The Good Place S03E07 "A Fractured Inheritance" Recap

Michael accompanies Eleanor to confront her mother who had faked her death when Eleanor was younger. Michael reminds her to put her feelings aside because their ultimate mission is to help her mother get to the Good Place but Eleanor still angrily confronts her when they are reunited. Donna has been living with her rich boyfriend Dave and Dave's daughter. Eleanor becomes disillusioned by how Donna has acclimated to her new life and suspects that she is running a scam hidden beneath a facade. Michael thinks that Donna is happy and living a good life but Eleanor is determined to prove her theory. Instead, Eleanor tells Dave the truth about being Eleanor's daughter and her previous life (she changed her name to escape a petty crime charge). But Dave reveals that he already knew these things about Donna since she shared them with him right after they met.

Eleanor remains unconvinced that her mother has changed. Michael asks why she can't believe that her mother is a better person and Eleanor tearfully admits that Donna is now the mother that Eleanor always wanted her to be but Donna never changed for Eleanor's benefit. Eleanor later apologises to her mother but in the process discovers a hidden cash supply that proves that her mother is up to something nefarious. Donna admits that despite everything going well, she occasionally sneaks a bit of cash out of Dave's wallet to accumulate a cash-stash in case her happy life blows up and she needs to skip town. Eleanor finally realises that her mother has found happiness in her new suburban life and forgives her. She coaches her mother into spending the money on Patricia, Dave's daughter, in order to commit to this life and be good.

Jason and Chidi have accompanied Tahani to make amends with her sister. Their feud was one of the main reasons Tahani didn't make it to the Good Place so the running theory is that ending the feud will help Kamilah as well. Tahani apologises to Kamilah but she refuses to accept it. Chidi offers to act as a third party to mediate the disagreement but when she goes to try to speak to Kamilah he becomes charmed by her. Tahani angrily confronts Kamilah again and pierces a table at Kamilah's art exhibit with an axe. After Kamilah is restrained she speaks to Chidi about her parents and has a revelation that they were the ones that always goaded her and Kamilah into competing with one another and caused their life-long feud. She hugs her sister and shares what she has realised about their parents causing their competitive streak and the sisters finally reconcile while admitting that their parents were wankers.

Later, when Eleanor and Michael are driving off to meet up with the rest of the group Eleanor admits that despite her mother being a better person now she is still the reason why Eleanor couldn't get close to anyone and that she never even told a boyfriend that she loved them. Michael then reveals that in one of the many rebooted versions of the neighborhood, Eleanor and Chidi professed their love to one another. Eleanor is shocked by this revelation.

The Good Place airs on Thursdays on NBC at 8:30/7:30c.