The Good Place – Enneagram and Encaustic

Jason Mendoza

It’s been almost a year since my last look at episodes of Season One of The Good Place. I miss it, lol.

ONE

We begin where we left off last episode. Eleanor tries to understand Jianyu (who isn’t really Jianyu). She’s been dodging and weaving since they arrived. How has he escaped detection? Squinting, Eleanor says to him, “You don’t seem like a super genius.”

TWO

He makes a face and we go into a flashback of his first moment in the Good Place.

When Michael welcomes him, he immediately identifies Jianyu as a monk who took a vow of silence. Would Jianyu like to continue with that? He quickly nods.

He’s been silent ever since. (The change in his character from zen monk to street-slang punk is brilliantly played.) His name is Jason, he’s from Jacksonville, and he used to be a DJ and hip-hop dancer. He made money by selling fake drugs to college students.

MICHAEL, FOUR

Please don’t read about Michael if you want to avoid spoilers.

In order to judge Michael’s Enneagram, we need more than Season One. He only begins to change in later episodes. Eleanor thwarts him, which opens up personality options to him. Of course, an argument can be made that Michael should have no Enneagram at all because of what he is. Throughout Season One he tricks us into thinking he has a character. It’s all play-acting, though, as part of his Good Place fake. The real Michael doesn’t appear until the last episode of that season.

During Season Two we begin to see genuine traits. He has an identity crisis. At first he’s only concerned with saving his job, but later he gains an emotional connection to the gang. His victims become his friends. He learns about morality. He tries to do the right thing.

So if Michael is to have an Enneagram, it must be a number that encompasses his beginning as an active demon. For some reason my mind goes immediately to a Five. Fives can have a cold disconnection from others that can seem cruel if you expect a more emotional person. Until he’s taught ethics by Chidi, Michael may have been a competent demon with no qualms. The way Michael is won over by logical arguments also suggests a Head Type.

However, I’m more persuaded that Michael is a Four. He has an emotional breakdown when he no longer knows his role in the fake Good Place. And part of him genuinely wants to connect with the gang. His goofy ability to make mistakes is not completely a ruse. It’s an exaggeration of his true personality. A Four could take pleasure in the dark aspects of hell, and could just as easily switch to longing for a community of friends.

Also — to be frank — a Four is a better liar than a Five. No judgment. It can be a useful trait.

TAHANI AL-JIMAL, TWO

Tahani’s defining characteristic is Envy, which makes her a Heart Type. After that, discerning whether she’s a Two, Three, or Four becomes difficult. She has traits that fit into any of those Enneagram numbers.

The interesting choice is a Two. Her impulse toward charity work is genuine, even though it begins as a way to prove to her parents that she’s just as worthy of love as her sister.

She’s very successful at raising money for a cause, which could make her a Three. She’s also very emotionally connected, a Four possibility.

Ah, but she considers the morale of the neighborhood to be her responsibility. This is a Two. A Four would take more personal time. A Two won’t rest if they think they can help others. Also, that self-sacrifice convinces Tahani that she’s a good person. A Two, one of the most giving numbers of the Enneagram, can avoid introspection if their work is deemed to be important. Her own motivations, something she will eventually need to examine in the Good Place, are constantly set aside so she can uplift the community.

JASON MENDOZA, NINE

He runs a dance troupe. This is definitely a Body Type.

We know he is no Head Type; analyzing the world is not his forte, lol. And he can’t be a Heart Type because he has no Envy. He likes revenge, but that’s something different.

I have a hard time thinking of him as a One because he has no financial acumen. He has the zippy physicality of a One, and he’s funny in his own way, but it doesn’t feel right to call him a One.

He’s a Nine. Unhappy or unfulfilled Nines can create chaos. They don’t want to — avoiding conflict is still a core Nine trait — but in their search for satisfaction they churn trouble. If anyone is a lightning rod for catastrophe, especially on Earth, it’s Jason.

For humor, Jason’s written as a cheerful idiot. Finding an Enneagram can be difficult when a character is almost a stereotype, but the showrunners and actor give Jason a rounded personality. A Nine’s sense of justice shines through.

JANET, NULL

Janet is a robot. I’m not sure she can have an Enneagram. It takes us a while to learn that she grows and changes with every reboot. The love she finds in one iteration carries over to future versions of Janet. That suggests that she will indeed have a personality type. Her character arcs.

However, what Type does she fall into? She doesn’t fit any of the general categories of Head, Heart, or Body. I refuse to count her computer brain as a Head Type reaction. Her willingness to pop in and help anyone in the community is not a Heart Type reaction; it’s her programming.

Characters who end up a Null because they were badly written do happen. However, characters who are purposely written as a Null — I discuss Bishop from Aliens as a deliberate Null in my book — are interesting. It’s harder than it sounds to write someone who fits no Enneagram.

Was this the right choice for Janet? The first android in Alien, Ash, is not a Null. A robot is not automatically devoid of a personality type. Janet is a wonderful character, beautifully portrayed. I wonder, though, if an Enneagram might have opened up possibilities in the later seasons when the show isn’t as sharp as it is in One and Two. A Body Type, especially for a robot that needs no physical expression to do her job, could’ve been intriguing.

ELEANOR SHELLSTROP, THREE

Eleanor, dominated by Envy, must be a Heart Type. Our early impression of Eleanor is that she’s selfish; it seems she will always use other people. However, her innate desire to connect with her neighbors leads her beyond her uglier personality traits.

I feel certain Eleanor is no Two, lol. Do we go with Four or Three? On Earth, Eleanor was an accomplished jerk. That’s not how I think of a Three — their successes are usually admirable — but I won’t rule out that Enneagram. Dark Threes make good villains. It’s possible that Eleanor taps into and subverts this quality by becoming our protagonist.

Also, because of her vivacity, Eleanor could be a Four. Her emotions don’t fluctuate between high and low, but she brings a constant energy that other Enneagram numbers wouldn’t be able to sustain.

Whoa, this is a tough one.

I’m going to say Three because of Chidi. He’s so clearly a Six, a Three’s strength number. In every iteration of the Good Place, Chidi persuades Eleanor to be a better person. He models a moral personality that Eleanor has never considered. I don’t think Chidi would succeed as often if she were a Four.

CHIDI ANAGONYE, SIX

I mean, right? No questions, no doubt. Chidi must be a Six.

He approaches the world as a Head Type: solutions will be found by thinking and analyzing. He constantly worries, which is a distinctive Six trait when it becomes persistent. He weighs everything from a black vs. white perspective, with no room for gray.

Although he’s morally resolute, he will go to battle for his friends. Chidi’s Sixness, the conflict within him when faced with the Good Place, is what makes him such a great character. Should he help Eleanor, who’s (unwittingly at first) breaking the rules? Once he’s decided on his choice, he won’t quit. The writing, the directing, and the acting have all nailed a beautiful portrayal of a Six.

I just wish his wardrobe displayed more eccentricity. Men Sixes have a strange sense of fashion, no matter how sophisticated their profession. The tweed-and-turtleneck makes for a great joke, but his pants should’ve clashed. Heh.

Tahani Al-Jimal

ONE

Wearing a turtleneck and a tweed jacket (lol) Chidi teaches Eleanor from the blackboard.

However, she’s more focused on the “You don’t belong here” note tucked in her binder.

Chidi notices and calls her on it. As they argue, a knock at the door sends them scurrying to flip the chalkboard and hide the books.

TWO

It’s Tahani with a flowering houseplant. After she leaves, Eleanor puts on a posh British accent and mocks her. Chidi’s confused that a neighborly visit gets Eleanor so worked up.

“I’m supposed to treat her with mutual respect?” Eleanor accuses. “That’s exactly what she wants!”

After an amused pause, Chidi responds, “Er . . . that’s what everyone wants.”

Roll credits.

Flying

ONE

Picking up where Episode One of The Good Place left off, Chidi still stresses while Eleanor tries to evade the problem. She calls for Janet. (Actually, Chidi calls for Janet because Eleanor can’t remember the name.)

TWO

First, Eleanor confirms that any conversation with Janet is confidential. Yes, not even Michael can access it. Then she asks Janet for bee-striped clothes.

At the town meeting in Tahani’s palace, everyone wears the same fabric. Michael, with false confidence, tells them all that he has no idea how the chaos happened.

THREE

And then Tahani’s normal clothes return as the bee-striped outfit fades away.

Roll credits.

Everything Is Fine

Although it’s been around for nearly a decade and I’ve rewatched it multiple times, I’ve never written about The Good Place. I’ll be very surprised if the episodes, especially in Season One, don’t have a tight Story Enneagram. Let’s make sure, though. Any excuse to have a good laugh is worth taking.

ONE

Eleanor Shellstrop opens her eyes. She’s in a generic waiting room and the wall opposite her shows the chirpy message: Welcome! Everything is fine.

(I won’t jump ahead with spoilers, but be warned that each episode rolls out information. Once you know the season’s ending, the rewatches — especially the ironic touches — become even more delightful. We can talk about that at the Season One overview.)

Michael, the manager, takes her into his office and informs her that she’s dead. She was killed by a column of shopping carts that swept her into traffic. Now, Eleanor’s in the Good Place.

Roll credits.