The Good Place
(2016–2020)
Chidi and Eleanor tackle a famous ethical dilemma, leading to a conflict with Michael; Tahani confides in Janet.
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Title: The Trolley Problem (19 Oct 2017)
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Cast
| Episode complete credited cast: | |||
| Kristen Bell | ... | Eleanor Shellstrop | |
| William Jackson Harper | ... | Chidi Anagonye | |
| Jameela Jamil | ... | Tahani Al-Jamil | |
| D'Arcy Carden | ... | Janet | |
| Manny Jacinto | ... | Jason Mendoza | |
| Ted Danson | ... | Michael | |
| Dominic Burgess | ... | Henry | |
| Emma Vivien Garcia | ... | Birdie | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Chidi is finding that Michael still can't seem to grasp the concepts taught in the human ethics classes. The latest example is in the ethical dilemma of the trolley problem - if you have no other other choice, do you kill one person or five? does it change if you know the people? would you sacrifice one to save five? etc. - where Michael would try to kill all six people if he could, and do it as brutally as possible. In Chidi addressing the issue with Michael, Michael thinks he knows why he just isn't getting it and shows Chidi and Eleanor how he can learn. What Michael shows them has consequences both for Chidi and for Michael, the latter due to the intent. Meanwhile, Jason wants Tahani to talk to someone about why she feels so reluctant to tell the world that the two of them are together as a couple. Who Tahani turns to is the ever knowing Janet. Janet helping Tahani and Jason with this issue has unintended consequences. Written by Huggo
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Jason Mendoza: No. Why are you so scared someone will know we're pounding it out?
Tahani Al-Jamil: Precisely because you refer to lovemaking as "pounding it out".
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Did You Know?
Trivia
This episode attracted 4.05 million viewers when it first aired. See more »Goofs
When Michael is forced by Chidi to write "People = Good" on the chalkboard, it is clear the previous times it was written were not done by him (or specifically Ted Danson, the actor who portrays him) because the handwriting is dramatically different. See more »Quotes
Tahani Al-Jamil: Eleanor seemed a little suspicious earlier, snooping around. You didn't tell her about us, did you?Jason Mendoza: No. Why are you so scared someone will know we're pounding it out?
Tahani Al-Jamil: Precisely because you refer to lovemaking as "pounding it out".
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
19 October 2017 (USA) See more »Company Credits
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After last week's bit-of-a-clunker episode, the series gets back on track (almost literally) with this story dealing with the classic trolley dilemma - do you switch to another track and run over one person in order to avoid staying on your present course and running down five people instead? Chidi tries to teach the problem to a stubborn Michael, only to have him bring the problem to life complete with flying limbs and blood spatter. Like a trolley track, there are some clever twists and turns along the way, along with some great lines.
Meanwhile, Tahani is trying to understand why she is not willing to tell anyone else that she is sleeping with Jason. She persuades Janet to be her therapist so that she can talk to somebody about it. This leads to some bizarre reactions from Janet which must be seen to be believed. This also nicely sets up the cliffhanger for the next episode.
As usual, fast paced and lots of fun. Watch for a bit near the end where Ted Danson proves that it's not always what you say so much as how you say it. All in all, a great effort.