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This weeks episode ofThe Good Placeis a return to what the show does best.
But more than anything else, the episode is undergirded by the strength and purpose of friendship.
The Good Placeis a show of constant reinvention.
Eleanor started as a self-described Arizona dirtbag selfish and self-centered to an extreme degree.
Hes now after regaining every memory of his many afterlife existences confident and self-assured.
As the show evolved, Chidi and Eleanors romance went from a pleasant possibility to endgame.
At first blush, they make sense in an opposites attract sort of way.
But just because a romance has the right kind of logic doesnt mean it works.
But theres also an even more essential problem: chemistry.
What makes a romance work on television?
Complication, intrigue, warmth, and of course the bond between the actors themselves.
Patty (a turn full of whimsy by Lisa Kudrow).
But that knowledge is what gives life meaning.
The most important relationships in my life have been with my friends.
Its these relationships that give my life meaning and make my heart swell.
How does knowing such things shift a relationship?
(Which will be for eternity.
Eleanor lived so much more fully than Chidi, he contests.
Wont she grow bored of him?
The love between them is all that matters.
(A sentiment that glosses over the ways their relationship feels ill-fitting.)
How do friendships develop under scrutiny and tension?
How do friendships enrich our lives and ethical stance?
But I wish the show was aware of how deeply that romance curtailed its greatness.
