The Good Place (2016-2020) – Season 4 – Episode 8 – The Funeral to End All Funerals

The point is, people improve when they get external love and support. How can we hold it against them when they don’t?

– Michael

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The Power of Love and Support in Personal Growth:

In the eighth episode of the fourth season of the TV show “The Good Place,” Michael, the architect of the Good Place, has an epiphany about human behavior. Michael has been grappling with the fact that the humans in the Good Place keep reverting to their old, selfish ways. But he realizes that people are capable of improving only when they have external love and support. He wonders how it’s fair to hold it against them when they don’t have this support.

This scene takes place after Michael has tried various methods to get the humans to improve, but to no avail. He’s frustrated and feels like he’s failed as an architect. But then, he has a conversation with Eleanor Shellstrop, one of the humans in the Good Place. Eleanor explains that her personal growth was only possible because of the love and support she received from her friends and family on Earth.

This conversation triggers Michael’s epiphany, and he shares his realization with Janet, the AI that runs the Good Place. He explains that people need to have their flaws pointed out to them in a way that’s not confrontational, and that they need to be surrounded by people who love and support them. Michael also points out that people don’t always have this external support, which makes it unfair to hold it against them when they don’t improve.

The theme of external support is a recurring one in “The Good Place.” The show explores the idea that no one is truly self-sufficient, and that everyone needs other people to help them grow and improve. The idea that people are capable of improving with the right support is a hopeful one, and it’s a reminder that we shouldn’t give up on ourselves or others just because we’ve made mistakes.

This scene is a poignant moment in the show because it showcases Michael’s growth as a character. He started out as an all-powerful being who believed that humans were inherently selfish and irredeemable. But as he’s spent time with the humans in the Good Place, he’s come to realize that people are capable of change, but only with the right support.

Overall, the scene in “The Good Place” where Michael realizes that people need external love and support to improve is a powerful one. It’s a reminder that we’re all capable of growth and change, but we can’t do it alone. We need the support of others to help us along the way.

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