When Mythic Quest‘s murder mystery party turned into a proposal from Dana (Imani Hakim) to Rachel (Ashly Burch), it pulled off a fantastic twist. That wasn’t the only twist of the episode, though; in the very last scene, Poppy (Charlotte Nicdao) complained about the taste of the gummy worms she was eating, and Carol (Naomi Ekperigin) pointed out that she might be pregnant. It initially looked like this would be a one-episode plotline, but at the start of this week’s episode, Poppy tells Ian (Rob McElhenney) that she’s pregnant and she’s going to keep the baby.
There are a number of ways that Mythic Quest could have written around Nicdao’s real-life pregnancy, and the choice to write this into the show is a bold and exciting one. Poppy having a baby is a major change, especially because Mythic Quest takes place primarily in a workplace that lacks traditional boundaries. Additionally, Poppy is a womanchild who can barely take care of herself and has a very poor work-life balance. This storyline is a huge risk and a major shake-up for Mythic Quest, and it’s already paying off.
Poppy’s Pregnancy is a Hilarious Storyline for ‘Mythic Quest’ Season 4
Mythic Quest is a show that continues to be inventive with each new season, both by heightening the emotional stakes, and by introducing new and funny storylines. Poppy’s pregnancy has already made for a truly hilarious episode, and this will likely continue from here on out. At the start of the episode, Ian walks in on a horrified Poppy, who has just taken 25 pregnancy tests and has urine all over her hands. She is happy about the baby but panicked about what sort of mother she will be, so Ian reassures her and holds her hands.
Ian’s quest to comfort Poppy in this episode is absolutely hilarious. Her urine gets all over his hands, and later, he uses video games to help her practice her parenting skills. Mythic Quest doesn’t have any baby games, though, so they use a restaurant game and a shooter game, which go about as well as can be expected. This is all very funny, but it also pushes Poppy to a new and vulnerable place, as she worries about being responsible for a child and doing right by that child. As Poppy’s pregnancy continues, Mythic Quest has already set up a compelling emotional storyline to explore alongside the sillier antics.
Poppy’s Pregnancy Allows ‘Mythic Quest’ to Revisit Its Biggest Loose End
A major reveal towards the end of Season 1 of Mythic Quest was that the popular Mythic Quest streamer, Pootie Shoe (Elisha Henig), was actually Ian’s son, Brendan. It was a heartbreaking and surprisingly serious reveal that recontextualized quite a bit about Ian’s character. The last Mythic Quest saw of Pootie, he left his meeting with Ian after making it clear that he was going to stop fighting to pursue a relationship with him. Pootie hasn’t been seen on the show since then, even though his mother, Shannon (Alanna Ubach), still returns on occasion for casual hookups with Ian.
With Poppy becoming a parent, Mythic Quest is in the perfect position to address its longstanding elephant in the room: that Ian is a parent and an absent one at that. When Ian cannot comfort Poppy with his parenting video games, she meets up with Shannon for advice. Poppy tells Shannon that she’s afraid of being a bad mother and acknowledges how well Pootie turned out. Shannon then reassures Poppy by telling her about her own parenting mistakes and saying that mistakes are normal. It’s a sweet scene, but it also segues into a heavier topic.
When Poppy jokes about Ian’s inability to help her stop panicking, Shannon tells her that parenting is not Ian’s thing. She says that Ian wants to help, but that when things get too hard, and he can’t be the hero, he gives up and runs. Poppy doesn’t respond to this, and then later, she tells her baby’s father, Storm (Chase Yi), that she is pregnant. Storm is still planning to go to the Netherlands for five months for work, though, so if Ian doesn’t help, Poppy is in this alone — at least for now. Instead of working through all of this, Poppy goes into denial and decides to throw herself into the expansion, just like Ian tried to do earlier after the games didn’t help her.
‘Mythic Quest’ Continues to Explore Ian and Poppy’s New Dynamic in Season 4
Poppy and Ian have always been extremely close and co-dependent. This season has shifted their dynamic, mainly because Poppy has been dating Storm. As Poppy has inserted boundaries into their relationship and continued to pull away from him, Ian has become even more insecure and desperate to keep from losing her. This new dynamic came to a head in the murder mystery episode, as Poppy hurt Ian with her prank when she made it look like Storm was leading her on. The two haven’t addressed this yet, and it will likely build up to another one of their classic blow-up fights by the end of the season. For now, though, Ian supports Poppy when he learns about her pregnancy.
Ian’s reaction to the news is very sweet at first. He tells Poppy that he is in this with her and she’s not alone, and he supports her and helps her through all of her fears and concerns about being a mom. Especially with Storm out of the picture for the next few months, it’s easy to get lulled into the fantasy of Ian co-parenting with Poppy. Mythic Quest is not a show to sugarcoat things or to ignore the reality of who its characters are, though. Sure enough, reality comes crashing down on Poppy when Shannon tells her that Ian won’t show up for her when it gets hard. Ian isn’t even there for his own kid, so of course, he won’t be there for Poppy’s.
Ian means well and obviously cares about Poppy, but due to his own issues — as Shannon points out — he is unable to be responsible for someone else or to put anyone else’s needs above his own. Now, Mythic Quest is in an interesting position to examine Ian’s role as a parent to Pootie and to push him towards a character arc that could lead him to grow up and step up as a parent. The show is also in the position to finally figure out Ian and Poppy’s new dynamic, especially now that she will be a mother.
New episodes of Mythic Quest are available to stream Tuesday nights on Apple TV+.
