NBC's The Good Place is often commended for its unthinkable plot twists, with the show going in a completely different direction at the end of its first season and continuing to be unpredictable all the way to the finale. While many of the characters had their memories erased multiple times, often at the end of the season, the show somehow continued to develop them, with each main character maintaining concrete, consistent desires that they strived to fulfill.
Fortunately, The Good Place tied up most of its loose ends, and characters who'd been working towards something in the first season finally got what they'd been after by the time Eleanor walked through the Last Door and the credits rolled one final time.
Mindy Wanted Tons Of Cocaine
When Eleanor first met Mindy St. Claire back in Season One, it was clear that Mindy was content with spending her eternity in The Medium Place, since it was at least better than The Bad Place. Still, the constant mediocrity of this existence was beginning to take its toll on her.
Not only was she lonesome, but not having access to cocaine was beginning to drive her mad. By the end of Season Two, the gang sent her Derek and a few bags of cocaine for her past help, finally giving her what she'd been craving for so long. She eventually agreed to take the test to try and get into the Good Place.
Vicky Wanted Her Big Moment
When Vicky was first introduced, she was playing the role of "Real" Eleanor, the woman who the humans were led to believe deserved the spot in "The Good Place" that Eleanor Shellstrop was occupying. When the humans first figured out that they were actually in The Bad Place all along, Vicky was frustrated that she'd been rehearsing for what she believed would be her big moment as she pretended to confess her love for Chidi.
Though she never had a prominent role in Michael's Bad Place Neighborhood 12358W afterward, she got to flex her acting chops once again in Season Four when she pretended to overthrow Michael and take over the teaching of the new Morality Test system. As it developed, she got to instruct other Bad Place Architects and demons on how to best design tests that would truly traumatize the humans that were forced to take them. For her, this was as big of a moment a young demon could ever have.
Shawn Wanted A New System
While this wasn't revealed until later on, fans learned that Shawn also felt that the Point System wasn't working, which is why he approved of Michael's fake Good Place Neighborhood in the first place. By playing an active role in Michael's neighborhood as a judge, he was already showing his desire to experiment with new tactics to make humans miserable.
By the end of Season Four, the new system involving the Morality Test ended up being a good compromise for him, and while it's possible that he might not like it in the long-run, he definitely won't get bored as he and the other demons work out its kinks.
Janet Wanted To Be With Jason
One of the most popular, and unlikely, romances existed between Janet and Jason. Back in Season One, the two got married, but after Janet was constantly rebooted and Jason's memories kept getting erased by Michael, it seemed like the two would never be together. Poor Janet even had to watch him fall in love with Tahani twice!
Fortunately in Season Four, with Jason finally gaining admittance into The Good Place with all of his past memories restored, he and Janet got to spend an eternity together, and even when he decided to walk through the Last Door, the fact that Janet experiences the past like the present means that she and Jason get to be together literally forever.
Jason Wanted A Bigger DJ Venue
In a flashback from Season One, Episode Four, Jason revealed to his best friend Pillboi that he didn't want to be a DJ in Jacksonville, Florida forever, but that he wanted to DJ all around the state, and even beyond that if it was possible.
In the series finale, he was seen DJing at his own goodbye party in The Good Place. Frankly speaking, it's pretty hard to top that when it comes to venues.
Tahani Wanted To Get Out From Underneath Her Sister's Shadow
Despite changing the world for the better, Tahani's motives were corrupt, since she only performed humanitarian acts to upstage her sister. During the series finale, she finally earned her parents' approval, which should've been expected since she played a major role in saving all of humanity from eternal damnation. That definitely trumps anything Kamilah has ever done.
Moreover, she further set herself apart from her sister when she decided to become a Good Place Architect, allowing her to develop skills that her sister would never possess.
Michael Wanted To Understand What It Meant To Be Human
While Michael created Neighborhood 12358W to spice up the process of torturing humans, he inserted himself in the simulation as a way to understand what it felt like to be one of them. Despite the fact that he lost his powers upon stepping onto Earth for the first time in Season Three, he was ecstatic.
By the end of the series finale, he found himself dissatisfied with his existence in The Good Place, and after pulling some strings, Eleanor was able to get him a one-way ticket to Earth, where he'll have a few decades to experience all the facets of the human experience.
Chidi Wanted To Be Able To Make Decisions
Chidi wasn't a bad person by any means; he was an upstanding member of society, devoting his entire career to moral philosophy, and yet his indecisiveness made those around him miserable. He struggled with making decisions over the course of the entire series, but finally became a more confident version of himself after Michael restored all of his memories, including the ones from the over 800 reboots he endured in Michael's Neighborhood.
This made him a much more self-assured individual, so much so that in the very last episode, he made the choice to walk through the Last Door, and didn't once change his mind once he was set on it.
Eleanor Wanted To Become A Good Person
Originally in Season One, Eleanor wanted to learn how to become a better person so that she would be allowed to remain in The Good Place, but as the series progressed, it wasn't long before she began to do good things solely because of her growing conscience.
By the end of Season Four, it was hard to believe that the same Eleanor who didn't hesitate to play dirty to get out of being the designated driver when she went out with her friends was the same Eleanor who didn't hesitate to lead the team during Neighborhood Improvement Experiment in Season Four when Michael was unfit to do so. She became a truly selfless individual who learned to put the needs of others before her own, which spoke volumes to just how far she'd come.
Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani, And Jason All Wanted To Get To The Good Place
After finding out that they were in The Bad Place all along, the humans had their sights set on getting to The Good Place and saving themselves from eternal damnation. While it took a few Bearimys, they all actually ended up in The Good Place by the series finale and were allowed to stay as long as they wanted without ever having experienced the worst of The Bad Place like billions of other human beings.
At times, it seemed like this goal of getting to The Good Place was an impossible task, but due to a combination of their unique skills, a lot of luck, not to mention Janet, they managed to save humanity and bask in the best existence that their universe has to offer.