‘Mythic Quest’ season 2 episode 9 review: Bittersweet with the future open-ended

While getting back to their roots, Poppy and Ian ponder their next step.

June 25, 2021

Following Ian’s near-death experience last week (but not really), the Mythic Quest co-creative directors managed to bury the hatchet and come to an understanding after their feud all season. The pair continue the positive vibes and prepare to usher in a new era in the video game industry. However, what does that mean for the titular game and the series as a whole?

“TBD” brings satisfying closure to several of the overarching subplots. For example, Brad succeeds in having his cake and eating it too with regards to the insider trading scandal. Though he’s unable to get revenge on his older brother, he does find a suitable alternative that not only boosts his street cred but manages to help out Jo from her sticky situation.

Despite his reputation, we know that the head of monetization does have a soft spot in his heart and even though he gets something out of it, it was a kind gesture towards his former assistant. Seeing how connected Brad and Jo are, the latter convinces the feds to add further embellishment thus maximizing Brad’s hardcore standing at Mythic Quest.

As predicted last week, the testers run into some complications with their plans to attend Berkeley; mainly Dana doesn’t get accepted and this is after they both quit their jobs. The scene with her last-ditch effort appealing to Poppy and Ian demonstrates the closeness of this workplace family. Though her programming skills are subpar, they see something in Dana worth investing in. They can look past her lackluster goat animation and see the determined person behind it. Dana’s “gritty balls” convince her bosses to help get her into school and have the company pick up the tab.

There’s some drama between the testers because Rachel sees the opportunity to go to Berkeley as one that she can’t pass up. Dana understands but it doesn’t make the separation any easier and in a reversal of positions, she becomes the overthinker who talks too much and it’s Rachel the person of action bringing her lover back to earth with a kiss. Since they’re technically not employed at Mythic Quest anymore, they christen in their old office and the jump to Carol receiving a chill down her back at the same time is a nice, amusing touch.

Although it has been fun this season diving deeper into the other characters this season, the main driving force of the series is the turbulent relationship between Poppy and Ian while they work in this high stress environment. It’s good that we end with them on one of their highs and we witness what a team they make when they’re on the same page.

The aforementioned scene with Dana shows how connected they are without having to say much to each other. When they go over Project Hera, Ian gives constructive criticism while also defending Poppy from her naysaying programmer. The biggest twist occurs when the pair take a literal walk down memory lane and after some urging from C.W., realize what their next project should be. Ian handing over the canvas and brush to his partner signifies a significant step in both their journeys.

This episode brings up how each character deals with change and learns how to move on. It places most of them in intriguing positions to springboard from moving forward. Yet, there seems to be a real finality to the series making it tricky to bring the whole cast together again considering where everyone is positioned.

As of this writing, there is no official word either way with regards to a season three so “TBD” is a fitting title. Similar to this season, maybe the next one would receive a title change if the series continues. But if this is the end, it places this ragtag crew of misfits in logical spots for their next steps. It’d be a shame to see it go though because Mythic Quest, along with Ted Lasso, are some of the Apple TV+ original exclusives that really make the streaming platform worth subscribing to.