The Good Place Review: The Answer (Season 4 Episode 9)

“There is no ‘answer.’ But Eleanor is the answer.”

The Good Place Season 4 Episode 9, “The Answer,” takes us on a Chidi-focused journey as Michael snaps his fingers to wake him up so he can literally save humanity.

And it’s a lot more than one lifetime’s worth of memories that Chidi is having restored, which could wind up being more problematic than helpful, but it’s more likely that using them all as a learning experience is much more likely.

The flashbacks go all the way back to Chidi as a baby. We see his interest in philosophy at a young age, and more significantly, we watch an adorable young Chidi give a 55-minute presentation to his parents about why they should stay together. 

As he continues to move through his life, the search for an “answer” to everything gets in the way of him truly being able to live, and ultimately, as we already know, it’s the reason for his death.

But his short time on earth is nothing compared to his time spent in the afterlife, where he begins taking more time to ask advice of others and try to become better — the thing that Michael has been trying to prove. We’ve already been witnessing the evolution of Chidi, but compressing it with these flashbacks is a masterful way to highlight it.

We also get to see a lot that we haven’t seen before, including various soulmates and more and more examples of how Chidi and Eleanor always did wind up finding one another.

The episode is funny as always, but it’s a little heavier on sentiment especially as it focuses more on the love story between Eleanor and Chidi. It’s endearing and gutwrenching and everything in between.

That relationship is more meaningful now. Chidi and Michael have a profound heart to heart just before Michael erases Chidi’s memories.

All along, Chidi has been looking for answers, but he finally asks Michael an important philosophical question: are soulmates real? He’s not entirely sure, but he does have some insight: 

Michael: If soulmates do exist, they’re not found — they’re made.

There’s also more to the story of Chidi’s parents. It’s not that Chidi’s presentation just saved their marriage. It’s that it reminded them they loved each other and that they needed to work at their marriage, yet again showing the complexities of human relationships.

And that brings us back to Eleanor.

After their chat, Chidi asks Janet for a sheet of paper and a pen. He writes a note, gives it to her, and asks her to give it back if she sees him again. 

When Chidi wakes up at the end of the episode, even though it’s a brief scene, you can tell this is a changed version of the character. He’s essentially just had more than one lifetime flash before his eyes, and his first revelation: he’s been super annoying, hasn’t he?

Chidi is calmer than we’ve seen him before as Eleanor quickly explains his task of saving humanity. Before he can do that, he wants to read the “best writing he’s ever done.” That note is revealed with the quote at the top of this review — “There is no ‘answer.’ But Eleanor is the answer.” 

I have no doubt that Chidi can solve the puzzle, now more than ever since he understands that life’s big questions are less about logic and more about love and human connection.

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 returns Thursday, January 9th at 9/8c on NBC.

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