Mythic Quest 3×02 “Partners” continues to show our favorite workplace family in disarray. No one is where they’re meant to be, and it can be stressful to watch. Like any time of transition, it’s painful, but filled with plenty of opportunities for growth. Seeing these characters in the midst of this uncertainty just serves to make them more endearing. As if we needed more of a reason to love them.
Poppy and Ian…Again:
Ian (Rob McElhenney) just can’t get it together. He’s in Poppy’s (Charlotte Nicdao) way, and he’s supremely unhelpful. So far this season, the best that can be said about Ian so is that he still fiercely believes in Poppy and everything she’s capable of.
Seriously, though. All he had to do was get Poppy a sandwich. If he could stop focusing on his obsession with his own body, maybe he could actually listen.
By contrast, Poppy may be more relatable than ever, even with all her flaws. Her decided lack of dedication to appearance is nothing less than liberating. Sure, in some cases lack of personal hygiene is cause for concern and a potential red flag that help is needed. However, in Poppy’s case, she’s allowed to be the most unhinged version of herself when she doesn’t wash her hair, wears yesterday’s clothes, eats ice cream in the most feral way possible, and consumes far too much candy for an adult. This writer, for one, feels incredibly seen.
Dana and Rachel Continue to Deserve the Best:
Even though they don’t technically work at this company any more, Dana (Imani Hakim) and Rachel (Ashly Burch) are still causing the best kind of trouble. They carry the comedy perfectly, as well as the heart. The fact that they get called out for working so long together on a couch in a workplace is so true. And also, rude? It is a workplace, after all — the new testers have a point. Only Dana and Rachel could have such an epic love flourish on a piece of disgusting workplace furniture.
Relatedly, Mythic Quest 3×02 “Partners” gives us a first look at Dana working directly for Poppy. As much as this writer is a Poppy stan she…is not a good boss. Combine this with the fact that Dana and Rachel are struggling to juggle everything they have going on, and it’s obvious that this isn’t going to be a smooth ride. These two have already been through a lot together. If anyone is up to the task of making the best out of a less-than-ideal situation, it’s them.
Nailing the ‘Workplace’ Part of the ‘Workplace Comedy’:
Brad (Danny Pudi) has clearly awoken something in Jo (Jessie Ennis). It makes sense, because he always trained her with his own brand of chaos, which she’s carried forward ever since. She’s not working out as David’s (David Hornsby) assistant. This was never a dynamic that could work since she needed so much more.
On this note, Jo’s interaction with Brad is further proof that he is just putting in his time for something bigger. It’s the little moments and sideways glances that convince this writer. Not to sound paranoid like David, but there is absolutely no way he is going to be content sitting around cleaning bathrooms. The four-dimensional chess is about to take a turn. The funniest twist in the world would be if there is no four-dimensional chess, and Brad actually is content in his new custodial lifestyle.
Finally, the most relatable part of this episode is the completely useless meeting, to which absolutely no one is paying attention. God bless Carol (Naomi Ekperigin) for being an absolute unit of a professional and being the best HR professional around. This is what makes Mythic Quest such a viscerally relatable story. The egos, the ridiculousness, and the HR person who tries to told everything together are all hallmarks of the modern workplace.
Mythic Quest’s start to the season has upped the ante. The show keeps finding ways to make characters, who could otherwise be completely unlikeable, be some of the most interesting ones on screen right now. The game has been changed, and everyone is just getting started. The show has nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Mythic Quest streams Fridays on Apple TV+.
