Mythic Quest’s Brad Bakshi (Danny Pudi) doesn’t really care about the artistic details of the show’s eponymous, popular video game. As head of monetization, he is only concerned with generating dollars for the company. The Apple TV+ workplace comedy about Mythic Quest employees firmly establishes Brad as a no-nonsense, vicious shark at the office who helps his colleagues only if he gains something valuable in return. This sharp characterization continues in the current second season as Brad decides to impart his ruthlessness to his new assistant/de facto mentee, Jo (Jessie Ennis)—until the unexpected arrival of his sibling, that is. In season two’s fourth episode, “Breaking Brad,” his brother Zack (Parvesh Cheena) enters with balloons, a sheet cake, and a wicked agenda in tow. The invasion of Brad’s safely guarded private life into his professional sanctum allows Mythic Quest to finally scrutinize what makes him tick, unveiling an emotional sliver of his backstory.
The only major facts we know about Brad so far are his job title and that, like Pudi, he is half Indian, half Polish. Mythic Quest doesn’t use his ethnicity as a tightrope for him to walk on. He’s part-Indian but thankfully, no one has yet cracked an “Is he not an engineer?” joke, even on a show set in the gaming and tech world, and the topic of arranged marriages is nowhere to be seen. The show is effortless in its inclusivity, unlike United States Of Al, the latest CBS sitcom from Chuck Lorre, which overtly stereotypes the Afghani immigrant community it is attempting to represent with banal jokes and a weak accent. Despite Kunal Nayyar’s best efforts, his character Rajesh Koothrappali in Lorre’s Big Bang Theory remained in a particularly hackneyed mold throughout the show’s long run. Brad’s scheming ways and assertiveness might not be entirely relatable, but along with other notable characters like Cece Parekh in New Girl, Emet Kamala-Sweetzer in I Feel Bad, Devi Vishwakumar in Never Have I Ever, and Kim Laghari in Special, he’s another step away from the oft-clichéd Indian American portrayals in TV comedies.
Instead, we learn fun tidbits that flesh out Brad’s distinctive personality: He enjoys watching predator prey videos (“a killer whale eating a seal, or a cheetah running down a gazelle and ripping its throat out”), his favorite phrase is probably “piece of shit,” and he has an annoying talent for detecting exactly what a person will say when entering his office. Brad’s idiosyncrasies help construct the workplace comedy’s eccentric vibe, one that is well-suited for current times. Created by Charlie Day, Megan Ganz, and series’ star Rob McElhenney, Mythic Quest doesn’t alienate viewers unfamiliar with the technicalities of its subject matter; instead, it deftly folds in trends, commentary, and the constant need for creative disruption that imbues a universal appeal beyond just video games.
The clever writing makes it easy to form a connection with all of MQ’s oddball personnel, whether it’s egotistical founder Ian Grimm (McElhenney) or lead engineer Poppy Li (Charlotte Nicdao in a breakout performance). The show unpacks their sincerely platonic but warring dynamics, sets up a romance between testers Rachel (Ashly Burch) and Dana (Imani Hakim), garners sympathy for executive producer David Brittlesbee (David Hornsby), and uses head writer C.W. Longbottom (F. Murray Abraham) for comedic relief, but Brad has remained an enigma. His mystifying yet comical presence is bolstered by Pudi’s striking performance. The actor fully utilizes his screen time to convey Brad’s disregard, whether it’s with well-timed sneaky smirks and eyebrow raises or punchy dialogue delivery. He is clearly having a blast playing somewhat of an antagonist—Community’s darkest timeline Abed Nadir would be proud. It’s why “Breaking Brad”’s turnaround from funny to moving is felt just as deeply. The audience (and Jo) learn that behind Brad’s carefully constructed and cold tough exterior lies a warm heart.
The episode, written by Keyonna Taylor, brings in aspects of Brad’s cultural identity through his interactions with his brother, even if it’s something as simple as Brad and Zack greeting or referring to each other with epithets in Hindi. Pudi tells The A.V. Club that episode director Angela Barnes called him the week before filming so they could discuss how the actors could naturally build the world between them: “We decided to add those nicknames because it was just a way to dig into their characters. It shows that for Brad, who is so secretive, there is a person who knows him best and it’s his brother.” Mythic Quest has coherently demonstrated how protagonists’ cultural heritage might shape them without it dominating their story, whether it’s Poppy (who is Australian Filipino like Nicdao) being affected by the miles of physical distance from her family in “Quarantine,” or addressing how she and Dana, who are both women of color, navigate their hurdles to carve a space at MQ.
In his spotlight episode, Brad is immediately paranoid when Zack arrives to celebrate his faux birthday. The Bakshis don’t share a friendly rapport. Brad is certain (and he’s not wrong) that Zack is here to snatch the company and his job away from him. Cheena is perfectly cast in the role as he brings a charming, cherubic energy to Zack, which makes it easy for his brother’s colleagues to fall for his saintly behavior. It isn’t until the closing moments of the half-hour that the siblings have a serious confrontation wherein Zack brutally calls Brad a pussy and asks his brother to literally beg for mercy. While it’s a surprisingly heavy scene, Pudi and Cheena tell The A.V. Club in a joint interview that they were thrilled about it because they hail from an improv background from their time at Second City in Chicago. “Also, as Indian Americans in this industry, we’ve had the comedy thing down for a bit. We don’t get to do as much drama,” Cheena says. “It was nice to have a story that isn’t like, ‘Oh, growing up was hard’ or just about our culture. This was just about our brotherly relationship. We happen to be Indian, which is great, it’s in there, but it wasn’t about this grander scheme. It was about two of us.”
Cheena’s credits include NBC comedies Outsourced and A To Z and The CW’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Cheena and Pudi previously starred together in 2016’s The Tiger Hunter and currently have recurring voice roles in the Disney+ animated series Mira, Royal Detective. They’ve been best friends in real life for over two decades; it’s why they’re able to share palpable chemistry even in their limited screen time together on MQ. Pudi says co-creators Ganz and McElhenney came up with the idea of Brad’s brother and decided to bring Cheena on board after spotting a bit they performed together on Instagram: “I was just like ‘yes, yes, yes’ when they asked me. They didn’t know the extent of our relationship and how I had actually stayed on Parv’s couch when I first moved to Los Angeles.”
Cheena, along with actor Sonal Shah, were Pudi’s plus ones at the Mythic Quest series premiere at L.A.’s ArcLight and Cinerama Dome (RIP), so Cheena’s guest role this season is a full circle moment. He says that the first scene they filmed together this episode was the hard-hitting confrontation: “Even for me, I’m not used to playing a bad guy. It was crucial for me to get that right. I was just glad I had my dearest friend with me as I did something challenging in my professional work.”
Pudi echoes this sentiment. “Brad is all about the numbers and he maintains a calm, confident exterior that can’t be fazed; I always wondered when that might fall apart. Clearly, it’s anytime anyone mentions his childhood or personal matter, and it was exciting to play that out with Parv of all people, as guest star Snoop Dogg watched us perform in a MOCAP from a distance.”
Mythic Quest sometimes swerves from its goofy workplace humor to unexpectedly hit audiences with poignant storytelling (season one’s “Dark Quiet Death” is further evidence). So it’s only fitting that the show surprises viewers with a tonal shift to understand someone like Brad. Pudi shares that when the show began, he wasn’t fully sure of who Brad was as a person: “I remember asking the creators about it, and they’re such good collaborators, so they wanted to add elements to characters by using the actors inhabiting them. It just makes sense that Brad is half Indian, half Polish like me, or that we call each other condescending nicknames in our language. It’s more natural.” The episode isn’t just a one-off that wraps up a difficult story for Brad in 30 minutes; its aftereffects will be felt as far ahead as the season-two finale, which streams in June. This mini-arc finally allows the show to dig into Brad’s backstory beyond his amusing defining traits, and Pudi hopes it continues if the show gets a season three renewal: “He’s clearly had a troubled home life and that’s built into his ruthless exterior, so maybe we’ll get to unpack it some more later.”
In Mythic Quest’s first season finale, “Blood Money,” Brad tells Rachel that he is inspired by DuckTales because he wants Scrooge McDuck’s money vault, but his sole motivation isn’t to be wealthy: “My pursuit of money is only the pursuit of ownership. Not in things, though. In people.” This one dialogue explicitly defines the character’s power-hungry mindset. The events in “Breaking Brad” are a significant progression that aid in deciphering his haughtiness. The episode also gives Pudi and Cheena the room to sink into cutting material and let their artistry shine beyond the confines of well-established comedic routines—and stereotypical clichés.
39 Comments
Ironically Mythic Quest is produced by the film and tv division of Ubisoft, a video game company that has a horrible track record of being inclusive and has in fact protected and promoted abusers…
Sadly, you can pin such a description on most large-scale video game developers & publishers.
It’s a lot more egregious for Ubisoft because they do a lot of performative allyship with their use of “This game was made by a diverse group of people!” disclaimers.
The problem with Ubisoft is mostly the abusive higher-ups, not really the diversity. One of the execs that got in trouble for harassment last year was even a PoC.
Wait, you’re sayin’ that the company that signed off on Far Cry 3, a game that was written by a white American Harvard graduate who put both his rape fantasies and a white saviour into the game isn’t diverse?
Haven’t supported Ubi or Apple in yeeeeears, so this is a no brainer.
To clarify, Ubisoft is only one of the four companies that produce the show. The others being Lionsgate, 3 Arts, and RCG (i.e. Rob, Charlie & Glenn from Always Sunny)
this was such a great episode, I love that Pudi is getting a chance to stretch his considerable acting muscles beyond just playing a one-dimensional scheming moneymaker (which to be fair he was also very good at)
Just as a general comment on the show, what they have done with Ian and Poppy is magnificent. It would have been so easy to remain simple with them and make especially Poppy this generic do-gooder, but instead by they both are these deeply flawed people where you can see why they would function best together.And it just hit me as I was writing that, I think another great thing about the show is that it doesn’t excuse how horrible both of them can be by framing it as a source of their brilliance. They are brilliant and flawed, not brillant because of their flaws if that makes sense. I seriously love this show so much.
this show is very very good at threading that needle. almost every main character has moments of deep unlikeability, if not outright despicableness and absolutely none of them are entirely wholesome and flawless. at the same time they aren’t outsized, simplistic monsters that beg you to hate them- their flaws spring from very understandable places, and most times when they’re arguing it’s a case of both sides kind of being right, which is pretty damn rare for a sitcom
Yeah we have had eras in sitcoms where everyone is an asshole (Friends, Seinfeld, The Office)And a recent trend where most characters end up being super good people (The Good Place, Parks and Rec, Brooklyn 99)But this show perfectly threads the needle. And just let’s them be people.
yeah, fully agreed. I think the best example is that big argument Ian and Poppy have in the season one finale. it’s not like your normal TV argument where both parties are at 100% screaming the whole time and breaking stuff. it’s actually written and framed like a real argument, the way it picks up, they arrive at a compromise and then a thoughtless comment escalates it again – peaks and troughs. and even though they’re both kinda right and both kinda wrong, you can still tell these characters love each other deeply. that’s a real, real hard balance to pull off, even in a drama, and they nailed it in a sub-30-minute comedy!
You think everyone is an asshole on The Office..? Please explain.Assuming we’re talking about the US version, I can’t think of any main character I’d describe as an asshole.
what they have done with Ian and Poppy is magnificent. Is it ever! That quarantine episode scene was a heartbreaker. Mostly, though, I love antagonistic/friendly dynamic between them. It feels real and showcases what both actors can do. It’s not a will-they-won’t-they situation, which is good, but if the show decided to go that way I bet they could make it work.But they shouldn’t go that way.
Between the (surprising) praise this show has gotten and “Ted Lasso,” I think I might have to spring for Apple TV+.
Yeah these two shows definitely make it worth it for me. If I hadn’t gotten a free year I’d be paying just to watch those.
Check out For All Mankind too. Season one starts ok, but it’s uphill from there. Season two was pretty great. At some point you realize that for all it’s alt-history, it’s just Mad Men with astronauts (in a good way).
Oh, I’d heard good things but “For All Mankind” but didn’t realize it was an Apple+ show, too. I’ll definitely check it out if/when I join up.
Yeah Apple TV+ doesn’t have much, but this and Ted Lasso are well worth whatever I’m paying (like 6 or 7 bucks a month I think? I should find out…). I haven’t seen For All Mankind but I do plan to check it out.Mythic Quest is a fun workplace comedy and I’m sure it resonates with gamers. I don’t play video games and am far enough out of the loop not to know many people who do. But it’s still a great show and the characters are relatable and familiar (in good ways).
Ted Lasso is the warm bubble bath that people didn’t realize they needed, and I can’t wait for season 2.
Saaaame.
Add The Morning show to that list. It’s also fantastic.And I’ve heard good things from people I trust about Servant, also, although I haven’t personally watched since it isn’t really my kind of show.
Thank you (and the people you trust) for the recommendations!
“Despite Kunal Nayyar’s best efforts”
Yeah, I heard he really railed against his one-note character who had fewer unique characteristics than every other one-note character on the show.
Loved Season 1 – have to make some time to get back to this show. However, I am not a Danny Pudi fan for a very strange reason. Before acting, he worked for a company that was the major competitor with my company in very small field – I still see him a adversary. Weird, but I can’t shake it.
I wonder how relieved David Hornsby is to not have to do a role that requires a metric fuckton of makeup and grime.
OK. So is this show actually any good? Really? I watched the pilot and just didn’t laugh. Not even a snicker. Maybe I was in a bad mood that day but I’ve simply had no urge to revisit.
GREAT, HOW CAN I WATCH THIS SHOW? Oh “apple tv+”.lol
Devi Vishwakumar is a character that grows on me more and more as time goes on. I liked that show a lot when I watched it, but whenever it comes up I realize how rare it is for a TV character to be short-tempered in a low-key and understandable way. Like, throwing a textbook through a window is a big deal but also not really a big deal, and the show threads that needle really well.
I’m always happy to see F. Murray Abraham getting work. And I encourage any/all to watch By the Sword, if you can find it anywhere. It’s Amadeus, but for fencing!! Starring F. Murray Abraham and Eric Roberts!! Need I say more?
The smaller story beat in this episode with Ian and Rachel (he DOES know her name!) was pretty great too. Their whole interaction was interesting. Ian has these moments of intense humanity and empathy but he’s still kind of an asshole about it. This show seriously has amazing writers. I feel like if Rob McElhenney set his sights on writing a movie he could win some awards.
The Brad backstory is interesting. Cool if they want to flesh him out a bit, or if they wanted to leave him as this purely malign presence on the same team as our protagonists but who’s effectively still a bit player. I feel like they’ve done a good job course correcting Ian’s character from a completely self-regarding narcissist who literally listens to nothing other than the voice in his head to something like more of a real comic. McElhenney did a fine job playing detached genius, but the fact that reacts now to others is simply funnier.Not sure what they’re doing with Rachel, though. In S1 I thought she was just goofy and lovestruck, and I thought the joke with that dude tester was that he saw SJW bullshit everywhere he looked even though she wasn’t doing anything, and she just rolled her eyes and tried to ignore him.Now it seems like all the other characters see her as a shrill crybully. I really didn’t enjoy this episode’s subplot with McElhenney taking her tester down a notch, embarrassing her for being against everything and not being about something. I mean come on, she can be pro-environment and against structural sexism without actually wanting to race up the career ladder herself. I kept expecting her to tell him to fuck off, that she likes her job where she plays video games and it’s perfectly fine to want just that; she doesn’t need some elevator pitch locked and loaded to impress the boss. When instead she was left gobsmacked by how wrong she had been, Ian having shown her the light about how she’s been doing life wrong, it just felt like I had been preached at by the show in Ian’s voice.
I think the point was that she’s not perfectly fine just liking her job playing video games. And she has been lashing out at outside things rather than figuring out/working on what would be better for her. She was talking to Ian about how she’s worried about her new relationship, after so long wishing for it to get started. Rachel has no idea what she wants. Period. Not “no idea what her dream job is” or “no prepared elevator pitch/desire to climb the ladder” she is lost and lashing out. She thought she wanted the relationship, but her insecurities and frustrations are still there even though they’re together. Her time with Ian (hopefully) helped her realize that she needs to spend time on herself, not just finding issues everywhere else to lay blame on.
What would you say was her lashing out? I shotgunned the series three days ago and the details of that driving scene are already leaking out of my brain. Mainly I remember her giving him shit about not being able to drive a stick. To the extent she was neurotic about her relationship, I think that’s just her thing, and I don’t remember Ian’s lecture addressing those issues.To me, it came across as a lecture Rob McElhenney has been desperately wanting to drop on people who concern themselves with privilege. Specifically, he wanted to point out that white, male privilege is useful but not *sufficient* to his level of success. That one has to take the opportunities (most commonly afforded to white males) and then use them to prove themselves. Mostly an argument against the “even mediocre white men are rewarded with success in our society” line of thinking, since it erases the effort and specialness required for his level of success.I still don’t get why that resonated with her character, because I haven’t seen any evidence of her character desiring anything like his type of success. I was expecting her to tell him to fuck off with his assumptions that she wants to be him.
Everything she does recently is lashing out. She’s always looking for a reason outside of herself to be “the problem” rather than figuring out herself. It resonated not because she wanted Ian’s success, but because she realized that when someone powerful is literally begging to help give her whatever she wants, she has no idea what she wants. The words to talk about it much more aren’t coming clearly to me now, I’ve worked about 75 hours this week, but I thought the car scene was good and hopefully sets up some real growth for a character that needs a new arc after finally getting the girl.
Agreed. And I thought the show did a good job of contrasting her with Jo, who absolutely does know exactly what she wants and is utterly driven in getting it — until she finally (maybe?) reaches a point at which the cost is going to be too high.
Yes. I’m not sure how to feel about that scene. It is complex because on one side is has Ian totally agreeing that he has privilege but on the other side it has that talking down to. I think that they were trying to make it specific about Rachel and make it about how she doesn’t really know what she wants but it is a fine line.
It’s almost as if nobody actually cares about the race of a character and just wants to watch good tv. I hope execs remember that when they go to great lengths for inclusivity for inclusivity’s sake. That’s when it becomes pandering and offensive af.
This show unexpectedly becomes one of my favorite ever, where I just keep rewatching the first season once every few months as comfort viewing. Great cast of characters, I’m glad to see Ashly Burch’s Rachel and Imani Hakim’s Dana interact more with the co-leads Ian and Poppy this season.