13. Michael's Gambit

Complete story — includes the ending

Following Shawn's decision, the group argues about who should go to the Bad Place and who should stay, with Real Eleanor deciding to take one place. As their arguments become more heated and frustrating, Eleanor has an epiphany: the four of them have been torturing each other not by accident but by design, meaning they have been in the Bad Place (Hell) all along. Michael, in truth a demon, confesses that this "Good Place" is a new and elaborate Bad Place neighborhood where Eleanor, Jason, Chidi, and Tahani, the only human inhabitants, were to drive each other to agony; every other "neighbor" was a demon acting as part of the plan. Michael explains Janet is a legitimate Good Place Janet he stole to run his fake Good Place. Flashbacks show Michael at his architect job before he created his false "Good Place" and his pitch meeting with Shawn, in actuality his boss, having pitched his plan as able to last 1,000 years. With his scheme exposed, Michael begs Shawn for a second attempt by blanking their memories and changing some parameters. In a last ditch effort to do something, Eleanor rips a page from T. M. Scanlon 's Contractualism and writes a message to herself which she hides in Janet's mouth. After the reset, Janet gives Eleanor the piece of paper that reads "Eleanor – Find Chidi".