Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet Review: Press F To Pay Respects To This Great Show

Video games, as a medium, is growing every year. Movies and television, however, have struggled for nearly two decades to not only adapt them to the big screen, but also in showing an honest, knowledgeable view of both the games and the industry.

Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet changes this entirely. Its nine episode run on Apple TV+ is a massive love letter to gaming and its fans, taking a smart look at the power dynamics that run rampant on a popular online game, the titular Mythic Quest expansion. So many personalities clashing becomes the main obstacle, and while there are some early bumps, the show settles into something special.

The comedy side of the show has that distinct feel of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, given that it’s coming from two of its co-creators and a co-writer. Rob McElhenney, Megan Ganz, and Charlie Day emulate the character-driven, somewhat mean-spirited tone over to a workplace comedy setting, and it’s a rather successful move.

A lot of the episodes are driven by trying to implement absurd requests or through dealing with the fallout of competition and game streamers having pivotal influence over new features. But the primary driving force is Ian Grimm, McElhenney’s larger-than-life lead that is a titan of the industry but also its most unstable developer.

Beyond the potshots and snide remarks is a comedy with something to say. Mythic Quest is using its voice to comment on respect, leadership, and overworking, prevalent topics in the world the show is entrenched in. While it may not fix these overnight, the show is certainly shining a light on it, becoming more than a fun comedy: it’s a comedy with a message.

One particular episode stands out as a beacon of what Mythic Quest has to say, and it comes smack dab in the middle of the run. It’s poignant, touching, and personal, saying so much about trends and broken promises through not listening to the people most important to you.

That episode is a turning point for the season, where a somewhat inconsistent tone finds a newfound lease to life that makes the back half a far more rock solid ride. This isn’t to say the first four episodes are bad, by any means; just that they have show jitters of finding what works and harnessing that.

One factor that deserves a lot of credit is its dedication to gaming. Some movies and shows can have a basic understanding, but leave much to be desired for showing the full range of the industry and the games they create.

Mythic Quest knows its subject, something movies and shows about games sometimes struggle with properly showing: Mythic Quest gets streamers, monetization, development, gaming lingo, and the male-dominated field that the industry struggles with. It’s clear that the writers know what they’re talking about.

There’s also the endlessly talented cast, each bringing something to the table that both clashes and complements one another.

Ian’s ego is the main driving force, where the chaos of following his every whim leads to peeling back the layers to find the gem hidden inside. McElhenney has plenty of experience playing someone with delusions of grandeur with It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’s Mac, and Ian, over time, becomes much more human and multifaceted (much like Mac) than the crazy storm everyone navigates early on.

Both Charlotte Nicdao’s Poppy and David Hornsby’s David end up as McElhenney’s co-leads, both bringing such different but well-needed energy to the show.

Poppy is the voice of reason, her trajectory on the first season allowing Nicdao to play the character with impressive range while still wrangling metaphorical cats. Ian and Poppy are like oil and water, but end up having the best chemistry out of the bunch as they approach both the game and each other in a give-and-take style that may be mostly one-sided, but offers up a fascinating way into both personas.

David Hornsby appears to love playing characters clinging to little to no power based on recent roles, and the trend continues here. He’s masterful at it, and so why stop a good thing? David (the character) is endlessly emasculated or put down, but the abuse manages to come out on the side of endearing rather than mean-spirited (though it’s a close call).

Hornsby plays David with a level of love and passion where his good nature and fear of obscurity will hopefully one day win out against the dismissive comments and disrespect. There’s an admirable dedication to the bit, Hornsby able to stand out against the onslaught of meanness sent his way.

The rest of the cast are in a supporting role, but bring such different, needed voices to round out the show. Danny Pudi chews up scenes as a nefarious contrarian foil who blossoms in chaos; Ashly Burch and Imani Hakim play testers whose friendship ends up being a rather impactful part of the season; and Jessie Ennis does wonders with a worryingly loyal assistant.

It also gives us F. Murray Abraham as an aged, boozing novelist-turned-game-writer, which is both incredible and a gift. He’s the show’s secret weapon of sorts, used at just the right moments to full effect.

Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet is the kind of comedy that is having fun at the expense of its characters and the industry it’s lampooning, but it’s not doing so out of negativity or ill will. Its comedy may be a little mean at times, but it’s directed at each other rather than at anything in particular.

It’s championing the video gaming world by showing these talented people reaching their wit’s end as the work becomes unwieldy and unsustainable. It’s topical as more stories of crunch time and stress come out in the news.

But the main thing Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet is doing is having as much fun as it can in a playground no one else is really playing in at the moment. Buoyed by its incredible cast and clever writing, Mythic Quest finds itself in the unique opportunity of being an exciting addition on Apple’s platform, and with a second season greenlit, continuing to grow these characters to their full potential.

 

What did you think of this season of Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet releases on February 7 on Apple TV+.

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