History Recap / TheGoodPlaceS4E11MondaysAmIRight

* FreezeFrameBonus: Chidi's chalkboard list of possible test subjects includes UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln, Harriet Tubman, UsefulNotes/MarieCurie, Florence Nightingale, Susan B. Anthony, Nelson Mandela, [[UsefulNotes/{{Buddhism}} Siddharta Guatama]], René Descartes, Oskar Schindler, Toyohiko Kagawa, Chiune Sugihara, Norman Borlaug, Anna Maria van Schurmann, Creator/FredRogers, Erasmus, Rosa Parks, Eleanor Roosevelt, Frederick Douglass, Louis Pasteur, Ida B. Wells, Derek Parfit, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Alexander Fleming, and [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers Da Super Friends!]]

* InsecureLoveInterest: After reading Eleanor's file and finding how complex and spontaneous she is, he feels she shouldn't have a meek, ethics-obsessed bookworm like he is for a boyfriend. Jason helps him see otherwise.

* HoldYourHippogryphs: One of the Bad Place demons asks "What the here is going on?!", since they're essentially already in Hell.

* ViewersAreGeniuses: In the FreezeFrameBonus, above, all of the names (other than 'Da Super Friends') are real people, noted for their accomplishments and/or goodness. Some (like UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln, [[UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement Rosa Parks]], and [[Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood Mr. Rogers]] are very familiar to an American audience. Other names require a much broader base of knowledge to even recognize.

* BaitAndSwitchComment: One of the Bad Place architects mentions how annoying sexual harassment seminars are... because he already knows how to do it.

* ViewersAreGeniuses: In the FreezeFrameBonus, above, all of the names (other than 'Da Super Friends') are real people, noted for their accomplishments and/or goodness. Some (like UsefulNotes/Abraham Lincoln, [[UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement Rosa Parks]], and [[MisterRogersNeighborhood Mr. Rogers]] are very familiar to an American audience. Other names required a much broader base of knowledge to even recognize.

* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: Michael confesses to Janet and Tahani that he is scared of having nothing to do if the afterlife reformation project is taken away from him. Michael had previously defined his life by his job - torturing humans, his Fake Good Place Neighborhood experiment, joining Team Cockroach and trying to get them into the real Good Place, resurrecting Team Cockroach, investigating the flaws in the points system, and reforming the afterlife with the Medium Place experiment and creation of the new test system. If this new plan finally succeeds, [[AndThenWhat what else is he to do now?]]

** Additionally, Tahani and Janet both think that Michael initially forcing Vicky out of his project is just his ControlFreak tendencies coming back into play. However, Michael then reveals that while his pride and envy ''are'' clearly factors here, the bigger reason is that [[DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife Michael is scared of not having control over the project since he has no idea what he would to do for the rest of eternity]].

* BaitAndSwitch: When Jason mentions the Montagues and the Capulets, Chidi naturally expects him to reveal it being a reference to people he knew in Jacksonville, but it turns out, that he actually ''did'' read ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet''.

** Chidi worries that he's been boring on Earth, due to his desire to be a good person. And perhaps that isn't good enough for Eleanor, who did make the most of her unethical life?

** The demons once again hate Michael's attempts at new-fangled torture. They ask why not bring back the traditional chainsaw bears and bees.

* GoodIsBadAndBadIsGood: Michael uses the classic metaphor for how pointless work and life is to illustrate what gave his life meaning.

* {{Irony}}: The metaphor Michael uses to describe his situation - being forced to roll a rock up a hill, only for it to fall down the hill, forcing him to roll it back up again and again - is exactly like the fate of Sisyphus, who was a soul damned to Hell (or Tartarus) for his various infractions against the celestial authority that ruled over him.

* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Michael disapproves of the demons having a chainsaw bear be what Tahani has to encounter as part of her test, and tells them to make it "smaller and more relatable"... so they make the chainsaw bear smaller and put a shirt on him saying "I love bacon and hate Mondays."

** Jason ''did'' read some books, like ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet''.

* HiddenDepths: Jason ''did'' read some books, like ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet''.
** Also, Vicky is still a self-obsessed prima donna but she grasps the nature of the new afterlife much quicker than the other demons, and devises a brilliantly insightful test for Tahani based on Tahani's actual hangups.

* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: Unsurprisingly, the other demons are not the slightest bit in favor of the new test system the gang has come up with... once Vicky takes over, they're more receptive. When Michael apologizes and offers her the role of director, they have to pretend that she "overthrows" him because they would hate her for working for Michael.

** Chidi learns that even if you're significantly less interesting than your significant other... who gives a fork if you guys truly love each other?
* AesopAmnesia: Justified in that Tahani despite reconciling with her sister still has leftover baggage and triggers. Tahani volunteers to be the test subject for the torture education session. Vicky forces Tahani to experience her parents praising Kamilah while hearing juicy gossip that her sister's new album may fail. Tahani actually is stymied when told to praise her sister, and admits the test was hard and "traumatic".

* FreezeFrameBonus: Chidi’s chalk board list of possible test subjects includes Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Tubman, Marie Curie, Florence Nightingale, Susan B. Anthony, Nelson Mandela, Siddharta Guatama, René Descartes, Oskar Schindler, Toyohiko Kagawa, Chiune Sugihara, Norman Borlaug, Anna Maria van Schurmann, Mr. Rogers, Erasmus, Rosa Parks, Eleanor Roosevelt, Frederick Douglass, Louis Pasteur, Ida B. Wells, Derek Parfit, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Alexander Fleming, and [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers Da Super Friends!]]

* HazyFeelTurn: Vicky helps out Michael with the new reforms, not because she has changed but because this is her chance to shine. With that said, she does seem to grasp it better than her coworkers do.

* {{Irony}}: The metaphor Michael uses to describe his life - being forced to roll a rock up a hill, only for it to fall down a hill again and again - is exactly like the fate of Sisyphus, who was a soul damned to Hell (or Tartarus) for his various infractions against the celestial authority that ruled over him.

* PetTheDog: Vicky actually does help Michael with his reforms, if for her own self-serving purposes, and doesn't overthrow him for real. She has a very good reason to usurp him, but doesn't.

* ReformedButRejected: Inverted; due to Michael being a good demon now, the others in the Bad Place don't want to follow suit with the new tortures. Why should they trust the guy that betrayed Shawn?
* ShoutOut: Jason says that he and Janet might end up like [[Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet the Montagues and the Capulets.]] Chidi is impressed and asks how he knows that.

* BadBadActing: When Michael and Vicky fake her overthrowing him as director of the new afterlife, it is very transparent what they're doing.

* InsecureLoveInterest: After reading Eleanor's file and finding how complex and spontaneous she is, he feels she shouldn't have a meek, ethics obsessed bookworm like he is for a boyfriend. Jason helps him see otherwise.

* SnakesAreSinister: Vicky casually mentions that she is an "acid-snake" beneath her skin-suit.