The Good Place season 4 premiere review: Popcorn rivers and new test subjects

The Good Place returns for its fourth and final season. As the final experiment begins, Eleanor and the team try to strategize on their new subjects.

As we head into The Good Place‘s fourth season, can we take a moment just to love and appreciate all of these characters? No? We just need to jump right into the action? OK!

Not-so-short summary & analysis

“I can summon philosophy books like Thor’s hammer!” Chidi exclaims as Eleanor shows him around his new home. And yes, he can hold out his hand, think of a book, and it will fly off the shelves.

The Good and Bad Places are both giving inspiring speeches of how they’re each going to win right before the last test subjects appears: Linda and Brent. Linda is bland, and Brent is a talkative jerk.

And then Simone figures it out during the welcome video — or at least thinks she’s in a coma and none of it is real. It’s a problem because, if she doesn’t think it’s real, she’s not going to get any better.

Which means they need to introduce her to Chidi to help her come to terms with where she is. Eleanor fights against it until Michael points out that Chidi sacrificed his memories to help them all.

Simone doesn’t believe any of it, so the Soul Squad focuses their efforts on livening up Linda… who ends up turning into a menace, punching her way through the Neighborhood and flinging people through the air.

Turns out she’s a demon secretly sent by the Bad Place! The Judge makes Chidi the fourth subject and threatens Shawn again if he interferes (she’ll rip out his eyelids and make him watch heartwarming videos of soldiers coming home to their dogs).

Favorite moments and lines

There’s an excellent feud going between Jason and Derek. He even has his own ”Attention, I have been murdered!” And it’s “Attention, I have been Derek!”

I can’t imagine this little side story will last more than a handful of episodes. But while it lasts, let’s enjoy the rivalry. Because it’s literally two dum-dums vying for the love of a not-a-robot not-a-girl Janet. You know it’s only going to escalate from here.

Also, the look on Shawn’s face after the Judge says how she’ll torture him if he interferes again is peak Marc Evan Jackson.

Now that Chidi’s the final test subject, will that help them convert Simone to their side unknowingly? Or will it just derive them into each other’s arms? We’ll have to see what The Good Place has in store.