I've been watching a lot of Mythic Quest recently (just started s3 yesterday). It's a fascinating show as a glimpse into the collective unconscious idea of the video game studio, and also it's just generally a compelling comedy most of the time. I've started to notice, though, that there are almost three different versions of Mythic Quest (the show), and the lens the show takes almost completely determines the quality of the episode. These are:
Mythic Quest as It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Generally speaking the worst type of Mythic Quest episode. Leans hardest on cringe comedy, and is really politically fraught in that weird Parks and Rec way where being conservative mostly makes you a badass. These primarily occupy the first third of each season.
Examples include:
- Dinner Party
- #YumYum
- Partners
Mythic Quest as Bojack Horseman
These are either extremely good or extremely mid. This encompasses the "showstopper" episodes, along with the episodes that are much more frank about the emotional reality of working in an entertainment business. These are the episodes that take the plot and stakes of the show with any level of seriousness. Some of these made me cry! I won't say which! These usually occupy the middle third of each season.
Examples include:
- A Dark, Quiet Death
- Brendan
- Backstory!
- Peter
- Juice Box
Mythic Quest as Community
Hands down, THE best type of Mythic Quest episode. This feels like the most fully realized version of the show: what it's trying to reach for when it hits the Always Sunny point. For a brief moment, the stars align, and it lets itself hit a point of effortless joy. These usually are during the final third of each season.
Examples include:
- Blood Ocean
- Quarantine
- Everlight (honestly THE strongest episode of the show so far)
- Please Sign Here
- Across the Universe
It's a fascinating pattern! It's a show with some very high highs and some very low lows. All in all, though, I've been the highs to be worth the lows. Very excited to dig into s3's NFT plotline and see exactly how much of it has aged like milk