So far, each episode ofMythic Quest: Raven’s Banquethas focused on something that legitimately plagues the game industry in one way or another, and Episode 3: Dinner Party is no different. InMythic QuestEpisode 3, the developers of the titularMythic Questvideo game have to deal with their toxic online community. More specifically, they have to figure out how to contend with the rise of a Nazi guild in their game.
The Nazis inMythic Questare able to band together thanks to new social features introduced by lead engineer Poppy. The Nazi players bully others in the game, and use the shovel tool that we saw inMythic QuestEpisode 1to dig swastikas into the ground. Players can jump into an online game today and see Nazi references in usernames, clan tags, and more, so it’s something that is still a problem in online games to this day.
The developers aren’t quite sure what to do about their Nazi problem, and so they split off into groups to do their own thing. Unlike the past two episodes that had A and B plots, this episode revolved all around the Nazi dilemma and everyone’s different reaction to it. David, for example, is tricked by Brad into setting up an ethics committee, which Brad hopes will just waste time and keep David from actually banning the Nazis.
Brad, for those who may not remember, is the head of monetization atMythic Quest. He is the one that introduced the casino inMythic QuestEpisode 2, and he just sees the Nazis as paying customers. Brad’s obsession with money is a little cartoonish and compared to the other characters, he hasn’t had much development beyond that, but the ethics committee scenes were hilarious. They make sure to have the most diverse ethics committee possible for their company, comprised of a white man, an old white man, a white woman, an Indian, a black woman, and a lesbian.
David’s assistant Jo was fantastic during the ethics committee scenes, delivering the best line of the episode: “If you’re not gay, you have to leave.” The ethics committee scenes saw them pit undesirable groups of people together in anNCAA-style tournament to determine who should be banned and who should stay, which was also funny and one of the better gags that the show has had so far.
Ian’s approach to handling the Nazis was a bit different. Instead of deciding to outright ban them, he creates new cosmetics for them to purchase, including a Hitler salute. It was a veryIt’s Always Sunnyapproach to the situation, but learn later in the episode that Ian’s intentions weren’t nearly as greedy or sinister as they seemed on the surface. Instead Ian’s plan was to make all of the Nazis out themselves and then throw them on their own dedicated server.
Some people may disagree with the conclusion that is made in this episode, that Nazis can’t/shouldn’t be silenced on public platforms like video games. In reality, it seems the vast majority of video games are pretty good about banning people for serious offenses like this.Mythic Quest’s solution is to shove all of the Nazis into their own server so it just becomes an echo chamber.Episode 2: The Casinoalso had a weird conclusion to its plot, that being monetization in video gameshaveto be predatory to a certain extent. However, it’s not a huge deal as the show seems less concerned about dishing out moral lessons and more interested in just trying to be funny, which it really has succeeded at in these last couple of episodes.
As far as direct video game industry references, there weren’t quite as many this time around, beyond some gameplay clips that looked more like theWorld of WarcraftSouth Parkepisode than an actual video game. However, online gaming publication Kotaku was a centerpiece of the plot, as it was an article written by them that triggered the Nazi dilemma to begin with. TheMythic Questdevelopers only become aware of the Nazi problem in their game because Kotaku wrote an article about how the game is the #1 MMO among white supremacists.
Kotaku’s article was brought to everyone’s attention by new character Sue, who is the Community Manager forMythic Quest. Video game companyCommunity Managersare often the target of abuse from people online, but Sue isn’t depressed by that or the fact that she works “deep underground” in a cramped office. In fact, she’s unusually optimistic and bubbly, which is an interesting twist, but the show doesn’t stay with that for too long. Her mood sours quickly about the Nazi situation, so it feels like the joke about her being overly-positive is abandoned right away.
In the end, Ian’s plan to deal with the Nazis is the successful one, and they are all sent to their own server. The final scene of the episode the Nazi server being put into place in a massive server room, mimicking the iconic warehouse shot from the end ofIndiana Jones.
When it comes to character relationships,Mythic Quest: Raven’s BanquetEpisode 3 didn’t feature any developments on the Dana/Rachel front, but it did better build a friendly relationship between Ian, Poppy, and David. They celebrate their victory over the Nazis together at the end of the episode with some wine and have a real world “dinner party.” Seeing Ian act like a normal human being was a refreshing change of pace, and it was good to see that there is genuine affection between these people.
Mythic Quest: Raven’s BanquetEpisode 3 wasn’t quite as funny as Episode 2, but it was still a huge improvement over the first episode. The show seems to have found its tone, which is a blend ofIt’s Always Sunny-style dialogue and a more grounded sitcom presentation. It will be interesting to see what other video game industry debacle it decides to tackle next, but it seems like it might be hard to top the Nazi storyline.
Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquetis available to stream now, exclusively on Apple TV+.
