Summary
“The Year Of Phil” is cleverly written with plenty of character development. It’s great to see progression from David and a more vulnerable side to Ian. As always, the comedy is consistent and the story moves forward at a brisk pace.
We recap the Apple TV+ series Mythic Quest Season 3 Episode 9, “The Year Of Phil,” which contains spoilers.
The ongoing Mythic Quest movie storyline has taken a backseat of late, but in “The Year Of Phil,” guest star Joe Manganiello is back, and the Hollywood lead is flexing his acting chops. The penultimate episode explores the power struggles between Joe Manganiello and producer David Brittlesbee (David Hornsby) while Poppy (Charlotte Nicdao) prepares for her Playpen pitch. There’s also a further subplot involving Carol (Naomi Ekperigin) and Phil (Derek Waters)as ageism enters the workplace.
Mythic Quest Season 3 Episode 9 recap
The Hollywood actor starts off proceedings as David and his team capture some test footage for the studio. David is excited to be working with the pro, and Joe adds that this is his dream role. David tells assistant Jo that his job is to schmooze the actor, but this tactic instantly backfires. Joe has brought his own custom-made mask to the set that he plans on wearing for the entire shoot, a la The Mandalorian. This would be a nightmare though, losing the fans and bosses’ faith in the adaptation instantly. Jo wants David to force the actor to comply, but the producer accepts Joe’s every request instead in a cowardly manner.
Meanwhile, Poppy is practicing for her big pitch. Dana agrees that the pitch is good, but Poppy lacks any confidence in herself. She needs to be as confident as Ian is if she is to succeed. Poppy is stressed about the looming pitch, placing too much pressure on herself. Dana promises to teach Poppy how to be more confident in the limited time they have remaining before the all-important pitch meeting.
The third subplot of the episode focuses on our Phil of the title. Carol delivers a speech to all her new workers. She brags about her leadership skills inspiring Brad and Rachel, who started as nobodies and are now involved in monetization at the company.
Carol then introduces Phil, the art director, in a really lackluster way. She admits that he does not represent the company’s ethos. He is old school and to be honest, just plain old. Phil leaps out of his chair, ecstatic that Carol has finally admitted the truth. He calls this throwaway comment discrimination and ageism. Phil believes this slip-up will be his savior, his time to reap the rewards of all his years of hard work. It will be the Year of Phil.
Back at the recording studio, Joe practices his moves with the mask on. In secret, assistant Jo has asked for Ian’s help in convincing the actor to remove the mask once and for all. Ian swiftly arrives on set to step up to the task. David is annoyed that Jo went behind his back but eager for Joe Manganiello to submit. Ian stresses that he’s willing to fight the actor if he needs to. David orders him to go back to GrimPop, but Ian gingerly talks about being on a sabbatical from the company, a self-imposed exile, if you will. The Mythic Quest creator decides to solve this actor problem head-on. If you are expecting a fight, you will be sorely disappointed.
Ironically, Joe and Ian get on like a house on fire instead. Joe says he’s a fan and a long-time player before asking Ian to sign his mask. Doesn’t look like Ian’s going to be convincing Joe to do anything either.
Carol brings in Brad and Rachel to help with the ensuing lawsuit. They look into all the employees they could possibly fire so that they can replace them with older workers. Unfortunately, Carol has done such a good job with diversity that nearly every employee is from a protected category. Meanwhile, Phil attempts to gather signatures for his class action lawsuit, but can’t seem to find any support. He heads to the tester’s room for some help but finds Carol has already hired older staffers in their place. Game, set, and match.
Dana tries to teach Poppy how to be more confident, but Poppy can’t get out of her own head. She argues that Dana is starting to sound a hell of a lot like Ian, which Dana doesn’t deny. Although Dana says that they do differ in their appreciation for Poppy. Ian likes Poppy, whilst Dana does not. They start to discuss ‘their’ game and Poppy is surprised to hear that Dana believes Playpen is partly her creation. Poppy built it, but Dana thinks she saw its potential, which is an ego move in itself. Poppy seems to be inspired by Dana’s confidence and tries to copy her bravado.
Ending Explained
Another leader who needs confidence classes is David. He’s allowed Joe Manganiello to walk all over him, and now Ian is doing the same. Joe and Ian play fight together, bonding and having fun. Ian thinks they could be twins. David calls Ian into his office and orders him to leave.
Here’s where David actually steps up and grows in confidence. He tells Ian that he doesn’t work here anymore; therefore, he has no authority. If he doesn’t leave, he’ll call the cops. Ian, who is feeling rather vulnerable at the moment, accepts the demands and leaves.
Jo is surprised by David’s progression and instigates a naughty plan to get actor Joe on side too. David starts to shout at Jo about not listening to his instructions, but Jo has pressed down the speaker button, and actor Joe thinks he’s been spoken to instead. Joe accepts the feedback willingly and agrees to drop the mask.
As the episode draws to a conclusion, a much more confident Poppy strides to her pitch. The pitch goes well, but the investor passes on the game anyway. It’s the very same person that she rejected at the start of the season, and he’s still bitter about that interaction. Although he does think that Playpen is still worthless regardless of its history, stating that no one will invest in it. Poppy realizes that she may have wasted a great deal of her time on an unprofitable product.
What did you think of Mythic Quest Season 3 Episode 9? Comment below.
