THE GOOD PLACE

Many, Many years ago when I was just turning into a professional writer (by that I mean one who gets paid for his/her writing and that is his/her profession, no other source of income), when I wrote a story called The End where three guys wake up at 3.01 at night and find out that the entire world has stopped, everyone else is sleeping and the time is stuck at that particular moment, and they are the people who are alive. They have the entire world to themselves. They can do as they please and go wherever they want. But then they are summoned to an odd, brightly lit place where they are welcomed by someone who tells them they are in fact in heaven, but in the living world they are in a coma after an accident they had that night at 3.01. For now, they have a test run of heaven, they can stay there and die in the living world or go back to the living world and wake up in a hospital. They have a choice to make - stay in heaven or go back. Well, I did think and write a lot about this, developed it fully, but never got it published as got busy in other things.  

And then I came across this show that seemed a bit like what I had written. I read the log line and thought this would be interesting so I began the first episode and then thought this couldn't go on for too long. After all, the concept was so thin (like my story The End) - A woman who has not been such a nice person all her life dies and reaches 'The Good Place (another name for heaven) where everything seems to be perfect. But soon she finds out that she isn't supposed to be at the good place at all because she is being mistaken by the authorities of the good place to be someone else with the same name, date of birth etc. 

She tries her best not to be found out as she doesn't want to go to the bad place (Hell). 


As the story progresses she meets three other people and forms a group and tries to get out of her predicament. The rest of the story is about how she grows as a human being after being dead, and forms bonds that she couldn't when she was alive. So, do we stop growing after we are dead? Presumably not if you are in the good place.  

This seems like a very thin line, at max a few episodes, maybe half a season. But as you continue to watch you will realise that the concept is much much, much deeper. At the end of every episode is a huge twist that makes you want to watch the next episode and so on. I accept, even after all these years the story I wrote is not half as good as how this story develops. Hats off to the writers of this show.  

Frankly, the good place is addictive. Two seasons have finished and I still want it to go on and on.

Another important thing is (except for a scene or two) you can watch it with your children too. And that is truly rare. A series for adults that doesn't have forced nudity or people  talking about bonking each other or any of the usual filthy stuff that makes today's shows impossible to watch in front of your family. 

It's amazing how they are developing this thin storyline and teaching the audience a thing or two about life, death, heaven, right and wrong without overly dramatizing the characters or events. This is worth a watch just because it is so unique there is no other show quite like it. Each scene is something you haven't seen before. This is writing at its best. And it's funny too. 

Amazing characters, twisted and unique story, scenes and situations never seen before. There is no show like it. The Good Place is frankly excellent. 
   

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STOLEN HEARTS