small brain: Tahani doesn’t belong in the Good Place because her motivations were selfish
bigger brain: Tahani’s motivations were not that bad and were a result of toxic family relationship, and the good she did by raising enormous amounts of money outweighs that anyway
giant brain: Tahani’s charity indeed made a large positive impact, but that was only possible because of how rich her family was, so she does not deserve to be put above people who did not have the same resources. her obliviousness and elitism are further evidence of that. the problem is not her motivations but her privilege
galactic brain: the system that arbitrarily sorts people into a small number of saints who get paradise forever and a large number of sinners who must suffer forever is a cosmic version of the same system of privilege and, if truly exists, is the real evil. the criteria for sorting are just a distraction. criticizing the criteria presented to us by the canon and trying to think of better ones is pointless at best and serves to justify that system at worst
Will anything ever bring us as much joy and comedic bliss as the reveal of Jason Mendoza? Will I ever feel as alive as I did in that moment when Jason utters the words “heaven is so racist”? Will there ever be a moment in time that slaps me so hard in the face with surprise as the moment Jianu the monk rapidly turns into Jason the Jacksonville dirtbag? Will we as a society ever capture that kind of magic again?
Ne is a novelty seeking perceiving function preferring ideas, connections, and possibilities. This is exactly what Michael leads with. He loves exploring different possibilities and this is seen by his ambitious and unusual form of torturing people in hell. He was not satisfied with the usual and craved a more inventive way. He approaches his job as an architect from that perspective, more comfortable in the ideas and possibilities than in the details. He has Janet to help with the details of his plans.
His Ne outlook on the world is also what leads him to perceiving the afterlife a little differently. Not just in his need to put new energy in his hell, but in how he starts to see from the humans’ perspectives and is open to questioning his own beliefs.
These are all the positives of his Ne dominance, but we also see how he can struggle with Ne being his primary mode. Because he is so open to possibilities he can have a hard time coming to firm conclusions and feeling satisfied. He always needs a challenge, a new puzzle to solve.
At times he can be so frozen with possibilities he can’t move forward. This is seen when he confidently makes the deal to run his experiment on four new humans to prove that in the afterlife humans can change. He is frozen by all the ways in which it could all go wrong. Instead of being able to confidently and methodically move forward through the plan, like his ENTJ counterpart would be able to do, he finds himself overwhelmed.
At the same time, because he has a hard time with conclusions and being satisfied, this actually drives him to keep questioning the process of the point system. Like all functions Ne is a double-edged sword.
SECONDARY FUNCTION: INTROVERTED THINKING [Ti]
As mentioned in describing his Ne, Michael likes a challenge. He prefers to innovate logical systems, to strategize, and compete rather than deal with the emotions of others and people in general. This is the difference between how an ENTP funnels their Ne energy versus an ENFP.
His way of helping his friends is more through analyzing the inconsistencies of the system itself and trying to find loopholes. He isn’t great at immediately helping his friends emotionally. This isn’t to say he doesn’t care, he clearly does. We see his way of helping through that channeling of Ne-Ti to try and make lasting change for their overall lives. He may not always be the first to hug or talk through say Eleanor’s familial issues, but he will move the pieces of the puzzle to try and make the situations for his friends better.
As an introverted function, Ti is used more inwardly as well. When he gets enveloped in a project he can seem more intense like an INTP. He tries to solve an issue and seclude himself at times. However, because he leads with Ne he is far more comfortable with ambiguity in the world around him when trying to understand a problem. This is evident when contrasted with Chidi, an INTP, who is not as comfortable with such ambiguity existing in the world.
When trying to figure out if Michael uses more Ti rather than Te, it comes to the approach of the logic used. Michael tries to understand a situation or a problem as they come rather than try to use a rational system to universally filter situations through. Although this can make Michael more relaxed, he can frustrate others with his more laid back sensibilities in situations. While he is open to accepting a lack of concrete answers more often, he can seem inefficient and unserious to others when he does this.
TERTIARY FUNCTION: EXTRAVERTED FEELING [Fe]
All the functions in our stack drive us in some way, but not all come as naturally to us. Fe no matter where in the stack is interpersonal, seeking peace, harmony, and understanding in all relationships. By now, we can see all the pieces coming together. Like I said, he does care. He wants to help his friends and doesn’t revel in their discomfort. But he doesn’t know exactly how to address their discomfort in an actual Fe fashion. While this Fe drives him, he uses his Ne and Ti as described above to try and fix this disharmony.
Because this is lower in his functional stack, he is more comfortable with his inward judgments than expressing them outwardly. This Ti-Fe conflict leads to ENTPs, like Michael, to inwardly resent those who are trying to control him.
This becomes central to Michael’s mission. Yes, he is trying to help his friends, but he also resents being manipulated and forced to be a cog in a machine that isn’t evenly working properly. Luckily, he has friends to keep connecting with his Fe to channel this resentment in a more helpful and positive way. Without this we could see a far more evil Michael trying to take down the system.
INFERIOR FUNCTION:INTROVERTED SENSATION [Si]
Michael is more of an idea man than he is one to deal with a methodical approach and hammering out the details. He is really able to thrive in his role in the afterlife because he has the assistance of Janet to help with the details so his ideas can come to fruition. It isn’t that Michael doesn’t value these details, they are clearly important. But he prefers to keep them in context of the bigger picture of his plans and problem solving than he would to look through each detail himself. However, that only works for so long and Michael can miss crucial details at first.
An example of this is how he assumes that the point system is rigged by hell. Michael is able to quickly see the pattern of people not going to the good place and he immediately makes connections of the possibilities. But he doesn’t start by looking at the details of the point system itself. He comes upon this later to discover the complexities of the system. Now, once he does, he is able to contextualize that complexity immediately, but he could have discovered this sooner if he were more comfortable and prone to searching for the details.
Si being inferior also leads to ENTPs like Michael to forget about their own self-care. He gets so wrapped in problem solving that he forgets to take care of himself. He can have a hard time centering himself in concrete perceptions and go too far with Ne as seen in his break down mentioned in the Ne section. It is important for Michael learn to work with his Si more in order to avoid such consequences.
Elizabeth Swann and Thor made it to the finals again, but lost to Jason Mendoza, the third The Good Place character to grace the 2019 chart. A profile for him will be coming soon.
The relationship between Chidi (William Jackson Harper) and Eleanor (Kristen Bell) on NBC’s The Good Place (2016-2020) is a perfect example of how interracial romance is becoming an increasingly popular theme in mainstream entertainment. A French-speaking Nigerian-Senegalese professor of ethics and moral philosophy, Chidi is Eleanor’s soul mate and their chemistry together was undeniable.
To anyone else who has ever felt the heartache of a toxic relationship with their mother or father, please know you’re not alone. Remember, you don’t have to have a relationship with anyone—even with family, should you choose not to.
I know what it feels like to be unwanted and unloved. I know the pain of wishing your parents thought you were enough and that they loved you enough to acknowledge your pain. I know the guilt that comes with walking away and the weight it puts on you. I know how it feels to blame yourself for all of it.
It’s okay to put yourself first…especially if your parents couldn’t. It’s okay to let them go. You are not alone and are worthy of more than they are capable of giving you.
You will find acceptance, love, and family. And let me tell you from personal experience, a chosen family that you create can always be stronger than blood. Let in those who see you, respect you, and love you as you are. If it hasn’t happened yet and you are still looking for them, hold on—they’re looking for you too.
![MICAHEL FROM THE GOOD PLACE [ENTP] “The Originator”DOMINANT FUNCTION: EXTRAVERTED INTUITION [Ne]Ne i](https://64.media.tumblr.com/aebc0710777543a38aac56d2838bb33b/b3328c4e5d45276f-29/s1280x1920/bbc1c1d8f75dacfc5dc17050d934794ed0223cf2.png "MICAHEL FROM THE GOOD PLACE [ENTP] “The Originator”DOMINANT FUNCTION: EXTRAVERTED INTUITION [Ne]Ne i")
