'Mythic Quest' Season 2 Review
TV-MA
Runtime: 30+ minutes per episode (9 episodes)
Production Companies: Warner Bros. Television, Doozer, Universal Television
Distributors: NBCUniversal Television Distribution, Warner Bros. Television Distribution, Apple Inc.
Network: Apple TV+
Created by: Charlie Day, Megan Ganz, Rob McElhenney
Cast: Rob McElhenney, Ashly Burch, Jessie Ennis, Imani Hakim, David Hornsby, Charlotte Nicdao, Danny Pudi, F. Murray Abraham
Release Date: May 7, 2021
Apple TV+ (weekly)
With the quarantine finally over, the new season of “Mythic Quest” finds everyone back in the office (well, almost everyone), attempting to build upon the success of Raven's Banquet by launching an epic new expansion, but Ian (Rob McElhenney) and the newly promoted co-creative director, Poppy (Charlotte Nicdao), struggle with the game’s direction. Meanwhile, C.W. (F. Murray Abraham) reconciles some unresolved issues from his past, the testers (Ashly Burch and Imani Hakim) test the bounds of an office romance, and David (David Hornsby) loses yet another woman in his life as Jo (Jessie Ennis) leaves him to assist Brad (Danny Pudi).
Last year when quarantine started, I took some time to check out shows on the streaming platforms I have access to. Outside of Snoopy in Space and Dickinson –– which I still have to catch up on –– I haven’t been that warm to Apple TV+. Mind you, this was prior to Ted Lasso, which became the golden boy of the platform. That was until I checked out Mythic Quest from It’s Always Sunny creator Rob McElhenney and executive producer Megan Ganz. It featured a few notable, recognizable names: voice actress/writer extraordinaire Ashly Burch, Jessie Ennis from that Melissa McCarthy movie Life of the Party, Danny “Larry, I’m on DuckTales” Pudi, F. Murray Abraham, and Imani Hakim (who I haven’t since Everybody Hates Chris). The premise of a workplace comedy set in a video game studio –– something I’ve never seen done before –– had me hooked and I instantly binged the series. To my surprise, I absolutely adored it. I loved the writing, the dynamic between the characters, the distinct personalities, the cast, the humor, the self-contained one-off episode starring Jake Johnson and Cristin Milioti that actually played an integral part in the season’s arc. When all things went to shit in 2020, they released a special episode called “Quarantine” where the pandemic disrupted the lives of the characters in the show. It wasn’t just a one-off episode either; it was the first currently-running series to actually incorporate the pandemic into the story’s continuity. It was released right after the season one finale and it surprisingly worked, mostly due to the chemistry between the characters being so strong. It was a major risk but they pulled it off by focusing on unity in times of hardship while still following the character threads. Just recently, they got to say “fuck you” to 2020 with the new bonus episode “Everlight”, which continues that theme of togetherness in a sweet, epic manner while taking you back to the weird characters we’ve grown to adore.
After watching the sophomore season of Mythic Quest, I genuinely have to say that this is both the best workplace comedy on television and also one of the best current running series. It’s a big statement, I know, but if Succession can be that adored by everyone, Mythic Quest does the exact same in its genre. Mythic Quest has become the Succession of workplace comedies.
Picking up right after the events of its “Everlight” special, the team at Mythic Quest Studios have moved past the pandemic and are getting started on their next chapter. Co-creative directors Ian (Rob McElhenney) and Poppy (Charlotte Nicdao) prepare development for their expansion pack for their MMORPG Mythic Quest, but both of them are in creative ruts of their own: They don’t share the same vision for the pack, Ian is adjusting to sharing the roles of leadership with someone else, and Poppy is tackling the responsibilities of being the boss and the power that comes with it. Meanwhile, the rest of the team has conflicts of their own and/or with each other. Testers Rachel (Ashly Burch) and Dana (Imani Hakim) finally become an item (woo the queerbaiting is over!) and their newfound relationship is tested by their individual wants and needs for their careers. Sinister psycho Jo (Jessie Ennis) becomes money-hungry maniac Brad’s (Danny Pudi) assistant. David (David Hornsby) is still… well, the butt of every joke, but now he’s trying to get back into the world of dating. Head writer C.W. Longbottom has his own fully realized plot regarding his unfinished book trilogy that I don’t want to spoil because it becomes the most nuanced and standout arc of the season.
While the first season leaned heavily into deconstructing the landscape of the gaming industry while introducing these quirky characters, the entire workplace portion takes a backseat as the writers give all the central characters a power-up in such a relatable, humanistic light. While other workplace comedies from the past year feature characters who feel like characters, Mythic Quest meticulously explores everyone and develops them to an extent where they feel like people we can identify with. Outside of the traits these characters exuded in the first season, they’re all given a distinct sense of vulnerability that gives you chills and sometimes leaves you in shock. Don’t get me wrong, the comedy is still strong and hysterical through and through, but when some tense bombshell moments drop between the characters, they’re emotionally effective.
The conflicts mostly come from these characters figuring out who they are, whether they’re running from their past or stepping into new roles they’re not prepared for. In the first season, Poppy’s ideas and suggestions were often undermined by Ian, making her the sympathetic underdog you rooted for. Now that she’s in a position of power for the first time in her career, she’s figuring out the definition in her own light, and man her transformation is frightening. This season has Poppy become somewhat of a control freak, yet it doesn’t feel like a left-field thing. She’s given a larger role and the pressures that come with it are real, so this time you see her make mistakes. Her relationship with Ian is tested throughout the season, displaying who is the larger maniac when given power, and Poppy pulls the rug from under him ample times. As a matter of fact, power dynamics are a central key to this season. Everyone’s relationship is explored and tested while their power dynamics are played with.
Because they took the risk of making the pandemic canon, some of the off-screen realities are reflected on screen with the characters and their inclusion. F. Murray Abraham’s character C.W. is mostly on screen via an iPad, virtually contributing to the conversations since the actor is in his ‘80s. Unlike the Oscars, the team actually gave a shit about their Academy Award-winning legend to an extent that McElhenney said he “did not want to be known as the person who got F. Murray Abraham very, very ill.”
The show follows a formula similar to the last season in the one-off episode department where it deviates from the main plotline to a flashback episode. The first season brought us the unexpectedly emotional and strong one-off episode “A Dark Quiet Death” starring Jake Johnson and Cristin Milioti as the game developers/couple who founded the building that Mythic Quest inhabits today, which became essential to the overall arc between Poppy and Ian. This season offers a more bold — if not poignant — flashback episode starring one of the key characters. During the middle of the season, you get a period piece episode involving the oldest member of the Mythic Quest crew and an origin story that explores where exactly his career started. Though it starts as a one-off episode, it surprisingly spawns a second part, for it’s followed by an even more emotional bottle episode starring that character and one of his old-time colleagues, who was introduced in the period piece. It genuinely takes you by surprise by adding so much depth and maturity to a character that was initially just the boomer of the crew.
The cast is at the top of their game more than ever. They’re all so funny and have great comedic/chaotic chemistry. I can’t help but feel like everyone was having a blast being back on set shooting with each other again. But when their barriers are broken down and they have to explore the emotional complexities of their characters, they shine even brighter. Charlotte Nicdao takes center stage this time around and delivers such an incredible performance as Poppy. She is naturally funny and since this season goes more in-depth with her flaws, she carries herself with such fierceness. You can’t tell whether to root for Poppy or be frightened of her. Even when her actions get under your skin, you still understand where she’s coming from and how this new role affects her. Rob McElhenney is a natural-born star and I don’t know why he hasn’t transitioned into features yet, but it’s clear that he has a knack for television. Whether he’s playing Ian or directing the best episodes in the series — which he does twice with the flashback episodes — he must be given the flowers he deserves for passionately putting in the work to make this show stand out amongst the streaming crowd.
I want to discuss Jessie Ennis as Jo for a bit. Jo is just fucking hilarious. She is so villainous and vile and Ennis absolutely kills it. She’s like a devious grown child and whenever she’s on-screen she steals the spotlight with her addiction to power, which is explored this season. This is the only role I’ve seen Ennis in apart from that really bad Ben Falcone movie Life of the Party. I’ve grown fond of her talents as a comedic actress and I can see her carrying a feature of her own in the future (given the right material), and this show proves that she can definitely do it.
Needless to say, Mythic Quest season two is essentially better and bolder than the first. Despite the obvious pushback in production, this season offers depth to ALL the characters, testing the dynamics they share with each other, and overall making them feel more human and richer than ever. It’s a major upgrade from the first season –– which was already great –– and deserves to stand out as one of the best comedies across streaming platforms and on television today. Between this and Ted Lasso, Apple TV+ has definitely become my go-to platform for the best and boldest comedies amongst the crowd.
