Chapter 22: Leap to Faith

## Leap to Faith

❝ *I can't believe Michael betrayed us again. Why is it always the ones you most expect?* ❞
—Jason
**Chapter 22: Leap to Faith** is the 9th episode of Season 2 of *The Good Place*.

## Plot

Michael receives a surprise visitor. Meanwhile, Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani, and Jason attempt to solve a cryptic riddle hidden in a comedic roast.

## Summary

Shawn congratulates Michael on the success of his experiment and promotes him. Michael then "reveals" to Chidi, Eleanor, Tahani, and Jason that they're in the Bad Place, and Shawn informs them that the neighborhood will be shut down and the humans themselves will be transferred to a traditional section of the Bad Place to be tortured. With Janet disabled due to being restrained with a pair of magnetic handcuffs, the dismayed humans try to ponder their next course of action, but Eleanor insists that Michael is still on their side, based on his namedropping Kierkegaard, who was known for the "leap to faith". Michael calls a neighborhood assembly to roast the humans before the demons trash the neighborhood in a drunken rave.

The next morning, Vicky is about to tell Shawn about the reboots before Michael points out that the humans are escaping on a train and gets Vicky implicated for the deed. A second train leaves carrying Shawn and the rest of the demons, revealing the four humans and Janet on the tracks. Eleanor explains that they pieced together Michael's message — to use Derek to drive an empty train to the Medium Place at the end of the party and hide under the tracks to avoid detection — from clues in the roast. With the demons gone, the team realizes they're free to make a break for the Good Place.

Shawn arrives with news for Michael: because Michael's experiment has been such a success, they are both to be promoted, and the "Good Place" model will be replicated across more neighborhoods, with Michael overseeing the entire project. Neighborhood 12358W will be dismantled and its current human residents examined, then sent to a traditional Bad Place neighborhood to be tortured for all eternity.

With Shawn still present, Michael goes through the motions of telling the humans that they have been in the Bad Place all along, and they pretend to be surprised. Afterwards, they discuss how to escape. Tahani and Jason favour taking a train to The Medium Place (though as Janet has been temporarily incapacitated with magnetic bracelets which cannot be removed by humans, this option appears unavailable to them), while Chidi would rather use their knowledge of the 800 failed attempts as a bargaining chip. Eleanor takes a different approach, suggesting that they trust Michael not to betray them. She notes that Michael mentioned Kierkegaard in his gloating speech to them, and believes it is a coded message, telling them to take a "leap of faith" (or "leap into faith", as Chidi insists on correcting the phrase to.)

Michael throws a roast for the four humans, followed by a last-night party for the demons during which they trash the neighborhood. Eleanor is ready to admit she was wrong, when she realises that the roast was also a way of dropping hints about how they could save themselves.

At the end of the party, Shawn sees the train leaving, headed for The Medium Place. He tells Michael that the humans have bought some time but will ultimately be returned to The Bad Place for torture, before leaving on another train along with the demons. When the train pulls away, the humans are revealed to have been hiding under it. Eleanor explains how Michael's roast included clues that they should use Derek to drive a decoy train away, and then hide under Shawn's train, where they would be safe from detection by Bad Janet. Michael in turn explains how he framed Vicky for aiding their "escape". Michael frees Janet from the magnetic bracelets.

In the final scene, Derek arrives at Mindy St. Claire's house with a note from Eleanor telling Mindy that in gratitude for her help, the humans have sent Derek as a willing sex robot, along with two large bags of cocaine. Mindy smiles and welcomes Derek into her house.

## Cast

Kristen Bell as **Eleanor Shellstrop**
William Jackson Harper as **Chidi Anagonye**
Jameela Jamil as **Tahani Al-Jamil**
D'Arcy Carden as **Janet/Bad Janet**
Manny Jacinto as **Jason Mendoza**
Ted Danson as **Michael**
**Recurring Cast**

Marc Evan Jackson as **Shawn**
Tiya Sircar as **Vicky**
Jason Mantzoukas as **Derek**
**Guest Starring**

Maribeth Monroe as **Mindy St. Claire**
Steve Berg as **Gunnar**
Amy Okuda as **Gayle**
**Co-Starring**

Joe Mande as **Toddrick Hemple**
## Trivia

* The scene where Derek comes to see Mindy St. Claire, takes place right after The Season 2 Bloopers.
* When Michael walks into his office and sees Shawn, Michael is wearing a wedding ring. It seems like the actor forgot to take it off prior to shooting the scene.
* Although the group can only find 4 clues in the comedy roast, Michael says he left 1,200 clues and that primitive human minds could not possibly find all of them.