The Good Place Review: You’ve Changed, Man (Season 4 Episode 10)
On The Good Place Season 4 Episode 10, “You’ve Changed, Man,” it’s cram session time for Michael and the gang as they race to create a plan that will both change the way the afterlife works and save all of humanity.
No pressure or anything.
Actually, Chidi isn’t feeling the pressure at all. He usually crumbles under the weight of any decision-making, but on this episode, he is as cool as a cucumber. And adorable, too.
His neuroses gave a certain charm to him, and now that he has gained clarity and lost some of those neuroses, you’d think he’d be rather dull. Not the case. This new and improved version of Chidi still has all the delightful, funny, and intelligent qualities that we have come to love.
Eleanor: You seem oddly sure, which is unlike you, but…it’s kind of doing it for me. Should we get out of here? No, but I like the confidence.
I mean, he starts his presentation wearing rollerskates from Disco Janet—how can you not totally adore this dork?
The task before him seems insurmountable (or insurmountainable, for fans of The Office), but he is up for it; and it is his calm, confident, positive attitude that inspires his cohorts. It’s an all hands on deck situation and everyone pitches in. Even Jason’s unique insights bring something to the table.
Jason: This is a classic trolley problem. One of your boys sets off a stink bomb on the trolley, causing a commotion so the rest of the group can pickpocket people as they run off the train.
Chidi: That’s very wrong, but in a roundabout way, you kind of got where you needed to be.
It, in no way, solves their problem, but it shows that he has learned a little and improved himself which is the whole point of the new system that they come up with in the end. And through the course of all this, we see that even Janet has improved.
Janet: When I started in Michael’s first neighborhood, I was just a PalmPilot in a cool vest, but look at me now. I can hold four humans in my void and conjure Timothy Olyphant in the blink of an eye. Getting rebooted over and over made me a better not-a-person than I’ve ever been. Humans should get the same opportunity.
Watching them all come together, discuss ethics, and devise plan after plan is so uplifting. That, in turn, makes the obstacles they face that much more disheartening. Each time Shawn thwarts their efforts is completely devastating.
Shawn is a true demon, through and through—utterly diabolical and the actual worst. He takes such pleasure in dashing their hopes and Marc Evan Jackson portrays this so well that it adds palpable anxiety and suspense for the audience as the episode plays out.
Only another demon can really understand his mentality. Enter Michael—he has some idea of how to approach this evil stubbornness, and they have a heart to heart the only way two demons can. Shawn had lost his passion for the work when Michael began his enlightened quest with the humans, and fighting against him reignited it, bringing back his zest for torture in the afterlife with vigor.
In Ashley’s review of The Good Place Season 4 Episode 9, “The Answer,” she concludes that “life’s big questions are less about logic and more about love and human connection.” On this episode, we see that it not only applies to humans but to demons as well. Shawn benefits from his connection with Michael, as warped and evil as it may be, but it’s the realization of this that finally makes him change his mind.
The title of this episode is “You’ve Changed, Man.” Earlier, a frustrated Jason says this to Shawn in a comedic way, and by the end, it rings true.
Stray Observations:
- That Timothy Olyphant cameo, amirite? “There’s, like, 50 gallons of man in a 10-gallon hat.”
- “You and I are on our way to Coolsville.” *SWOON*
- Of course Jason stole the Wienermobile, of course.
- “Hi, shut up. I’m confident now.” I think I could use a little time knife therapy in my life. Where do I sign up?
- The Judge marbelizes Disco Janet into a disco ball. Genius.
- Maya Rudolph as The Judge is glorious. Every line is delivered with flawless comedic timing and tone.
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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Erin Allen
Erin is a former script supervisor for film and television. She's an avid fan of middle aged actresses, dark dramas, and irreverent comedies. She loves to read actual books and X-Files fan fiction. Her other passions include pointing out feminist issues, shipping Mulder and Scully, and collecting pop culture mugs.