The Good Place S01E04 "Jason Mendoza" Recap

Jianyu reveals to Eleanor that his real name is Jason Mendoza. He is not a Taiwanese monk, but a Filipino American drug dealer / amateur DJ that lived in Jacksonville, Florida before he died. The vow of silence that his character is supposed to be under has allowed him to remain hidden but he decided to talk to Eleanor about the truth because she drunkenly revealed to him while drunk at the welcome party that she didn't really belong in the Good Place.

Tahani agrees to help Michael by planning a gala opening for Patricia's new restaurant. Tahani accidentally hears Jason say a short sentence after Chidi has already been brought into the know regarding Jianyu/Jason's true identity. They cover the truth of his identity to Tahani, who simply believes that Eleanor and Chidi are helping Jianyu to bring back his confidence to be able to speak.

Jason wants to be himself instead of continuing his facade as Jianyu. Eleanor and Chidi stress to him that he needs to keep himself hidden, particularly since exposing himself could also lead to Eleanor being discovered as well. Jason wants to reveal his truth at the gala / restaurant opening but before he can give his speech Eleanor decides to destroy the chef Patricia's elaborate three-tiered cake. As a result, a sinkhole opens up in the middle of the restaurant and everyone runs out to avoid falling in.

Some time later, Jason begrudgingly agrees to join Chidi's ethics class with Eleanor. However, he struggles to absorb the lessons as well as Eleanor does.

Despite Michael's claims that the sinkhole will simply close up within three days or so, but Tahani discovers that the sinkhole is actually growing in size.

In a series of flashbacks that show more of Jason's life while he was alive, it's revealed that Jason was once hired to pretend to be a famous EDM DJ when he required a stand-in. But since Jason wanted to be his own artist, he revealed himself and tried to perform his own music on stage and was consequently booed by the audience. He opens up to a close friend about how he wants to be appreciated for who he truly is, after which he vandalizes the DJ's boat with a molotov cocktail.

The Good Place airs on NBC.