Loveday Writing

Afterwards, Michael and Janet hide out in the empty journalism department of the university. Janet has installed hidden cameras and microphones, so they can keep an eye on the gang. Michael tells Janet that he sent an email to Chidi posing Trevor to let him know that he was dropping out of the study.

When three months pass, Eleanor confides in Chidi that she didn’t plan on staying in Australia long-term, and is now broke and needs a job. As Michael realises that Eleanor getting a job will mean that she will be unable to go to class and will therefore slow down her progress, he and Janet giving her a winning lottery ticket that gives her the money to stay.

At the six month mark, Jason tells everyone that he’s bummed at having to watch the Jacksonville Jaguars play at 3am local time, due to the time difference between Australia and America. When Tahani offers to watch the next game with him, Eleanor is immediately suspicious and questions Tahani on her offer. Tahani admits to her that she doesn’t really want to watch the game, rather she wants to hook up with Jason. When Michael realises that Tahani and Jason hooking up will tear the group apart, they get Tahani to reunite with her ex-boyfriend, Larry, an accomplished but insecure Hemsworth brother. The next morning, Tahani tells Eleanor about it and that she feels guilty for not watching the game with Jason, however Jason comes in and tells them that he got a Facebook invite from the Australian chapter of the Jacksonville Jaguars fan club.

At the year mark, Tahani announces that Larry has proposed and that they will be moving to London, which leads to Chidi and Simone deciding to temporarily conclude the study, so they can analyse the data and redo it with new participants. Janet suggests to Michael that they all go their separate ways and hope that the gang gain enough points to get into the Good Place.

Later at her engagement party, Tahani brings out a cake with a photo of the gang on it, and asks Eleanor to say a few words. While Eleanor makes her toast, she suggests that the study continues, however Chidi tells her that realistically and financially it can’t continue. This leads to Eleanor acting out by ruining the cake.

Later when the party ends and Simone goes to leave, she finds Eleanor hiding behind a tree eating a piece of the cake. Eleanor asks Simone for her professional opinion on why she acted out and Simone asks her if she has ever been part of a group she really cared about. Eleanor admits that she hasn’t, and thanks and apologises to Simone. Eleanor then apologises to Tahani, Jason and Chidi and they agree to have an annual reunion as a way to keep in touch.

The episode ends with Michael planning to reset the timeline on Earth and start over, however they are stopped in their tracks by the gang, who walk in on them just as they are about to walk through the portal.

Overall I felt that this wasn’t the strongest episode as it was really a filler. Time had to rapidly go by to show how long Janet and Michael had been monitoring the gang, and it was really only designed to end the study story arc and kick off the next one – the gang finding out the truth about their previous afterlives. It will be interesting to see where the gang and the new story arc goes from here.

On a smaller note, I loved the addition of Australian actor, Ben Lawson, as Larry Hemsworth, an unknown, successful but insecure Hemsworth brother, whom Tahani had mentioned multiple times in the previous seasons. I found Lawson’s portrayal hilarious and I also appreciated the continuity of his character.

Stray Observations:

-Janet knows how to pick the winning lottery ticket for Eleanor as the tickets were printed before she and Michael came back to Earth.

-Apparently Tahani once dated Tom Brady and then set him up with Giselle Bundchen after they broke up.

-Everyone celebrates Christmas six months in to the year, meaning that the gang started the study in June.

-Apparently the girls in Tahani’s social class begin ring training at a young age.

-Apparently Heirbnb exists, which is an app for heirs and heiresses to swap mansions and other extravagant accommodations.

-When Michael and Janet pose as the caterers at the engagement party, they give Larry a vegemite canape.

-Larry is a paediatric surgeon and plans to take Tahani’s surname when they get married.

-The episode’s title comes from Michael using a snowplow as an analogy to describe how to overcome the obstacles that come their way in keeping the gang together.

Best one liners and interactions:

• “I have never been this angry in my life, which is the age of the universe!” (The Judge to Michael and Janet)
• “Great news everyone! The funding from the neuroscience department came through!” “And you blew it all on cupcakes! Exactly what I would have done, respect.” (Simone-Jason when Simone give the news and brings cupcakes for everyone)
• “I’ll deal with sweet cheeks, I mean Jason’s butt, I mean Jason.” (Janet to Michael)
• “Is that why you came out here, to scold me about the metric system?” (Eleanor to Simone when Simone tells her how far away her cab is in miles)