History Recap / TheGoodPlaceS3E05TheBalladOfDonkeyDoug

* TheCameo: German comedian-musician Flula Borg cameos as Helmut the waiter.

** The identity of Jason's father.

* RealityEnsues: After Chidi had a very messy meltdown in front of his students, the university naturally fires him.

The group goes their separate ways to begin to help people. Jason, Tahani (who broke up with Larry Hemsworth), and Michael go to Jacksonville to try to save Jason's father, Donkey Doug. Chidi, Eleanor, and Janet stay in Australia, where Chidi tries to figure out how he's going to break up with Simone.

** Michael's failed attempt at acting like Rick Justice, FBI, is referenced a few times:

* EpicFail: One of Chidi's solutions to try and break things off with Simone in the simulation was to ''propose to her.'' Janet even says that she's just going to reboot this one herself.

* GirlOnGirlIsHot: Not to Chidi. He acts quickly to prevent Elenor from planting a wet one on his virtual girlfriend.

* SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud: Janet says "bing," since without her powers she can no longer just make the sound.

* ShipTease: Eleanor (who's bi) and Simone's interactions in Janet's simulation, which is supposed to be very accurate in terms of how characters will react, very much implies that Simone wouldn't be opposed to getting together with Eleanor. Eleanor's annoyed when Chidi takes the simulation earpieces away from her before she can kiss her.
* ShipSinking: Chidi breaks up with Simone, not wanting to drag her into the debacle Team Cockroach has gotten into, and thus thoroughly sinking their ship.

** Eleanor asks to use the simulator to go to "a very specific Music/LennyKravitz concert," referring the time he accidentally split the front of his pants.

* ShipTease: Eleanor (who's {{bi|TheWay}}) and Simone's interactions in Janet's simulation, which is supposed to be very accurate in terms of how characters will react, very much implies that Simone wouldn't be opposed to getting together with Eleanor. Eleanor's annoyed when Chidi takes the simulation earpieces away from her before she can kiss her.

* TheRuleOfFirstAdopters: Eleanor's immediate reaction when presented with Janet's virtual reality software is to try to use it pornographically. Janet can't understand why this is the human reaction to all new technology, but she later has to argue unconvincingly that the "Jason in a sauna and an old-timey strongman onesie" scenario Eleanor is about to find herself in is just a glitch.

The group goes their separate ways to begin to help people. Jason, Tahani (having broken up with Larry Hemsworth offscreen), and Michael go to Jacksonville to try to save Jason's father (who it turns out is his dance crew buddy/rival Donkey Doug). Chidi, Eleanor, and Janet stay in Australia, where Chidi tries to figure out how he's going to break up with Simone.

Janet knows everything about human nature and also computer programming, so she offers to create a virtual reality simulator where Chidi can practice different breakup scenarios. Eventually Chidi figures out an approach based on the top ten of these scenarios, but when he gets to a cafe to do the breakup in real life, it all goes wrong: they're at the wrong table and the waiter keeps interrupting them. Finally he just blurts out that he wants to break up with her. Later, they have a (slightly) more mature conversation and agree to go their separate ways, with Simone continuing the research study.

In Florida, the plan is to talk Donkey Doug into getting his electrician's license. But when the gang meets him, he has other ideas: he and Jason's friend Pillboi intend to get rich by selling a combination body spray/energy drink. Tahani and Michael are almost willing to go along with this, but then it turns out that they plan to get their stock by robbing a body spray factory and an energy drink factory (and also a bottle factory). Jason decides that his father is irredeemable, and they should focus on saving Pillboi instead.

Tahani visits Pillboi at the nursing home where he works and tells him that they don't need him at the factory. Jason goes in his place and tries to talk Donkey Doug out of including Pillboi in any more schemes; when the police show up, Donkey Doug offers to distract them while Jason runs out the back. Afterward, the gang all meet up with Pillboi again. They tell him a ridiculous story about being spies from NASA who need him to be an undercover agent at his nursing home. This means that it's crucial that he be as nice as possible to everyone and also that he doesn't do anything illegal.

In the end, everybody meets up in Budapest, where they plan to try to reconcile Tahani with her sister. But Janet and Michael reveal that Eleanor's mother is actually still alive. Eleanor declares that she won't be helping save Kamilah, as she has to go murder her mother instead.

* BlatantLies: Pillboi leaving his job.
-->'''Pillboi:''' Yo, I gotta take off because I have to do a robbery. I mean... I'm sick.

** Eleanor once again uses Janet's knowledge of literally everything in the universe to get the dirt on old boyfriends.

* RealityEnsues: After Chidi's "chili episode" the university naturally fires him.

** Eleanor's mother faked her own death.

** At the end of the episode Eleanor expresses disappointment that she can't save her deceased parents...

[[caption-width-right:350:''"Dang, nice pull, son! ''[to Tahani]'' How about you and me go check out my Jacuzzi and put stuff in each other?"'']]

[[caption-width-right:350:"Dang, nice pull, son! ''[to Tahani]'' How about you and me go check out my Jacuzzi and put stuff in each other?"]]

[[caption-width-right:350:"Dang, nice pull, son! How about you and me go check out my Jacuzzi and put stuff in each other?"]]

->''"I'm sorry. The man you call Donkey Doug is your father?[...]The Donkey Doug with whom you tried to blind airline pilots with laser pointers?"''

Janet knows everything about human nature and also computer programming, so she offers to create a virtual reality simulator where Chidi can practice different breakup scenarios. Eventually Chidi figures out an approach based on the top ten of these scenarios, but when he gets to a cafe to do the breakup in real life, it all goes wrong: they're at the wrong table and the waitress keeps interrupting them. Finally he just blurts out that he wants to break up with her. Later, they have a (slightly) more mature conversation and agree to go their separate ways, with Simone continuing the research study.

In Florida, the plan is to talk Donkey Doug into getting his electrician's license. But when the gang meets him, he has other ideas: he and Jason's friend Pillboi intend to get rich by selling a combination body spray/energy drink. Tahani and Michael are almost willing to go along with this, but then it turns out that they plan to get their stock by robbing a body spray factory and an energy drink factory (and also a bottle factory). Jason decides that his father is unredeemable, and they should focus on saving Pillboi instead.

Tahani visits Pillboi at the nursing home where he works and tells him that they don't need him at the factory. Jason goes in his place and tries to talk Donkey Doug out of including Pillboi in any more schemes; when the police show up, Donkey Doug offers to distract them while Jason runs out the back. Afterward, the gang all meet up with Pillboi again. They tell him a ridiculous story about being spies from NASA who need him to be an undercover agent at his nursing home. This means that it's crucial that he's as nice as possible to everyone and also that he doesn't do anything illegal.

!!Tropes:

* BaitAndSwitch: At first it seems as if Jason hailed a regular-sized cab at the airport, but a monster truck cab then comes roaring in, crushing the normal cab beneath its wheels.
* BreakHisHeartToSaveHim: Both Tahani and Chidi dump their respective significant others, and Tahani even comments, "If you love someone, set them free." Chidi in particular realizes he has to break up with Simone, because he doesn't trust himself not to slip up and reveal the afterlife system to her -- thus dooming her as well. (Though in Tahani's case, the fact that she'd totally forgotten about Larry and married Jason probably also had something to do with it.)

* CliffhangerCopout: The previous episode ended with Tahani running into Larry Hemsworth after having married Jason. This episode skips over the whole affair entirely except for a blink-and-you'll-miss-it shot about their breakup on the back of a celebrity magazine.

* ExactWords: Chidi asks the waiter to "give us a second". He waits exactly one second before bothering them again. Chidi also tries this in a simulation, telling Simone he's dying...in the sense that we're all dying from the moment we're born.

* GetRichQuickScheme: Donkey Doug's entire life has consisted of a succession of juvenile schemes that gets him quick cash. The one that he and Pillboi propose in this episode is a body-spray/drink combination.
* GirlOnGirlIsHot: Not to Chidi. He couldn't wait to prevent Elendor from planting a wet one of his viritual-girlfriend fast enough.

-->'''Donkey Doug''': It's what my dad did for me and his dad for him, and some day, you'll do this exact thing for your son.\\
'''Jason''': I mean, I hope not, but... thanks!

* SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud: Janet says "bing", since without her powers she can no longer just make the sound.
* SecretHandshake: Jason and Pillboi have an incredibly complicated one, which they do with tears in their eyes before Jason leaves at the end of the episode.

** Eleanor asks to use the simulator to go to "a very specific Music/LennyKravitz concert", referring the time he accidentally split the front of his pants.

* SnowballLie: Chidi's avoided talking with Simone for so long she assumed he had laryngitis, and he started taking antibiotics instead of clearing it up.

** Elon Musk is another celebrity friend Tahani name-drops, except this time she's clearly put off by him and calls him a "weird creep".

--->'''Tahani:''' Why are you trying to save your father? I've heard you mention your friend Pillboi many times, but you've not mentioned your father once. \\

* XtremeKoolLetterz: Jason, Tahani, and Michael take a monster truck cab from the "SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP CABZ" company.

'''Jason:''' What do you mean? I talk about Donkey Doug all the time.

* PseudoCrisis: The previous episode ended with Larry Hemsworth putting Tahani in an awkward position when he expects them to start their new life in Britian. This episode glosses over that, showing Tahani broke up with Larry offscreen.

* MustStateIfYoureACop: Donkey Doug believes that not only must cops say they're cops, but that they're not allowed to take notice of anything they saw before they said they were cops.

--->'''Janet:''' So the thing is, one of your parents is not technically actually dead.