Breaking Brad
Episode 4 of Mythic Quest Season 2 begins with various kids playing the battle royale version of MQ. Brad however, intends to monetize them as much as possible. This is, unfortunately, a little close to the bone given it’s exactly what the games industry is doing right now. Anyway, back to the comedy. It’s Brad’s birthday and he’s completely frazzled, believing his brother Zack – who’s just arrived at the office – is plotting something. He believes the birthday party is just a cover and remains suspicious. In fact, Brad hides out in his office, intent on staying there until he leaves. Meanwhile, Ian heads out on the road and picks up Poppy who’s currently on the hood of his new car. The only trouble is, it’s a manual and Ian doesn’t know how to drive. Awkwardness (and lots of laughs) ensue as Rachel offers to take over for him. Poppy even shows all the coders Ian’s hilariously bad driving on a video too. Well, as Ian drives home with Rachel the attention turns to equal opportunities in the gaming industry. Rachel bemoans her luck, believing Ian has more opportunities than her because he’s a white male. (Just to remind everyone, Activision Blizzard recently announced that interviewing diverse candidates is “unworkable.” You can read that HERE) As they drive, Ian immediately puts Rachel on the spot and tells her to pitch some ideas if she wants to progress. Only…she’s unable to do so. Back at the office, Zack impresses everyone by bringing in Snoop Dogg for an in-game concert. He’s there at the office, rapping away, as Brad shows and learns the truth. It turns out Zack wants to rip the office up and completely dismantle the studio. He forces his brother to beg him not to… and then completely disregards his opinion. Zack nonchalantly walks away, telling him – and Jo – that he’ll be in touch shortly.
The Episode Review
Mythic Quest returns with another solid episode, one that takes yet more jabs at the video game industry in a satirical but humorous way. While funny, it also highlights the very real issues inherent with video games today. Microtransactions and diversity in the workplace are both touched on here, and it adds an element of topical truth to what’s being shown. The surprise cameo from Snoop Dogg, and a good split focus once again between Ian and the office issues, works wonders in this chapter. The inclusion of Brad’s brother is a nice dynamic shift, one that actually shows Brad in a much more favourable light than we’ve seen him before. The ending is certainly ominous though and it leaves next week’s follow-up hanging in the balance. What will the future of Mythic Quest look like?
