Mythic Quest
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The Year of Phil is ostensibly that episode, judging by the title.
Its when Phils rage finally boils over and he goes on an all-out assault against the company.
And it ties in neatly with Carols storyline, which has been missing from the last few episodes.
Still, I couldnt help but find the execution of Phils story a little lacking.
But the show has done a good job of making Poppys dynamics with her two foils distinct.
That means helping Poppy pitch and, in the process, reminding her that this ishergame.
MQ kind of was, too, as the first two seasons repeatedly demonstrated.
The bigger issue, though, is thatPlaypenjust isnt profitable.
Theres a reason, after all, that theres no widely used real-world equivalent.
Shed need millions of people using the tool to build games before theyd see any profit.
(In contrast, Phil is definitely wrong about it being the year of Phil.)
Theres affection and frustration on both sides, like Poppy and Ian.
And like that complicated dynamic, each of the two offers something different.
Jo has a steady job and a mentor (albeit one who often assigns her menial tasks).
David has someone who pushes him to be strong and stick to his convictions.
If not for her, hed keep coddling his actors, resulting in a worse MQ movie.
Joes latest unreasonable demand is to let him wear a mask for the entire movie to stick to canon.
Joe agrees with the chewing-out he receives and apologizes, leading David and Jo to reconcile and high-five.
Part of me wishes The Year of Phil took more than 22 minutes to tell its own story.
While a lot of the ideas are solid here, some feel more half-baked than others.
This time, Jo thinks the big drama is that Ian and Poppy kissed.
If next season deals more with the movie, could Manganiello come back in a recurring capacity?
