We’re still a couple of weeks away from the season three premiere of The Good Place, but we don’t have to wait another minute to get a little taste of the episode. The universe has rewarded us for waiting so patiently with a little moral dessert—in other words, NBC has released the first scene of the new season. (Naturally, a few spoilers are sure to follow.)
This isn’t Mindy’s lookin’ hole, but peep the first few minutes of #TheGoodPlace season 3! ? pic.twitter.com/azeHhRd6Sr
— The Good Place To Have A Ted (Danson) Talk ? (@nbcthegoodplace) September 12, 2018
The clip, which we found over at Entertainment Weekly, begins with Ted Danson‘s Michael walking out to the bridge between the afterlife and Earth. It’s guarded by Mike O’Malley‘s “The Doorman,” whom we originally learned about from the first photos of the season. The scene takes place one year before the end of season two, with Michael presenting The Judge’s orders to try their experiment about giving humans a second chance to be good people without them knowing about the afterlife.
TED DANSON IS A TREASURE. And that “do not duplicate” key joke is heavenly.
Last season we only saw Michael save Eleanor, so it was fun to see how he also prevented the deaths of the other three—especially Tahani’s, which entailed an absurd ponytail. Though his bike riding getup was also amazing.
As for the rest of the season, one big takeaway here is the revelation that restarting the lives of Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani, and Jason means beginning a new timeline on Earth, which could end up causing some troublesome ripple effects in the space-time continuum eventually.
Another takeaway is just how powerful that door is, since it allows any being to go anywhere on Earth in an instant. The rule about “being alone” when you return feels like important foreshadowing for a major moment later, sort of like the very green frog key chain, which show creator Michael Schur said will end up being relevant.
Since we know at some point Michael will sneak back to Earth to work as a bartender to give Eleanor a “push” towards Chidi, could Michael use the Doorman’s love of frogs to cajole the curmudgeonly gatekeeper to let him pass?
We can’t wait to find out. Though this sneak peek isn’t going to make waiting for the season premiere the next two weeks any easier. In fact, teasing us like this feels a little cruel. Maybe the universe knew we haven’t really been very patient while we’ve been waiting for season three.
What do you think is the most important moment from this scene? Tell us in the comments section below.
Images: NBC