'The Good Place' Season 2 Episode 3: "Dance Dance Resolution" Recap

The Good Place ended season one on a high note, pulling off a well executed twist (it's actually the Bad Place) and resetting everything. My fear going into season two, which others seemed to share, was where the show would go from there. Were we going to have a whole season of Eleanor and the gang re-finding out about Michael's nefarious intentions? Last week's one hour premiere was a decent start, but didn't quite give away where this season was headed. After tonight's amazing installment, "Dance Dance Resolution"? In Michael Schur We Trust.

One of the drawbacks of last season's twists was that Ted Danson's Michael had to be slightly underutilized to keep his motives secret. Now that the cat is out of the bag we can get a lot more Ted Danson, and that is very much a good thing.

The opening of the episode features a Groundhog Day-style montage of Michael constantly rebooting The Good Place. No matter how hard he tries or how many tweaks he makes, Eleanor will always figure out that they're in the Bad Place. One time Jason even figures it out, which is a particularly devastating and hilarious blow to Michael's ego.

This rapid fire montage that chronicles over 800 of Michael's attempts offers the show a chance to throw as many hilarious scenarios at the screen as possible. From Eleanor's various triggers (Jazz music! Clam chowder!) to Janet's pleas for her life (Hamilton tickets! She's pregnant with Michael's baby!) we were hit with jokes at an alarming rate.

Eventually the episode pivots back to Eleanor's point of view. After discovering once again that she's in the Bad Place, her, Chidi, and Janet hitch a ride on the outbound train to Mindy's house. Eleanor might have had her memories wiped, but Mindy certainly didn't. It's revealed to Eleanor that she and Chidi always end up together (having sex on eight different visits and twenty different sessions). Eventually, Eleanor and Chidi head back to the Good Place to confront Michael, who has his own new problems to deal.

In the Good Place, the actors in Michael's employ are beginning to revolt. They see his vision as fruitless and want to go back to the old way of doing things. Vicky, who longs for another role as important as Real Eleanor, has her own visions for the Good Place and tries to blackmail Michael into giving her what she wants. A distraught Michael ends up turning to Jason for advise. Jason tells him the story of the titular Dance Dance Resolution (they had a resolution to dance!). The story of rival dance crews is ridiculous, but Michael gleams some inspiration from it.

As the episode ends, Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani, and Jason are prepared to confront Michael once again about being stuck in the Bad Place. This is where the episode throws a real curve ball, setting the audience up for what appears to be the arc of the season: Michael and the four humans teaming up take down Vicky and the other defectors. This is an exciting direction for the story to be taking, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Not only did "Dance Dance Resolution" feature an exciting new plot direction, it was also one of the funniest episodes of the series to date. By this point in The Good Place's run, it has found its footing and may have just aired its best episode yet.