4x04 Tinker, Tailor, Demon, Spy

[7.7/10] I always enjoyed games like Werewolves, Mafia, and “Secret Hitler” because I think they expose something in us. They’re fun bits of parlor entertainment, but they also show how easy it is to mistake well-intentioned errors for sabotage, to see enemies where there are only friends, and how the same pieces of evidence, of action, can point in two directions at once. They’re party games, sure, but they’re also subtly an exemplar of the failings of human nature.

“Tinker, Tailor, Demon, Spy” is basically one small game of “Werewolves.” A mysterious figure shows up in The Good Place, says his name is Glen from The Bad Place and, more dramatically, declares that the Michael we know and love is really Vicky in a Michael suit (or at least has been for the last few episodes). Michael, of course, professes his innocence. And the catch is that it’s next to impossible to know whom to believe.

That creates real challenges for Eleanor, Tahani, and Jason. On the one hand, Glen gives good answers to our heroes questions, offering a plausible tale about Shawn bullying him, about constructing the Michael suit, and about witnessing signs of sabotage. On the other, Michael gives some suspicious answers, admitting to lying about his knowledge of the Michael suit and about only pretending to have had a mental breakdown forcing Eleanor to take charge, as well as refusing to shed his human skin.

Still he also has some very reasonable and very Michael reasons for these things. He didn’t want to mess up the experiment. He’s a “fire squid” and doesn't want the group to see him differently. He is, well, flawed in plausible ways, and it makes it hard to know who’s telling the truth and who’s the saboteur?

But what if they’re both telling the truth? What if Glen is right that there’s some skullduggery going on, but has the exact terms of it wrong? And what if Michael is being honest about his insecurities and reasons for fibbing to the group. It ties Eleanor in particular in knots, but the truth turns out to be more complicated.

That’s the thing about games like “Mafia” -- it’s easy to get fixated on a decision between one or two potential turncoats, when the real antagonist of the game is someone who hasn’t even entered the discussion. I love the swerve that the real culprit here is Janet, who’s secretly a Bad Janet that’s been undermining the group since the last train. And even better, I love that they figure it out because Jason knows his girlfriend, and realizes that if he called her “girl” she would inevitably correct him that she’s not a girl. It’s a great way to show Jason being both clever and attentive, and a nice way to give him the win.

I also like Eleanor’s part in all of this. It makes sense that she’s be out of sorts over not knowing who to trust. But she not only gets the reassurance that suffering mightily to make the world a little better is the most Chidi thing in the world, something that confirms the man she loves is still there even if he’s forgotten her, but she gets the reassurance that being willing to sacrifice yourself for the good of this group (or at least be turned into a blue blob for several months) is the most Michael thing in the world. In the end, the lie detector is one of knowing the people you care about.

On top of that, there’s some good comedy in the episode. The appearance of Chidi’s frankenstein drawing of Simone’s pony was a big laugh. Jason’s initial interactions with Glen to try to uncover who’s lying were very funny. And Derek showing up to talk about his and Mindy’s sex toys was ribald but amusing.

Overall, this is an episode with a great premise that finds a nice way to take a left turn at the end, give Jason a victory, and vindicate our heroes’ friendships with one another.