. The Real Eleanor suggests that Eleanor is in love with Chidi, which she adamantly denies. Meanwhile Chidi and Michael stay in Michael’s office to conduct their own research. Chidi tells Michael that he finds it hard to make decisions under pressure, and when Michael asks him to choose between using a dry erase board or pen and paper to jot down ideas to save Eleanor, this leads to a flashback showing Chidi’s inability to choose what kids to be on his soccer team as a child to the frustration of his friend, Uzo.

Meanwhile Eleanor finally realises she is in love with Chidi when she lists things about him that annoy her, only for this to lead to her listing his good qualities. Real Eleanor tells Eleanor to let Chidi know how she feels. While Tahani comes across the impressionist painting Jason gave her a few episodes earlier, and Jason admits that Chidi told him to give it to her.

Eleanor goes back to Michael’s office to talk to Chidi, which makes Michael happy as Chidi is still struggling to decide between the dry erase board, and pen and paper. Eleanor takes Chidi back to her house and while she initially struggles, she eventually and awkwardly tells him that she loves him. Just as Eleanor goes to leave the house, Tahani storms in and tells Chidi that they are soulmates, unaware that Eleanor is standing behind her. Chidi runs away from both of them.

We then cut to Jason watching a weather forecast on TV that he crashed when he was alive. Janet shows up and gives him buffalo wings to cheer him up when he admits he’s feeling sad. Jason asks Janet why she’s being nice to him, she responds that he was nice to her when she was sad (and she’s programmed to be nice to everyone).

Meanwhile Eleanor and Tahani fight over Chidi, during the argument Eleanor admits to knowing about Jason’s real identity. Eleanor ends the argument by saying that they shouldn’t fit over Chidi and instead focus on being friends. Chidi goes to Michael’s office to ask whether Eleanor or Tahani is his soulmate, when Michael says to Chidi if he doesn’t make a choice it could lead to the neighbourhood falling apart, it leads to another flashback of Uzo and Chidi as adults, with Chidi insisting on being Uzo’s best man despite Uzo’s request for him not to be.

While Eleanor and Tahani are bonding, Tahani suggests that perhaps Eleanor and Jason are soulmates, only for Janet to pop in and inform them that she and Jason are getting married in ten minutes. Meanwhile Michael takes Chidi out to eat frozen yoghurt, using the yoghurt as a metaphor for soulmates. Michael also tells Chidi that his indecisiveness caused so much agony in his life, right up until his final moments, which leads to another flashback revealing that Chidi died after a hotel air conditioner fell on him as he was struggling to decide on a bar for him and Uzo to go to.

Jason and Janet’s wedding is held in Tahani’s house, where Jason reads Janet a “poem” he wrote for her and Janet also presides over the wedding. At the wedding reception, Tahani thanks Eleanor for being a great friend to her. Chidi shows up, Eleanor apologises to him for blurting out her feelings, then Tahani apologises for forcing the idea of them being soulmates on him. Tahani then tells Eleanor that she thinks she has figured out a way for her to stay in the Good Place, however this isn’t revealed to the viewers.

Stray Observations:

-Jason regards Ariana Grande as the sexiest woman alive. He also wishes she was a family member of his.

-Chidi once had a panic attack playing the game rock-paper-scissors as there were “too many variables”.

-Eleanor refers to Jason as “Tragic Mike”.

-Jason refers to Janet as his “digital queen”.

-Both Eleanor and Jason were banned from public transit systems in their cities.

-The poem Jason wrote for Janet is as follows:

“Janet, my digital queen,

Janet, we can dare to dream.

Send nude pics of your heart to me.

Jacksonville Jaguars rule!”

Best one liners and interactions:

  • “I’ve dated many annoying guys, calling me all times of day ‘just to talk’ or ask me if I had taken cash out of their wallets. Stupid stuff. When I stopped having fun, I’d just leave. Usually wouldn’t call or anything, I’d just bounce.” “Got to spend that money you stole.” (Eleanor-Chidi)
  • “I’m just a girl towering over a boy, asking him to admit he loves me.” (Tahani to Chidi)
  • “Technically you told him he loves you.” (Eleanor to Tahani on Chidi)
  • “Can I kiss you or will I get electrocuted?” “Only one way to find out!” (Jason to Janet, and then Eleanor)
  • “Does anybody here object to this marriage?” “Yes it is a terrible idea!” “Of course we do. How could we not object?” “Overruled.” (Janet-Tahani-Eleanor-Janet)

Hints of the Season 1 Finale twist:

-Tahani asks Jason how he got into the Good Place.

-Eleanor casually remarks that Chidi was being tortured by guilt for having to keep her secret.

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