Ty Watches "The Good Place" Mid Season Finale

Last night was the mid season finale of “The Good Place”, and it was a tremendous episode. The entire 22 minutes were centered around Chidi, who is excellently played by William Jackson Harper. The whole episode was about the people waking him up from his slumber, and it flashed back to all of his crucial memories over his life on and off Earth. It was great.

For those that may not know, Chidi is infamous for being the most indecisive human being ever. He cannot make even the easiest of choices. It was so bad, his lack of urgency caused him to lose his life. I know this sounds dire, but in the context of “The Good Place”, it is put across hilariously. Anyway, when Michael(Ted Danson) goes to snap his fingers, we get to see all these moments. It started for him as a baby, when his parents asked if he liked the name Chidi, and he immediately cried. We then see him struggle to pick a chair in elementary school, breaking up with a girlfriend because he thinks philosophy can keep them together, to his dean at college telling him his thesis is too much, to his friends questioning him, to him being in the good place and struggling there, we see it all. And Harper is so good at portraying this indecisive genius. His quirks and quips she questions are never ending, so much so that it is exhausting.

Near the end of his memories you can see a different Chidi. After finding Eleanor(Kristen Bell), he seems more sure of himself, more confident. Right before he gets his mind wiped, the season 3 finale, he writes a note and gives it to Janet(Darcey Carden), and asks her to hold onto it until they meet again, if ever. When Michael finally finishes the snap, Chidi wakes up and is asked how he feel. He looks relaxed, and he says, “I feel great”, and I totally believed him. He looks, for the first time in his afterlife, like he is calm and confident. He has a look of assurance we’ve never seen from him. He asks all of his friends if he’s been annoying for the last 300 years, and they kind of blow it off to tell him that he needs to save all of humanity and Earth. Just when I thought he would revert to his norm, he says okay, and that he will try. He then asks Janet for the letter, and inside it reads, “there’s no “answer”, but Eleanor is the answer”. It was so sweet and touching and perfect.

“The Good Place” just continues to get better and better, and surprises me with something new almost every episode. This mid season finale sets up the actual finale perfectly, and I’m so stoked to see how they finish it up. In a show with a great cast, great writers and great direction, this episode was an absolute home run. My hat is off to all of the people that work on it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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The Best Television of 2018

Happy New Year everyone. And I cannot think of a better way to ring in 209 than by continuing my best of 2018 lists. Today we are going to do TV. I know last week I was very hard on "Westworld" and "Legion", but today it is all love. The only problem, this was the hardest list for me to pair down. There is so much TV to watch now. Be it national shows, premium cable or streaming, we have more options than ever to watch millions of shows. Also, I still haven't seen a lot of what major critics have on their list, but I will probably never see "Marvelous Ms. Maisel" or "Succession" or "Counterpart". Those shows aren't for me. I'm more of a goofy comedy guy, or serious drama type stuff. That fills my best of 2018 TV list today. Now lets get started.

At number 5 I have season 3 of "Better Call Saul". This show has only gotten stronger since it started airing. Bob Oedenkirk is making me feel for Jimmy McGill, but this season you can really see him turning into Saul Goodman. He even goes by the name a few times this season. But what made season three so great, aside from everything thing that went on with Johnathan Banks and Giancarlo Epsosito, was Rhea Seahorn's portrayal of her character, Kim Wexler. She is the only person who still believes in Jimmy, but by the end, we all see that she is even duped and ready to give up on him. Seahorn was amazing this season. In a show filled with standouts, she stood out by a wide margin. I'm curious to see where they go with season 4 because of how season 3 ended. Season 4 may be the last, which is a minor spoiler alert. For the time being though, "Better Call Saul" is proving to be another great show from Vince Gilligan and company. I'm excited to see how they wrap it all up.

At number 4 I have what I consider to be the most accurate, and best representation of puberty, season 2 of "Big Mouth". Nick Kroll and Andrew Goldberg have done with this show is nothing short of amazing, and gross. Don't get it twisted, this show is gross and touches on the horribleness that is puberty in no way like I have ever seen before. There was a whole section this year where one of the young teens goes to a spa with her mom and her mom's new girlfriend, and the song is amazing, but there is so much nudity. There is a great scene about losing a pubic hair. I loved when Coach Jeff hooked up with Jay's mom. That was also super gross. But the best thing all season was when the kids took over for Coach Jeff in health class and told horror stories about what they assumed having a STD would be like. It was a great way to talk about how awesome Planned Parenthood is, and the writers totally nailed that. Also, the episode where Nick and Jess eat some of Jess's dad's edibles was really good too. This show nails puberty to perfection. I love it, and when my kids are going through that time, you better believe "Big Mouth" will be on my TV.

At number 3 I have season 3 of "The Good Place". "The Good Place" is the best network sitcom on TV right now. It is just an absolutely wonderful show that somehow finds a way to surprise me every season. Their season one finale was the best finale of a show I have ever seen. They followed it up excellently in season 2, and the way they just closed out this season was amazing. Everyone on this show is amazing too. I'm not a big Kristin Bell fan, but she is awesome. Jameela Jamil is so good as the silver spoon name dropper. William Jackson Harper is terrific as the anxiety riddled Chidi, The episode where he realizes what is going on, and makes chili in his classroom with Peeps was one of the best things I saw on TV this year. Ted Danson is a total delight. But the 2 standouts are Manny Jacinto as Jason, and more importantly, D'Arcy Carden as Janet. Jason is the idiot dirt bag in all of us but he has a heart of gold. He is also hilarious. But Carden as Janet, the all knowing being, kind of like a real life Alexa, she is  just phenomenal. She is the standout of the show. She is the best part of season 3, and she ran with her chance to shine this season. You need to look no further than the season 3 finale where she gets to play every main character on the show. She absolutely nailed every single person's ticks, voices and how they dress and carry themselves. It is a true masterpiece of an actor going for it, and nailing it. It was truly amazing, much like everything else that is on "The Good Place".

At number 2 I have season 2 of "American Vandal". I adore this show. I think it is a perfect sendup of all the true crime stuff we are all enamored with now. It is so funny, but also totally believable. They take something so ridiculous and childish and I am hanging on every word trying to find out who did the crime the 2 kids are investigating. Season one, I needed to know who "drew the dicks". This second season, I had to know who the "turd burglar" was. This is such a well made show using what many would describe as "potty humor". This show has also won a Peabody Award. That is simply amazing for what this show is about. I didn't know how well they would be able to follow up the first season, which seemed like lightening in a bottle. But, they did it, and they nailed it. Going to a new city to solve a similarly childish crime was the correct way to go about it. Besides the 2 filmmakers, all the characters were new, and they all had great stories. From the basketball star to the weird fruit ninja to the many other suspects, they nailed it again. I am so bummed that the show got cancelled. I'm still holding out hope that some other network or streaming device will pick it up because I feel like this show could go on for another couple seasons. "American Vandal" is the best show I have seen that makes me truly care about fake crimes that dumbass teenagers commit. It is a work of art. 

There is one show that is better than "American Vandal", and that is "Atlanta". Did you all think I would have something else here? Donald Glover is a genius, and "Atlanta" is his best way of putting it out there. This season was filled with amazing episodes. The premiere, with Katt Williams and the gator, was tremendous. When Earn and his baby's mother go to her hometown for a weird party, that was odd but effective. And the episode had big time ramifications for the rest of the season. When Earn is trying to spend a 100 dollar bill but no one will take it from him because they believe it is fake, that was a great take on how people look at other races and cultures. When Paper Boi gets lost in the woods and gets jumped and chased by a crazy forest guy, that was incredible. When Paper Boi just wants a haircut, we have all been in a wild situation like that. But the best thing about this season, and definitely one of the best things I have ever seen on TV in my life, was the episode "Teddy Perkins". This one 45 minute block would have gotten the show on the list if it was the only episode they released all season. It was horrifying, funny, a tale of a horrific childhood, possibly a fever dream, I don't know. What I do know though, it was the most original piece of TV I have seen in quite some time. It is so perfect. I watched it multiple times since trying to find things I may have missed, or to see if Teddy Perkins was real, or a figment of Stanfield's imagination. It is a masterpiece, as is "Atlanta". As long as Glover keeps making this show, I'm pretty sure it will always be on my best of lists, and it will most likely be number one. "Atlanta" is a truly remarkable show. It will go down as one of the greatest shows ever. It is definitely the best show of 2018.

Come back tomorrow for my best movies of 2018.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He was going to put “Black Miirror: Bandersnatch” on his list, but he is still lost in an endless loop because of the interactive nature of the show. Or maybe he needs to upgrade his WiFi because what he is really caught in us a buffering loop.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

The Best Television of 2017

On to day 3 of my best of 2017 lists. Today we will look into TV. TV has been pretty good this year. For example, some shows that didn’t make my list include “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, “Master Of None”, “The Simpson’s”, “Love”, “Ghosted” and “The Punisher”, all of which I really enjoy. I also haven’t seen “The Young Pope”, “Rick and Morty” and countless other shows that have been recommended to me. At least not yet. When I made this list, I have to say, it was the easiest of all 5 that I will, or already have, done. I knew the 5 shows I wanted pretty quickly. Enough preamble, let’s get to it.

At number 5 I have “Search Party”. It is not secret how much I love this show. It is such a great concept. Millennials that have never had a tough time are put into a crazy situation that they created. Season 2 took the ending of season one and went in a crazy dark, yet often hilarious, place. We see these 4 entitled people having to deal with a real life messed up situation. The acting was tremendous this year, especially John Early. His turn this season was so great. He better damn well get Emmy consideration. While Early was the star, Alia Shawkat did a great job as Dory trying to cope with what she had done. And, she had to also deal with the fact that she dragged all her friends into this quagmire. I loved how dark this season turned and watching all the characters reactions. “Search Party” is well worth your time, and here’s to hoping it comes back for a third season.

At number 4 I have “ The Good Place”. The way the writers dealt with the results of the season one finale was perfect. It could have been a disaster, but they nailed it. The show was just as funny, but also poignant as season one. Ted Danson is a national treasure. He’s so good on this show. Kristen Bell seems to have found a perfect role for her as well. Everyone else, from Chidi to Jason, just wonderful. The true standout though is D’arcy Carden as Janet. She is awesome. She is funny. She plays a very crucial role. She is the best. I’m very excited for the show to come back in January, but this first half of season 2 has been wonderful. If you watch one episode from this season, watch the one where Chidi has to make split second decisions on a train. It’s a comedic piece of gold.

My number 3 show of the year is “Review”. Yes, there were only 3 episodes, but those 3 episodes wrapped this show up perfectly. We saw the full destruction of a human being by the end of the final episode. Forrest McNeil, expertly played by Andy Daly, let his job reviewing everyday tasks completely take over his life. He wasn’t a man anymore, he was a puppet. He did whatever people told him to do because he felt it was his job. It wasn’t. He crumbled so much so that his co host took over his job and excelled better then he ever could. I wish we had more “Review”, but the way they wrapped it up was so perfect for a show like this. It was gloriously bizarre from its season premiere all the way to its finale. “Review” is the perfect absurdist comedy show.

At number 2 I have “Legion”. “Legion” is the most unique show I have ever watched. I’ve never seen anything so trippy and visually stunning and attention getting in my life. Once an episode starts you cannot look away. It was quite an achievement to take a property like X-Men and do what Noah Hawley did. To set it in a mental institution was genius. What truly sets this show apart was Aubrey Plaza. She was incredible. The fact that she isn’t getting more award consideration is absurd. She was so great as Lenny, the crazy demon that lives in the main characters head. I used to only look at her as April Ludgate, but “Legion” changed that. She can do it all. I’m so excited for season 2, especially after how they ended season one. I need “Legion” back on the air ASAP.

And number one, “Nathan For You”. Nathan Fielder was back with his outrageous plans to help failing businesses again. He did a whole bunch of crazy stuff this season. He sold chili in a fat suit at a minor league hockey game, he helped people with warts get jobs as massage therapists, he started an asexual computer repair business and he made a smoke detector a musical instrument. All of this was perfect TV, and only something Nathan Fielder could do. What set this show apart from the rest of my list was one single episode, “Finding Frances”. I legit considered putting “Finding Frances” on my best movies if 2017 list. This was the best 2 hours of TV I think I have ever watched. It ranged from funny to sad to scary to depressing all in the course of 2 hours. It was a special achievement. Fielder could walk away from his show right now and it would go down as one of the best ever because of “Finding Frances”. The whole season was great, but “Finding Frances” was Fielder’s masterpiece. It’s truly stunning.

There you have it, my top 5 shows of the year. Come back tomorrow for my top 5 sports moments of the year.

Ty