‘Mythic Quest’ Recap: ‘Sarian’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 307 of ‘Mythic Quest’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.

For the most part, comedy television shows and sitcoms do very little to explore the origins of the characters they introduce to us, and it makes sense as to why. After all, we’re here to live in the moment with these characters, so spending time thinking about their past just seems counterproductive, and if by chance either type of show does explore days gone by for a character… it’s handled in hilarious fashion and relates to an immediate joke or moment. Which audiences are totally fine with since they know what they signed up for, and that’s allowed for this style of storytelling to dominate the comedy landscape for ages on end. But as this era of peak television continues along… there are cracks starting to form in the foundation of the notions, that everything in a comedy show must be funny and that the past is something that is in essence, off limits.
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Because writers and showrunners, and executive producers, are hearing the feedback from audiences. Who want complete experiences from their favorite shows and stories, and that is pushing these same creatives to try and see what would come out of exploring yesterday and playing some stories straight and that is leading to some brilliant and powerful storytelling, as evidenced by this week’s episode of Mythic Quest. For ‘Sarian’ is a story that spent its entire time in 1987 and 2001, to explore the respective pasts of Ian and Poppy and that particular exploration… led to minimal laughs and heavy emotional moments with these characters. Mainly because we quickly came to learn… they both struggled growing up. Ian for instance, had a hard time learning in the classroom and Poppy really didn’t have much in the way of social skills. 

Not to mention, they both faced some real hardships in their family life. Since Poppy’s mother and father viewed her as an awkward outcast that might not have a good future socially, which unsettled her greatly and Ian… well we came to learn that his mother suffered from mental illness, likely bipolar disorder, and that put him in a tough spot often where he didn’t know what to do to help her, or how to function when she was in a depressive state, and well… this made for some stunning storytelling. The kind that really was devoid of laughs and instead offered us great insight into how some people don’t grow up in the ‘traditional’ manner that others do, their youth is filled with hardships and pain and a sense of real detachment, the kind that forces them… to find their own path forward to gain meaning and agency in life. 

Which is of course… precisely what Poppy and Ian did as time marched along. Since Poppy figured out that if she merely acted like an everyday person, she could escape and be herself and find the meaning she needed, and Ian came to learn of the healing power of fantasy worlds and what they can do for his own mental health and the mental health of others. Because one day, Poppy discovered Ian’s first game, a tribute to his mother that reflected her struggles, and that inspired her in a time of need and that would set in motion… a collision course for these two characters. Since Ian would inspire Poppy to meet him and she would in turn inspire him as the years went along, a reality that offered up some brilliant commentary on the world and life and how interconnected we are and how much of an impact storytelling can have upon us. 

All of which, made for one stunning and moving episode. One that not only changed the game for comedy shows by showing all of us how easy it actually is to explore the past of dynamic characters and still move us and wow us in the process. But this is a story that also connected with so many of us out there. Since we’ve all felt ostracized and different much like Poppy did in her youth and some of us… have dealt with problems similar to Ian’s. Making this a love letter to the folks that don’t ‘fit in’, and that is something that has real power and gravity and goes to show just how intelligent and incredible this series truly is. If anything, this is the show’s most ambitious and best episode to date and that’s saying a lot from a show that wows us on the regular and well, now that we’ve reached the end of this magnificent tale, it will be interesting to see what other surprises and powerful moments await us as season three rolls along. Until next time.

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Ian and his estranged Father, discuss the future in Episode 307 of ‘Mythic Quest’ – ‘Sarian’.

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