Inside the fourth season of video game workplace comedy Mythic Quest
As the creator of the long-running sitcom It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Rob McElhenney is no stranger to writing “difficult” characters. With workplace comedy Mythic Quest, however, McElhenney views his characters as simply a little eccentric. “It’s a show where we are addressing workplace dynamics in a way that feels true and authentic to the real world,” he says. “Whereas Sunny is a satire and it is about comedically, cartoonish sociopaths, Mythic Quest is a show about real people in real life, people that remind us of those we’ve worked with in the past — maybe extreme versions of them.”
For viewers who may have forgotten — it has, after all, been almost three years since the third season of MQ aired — the comedy series is set at a video game studio that produces a massive multiplayer online role-playing game and the often-self-absorbed employees that populate that world. McElhenney stars as Mythic Quest Studios’ ego-driven creator and creative director Ian Grimm, who, due to his lack of boundaries and any kind of empathy for other human beings, is often at odds with former lead engineer, now co-creative director, Poppy Li (Charlotte Nicdao) and the company’s perpetually frustrated executive producer David Brittlesbee (David Hornsby). The chaos in the office is heightened by over-zealous, rotating personal assistant Jo (Jessie Ennis), unorthodox head of human resources Carol (Naomi Ekperigin) and sociopathic former head of monetization and now — after a stint in prison — the studio’s janitor, Brad (Danny Pudi), who has partnered with tester-turned-developer Dana (Imani Hakim). Dana, in turn, remains in a romantic relationship with former tester and new head of monetization, Rachel (Ashly Burch). Messy? You bet.
While episodes never hesitate to shine a light on the uglier side of the gaming industry, the true emphasis of Mythic Quest is always on the chaotic intrapersonal relationships in the workplace. This season, after previously going on a separate journey with their own company GrimPop, Ian and Poppy return to the offices of Mythic Quest Studios, hoping this time will be different. “Ian and Poppy believe they’ve evolved and everything is going to be fantastic,” says McElhenney. “Then, Poppy gets a boyfriend — which you wouldn’t think would throw a wrench into anything because it’s not a romantic relationship between Ian and Poppy — and that relationship is taking away Poppy’s time from the greater mission, which in Ian’s mind is the game of Mythic Quest.”
Their relationship epiphany at the end of last season, that Ian and Poppy will always be united in their creative endeavours, results in an — if possible — even deeper commitment to the game from Ian. On Poppy, however, the impact of saying “I love you” is not quite the same. “She steps out of that conversation and thinks, ‘I need something else in my life because this can’t be all that there is for me,’” explains Nicdao. “Between season three and four, she decides, ‘I need to have a work-life balance,’ and that’s where we pick her up at the beginning of the season. She’s thriving and she’s maybe happy for the first time in her life. And, of course, that is now the thing that throws a spanner into the works of her and Ian’s relationship. If Ian and Mythic Quest are not the only focus of Poppy’s life, who are Ian and Poppy now?”
The character trajectories on this series being what they are, Poppy’s steamy romance soon takes an unexpected turn. “Poppy’s journey this season really sees her having to make decisions about what direction she wants her life to go in,” teases Nicdao. “I think it’s a real testament to the growth of the character that the decisions she makes are really surprising, compared to the Poppy that we knew in season one. A lot of things have turned Poppy into a slightly new woman — though still just as messy and disgusting as before.”
For the cast, many of whom have also stepped behind the camera to helm an episode or two throughout its four-year run, having the whole gang back together under one roof has made the long-awaited reunion all the sweeter. “To get to be in the bullpen again at Mythic Quest was so fun. You get such a rush from that,” says Nicdao. “We did an episode this season where the entire ensemble was in the same room for most of it and it was really hard to get through a scene because we were all laughing so much.” Their off-camera exhilaration for the material, hopes Nicdao, will also translate to the final product. “This really is my favourite season. I watched it again last week and I squealed at the end of the final episode. And that’s saying a lot, because you’re self-conscious to watch yourself on TV, but I think that that’s how good this season is. I really can’t wait to see how people respond. I just think it’s Mythic Quest at its best.”
Mythic Quest, streaming Wednesday, February 19 on Apple TV+