With its impeccable comic timing and consistently engaging power dynamics, Mythic Quest has cemented itself as a brilliant and neatly written comedy. Brimming with the wit and charisma of one of its creators and the lead actor – Rob McElhenney, the series also has a high rewatch value. The new season showcased Ian and Poppy going in a new creative and managerial route with Grimpop while being loyal to their instincts and expertise. Meanwhile, the shift in the inner dynamic of the Mythic Quest office is just as intriguing to explore.
Mythic Quest (Season 3) Episode 4 Recap
Episode 4: The Two Joes
Directed by Nina Pedrad, the fourth episode, titled ‘The Two Joes,’ is written by John Howell Harris. It begins with Poppy (Charlotte Nicdao) walking into the Grimpop office, where she finds Dana (Imani Hakim) working at one of their desks. She thinks Poppy is looking for Ian (Rob McElhenney), but she is looking for her. However, she does not want Dana’s insights or suggestions for developing their new game. She wants Dana to see if there are any bugs, which was her job as a tester. She refuses to do so since she is now a contributor with Ian. Meanwhile, Ian listens to their conversation through her Bluetooth earbud; he does not miss a chance to make fun of Poppy.
He tells her that her throat sounds phlegmy and that she should consider consuming lesser dairy products. While Poppy starts speaking with him, they engage in their casual back-and-forth rebuttal, which ends in her giving the phone back to Dana and warning her that if she continues being an ear for Ian (and his egotistic mind), she will never be able to escape that role for him. Meanwhile, David’s (David Hornsby) assistant, Jo (Jessie Ennis), gets a call informing Joe Manganiello wants to have lunch with David, most probably for a role in the upcoming Mythic Quest movie. She has no idea who this person is, whereas David already pictures this famous actor in the forthcoming film.
While David tries to make a power move by sending her (his assistant) first to make it look like he has better things to do, she listens to all he says with a fear fueled by her prejudiced image against Hollywood. He calms her down and sends her regardless of that. On the other side, Ian drives Dana to her school and has wheels in his hand. It is just his way of having a feeling of being in control. During their casual conversation about their beliefs about driving, they slowly realize how similar they are in their thoughts. At the office, Carol (Naomi Ekperigin) is angry at Brad (Danny Pudi) for assuming that she needs help with her job and giving her unhelpful advice one after the other.
That’s when their ex-tester, Rachel (Ashly Burch), walks in, and Carol walks right out of the further conversation. Rachel then starts sharing some suggestions with Brad about how the game could be more enjoyable. Brad plots a plan to use them as work for the diligent designers whose job is to work according to the whims of senior creatives and executives. Upon hearing Rachel dissing their NFTs and speaking about having a story than just craft, the designer – Phil, gets frustrated since Rachel is their ex-employee and Brad is their janitor, which means neither of them can order him to do anything. So, Brad decides to get Ian on a call to get his permission on record.
Jo reaches the meeting place with the star actor by that time, and David is nowhere to be seen. Apparently, he is stuck in car traffic, which he did not anticipate. Secondly, he did not want to be the person who came in early, which would make him look needy and eager to work with the actor. That is when Joe Manganiello walks in, Jo welcomes Joe, and the conversation begins on an awkward note. Realizing that he has messed up his plan, David decides to guide Jo through the further process one step at a time. He tells her what to say to make a good impression on the actor. On the other hand, Poppy storms into the room of new male testers and try to have fun with them. They see it as a clear sign of harassment, and she gets confused about what to do in this situation.
Meanwhile, instead of driving her back to her school, Ian takes Dana to a place he is excited to witness himself – including metaverse and AR that no one has seen yet. She calls one of Ian’s resulting realizations a Kevin Costner move, which he finds simultaneously odd and satisfying. Odd because he had never seen anyone speaking as passionately about Field of Dreams as him and satisfying because he had never been connected with another person on such a deeper level. He feels as if their minds are strangely connected. He even gives her the command on wheels.
Meanwhile, the two Joes start conversing further, where Jo poses herself as one of the producers instead of an assistant. When Joe (the actor) calls himself a long-time Mythic Quest fan, Jo calls him a nerd without realizing that she should not use a derogatory remark against a person she wants to impress. Despite the awkward start, he becomes increasingly invested in being a part of the game’s adaptation. That’s when David gets Phil’s call, who is utterly confused about getting orders from a janitor (Brad). Phil even assumes Rachel to be the janitor’s assistant and tries to understand the hierarchy dynamic in the office. You sense Brad’s strong persuasion skills through this interaction.
Meanwhile, David is also on call with Jo, who shares with Joe that Brad Pitt is also considering the role. That is mostly a tactic she implements to make him say yes in urgency. While trying to manage that, David also tries to navigate Phil’s problem, which is not directly his concern, nor is it urgent. Going back and forth in these communications, he messes up some details, where the message for one gets confused for another one. Brad assumes a yes as an affirmation of his seniority, while Joe also confirms Joe about him being the most probable choice for the role.
Mythic Quest (Season 3) Episode 4 Ending Explained
Does Joe Manganiello accept a role in the Mythic Quest film?
After Brad and Phil assume David’s ‘yes’ as his confirmation of Brad’s seniority, Rachel feels terrible about herself. She does not want to be a part of such shady mind works. However, Brad tries to comfort her by saying she will get comfortable with it. You can clearly sense David’s deduction about Brad’s evil intent is correct. Meanwhile, David reaches the meeting shop and storms into the diner to find only his assistant Jo sitting there. Through further conversation, he eventually learns they have gotten a deal with Joe despite the mess-up.
David could not be happier about this news. And while he is elated, there is a sense of joy and achievement on Jo’s face – considering she handled the entire meeting by herself despite her limitations in understanding social cues. It seems like the series is trying to lead this comically talented actress to the front and make the best use of her character (and the actor’s skills) in the upcoming episodes.
Meanwhile, the communication between Poppy and the new game testers after some time seems like the start of her discovery of her genius being devoid of any fun element. Maybe the next episodes will show her character progress after some introspection.
