The Good Place Review: A Chip Driver Mystery (Season 4 Episode 6)
“What matters isn’t if people are good or bad. What matters is if they’re trying to be better today than they were yesterday.”
This is what Michael tells Bad Janet at the end of The Good Place Season 4 Episode 6, “A Chip Driver Mystery,” just before he lets her go home.
That decision to let her go is Michael’s own way of choosing to be better today than he was the day before, and he’s inspired to do so because of his human friends and the way they consistently strive to be better even when faced with the most difficult challenges.
There is no real resolution on this episode, at least in terms of Brent’s behavior and the reactions of those around him. Just when things start looking up and it seems the four humans are getting along well, Brett presents a book he’s written that only highlights his worst qualities.
It’s almost too ridiculous how offensive his book, Six Feet Under Par: A Chip Driver Mystery, is. Everyone is rightfully offended by it, but Simone has the least amount of patience and doesn’t think she should have to put up with it for the sake of being kind.
That’s the moral question — how obligated are you to continue to be kind when someone isn’t being kind to you? What does it mean to stand up for yourself, and does doing so then make you a bad person? Obviously, Simone is right that she shouldn’t have to put up with Brent’s offensive nonsense, but what, exactly, is the proper way to respond?
Those questions are what make the dilemma even more complicated for our gang as they work tirelessly to come up with solutions.
Brent’s book doesn’t only bother Simone, though. Chidi is also offended by Brent’s portrayal of him, and that eventually leads to Chidi punching him — a surprising move that seems to suggest the idea that anyone can be driven to violence, or any number of things, under the right circumstances.
I do have to admit, it’s pretty satisfying to see Chidi punch Brett.
That’s certainly not going to do him any favors when it comes to earning points, though.
Back to the quote I opened this with, is anyone is learning a lot through this experiment, it’s Michael. He’s continuing to understand human nature more and more, and on this episode, he’s talking with Bad Janet in hopes of convincing her, even a little, that humans can be good sometimes.
Narratively, that set up works well because we get more insight into Michael’s thoughts on the subject, and have the opportunity to see him offer a genuine act of kindness to someone who doesn’t deserve it in the slightest.
Plus, it’s another chance to see Bad Janet in all her glory, which is always fun.
And hey, maybe there is hope for her to change her mind about humans, even if it’s just a little.
What did you think of this episode of The Good Place? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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The Good Place airs Thursdays at 9/8c on NBC.
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Ashley Bissette Sumerel
Ashley Bissette Sumerel is a television and film critic living in Wilmington, North Carolina. She is editor-in-chief of Tell-Tale TV as well as Eulalie Magazine. Ashley has also written for outlets such as Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, and Insider. Ashley has been a member of the Critics Choice Association since 2017 and is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. In addition to her work as an editor and critic, Ashley teaches Entertainment Journalism, Composition, and Literature at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.