[8.5/10] How would you build paradise? It’s something that seems more complicated than a sitcom can handle, but as I’ve said before, The Good Place isn’t an ordinary sitcom. The great thing about “Patty” is how it gives our heroes a taste of the thing they’ve been working toward for so long, shows us how it could actually be miserable, and then gives us a most unexpected solution to the problem that ties in with past events. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a masterstroke, but it’s definitely a pretty impressive feat for a show grappling with what it would really mean to live in paradise for eternity.
It’s also damn funny! I think The Good Place is the only show on television that can make me laugh with references to professional wrestling (that bedpan is a big deal) and references to classical philosophy (Chidi’s “neoplatonic” line was a hoot) in the same episode. The glassy-eyed denizens of paradise, blankly asking for things or describing their mundane lives was amusing. And the little details of The (real) Good Place were very funny. (I particularly liked the candies that allow you to perfectly understand Twin Peaks.) Throw in the joyful mishmash of our heroes’ favorite things in the party, and you have a real comic winner on your hands.
The episode keeps the comedy flowing while still tackling its thorny problem. It starts off letting our heroes enjoy some richly deserved rewards and fun after all they’ve been through. Chidi’s nerdy excitement at meeting “Patty”, Michael getting sworn in by The Good Place council, and Jason getting to go go-karting with monkeys are all fun bits.
But then the show slowly but surely lets you know something is off. Tahani’s conversation with one flat affect paradise-dweller is disconcerting. Janet’s interactions with another Good Janet (and low key disdain for the other Janet) are a worrying sign. And when Patty herself warns Chidi of the dangers of this place, things kick into another gear.
(As an aside, Lisa Kudrow is a nice get for Patty, and her ability to convey the “joy zombie” vibe while also convincingly discussing “word piles” is outstanding.)
It’s a bold stroke to suggest that eternal happiness would eventually becoming numbing. The idea that you can do anything, so eventually you do everything, and become bored and lifeless is another interesting, sort of existentialist take on Heaven. I really like the idea that the problem is infinity -- that eternal life makes it seem like you have nothing but time to fill, and that over time, that sense wears you down.
So it’s a strange but fitting solution that Eleanor comes up with -- you give people the freedom to die. The show dances around it nicely, but it ties back to the idea that the prospect of an end helps give existence meaning and purpose. Sure, it happens a little fast that everyone in The Good Place feels better, but it’s another bold idea, one that ably solves the problem the episode set up.
I don’t know. At the end of the day, I just like how much this show is saying something about morality and life and existence. I don’t always agree with every point or laugh at every joke or buy every argument. But it’s using the sitcom form to comment on grand, eternal questions and conundrums in a way that is usually funny, sometimes oversimplified, but also usually a bit profound too. “Patty” is a great example of that, where the show uses humor and its wild premise to make a big statement about what elements are necessary to make human beings truly happy and fulfilled. The joy, and the enemy, is time.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-01-24T15:41:08Z
[8.5/10] How would you build paradise? It’s something that seems more complicated than a sitcom can handle, but as I’ve said before, The Good Place isn’t an ordinary sitcom. The great thing about “Patty” is how it gives our heroes a taste of the thing they’ve been working toward for so long, shows us how it could actually be miserable, and then gives us a most unexpected solution to the problem that ties in with past events. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a masterstroke, but it’s definitely a pretty impressive feat for a show grappling with what it would really mean to live in paradise for eternity.
It’s also damn funny! I think The Good Place is the only show on television that can make me laugh with references to professional wrestling (that bedpan is a big deal) and references to classical philosophy (Chidi’s “neoplatonic” line was a hoot) in the same episode. The glassy-eyed denizens of paradise, blankly asking for things or describing their mundane lives was amusing. And the little details of The (real) Good Place were very funny. (I particularly liked the candies that allow you to perfectly understand Twin Peaks.) Throw in the joyful mishmash of our heroes’ favorite things in the party, and you have a real comic winner on your hands.
The episode keeps the comedy flowing while still tackling its thorny problem. It starts off letting our heroes enjoy some richly deserved rewards and fun after all they’ve been through. Chidi’s nerdy excitement at meeting “Patty”, Michael getting sworn in by The Good Place council, and Jason getting to go go-karting with monkeys are all fun bits.
But then the show slowly but surely lets you know something is off. Tahani’s conversation with one flat affect paradise-dweller is disconcerting. Janet’s interactions with another Good Janet (and low key disdain for the other Janet) are a worrying sign. And when Patty herself warns Chidi of the dangers of this place, things kick into another gear.
(As an aside, Lisa Kudrow is a nice get for Patty, and her ability to convey the “joy zombie” vibe while also convincingly discussing “word piles” is outstanding.)
It’s a bold stroke to suggest that eternal happiness would eventually becoming numbing. The idea that you can do anything, so eventually you do everything, and become bored and lifeless is another interesting, sort of existentialist take on Heaven. I really like the idea that the problem is infinity -- that eternal life makes it seem like you have nothing but time to fill, and that over time, that sense wears you down.
So it’s a strange but fitting solution that Eleanor comes up with -- you give people the freedom to die. The show dances around it nicely, but it ties back to the idea that the prospect of an end helps give existence meaning and purpose. Sure, it happens a little fast that everyone in The Good Place feels better, but it’s another bold idea, one that ably solves the problem the episode set up.
I don’t know. At the end of the day, I just like how much this show is saying something about morality and life and existence. I don’t always agree with every point or laugh at every joke or buy every argument. But it’s using the sitcom form to comment on grand, eternal questions and conundrums in a way that is usually funny, sometimes oversimplified, but also usually a bit profound too. “Patty” is a great example of that, where the show uses humor and its wild premise to make a big statement about what elements are necessary to make human beings truly happy and fulfilled. The joy, and the enemy, is time.