Mythic Quest is almost halfway through its second, and the show finally feels like it's reached full strength. Robert McElhenney, one of the creative forces behind It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, serves as the show's executive producer. In recent years, Sunny has taken on hot-button cultural and political issues. This week's Mythic Quest episode, "Breaking Bad" seamlessly weaves some social commentary into its non-stop laughs and over-the-top character interactions.
Season two of Mythic Quest has invested in exploring the depths of the show's characters to great effect. The season's second episode looked into the life and ambition of game tester Dana. Last week's "#YumYum" featured David Brittlesbee on a quest for love. The season keeps getting funnier, but it is doing so while also ensuring that its characters are more than just comedic archetypes. That's perhaps the biggest difference between Mythic Quest and Sunny, and it's what makes Mythic Quest such an entrancing experience.
The season's fourth episode, "Breaking Brad" takes a deeper dive into Mythic Quest's head of monetization, Brad Bakshi. It also includes a fantastic guest appearance by none other than Snoop Dogg.
Breaking Brad
At the end of "#YumYum", Ian and Poppy had a blow-out fight over her decision to help Brad add a battle royale mode to Mythic Quest. While the show strives to be accessible to non-gamers, this particular joke works better for those in-the-know. Games like Fortnite have become massively popular, especially among younger players, by featuring epic free-for-all battles in large arenas. The term "battle royale" comes from the 1999 Japanese book-turned-action-movie written by Koushun Takami.
It turns out that while Poppy's decision didn't make Ian happy, Mythic Quest's publisher in Montreal is thrilled. They aren't the only ones who've noticed a swell of players and revenue coming in thanks to the game's new battle royale mode. Brad's brother Zach shows up at the office, pretending to surprise Brad for his birthday. In reality, Zach is a cutthroat vulture capitalist who's there to bleed the company dry and potentially take Brad's job in the process.
Brad's cool slowly melts away over the course of the episode. Danny Pudi plays Brad's distress over Zach's arrival so well that it's sometimes hard to laugh at him. Brad is usually seen as a sort of antagonist for the Mythic Quest creative team. In this very episode, Poppy calls Brad the devil. However, "Breaking Brad" peels back the character's veneer and shows the vulnerability he's hiding underneath it all.
In one moment, Brad retreats to the bathroom to hide from his brother. He looks in the mirror and repeatedly calls himself stupid and fat. He continues to be a jerk to his co-workers, as he's always been, but the show no longer lets the audience believe that Brad is "just a jerk". At the same time, Mythic Quest refuses to let this episode be a full redemption for the character.
Getting Canceled
The rest of the episode's drama centers on Ian and Rachel (who Ian still refers to as "tester"). The two of them drive to pick up Poppy's new car. Montreal gave her a Porsche to celebrate the success of battle royale. Poppy got it stuck on the side of the road because she can't drive a manual transmission. It turns out Ian can't either, and his denial of that fact plays like some of McElhenney's best moments as Mac from Sunny.
As Ian and Rachel return to the studio (with Rachel driving the Porsche), they get into a conversation about the power differential between men and women in their industry. The conversation is one of the strongest moments of Mythic Quest to date. The writing balances character, commentary, and comedy with breathtaking virtuosity. Ian and Rachel both feel like real people in this moment. Their conversation inspires deep thinking and laughter in equal parts. Neither of them is entirely right or wrong in their argument, and the show lets them both have their points. This is the type of writing that makes Mythic Quest more than just a sitcom but still a pinnacle of the genre.
When Sunny makes social commentary, the show's position is abundantly clear because of how awful its protagonists choose to act. With Mythic Quest, room for subtlety lies everywhere. It turns out that showing imperfect people navigating complicated social situations isn't just informative for an audience – it can also make great TV.
The promise of Mythic Quest has never been higher. The show has proven it can tell compelling stories, create characters with real humanity, and delve into social issues all while being absolutely hilarious. There are still five more episodes to go before season two wraps. They can't get here quickly enough.
Mythic Quest airs on Apple TV+ on Fridays, now through June 25th.