Apple TV+ released a new anthology series titled “Side Quest” on March 25. Just like the show it was based on, “Mythic Quest,” this new series tackles the dynamics between creator, creation and the world that these forces influence.
To talk about “Side Quest,” we’ll have to start with its dad. Often shortened to just “MQ,” “Mythic Quest” is a four-season sitcom based around the experiences of people who work for a fictional video game company. This company is responsible for the creation and maintenance of a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, also called Mythic Quest.
Although MQ is mostly a comedy, it doesn’t shy away from discussing deeper themes related to the world of creativity. Once every season, the show includes a special standalone episode that deviates from the main storyline to focus on the backstory of one specific character. These standalone episodes have the most direct ties to the show’s themes, such as creative independence versus executive power.
Created by Ashly Burch, John Howell Harris and Katie McElhenney, “Side Quest” is only four episodes long. Each one is around half an hour in length, and each episode functions just like one of these previously mentioned backstory episodes. Although they deviate from the show’s main cast, they illustrate how Mythic Quest (the game) has impacted people in various ways, highlighting ideas such as nerd culture or artistic burnout.
“We were trying to figure out what the standalone episode would be for S3 and we filled a board with so many ideas of stories we could tell,” explained Burch in a Reddit Ask Me Anything held on March 24. “That realization, plus the overwhelmingly positive response to Dark Quiet Death and our other standalones, made it seem like a great idea for its own show!”
“Dark Quiet Death” is a standalone episode from the first season of “Mythic Quest.” Written by McElhenny, the episode follows the life and death of a fictional video game of the same name. It’s also one of my favorite episodes of television to ever be aired; I could write an entire article just on that episode, but that’s a story for another day.
The first episode of “Side Quest,” titled “Song and Dance,” is focused on the life of Mythic Quest’s (the game) art director, a man named Phil (Derek Waters). Phil is often the butt of jokes in the main series, with Mythic Quest’s demanding creative director Ian Grimm (Rob McElhenney) often pushing Phil to work long hours.
In “Song and Dance,” Phil is on vacation with his girlfriend Maude (Anna Konkle), but Ian continues to badger him about work. Maude tells Phil repeatedly to ignore Ian’s requests, but Phil and his lack of self-respect holds him back and prevents him from being honest with both Ian and Maude.
“Song and Dance” isn’t the best episode here, but it isn’t a bad one. Phil’s character is always paired nicely with Mythic Quest’s over-bearing directors Ian and Poppy (Charlotte Nicdao), but he doesn’t work as well on his own. Still, the episode is heartfelt and has a very sweet ending. Also, I like Maude.
“Pull List” is my favorite episode of this series. Janae (Shalita Grant) is the owner of an independent comic shop that she’s worked hard to maintain and dreams of upgrading. She’s just received the latest Mythic Quest comic but, unfortunately, the shipment only came with one issue. And there are four people in her store who desperately want it.
“Pull List” is “a love letter to black nerds and was heavily inspired by our writer (who also co-wrote the episode) Javi Scott,” wrote Burch in the Reddit AMA. Apart from one white man named Duncan (Gary Kraus), the rest of the characters are black.
“Fugue” tells the story of Sylvie (Annamarie Kasper), a cellist in a touring video game orchestra. Music has always been her passion, but the touring begins to weigh her down as she struggles to love the dream that has now become a job.
The premise of “Fugue” is interesting but struggled to keep my attention. The idea of an artist finding difficulty with turning their art into work isn’t a new one. Although impressive visually, it’s missing a little something extra to make it unique.
“The Last Raid” is the last episode of the series, and it’s a little frustrating. The episode focuses on a band of young people fresh out of high school. This group has been playing Mythic Quest together as a group for four years, but as the episode continues, it becomes clear that they’ve simply grown too old for one another.
The dynamics between the individual characters are interesting, and the episode does a great job of teaching the audience everything there is to know about this group in just half an hour. And, as a freshman in college, I can relate.
The biggest issue of “The Last Raid,” however, is its humor. Both “Mythic Quest” and “Side Quest” have a pervasive issue around young-people humor. Whenever the shows depict a young gamer, the character always spits out vulgar and disgusting jokes. And, “The Last Raid” does this constantly. It ruins the experience.
Overall, “Side Quest” is a solid entry into the world of “Mythic Quest,” but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who hasn’t already seen the show. If you’re interested in learning more about either series, I’d say start by watching the main show, and make sure you watch “Dark Quiet Death.”
“Side Quest” is clearly an attempt to recreate the feeling of “Dark Quiet Death,” but the episodes tend to lack the emotional gut-punch. There’s some emotional resonance, certainly, but it usually isn’t present until the very end of the episode. I hope “Mythic Quest” takes another crack at the anthology series because “Side Quest” could be so much better.
Rating: 3/5