Season 2

Complete listed story — includes the ending

1. Everything Is Great! Part 1

Eleanor's, Chidi's, Tahani's, and Jason's memories have been erased and they start over in the Bad Place. Shawn believes Michael's project will fail and Michael's existence will be ended through "retirement". Janet gives Eleanor the note she wrote to find Chidi. Chidi is forced to choose between two potential soulmates; just as he chooses Angelique, who seems ideal for him, Michael determines that the other woman, Pevita, with whom Chidi felt no connection, is his actual soulmate. Eleanor finds Chidi, but he is distracted by his own situation and is unwilling to help Eleanor. Tahani is dissatisfied that her soulmate Tomas is very short and has unrefined taste and that their home is small and cramped. Michael plans for Eleanor to get drunk and behave badly at the welcome party, but instead Tahani gets drunk and makes a scene.

2. Everything Is Great! Part 2

Jason's new soulmate is Luang, a monk who is meant to be his spiritual companion; Luang accompanies Jason and copies his every action, leaving Jason bored and desperate to escape. Jason becomes attracted to Janet, who is nice to him. Vicky, who portrayed "Real Eleanor", is frustrated by her new, minor role as pizza parlor owner Denise. Chidi realizes the paper of Eleanor's note is from a book in his library; he suspects they have met before. At Eleanor's house, Eleanor admits that she does not belong in the Good Place. Michael, Janet, Tahani, Jason, and everyone's supposed soulmates arrive. Tahani and Jason openly express their dissatisfaction and Eleanor figures out that they are not in the Good Place; she reveals the note. Michael again erases the humans' memories and reboots the Good Place, but conceals the false start from Shawn, who has disallowed a third attempt.

3. Dance Dance Resolution

Michael reboots the neighborhood hundreds of times, but Eleanor (and, on at least one occasion, Jason) eventually realizes its true nature each time. In the 802nd iteration, Eleanor and Chidi learn of the memory wipes when they discover dissatisfied neighborhood workers (including an undisguised demon) complaining about Michael's version of the Bad Place. Eleanor, Chidi, and Janet take the train to the Medium Place, where Mindy St. Claire reveals that it is Eleanor's sixteenth visit; Eleanor and her companions always return to Michael's neighborhood with a new plan to defeat him. Mindy also reveals that Eleanor and Chidi often form a sexual relationship and once mutually professed their love. In the neighborhood, Vicky and the other actors go on strike. Vicky presents their individual demands and hers is to take Michael's job; she threatens to reveal the multiple attempts to Shawn. Jason tells Michael about his dance crew being challenged to a dance-off and that they united to instead slash the other dancers' tires; when Eleanor returns and leads the humans in confronting Michael, he asks to form an alliance with them.

4. Team Cockroach

Michael tries to recruit all four humans to his plan, in which he will reboot the neighborhood but secretly leave their memories intact and they will feign ignorance; if they refuse, Michael asserts they will again detect the ruse, Vicky will expose him, and the humans will be remanded to traditional, hellish torture, while Michael is burned eternally. Michael also claims he can get the four and himself into the real Good Place. Chidi agrees quickly, accepting that his work on ethics in life was unsuccessful. Jason is oblivious, but Michael's bow tie earns his trust. Tahani insists she belongs in the Good Place, but concedes after Michael reveals her cause of death; she was crushed by a statue of her sister Kamillah that she pulled down, demonstrating Tahani's self-obsession. Eleanor initially plans to flee to Mindy's house, but accedes to Michael's plan after Michael informs her that Chidi never refused to help her. She adds a condition: Michael must participate in Chidi's ethics classes. Even though Michael sees humans as "cockroaches", he agrees. The neighborhood is rebooted with Vicky taking on the role of the top point earner and honorary mayor. The humans and Michael meet in secret and are joined by Janet, whose programming compels her to make humans happy; thus, she will support the only real humans present.

5. Existential Crisis

When Chidi realizes that Michael's immortality prevents him from engaging with human ethics, he confronts Michael over the possibility of existence-ending "retirement". Michael becomes despondent and then replaces his existential crisis with a stereotypical midlife crisis, which Chidi determines is less psychologically productive. Eleanor explains to Michael that sadness over death is intrinsic to humanity; he thanks her and Chidi decides their studies can move forward. Tahani is tortured by having her birthday party for Gunnar overshadowed by an extravagant one planned by Vicky; Tahani is miserable despite knowing Vicky's plan and laments her character flaws that enable such superficial problems to affect her. Jason praises Tahani and they sleep together; both enjoy it, but Tahani wants to talk about it afterwards, while Jason is oblivious. Eleanor recalls formative experiences concerning death: Eleanor's alcoholic mother flippantly explaining the family dog's death to a young Eleanor, an adult Eleanor attending her father's funeral and claiming to be fine, and Eleanor crying into a toilet plunger at a Bed Bath & Beyond upon seeing a toothbrush holder designed for a family's use.

6. The Trolley Problem

Chidi teaches the group the trolley problem thought experiment, but Michael's practical knowledge of the afterlife scoring system conflicts with Chidi's theoretical approach. Supposedly as a learning aid, Michael subjects Chidi to realistic simulations of the trolley problem and related ethical questions, then admits he is deliberately torturing Chidi. Chidi expels Michael, who tries to placate the humans with extravagant personalized gifts that Chidi calls bribes. Chidi allows Michael to return after Michael offers an apology that consists of exact and seemingly sincere wording Chidi has pre-approved. Tahani and Jason continue their relationship, but Tahani insists on secrecy while Jason wants to go public. Janet becomes their couples counselor. Over the course of a month, their relationship improves but Janet, performing beyond her specifications, is suffering from short term errors; Janet tells Michael the neighborhood could collapse from the errors' increasing severity.

7. Janet and Michael

Before beginning his experiment, Michael steals Janet from a warehouse and claims to be a Good Place architect; they build the neighborhood together. Now, Michael troubleshoots Janet while Vicky is distracted by torturing Chidi with needles. When Janet's manual suggests the glitches are caused by falsehoods, Michael blames himself for lying about the neighborhood's real purpose. But, when a glitch occurs while Janet is speaking to Tahani and Jason about their relationship, he realizes the problem is Janet's own subconscious lies – she is not really happy for the couple because she has retained her second incarnation's love for Jason. Janet advises Michael to activate her self-destruct mechanism, but he makes excuses and ultimately refuses because Janet is his friend. They solicit Eleanor's advice instead and Eleanor successfully talks Janet through processing her human emotions. Acting on Eleanor's recommendation of a rebound relationship, Janet creates a boyfriend named Derek whose mental state is infantile, excitable, and easily distracted.

8. Derek

Michael fears Derek's existence will expose him. Michael sends Jason and Tahani on a private retreat and seeks Chidi and Eleanor's advice. Janet and Derek's relationship deteriorates. After Jason and Tahani ask Janet to marry them, Chidi acknowledges that the most ethical action is to inform the couple of Janet's issue, despite the double effect that Janet might eliminate Derek. Eleanor does so and, as Janet's friend, offers to help her work through her deep emotions over time. Janet deactivates Derek. Jason and Tahani remain intimate, but are unsure where they stand. Eleanor, having secretly repeatedly viewed Mindy's tape of herself and Chidi, shows it to him; he does not feel he loves her and she claims to feel the same way. Michael asks to speak with Eleanor about ethics; she tells him that striving to do right is emotionally rewarding and that his reaching out to her was human. Shawn comes to Michael's office.

9. Leap to Faith

Shawn congratulates Michael; Michael's falsified progress reports have earned them both promotions and the new torture plan will be widely implemented. Michael "reveals" to Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani, and Jason that they are in the Bad Place and announces the demons will destroy and abandon the neighborhood while the humans will be remanded to traditional torture the next day. The four consider exposing Michael to Shawn or fleeing to Mindy St. Claire's house, but Eleanor realizes Michael mentioned Kierkegaard as a cue for them to take a leap of faith with him and his cruel roast of them held a coded plan: First, Janet retrieves Derek so he can conduct a decoy train while the humans hide on the tracks underneath the train the demons intend to take out of town. Then, Michael frames Vicky for the humans' apparent escape. After the demons leave, Michael, Janet, and the humans are left alone, safe in the neighborhood. Mindy is delighted when a sexually willing Derek arrives at her house with cocaine.

10. Best Self

Michael tells the humans they will travel to the Good Place in a hot-air balloon that challenges them to prove they are the best versions of their respective selves. They struggle to do so and Michael admits he is stalling because he was actually unable to determine a means to enter the Good Place, despite exploring over a billion options. Out of options, the group holds a party. Tahani ends her relationship with Jason. Eleanor admits she has feelings for Chidi, who describes his struggle to process his feelings and wishes he and Eleanor had met under normal circumstances. The humans name Michael an "honorary human", praising him for making more of an effort to do the right thing than a typical person. Tahani suggests they "demand to speak to a manager", but Michael says the Judge rarely hears cases and can only be reached through the Bad Place. Eleanor suggests they try and everyone agrees. Michael incapacitates the Bad Janet sent to transport him and Janet conducts everyone to the Bad Place on a train as the neighborhood disintegrates.

11. Rhonda, Diana, Jake, and Trent

Inside Bad Place headquarters, Michael works to obtain special badges that enable use of the Judge's portal. When a reception is unexpectedly held in the others' hiding place, the humans impersonate demons and Janet impersonates a Bad Janet. Chidi is unwilling to lie until Eleanor convinces him moral particularism permits it. Michael intends to use the humans' extradition paperwork as a cover, but Shawn (against regulations) sends commandos to Mindy's house and learns the humans are not there. Michael flees, stealing badges, and rejoins the humans at the reception, where a presentation about the neighborhood reveals the humans' identities. The five escape without Janet after Jason blocks Shawn's pursuit with a Molotov cocktail. Michael sends Tahani, Jason, and Chidi through the portal before discovering he is one badge short. He then gives his to Eleanor – determining self-sacrifice solves the trolley problem – and pushes a protesting Eleanor through the portal as Shawn arrives.

12. The Burrito

"The Burrito" redirects here. For other uses, see Burrito (disambiguation). Michael confesses his lies to Shawn who, rather than retire him (which would make a spectacle that would publicize the scandal), decides to imprison him. The Bad Janet assisting Shawn reveals herself to be Michael's Janet; she incapacitates Shawn. The four humans arrive at the Judge's chambers. Eleanor reveals Michael's sacrifice. The Judge, Gen, agrees to hear out Eleanor, Chidi, Jason, and Tahani and tells them they must be subjected to separate tests of their personal growth. At their own request, they will share one fate and can only pass if all do individually. Jason fails a test of impulse control while Tahani fails when, instructed to ignore what others think of her, she maturely confronts her parents over their lifelong cruelty towards her. Eleanor is told that she and Chidi have passed while the others have failed; after Chidi tells her that it is ethical for them to go to the Good Place without Jason and Tahani, she correctly identifies "Chidi" as a construct and refuses the offer; Gen commends her. The real Chidi fails a test of decisiveness. Gen tells the foursome they have failed and Eleanor claims to have also failed personally. Before Gen can send them to the Bad Place, Michael and Janet arrive.

13. Somewhere Else

Michael argues that the humans' postmortem self-improvement, which the immortal beings thought impossible, means the afterlife system is corrupt. Janet tells Jason she loves him, inspiring Chidi to kiss Eleanor. Gen offers to put each of the humans in their own separate Medium Places while she deliberates for up to a million years, but Eleanor refuses the proposal as unjust. Gen believes the humans only improved in pursuit of moral desert, but Michael believes they would have striven to improve, regardless, if encouraged. To test this, Michael rewinds time and saves all four humans from their original deaths, creating a new timeline in which their lives on Earth continue. Michael and Janet monitor the behavior of all four humans, who do not remember their time in the afterlife. Eleanor has an epiphany; she quits her immoral job to work as an environmentalist and tries to be ethical. After six months, Eleanor loses enthusiasm for environmentalism as her kindness has opened her to mistreatment by others; she reverts to her previous lifestyle for another six months. Michael, evading Gen's notice, appears to Eleanor as a bartender and questions her morality, leading her to watch Chidi's three-hour-long online lecture on " what we owe to each other," which enthralls her. Eleanor travels to Australia to meet Chidi, pleasing Michael.