25 of TV’s messiest meltdowns

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Michael has a Midlife, Existential Crisis —The Good Place

The Good Place is a meditation on our own hangups about what happens when we die. It’s an interpretation of the concepts of heaven and hell, and that in itself causes a lot of worry for us mere mortals. The genius of The Good Place, however, is that the residents of these after-life locations also have to meditate on it. In fact, even the non-mortal beings like Michael have to think about human nature and whether or not it’s redeemable or not.

The fluidity of good and evil is pretty heavy stuff for humans, but it’s completely oppressive to other worldly beings who have never had to consider these kind of things before. When Michael, formerly of the bad place, is forced to contemplate his own mortality, as humans often do, it’s too much for the demon. As all the human emotion comes crashing down on him, he panics when he comes to the realization that he might die and everyone he knows might die as well.

He translates this existential turmoil into a cliche, getting an earring, driving a sports car and transforming Janet into a blonde and giggling airhead with a giant chest. He swings wildly from despondent and morose, to desperate and smug. He’s struggling with emotions he doesn’t know how to cope with, and same, Michael. Same.