An Eleanor x Chidi x Simone Analysis nobody asked for
Also Brooke and Chase yāall better stop reading now
First off, let me say that, much like the upcoming q&a with the twilight cast thatās being advertised on the top of my feed, I know that none of this needs to be said. However, whatās tumblr even for, if not to rant about a topic you canāt discuss with any of your friends because they āmight watch the show soonā and anything you say to them will spoil the greatest show on television and the single most interesting and geniusly crafted sustainment of a slow burn relationship Iāve ever seen in television?
Michael made Eleanor and Chidi soulmates in the first attempt to force them to interact more often, thus torturing each other psychologically. What he didnāt expect was that Eleanor would learn from Chidi. He said that he expected Eleanor to give up as soon as things got difficult. But, due to Chidiās excellent teaching abilities and Eleanorās desperation to stay in the good place, she became a better person. Even just being around him for two days caused her to clean up all the garbage in the neighborhood after the chaos sequence. Once Chidi decides to teach her, Eleanor improves exponentially. By the middle of the season she confesses to Michael that she doesnāt belong in the good place, all because she canāt stand how much pain Janetās murder was causing Chidi.
Chidi doesnāt necessarily learn from Eleanor, but he definitely grows a deep affection for her. He puts himself on the line, confesses to Janetās murder to stop Eleanor from going with Trevor. In Team Cockroach when Eleanorās about to throw hands with Michael, Chidi hold her back, spins her around, and gets her to calm down.
Okay, okay, okay. All right. Forget about him, forget about him. Focus on us.
Chidiās biggest problem was his indecision. On bad days, we know it was even tough to pick what type of muffin he wanted for breakfast. Eleanor has to literally bully Chidi (his words) into asking Simone out, even though he did want to. He chickened out of kissing Simone on their first date, and Eleanor had to instigate even that. Plus, that really wasnāt the time or place for a first kiss, tbh. He only kissed her there because he wanted to prove to himself and Eleanor that he can make big decisions easily, it wasnāt for the benefit of Simone or their relationship.
Literally nobody would want their first kiss in this situation oh my god what were you thinking Chidi
He already is so incredibly fond of her; theyāre clearly more than friends, even though he hasnāt realized the depth of his feelings yet. She leans his head against his shoulder while theyāre dancing, and he pulls her closer and squeezes her hand in an āIām so sorry, I wish I could make you happyā kind of move.
Itās just a simple gesture that means so much more. I think it also plays a big part in when he finally realizes heās in love with her.
All he needs to realize this is for Janet to voice exactly his own thoughts to Jason. When Chidi realizes that not evaluating his feelings because the situation was complex was just him rationalizing the feelings he didnāt know how to process, he realizes the choice in front of him.
He makes his choice almost effortlessly.
This is the same choice thatās given to him with Simone, and itās why their relationship shouldnāt even be a cause for concern during this season. He had to be forced into making the choice he thought was right. Since he didnāt come to his decision on his own, itās caused the whole partnership to be unnatural and fake. It wasnāt Chidiās choice; it was the pressure of the people around him.
Heās so unsure of himself when he and Eleanor finally break apart. Chidi already knows Eleanorās feelings and wanted to make sure he did this huge important thing right. Even in this situation, his immediate hope is that she is happy.
Heās going to fall for Eleanor again, because he makes the choice to love her. And he loves her, not just the idea of being in a relationship (which is probably one of the major causes of his attraction to Simone.) He laughs when she says something silly after their kiss, his first thought after being presented with a the plan to send them to the medium place is to ask how long theyāll be apart.
Thereās not gonna be any reason that Simone may be a threat to our favorite ship. Eleanor fell for Chidi over and over again, and Chidi actively chose to accept he was in love. Both of these acts are hugely important for each of them. If this is a recurring thing, which it seems to be, weāve got nothing to worry about.
Here ends my TedTalk I guess āš¼