On the previous Mythic Quest, the two main leads have another falling out with Ian admitting he isn’t as invested in GrimPop since the game isn’t his idea. Now, Poppy is prepping for an important pitch solo and we find out how well she can carry herself without the safety net of her partner.
With her relationship with Ian strained, Poppy turns to Dana. The episode definitely shows some pay off of elements introduced earlier in the season beginning with how in tune Ian and Dana were in episode four. They have such a similar mindset so the former intern gives Poppy the comfort of the company’s other founder, without the hostilities. Even the quippy back and forth, hype up energy, and thoughts untethered to reality are all what you could picture Ian doing.
However, Mythic Quest does make sure to emphasize the differences. Dana doesn’t have as long of a professional relationship with Poppy, so they aren’t necessarily friends. This allows the subordinate to be more direct since she isn’t worried about hurt feelings. Dana also brings up the valid point of how Poppy doesn’t feel any ownership to the titular game. It might have been Ian’s vision, but she worked just as hard and invested as much time developing Mythic Quest.
The pitch itself serves as a gut punch since there are legitimate concerns from an investment standpoint. Also, even though the show is a work of fiction, there are real consequences to actions. What seemed like an over-the-top comedic way to stick it to the man previously, could burn you later. It brings the mood down, but could serve as the big challenge to overcome in the season finale.
Elsewhere, Ian decides to become involved with the test motion capture shots for the in development Mythic Quest movie. It’s a delight to have Joe Manganiello return for another guest spot. Who knows how fictionalized this version of himself is because we know he’s such a fantasy fan boy. The enthusiasm and method acting he approaches his movie role is fun, but his dorkiness and swooning over Ian, the creator of the game, is so entertaining.
David shows some real growth managing both Ian and Joe. He finally grows a backbone and is willing to stand up to the former while also getting out what he wants out of the latter. Sure, it took some pushing and manipulating from his assistant, Jo, but he eventually gets there. Speaking of which, there’s the obvious wordplay with Jo and Joe, but the episode has a pretty silly and clever way in how it uses it advance the story.
Finally, we almost had Phil, the head of the art department, having his day. Carol becomes too cocky from failing upwards all season, and slips up enough that Phil could get revenge on the company. You end up rooting for him considering all the nonsense he and his group has endured throughout the series. Though he has a weak argument so it only serves as a tease. The entire fiasco also highlights how good Carol was at her job in HR creating the diverse and open environment you would want in a job.
“The Year of Phil” includes three great plots that have been building all season (sometimes all series) while creating hardship to hopefully overcome in the season finale.
New episodes of Mythic Quest drop Fridays on Apple TV+.
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