‘The Good Place’ season 3: 2020 needs a real life “Soul Squad”

We miss The Good Place. 

Maybe it’s just because the world is a complete and utter clusterfork right now, but there’s something about the idealistic future of The Good Place that left us with hope. Especially in season 3, where the group’s intentions were so pure and lighthearted, as they tried to make their loved ones better people. 

We’re trying to do the same thing every day, calling out loved ones on bigoted behavior, making sure we keep our fellow humans safe by wearing a mask, and just overall passing kindness around the world. But really, we need the Soul Squad to come help save 2020. 

Can they actually fix 2020?

Well, not even all the philosophical pondering from Chidi could probably get people to actually stop being racist, nor will any amount of Tahani’s money suddenly cure coronavirus. But that’s not what we’re calling on them for. 

These four humans rewrote the entire afterlife playbook. They made it clear that good people don’t have to be perfect, and bad people can still do good things every once in a while. They somehow managed to make a grey world black and white, and that’s exactly the kind of moral savior we need right now. 

How “Jeremey Bearimy” predicted 2020

Specifically, looking back at the fourth episode of season 3 shows how our dear The Good Place team can fix 2020. When the group learns the truth about the afterlife and because of that, is morally doomed for the Bad Place, each of our four humans has a completely different reaction to their newfound future. 

Eleanor has decided that she’s resorting to her Arizona dirtbag ways, and goes to a local bar begging for a free birthday drink on a day that’s definitely not her birthday. While having a conversation with the bartender, she makes it clear how she hates rules and wants a world where she makes the rules everyone else has to follow. 

Tahani starts by making a huge donation to the Sydney Opera House, and then Jason suggests Tahani gives the money to random people on the street. Eventually she tries to give the money to Jason, but when the bank won’t let her transfer it over, the two get married so he can have access to her entire fortune. 

Lastly, Chidi just has a full on mental breakdown, giving us sexy shirtless Chidi who gets the first actual stomach ache in the entire show thanks to Peeps & MnM chili. Then he, Mr. Philosophy tells his students to become nihilists of all things because nothing matters in the world. 

See the connection? Eleanor is the anti-mask crowd: only focused on what they want, as they don’t think the rule is necessary. Tahani is the rich person trying to make things better by throwing money around, even though the amount of money she’s throwing is like spare change compared to her fortune. 

Chidi is the person who’s convinced the end of the world is coming, and therefore has basically lost all will to live as well as having severely declining mental health issues. The people who are quarantining but severely depressed and miserable fit right in with him. 

So, how do the four of them escape their selfish ways and try to actually change the world? They come together as a group, and through their friendship, they find the light at the end of the tunnel and start walking towards it. In their relationship with each other, the Soul Squad finds hope. 

Finding hope in real life

We can dream that the Soul Squad is going to hop out of The Good Place season 3 and come save Earth, but we know the people who have to actually change the world are us. Thankfully, there is a relatively easy guide to follow thanks to “Jeremey Bearimy”: Rely on others.

Sure, the anti-maskers come off as selfish and ignorant, focused on their own comfort instead of everyone’s safety. But part of it is they’re relying on the rest of the groups not wearing masks to stay safe. We may not be able to change the anti-maskers’ states of mind, but we can definitely help everyone, even them stay safe by wearing masks, social distancing, and washing our hands. 

Those who want to be philanthropists, do your research before donating. No one’s expecting you to give away your entire net worth, but you can definitely afford more than $50 to your local food bank. Heck, by showing up at protests, volunteering at homeless shelters and food banks, and donating supplies to hospitals, you can show your support as well if you’re really that concerned about money. 

Lastly, keep an eye on your friends and family. Quarantine has been hard on everyone, whether you’re an essential worker, an immunocompromised person, or just someone who got laid off. We need to keep in contact with each other, and support each other even if we can’t be right next to each other. You don’t know what people are going through mentally, so never assume someone’s okay. 

Michael proved that deep down inside, every human has a soul that wants to be kind and caring. Some people just find themselves going down the wrong road, while others who are doing the right thing make a mistake here and there. Do not let the negativity of 2020 define your existence however. You can be good, even if this year isn’t.