Mythic Quest Recap: Calm Before the Divorce – Vulture

Mythic Quest

#YumYum

Season 2 Episode 3

Editors Rating 3 stars ***

Photo: Apple TV+

In the first scene of #YumYum, co-creative directors Ian and Poppy are getting along well. But by the end of the episode, battle lines have been drawn, potentially to last the whole season. It seems, based on this episode, that season two could become more serialized than season one.

The StageGate meeting with Montreal is next week, and Ian and Poppy have little to present for the new expansion. After disagreeing on what direction to go in, theyve elected to each independently develop their own ideas. Since theyve separated, they havent been fighting at all but thats a temporary solution to a problem that isnt going away. David, triggered by the reminder of the end of his parents marriage as well as his own deems this stage the calm before the divorce.

Brad has a simple solution to their creative stasis: capitalize on the battle-royale fad popularized by games like Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone. But neither Ian nor Poppy like the idea, so they decide to work out of separate offices to buckle down with their respective teams. This doesnt go well for either of them, of course, because as we know, Ian and Poppy are better together than apart.

In this case, Ian needs someone to push back more on his ideas, a request that meek Phil from the art team cant grant. (It has to happen organically, like it does with Poppy, Ian insists.) He brings in Rachel as a substitute, hoping shell be her normal, indignant, annoying self and spark his creativity.

Poppy, on the other hand, needs the opposite. Ian had this way of stroking my ego and bolstering my confidence to the point where I felt like I could overcome anything, she admits early in the episode, unhappy with her new programming teams brutal honesty. Thats when Dana wanders in, hoping Poppy will help her learn to code. She calls her maybe the most talented programmer of our generation, inspiring Poppy to bring her in to stroke her ego, just as Ian brought in Rachel to crush his. Neither strategy works, and with nothing to show for all her sleepless hours at the office, Poppy is forced to resort to Brads earlier battle-royale suggestion. Ian finds this out right as hes approaching Poppy to reconcile, and the episode ends with the two erupting into an argument, their carefully calibrated ceasefire reaching its inevitable end.

The parallels to divorce in the temporary dissolution of Ian and Poppys partnership can be funny, but theyre also predictable, and basically a repeat of the joke just two episodes ago with David and Jo in the premiere. Its hard to know how seriously to take the final scene when the tone of Ian and Poppys fight feels more comedic than dramatic; this feels more like the ending to an episode-long joke than a true shit just got real moment. I couldve done without some of the more forced divorce parallels in this scene, like Poppy pointing out that we were on a break.

Perhaps jumping back into the dating game to distract him from his divorce anxiety at work, David gets on the dating apps this episode, to little success. After suggesting David present himself like a loot box from a game a package with a tempting exterior that hides the garbage inside Brad comes up with an idea to improve his online dating skills. He pulls up a Japanese dating simulation called Divorcee Dance Party to soft-launch David, tweaking everything about his conversational style that doesnt work. That means no food pictures or drink orders hashtagged #YumYum, and no wedding photos on his dating profiles. After ten exchanges with a sim woman without her rejecting him, theyll know Davids ready to date.

David does get there, eventually only to realize he was interacting with real people the whole time when Brad drops a curtain to reveal Sue, Carol, and Paul. (Were still a little light on the ladies at MQ, so Brad explains.) Sue offers an explanation for rejecting him: David, I just cannot imagine being the vessel to your seed. Does that make sense? Carol, who thought she was testing a new HR tool for sexual harassment training when she propositioned David, is even more cutting: David, I dont want to hurt your feelings, but I could not dislike you more or be less physically attracted to you.

Needless to say, David is dispirited. But in a sweet scene, Brad assures him that he was wrong to call him a loot box. They should be thinking of him more like a burlap sack: not flashy or fun at all, but the people who buy it really need it. Brad even went to the trouble of changing Davids profiles, and set him up on a date. Its a nice ending to a subplot that thrives by showing Brad at his best: helping people in the honest, unsparing way that only he can. Maybe hes capable of being the hero after all.

In the episodes final subplot, Jo secures C.W. an extension on the long-delayed final book in his trilogy by threatening his publisher with involving C.W. in the promotion of the film adaptation something the publisher definitely doesnt want, given his propensity for politically incorrect stories. Its a slight subplot, and not exactly the meaty material I was hoping F. Murray Abraham would get; this season, hes still more of a dirty old man stereotype than a real character. But its a smart touch for Jo to take Brads wisdom (In a negotiation, what you think is your greatest strength can actually be your greatest weakness) and flip it (C.W., youre my greatest strength!).

Im also a little skeptical of Jos examples of authors whose personal views hurt their movie adaptations. The Enders Game movie was a box-office bomb, but its unclear if that was related to the boycott; after all, Orson Scott Cards opposition to same-sex marriage has been well-known since the 90s. And is it really accurate to say that J.K. Rowling got canceled with a couple keystrokes?

David lures Jo into giving him attention by using a fishing metaphor for online dating. Jo involuntarily explodes, Oh my God, David, youre not dating, youre trawling for a death partner.

When Rachel apologizes again for screwing up Grouchy Goat, Dana insists this is just a temporary roadblock. I mean, we dont want to be sitting on this couch forever, right? she exclaims. We both got big dreams. Totally, Rachel replies, but based on her expression, shes not so sure. Will the gulf in Rachel and Danas respective ambitions pose trouble for the new couple?

When David makes the mistake of making a message way too long, the sim shows the woman approaching a hunk instead. Why would they animate that? David asks.

Its Always Sunny Parallel of the Week: Brad likens the team to seagulls who should be gorging themselves on the whale carcass that is battle-royale mode. When Poppy denies being a seagull, Brad replies, Not yet youre not. Not yet Im not? Poppy says. What is that supposed to mean? What, Im just going to turn into a bird? Later, Poppy caves and goes ahead with battle royale, becoming the bird. This all calls to mind, of course, the Gang constantly referring to Dee Reynolds as a bird.

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Mythic Quest Recap: Calm Before the Divorce - Vulture