DISCLAIMER: This recap of the Mythic Quest penultimate episode, “The Year of the Phil,” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
FIREBALL! If you thought this was the Year of Brittlesbee, you’re wrong. It’s the Year of the Phil. This week’s Mythic Quest outing is another ridiculously fun installment with a dazzling guest star, delightful cameos, solid performances and intriguing character dynamics. Even though Dana despises Poppy, I enjoy their scenes. Their polar opposite personalities make for an entertaining viewing experience. It’s a less volatile version of the Ian/Poppy dynamic.
Ready to delve into “The Year of Phil”? Let’s get to it.
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We open with David (David Hornsby) and Jo (Jessie Ennis) observing while Joe Manganiello while the latter participates in a motion-capture session for the Mythic Quest film adaptation. He’s portraying the Masked Man, but David reveals Joe will have to remove his mask during the movie. Joe claims he won’t unmask himself as it’s not true to the character. David is already spiraling at that remark. Oh, and Joe wants his character to boast a German accent.
Jo urges her boss to grow a backbone and put Joe in his place. However, David believes they must coddle him. That’s what you do with Hollywood stars, right? Meanwhile, Poppy (Charlotte Nicdao) practices her PlayPen pitch with Dana (Imani Hakim) and the new MQ testers. Poppy feels she’ll do better without Ian in the room, but Dana asserts she needs a heaping dose of Ian’s confidence. Strut your stuff!
Next, Carol (Naomi Ekperigin) speaks to new hires. She uses her current crop of employees, Brad (Danny Pudi), Rachel (Ashly Burch) and Phil (Derek Waters), as examples of her success stories. Carol claims Rachel is a gay “orphan” college dropout who was close to picking up a needle when Carol turned the latter’s life around. Now, Rachel’s the head of monetization. According to Carol, Brad is a Polish-Indian ex-con (true) who started as a janitor and worked his way up under her guidance (not true).
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Lastly, Phil, head of the art department, is an above-40 white man who, according to Carol, doesn’t represent the company culture. Phil calls out Carol for being ageist, claiming he’s in a protected group as a man over 40. Phil dunks on Carol hard and vows to sue MQ for all it’s worth. Uh-oh. Carol opened a can of HR worms there, as the former head of HR, no less. I love that we’re witnessing Carol’s descent into morally gray madness. The people she once criticized are now more similar to her personality-wise than she realizes. Ekperigin is hilarious.
Meanwhile, Ian (Rob McElhenney) and his plethora of rings barge into the mo-cap session after Jo texts him. Of course, David doesn’t want Ian there, but the latter claims he can keep Joe M. under his thumb with his fighting prowess. It’s moments like these when Mac from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia jumps out in Ian. I love it. However, Joe wins Ian over purely by charm, cracking Ian’s resolve. Ian signs Joe’s mask, who’s a mega-fan of Mr. Grimm’s work.
Next, Carol, Brad and Rachel brainstorm how to recover from the Phil incident. How can they fight back? Brad and Rachel claim Carol is too good at her job. She diversified the office, meaning most everyone falls under a protected class. So, who can she fire? Well, there is one department that’s riddled with privilege…
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Later, Dana tries to teach Poppy how to be confident. Poppy sees a lot of Ian in Dana. Interestingly, this season reveals they’re two peas in a self-assured pod. Dana considers Poppy’s future PlayPen pitch to be hers as well. She questions why, after eight years of working at MQ, Poppy did not think it was her game. That’s all it takes to bring Poppy over to Dana’s side.
Meanwhile, Ian and Joe play around in the mo-cap session. David’s irritated that Ian is now thoroughly Team Joe. Jo persuades David to put Ian in his place. After all, this is David’s film, not Ian’s. David calls Ian over to chat with him. We see a different side to David — he’s assertive, firm and sets clear boundaries. He also gives Ian the boot and threatens to call the police should the latter loiter any longer. The shots from this scene are intriguing. For the first time, we see Ian in a submissive position. His head down and shrouded in darkness. David looks like the alpha here. Woo-hoo, character development!
Anyway, Ian leaves, and Jo congratulates David for trying assertiveness on for size. However, David orders Jo to stay in her lane so that he can do his job. Jo surreptitiously presses the button that allows Joe to overhear David’s speech. He misinterprets it as being directed at him instead of Jo. Thankfully, Joe takes it in stride and promises to listen to David. Perhaps it is the Year of Brittlesbee (sorry, Phil)!
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Next, Phil tries to gather signatures for his lawsuit against MQ. He barges into the testers’ room to convince the young white male testers to join his crusade. However, he’s met with two men around his age, played by Andrew Friedman and Michael Naughton. If you’re an It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia fan; you’ll recognize Friedman as Uncle Jack and Naughton as The Waiter. I love all the Sunny cameos on this show. Fun fact: Derek Waters (Phil) played the toy store clerk in “A Very Sunny Christmas,” the Sunny Christmas special.
Phil doesn’t even get a chance to rally the new testers to his cause when Carol interrupts their chat. She even makes a show of asking if they’re comfortable in their chairs: lower back problems and all that. Phil storms out, accepting defeat.
Meanwhile, Poppy waltzes into her pitch meeting while oozing confidence. She proudly delivers a killer Playpen pitch. Dana looks proud. Unfortunately, the company, Skeleton Key Ventures, instantly rejects her pitch. Why? Because the last time said company accepted her pitch, she told them off. Dana can’t believe Poppy would pitch to the same place twice. Poppy looks devastated.
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Derek Waters really shines in this episode. I love the buildup surrounding Phil. You know he’ll detonate at any moment, but the writers methodically chip away at Phil’s mental fortitude until he snaps, and it’s glorious. David Hornsby also takes his character in a surprising direction. For the first time, we see David stand his ground. Hornsby shifts from anxious paranoia to calm and collected firmness with the ease of a pro.
I’m curious to see what happens with Poppy and Ian in the season finale. Ian is officially booted from MQ and GrimPop, while Poppy suffers defeat on the pitching front. Will they mend fences now that they’ve both been brought low? Only time (and one more episode) will tell.
Mythic Quest drops its season finale, “Buffalo Chicken Pizza,” on Friday, January 6, 2023, on Apple TV+.
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