Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet

I always liked (ahem love/hate) this show from the start, but the most recent episode. S2 E6 Backstory (and I HATE backstories) pulled a throwaway character out of the dust bin and made him one of the most import cornerstones of Mythic Quest. Perhaps the emotional content of this episode means nothing to anyone born after say, 1990, but this episode cleverly tied in Mythic Quests, its entire reason d'être, the main character in this episode, and the entire history of online gaming in what - 40 minutes? While the actors of this show deserve a nod for sure, the writers.... I am in awe, and thank you for throwing Michael Bay as an inspiration into the dust bin of history.

It took me until the DQD episode (ep 5) to start falling in love with the show and its characters. I don't know what was going on in the first 4 episodes, but I only stuck with the show because I love the entire Sunny crew (David Hornsby is perfect casting *chef's kiss*, and it's good to see Rob and Charlie working together again) as well as Aparna Nancherla and Naomi Ekperigan.

I don't know what it was about the writing, but the second half of the season brought a little more harmony among a cast that seemed to lack chemistry + initial plotlines that seemed to lack any depth/stakes. The 5th episode was so good (an amazing palate cleanser) and provided a tonal shift that made me feel slightly more aware of the themes of the show as a whole.....

but anyways THE QUARANTINE EPISODE DESERVES AN EMMY. Quarantine episodes for other shows have been hella cringe and forced, but this one was honest in a seemingly effortless way.

I binged season 1 and was absolutely engaged from the first episode. The comedy around an MMORPG is spot on, and the character interactions are spot on in a hilarious way. Big shout out to Charlotte Nicdao (Poppy) for her excellent performance alongside Rob McElhenney. If you are a fan of gaming in general I think you will enjoy this immensely.

Then I watched season 2 and to me it's a different show. The focus goes almost entirely away from gaming (except for bits here are there), and instead focuses on the inter-office relationships almost exclusively. The humor I enjoyed in season 1 was mostly gone, although the cast's performances we're still great, the writing direction just changed entirely and it's soured my opinion on the show a bit. Maybe COVID affected production plans (as the cast seemed a lot smaller), because the overall tone of the show is just off.

I really hope they turn it around in season 3 and stop with the lovey-gushey (the whole thing between Rachel and Dana seemed so forced). Please focus on a company making or running a game and the hilarious things that can happen around that, and please leave the unnecessary drama out of it. It's called Mythic Quest and not The Office for a reason.

Season 1 - 9/10 Season 2 - 5/10.

I had a hard time rating this show since it had a steady slide and then after Season 2 it just dropped off a cliff. My theory is Rob didn't expect to get that far and didn't really have a plan for what would happen after Season 1, certainly not Season 2.

Ian and Poppy are just fantastic characters and carry the show. The flashback episodes are amazing, especially Season 1's, and this show tackles assumptions and discrimination in the video game industry. I have no idea why they didn't dump Rachel after Season 1 as the character is incredibly obnoxious and detracts from the comedy.

All that said, anyone should watch Season 1 of this series, it is a gem. Season 2 is "meh" and I have no idea what happened with Season 3, I quit after three episodes since it was obvious they lost their way.

After first two episodes, it gets better , there is a tone and style change . Some people likes to compare it to Always Sunny , there are similarities, but it's a different show , try to enjoy it as it is !