Chidi does not feel particularly obligated to help the other humans. Michael and Eleanor decide it's because he perceives no stakes or consequences for them if he doesn't, so they decide to have Jason confess that he doesn't belong there to put Chidi in the same ethical dilemma as in the original neighborhood. Meanwhile, when Tahani's attempts to get through to John fail miserably, she realizes that she may be going about it wrong.
Tropes in this episode include:
- Brick Joke:
- Chidi mentions ants carrying champagne to a picnic early in the episode. Later when Chidi goes to Michael and Eleanor about his troubles, those same ants come to the room bringing champagne before being shoo'd away by Michael.
- Jason says he used to have his dream motorcycle, but then it exploded when he poured lighter fluid into its engine. Later, Michael tells Chidi he can "get rid" of any of his problems, to which Chidi lies and says the motorcycle is what's his problem. Michael waves his hand, and it cuts to Jason, who was admiring the motorcycle, have it blow up in his face.Jason: Aw man, not again!
- Call-Back: Eleanor and Michael decide to get Chidi to get stressed and start feeling more obligated to helping by having Jason confess to Chidi that he does not belong there in the same vein that Eleanor did in the original neighborhood.
- Cliffhanger: At the end of the episode, a mysterious hooded figure approaches the neighborhood.
- Cruel to Be Kind: With his memories gone Chidi is stuck at square one, the group realize they need to treat him with the same passive aggressive moral torture that instigated his character growth in all prior iterations. They set up Jason to put Chidi in the same dilemma Eleanor did in the first season as a Secret-Keeper, which amplified his anxiety but encourages him to develop the ethics classes... again.
- Explosive Stupidity: Jason lost his motorcycle one day after getting it because he filled it with lighter fluid.Jason: Called it.
- Foreshadowing: Janet keeps giving bad advice to Tahani.
- Friendship Moment: John and Tahani forge a genuine connection and become real friends.
- Green-Eyed Monster: John admits that part of the reason why he was so cruel to Tahani (and by extension, other celebrities) was due to being jealous of the lavish lifestyles of The Beautiful Elite. He desperately wanted to be part of that echelon of society. His gossip blog was his way of trying to knock them down a peg to make himself feel better.
- Jerkass Has a Point: John correctly calls out Tahani for pretending to be his friend so she could try to make him feel bad about all the times he criticized her.
- Jerkass Realization: John comes to this due to Tahani's efforts at reaching out to him, as he finds it crazy that she would forgive the cruel things he said about her.
- Lonely at the Top: Tahani tells John the story of how, at a party, she was invited to a super-secret VIP section. Once there, however, she found that there was no one else, and she ended up being all by herself while everyone else was partying.
- Misery Builds Character: After seeing Chidi enjoying himself and neglecting his duties as an ethics teacher, Eleanor reasons that because he is totally happy and in the Good Place, he has no reason to improve or improve anyone else. Thus they send Jason in as Jianyu to make him more miserable.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Eleanor starts crying when Chidi says he feels like he's being punished, and she realizes she's pushed him too far.
- New Powers as the Plot Demands: With no effort, it's revealed that Michael can explode any item, even ones that aren't remotely in his line of sight. He never used this power before, nor does he use it again.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Tahani realizes that, despite the difference in social status, she and John are actually quite similar, as they both spent their childhoods lonely and neglected and constantly craved public praise.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Michael feels that Chidi telling an outright lie is a clear sign that they've pushed Chidi's stress too far. Eleanor disagrees.
- Portmanteau: Michael says that Chidi is "chillaxing," which he describes as a word combining "Chidi" and "relax." The joke being that "chillaxing" is already a word, a combination of "chilling" and "relaxing".
- Shout-Out:
- Tahani mentions that eight characters on Game of Thrones were based on her – and then decides to confront a problem head-on like six of them would have done.
- She also tells a story in which Blake Lively invited her to Leonardo Dicaprio's birthday party.
- And as a breakthrough celebration she'll watch Britney Spears film Crossroads with John.
- Strong Ants: Michael has ants that bring champagne to picnics.
- Sustained Misunderstanding: When Michael and Eleanor approach him to help with Chidi, Jason immediately assumes it's to help with a jar of peanut butter. Even after they explain, he keeps asking for the jar.
- Taking the Heat: At the luau, each person has a lava stone that when thrown in a cauldron, summons the thrower's fondest desire. Jason wants to throw his, while Chidi tries to stop him because it will expose him as a fake. Jason throws it anyway, and it summons a motorcycle decorated with Pamela Anderson's boobs. Not wanting to expose Jason, Chidi pretends it was his.
