The overall quality of game-to-screen adaptations has skyrocketed in recent years, so much so that we can finally have a meaningful debate about which video game show has the best episode ever. My pick? Mythic Quest Season 1, Episode 5, “A Dark Quiet Death.”
Admittedly, this requires some generous categorization on my part. Mythic Quest isn’t a video game show in the sense that it’s directly based on a game. Nor does the Apple TV+ show emulate video game aesthetics or tropes (Ubisoft-produced scene transitions notwithstanding). Instead, Mythic Quest is a workplace comedy. But, crucially, it’s a workplace comedy about making video games.
So, taken on its own terms, Mythic Quest is as much of a video game show as the likes of The Last of Us and Fallout. More importantly, Mythic Quest‘s finest installment to date, “A Dark Quiet Death,” qualifies as the greatest the genre has to offer.
A Short Spoiler-y Recap of ‘A Dark Quiet Death’
If you’ve never seen “A Dark Quiet Death” (or it’s been a while since you watched it), here’s a quick spoiler-filled recap of the episode. Set decades before Mythic Quest‘s present day narrative, “A Dark Quiet Death” charts the exploits of developers Doc and Beans (played by guest stars Jake Johnson and Cristin Milioti). We see the pair meet, fall in love, land a publishing deal, and ultimately split over Doc’s willingness to compromise on their original artistic vision. There’s also a mid-credits stinger that indirectly links Mythic Quest‘s male lead, Ian Grimm, to Doc and Beans – but otherwise, this is a self-contained tale.
It’s a beautiful, heart-breaking hour of TV that plays with audience expectations – show me someone who expected a mid-season, standalone prestige drama episode and I’ll show you a liar – in a way that’s only really possible when you’re backed by a cashed-up streamer like Apple. More than that, it also lends welcome emotional and thematic heft to Mythic Quest‘s otherwise breezy sitcom storytelling. The breakdown of Doc and Beans’ relationship, both romantic and creative, parallels the fraught dynamic between Ian and lead engineer Poppy Li. If they can’t figure out how to stay true to themselves and each other, they’re doomed to repeat their predecessors’ mistakes.
The Last of Us’ Best Episode Gives ‘A Dark Quiet Death’ a Run For Its Money
Of course, Mythic Quest is far from the only video game show to serve up a narratively tangential, deeply poignant episode. The Last of Us Season 1 earned rave reviews for its third entry, “Long, Long Time,” which (like “A Dark Quiet Death”) somehow manages to cram an entire relationship into an hour of screentime (technically, 75 minutes, but who’s counting?). And like “A Dark Quiet Death,” The Last of Us Season 1, Episode 3 uses the story of Bill and Frank – which barely intersects with protagonists Joel and Ellie’s journey – to explore and reinforce the central theme (love in the face of futility) of the series itself.
Indeed, for this reason, “Long, Long Time,” ranks as many people’s all-time favorite video game show episode. And fair enough, too. Aside from the positives mentioned above, the “Bill and Frank” episode has a lot to recommend it. The restraint of showrunner Craig Mazin’s scripting and Peter Hoar’s directing is masterful. Guest stars Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett’s performances are staggeringly good. The use of Max Richter’s “On the Nature of Daylight” late in the game is ugly-crying fuel. Yet for all that (and more), for me, “A Dark Quiet Death” still has it beat.
What Makes ‘A Dark Quiet Death’ the Best Video Game Show Episode Ever?
Why am I so high on “A Dark Quiet Death”? It’s hard to say, but I suppose it’s the degree of difficulty involved. As brilliant as “Long, Long Time” is, it’s still tonally of a piece with The Last of Us Season 1’s eight other episodes. Sure, interrupting Joel and Ellie’s struggles for an extended queer romance aside is an undeniably big swing. However, it’s not nearly as ambitious as hitting pause on Ian, Poppy, and the Mythic Quest gang’s broad sitcom shenanigans to mount an out-and-out drama.
There’s a very real possibility that “A Dark Quiet Death” could’ve failed. It’s unexpected and experimental – both qualities that people who tune in for a lightweight comedy typically aren’t in the market for. That it not only sticks the landing, but makes the rest of Mythic Quest appreciably more satisfying in the process, is downright incredible. It holds up, both on its own merits and as a bold zag from the episodes that bookend it. So, I’m sorry, “Long, Long Time”; you’re great, but “A Dark Quiet Death” deserves the “Best Video Game Show Episode Ever” achievement.
Mythic Quest Season 4 is currently streaming on Apple TV+, with new episodes dropping Wednesdays.