Summary
Mythic Quest continues to play into its humorous hangout vibe with another batch of easily binge-able installments. Some of the cast members may be polarizing, but this is a well-written, visually unique comedy series that has its moments throughout.
The popular Apple TV+ series Mythic Quest returns soon – here is our official spoiler-free season 3 review.
Apple’s co-founder and CEO, Steve Jobs, ran an ad campaign back in the nineties called Think Different, which involved famous, historic figures photographed in black and white. These posters included the likes of Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi, and Jimi Hendrix. Mythic Quest satirizes this in their season 3 premiere while poking fun at Ian Grimm’s (Rob McElhenney) ego at the same time. The video gaming creative has his own wall, filled with photographs of influential figures, also shot in black and white. There are similar icons, including Mother Teresa and, of course, Grimm himself at the very end. Grimm sees himself as a Steve Jobs-type entrepreneur, and its little moments like this that make this workplace comedy shine.
Fans will be happy to hear that Grimm and the gang are back for a third, most welcomed outing that continues the tale of this dysfunctional group of geeks as they bumble through the video gaming industry. This time around, we have two rival companies battling it out for gaming supremacy. David Brittlesbee (David Hornsby) is now in charge of Mythic Quest, with his personal assistant Jo secretly running the show. And then there’s the dynamic duo of Ian Grimm and Poppy Li (Charlotte Nicdao), the manic masterminds behind GrimPop Studios, although these two are always at loggerheads.
These two companies work in very close proximity to one another, with only a quick elevator ride separating them both, but they couldn’t be further removed from one another thematically.
David confesses early on that he’s really just a figurehead for the studio, he doesn’t have any real power and only pretends to appear busy to his employees with scheduled meetings or well-timed creative strolls. The studio practically runs itself and head honchos up in Montreal are now pushing ahead with an eagerly anticipated film adaptation of their greatest asset, which should keep David busy or appearing so.
This storyline allows for a hilarious subplot involving Hollywood actor Joe Manganiello (True Blood), a self-professed geek himself.
Meanwhile, over at GrimPop, Poppy and Ian are butting heads as they move forward with their new game Hera. Ian is obsessed with the meta-verse and prefers to brainstorm big ideas at a casual pace. Whereas the neurotic Poppy loses herself in daily coding frenzies, as she desperately tries to perfect her game on her lonesome. Even in an expansive, futuristic office, that Steve Jobs would probably have adored, they find themselves bumping into each other and getting on one another’s nerves.
This bickering partnership leads to many sitcom-inspired sequences and gives the show a chance to get outside of the office from time to time too. Mythic Quest has its fair share of comedy moments and humorous running gags, including the return of Brad Bakshi (Danny Pudi) as the office janitor, who may or may not be sabotaging the business from the inside. Then there’s David’s continued buffoonery and Jo’s socially awkward attempts at making friends.
The show has always tried to juggle this comedic sensibility with a more sentimental edge. And season three kick starts with surprising poignancy. This mixture of heart and humor has been well established in other workplace giants, such as The Office and Parks and Recreation, with Mythic Quest just about striking the right balance here too. It’s inoffensive and has mainstream appeal, but it isn’t going to astound critics or offer anything new to the genre either.
Overall, this is a highly watchable comedy series that manages to continue to work at a consistent level, with expert visuals and amusing characters. Although some of the cast can irritate and some of the overacting can grate, these are small niggles that can be put aside when you have comedic heavyweights like Rob McElhenney and Danny Pudi, alongside up-and-coming talents like Jessie Ennis, who impresses no end. Fans don’t need convincing to tune in once again and newbies will likely find this series to be an agreeable binge-watch – it’s just that kind of easy-going show.
What did you think of Mythic Quest season 3? Comment below.
