Loveday Writing

Michael has Janet make disguises for the gang so they can blend in and as the demons that were in the neighbourhood went back to the previous departments they worked in, the chances of them being recognised are slim, but also suggests that they come up with a convincing alias. Eleanor comes up with Diana Tremaine as it was the alias she used on her fake ID. Tahani comes up with Rhonda Mumps, an American who tortures people using hot dogs. Jason comes up with Jake Jortles who works in the Molotov cocktail department, whilst Chidi doesn’t come up with one as he doesn’t want to lie, and Janet disguises herself as a Bad Janet.

When they get to the Bad Place, Michael has the gang stay in the Museum of Human Misery as no-one goes there. Meanwhile Michael meets up with Shawn and uses the extradition papers as a cover, however Shawn decides to send a black ops team to Mindy’s house to retrieve the gang.

While they are biding their time at the Museum, the gang overhears some Bad Place demons come in. Janet finds out that a reception is being held to open a new exhibit. The gang try their best to fit in, where Chidi is mistaken for a demon named Trent, by another demon, Chet (Dax Shepherd – Kristin Bell’s husband). Chet asks Chidi for advice on how to torture someone. Chidi manages to get away from the other demons and confides in Eleanor about his struggles in lying, Eleanor tells him that it is ethical to lie based on the situation he is in.

When Shawn is listening to the raid through Bad Janet’s walkie-talkie protocol, he discovers that the gang isn’t there and finds out about Derek. When Shawn tries to confront Michael, he has fled with the jackets of other demons to get their badges.

Meanwhile the gang and Janet find out that the new exhibit is them and how they managed to torture each other, which in turn exposes their identities to the demons. The gang and Michael start to run as Shawn catches up with them, however Jason uses a Molotov cocktail to slow Shawn down. Michael sends Tahani, Jason and Chidi through the portal but finds he is a pin short for Eleanor. The episode ends with Michael telling Eleanor that the solution to the Trolley Problem is self-sacrifice, giving Eleanor his pin and pushing her into portal just as Shawn approaches him.

Overall this episode was an improvement from the last episode, with the Bad Place being explored for the first time, and the introduction of other demons. We also see Michael’s growth so far come to a head when he chooses to push Eleanor into the portal to save her from Shawn’s punishment and face the consequences of his actions. We also get some nice callback with Jason’s Molotov cocktail and Michael’s solution to the Trolley Problem.

Stray Observations:

-The only things in the neutral zone are The Judge’s chambers, the accounting department, the Janet warehouse and the IHOP – Interdimensional Hole of Pancakes. At the IHOP, the pancakes eat people/demons.

-Janet is regarded as carry-on luggage in the portal.

-Apparently Tahani dabbled in acting, although most of it involved standing around while Baz Luhrmann threw glitter on her.

-The address that Eleanor put on her fake ID was 123 Whatever Street, Canada City, Canada.

-According to Michael, there are nine hot dog torture departments in the Bad Place, which include making people into hot dogs and stuffing people with hot dogs.

-Jason hates suits because they remind him of going to court, being in court, and being his own lawyer against the advice of the judge in court.

-Apparently the trains at the Bad Place are delayed three hours every day.

-Some of the departments in the Bad Place that Shawn lists include: Spastic Dentistry, Disembowelment, Children’s Dance Recitals, and Holiday Weekend IKEA.

-Chet worked in the partial decapitations department but now works in the toxic masculinity department.

-According to Tahani, if you hang out with Johnny Depp for long enough you get good at lying.

-Some of the exhibits in the Museum of Human Misery include:

• The first person to floss in an open plan office.
• The first man to send an unsolicited picture of his genitals.
• The first waiter to approach a diner with an empty plate and sarcastically say ‘I guess you hated it’.
• The first white person to grow dreadlocks and to call Ultimate Frisbee ‘ultimate’.
• The first man to say ‘well, actually…’ to a woman (Sir Geoffrey Frumpton, Newcastle Upon Tyne, England, September 12 1642)
• The first person to say ‘I need a vacation from my vacation!’ (Terence Davis, Club Med, Bahamas, February 11 1981)

Best one liners and interactions:

• “Jason, this is hell, of course there’s a gift shop.” (Michael to Jason on the Museum)
• “You’re so weird Trent, you’re always so weird, I love that about you.” (Chet to Chidi, thinking he is a demon named Trent)