AppleTV+’s Mythic Quest gives us a spin on an office comedy set in a gaming company. Comparisons to The Office or Silicon Valley have been tossed around and, on the surface, there are parallels between the shows. Mythic Quest does update the office comedy, working with modern ideas of wokeness and inclusivity. However, the series’s ability to comment and frequently parody wokeness and inclusivity truly sets it apart. It goes to places that most would fear to tread.
But it does so with comic aplomb. By doing so, it gives the cast brilliant material in which they can sink their teeth. And co-star Imani Hakim loves that challenge and the opportunity to portray a Black woman working in technology celebrated for being her authentic self at work.
“It’s extremely thrilling for me to be on a show that tackles these these types of subjects in a very comedic way,” Hakim shared. “To have that representation of this woman where we don’t necessarily talk about her being Black, but we do acknowledge that she’s a Black woman in this space. It’s very important because I wish I had a show coming up like this where I saw a woman in a room just being unapologetically herself like Dana.”
Hakim’s Dana works at Mythic Quest as a tester alongside Ashly Burch’s Rachel. Over the course of two seasons, the pair’s friendship evolved into a sweet love affair. Tentative at first, they navigate the tricky territory of an office romance, although not many people at Mythic Quest even care. As the season continues, Dana and Rachel struggle with their next step both personally and professionally. They thrive as a couple and individually.
To so accurately portray this relationship, Hakim fortunately had a close friendship base on which to build this character development.
“She’s one of my closest friends in real life, and so I think what you’re seeing is just like our friendship, just like bubbling through the scene,” Hakim explained. “I have so many benefits from working with Ashley. Not only is she a gamer, I get to pick her brain about gaming, but she’s also a writer on the show. Plus, she’s my scene partner as an actor on the show. So it’s like it all just flows so naturally that it doesn’t feel forced. It feels very organic and authentic and safe.”
As the season closes, Dana’s journey through the season finds her moving toward career advancement within the company. She started the series as a tester, but her interests push her into seeking a development role. While it stalls a bit thanks to an abortive mentorship with Poppy Li (Charlotte Nicdao), you leave the season with the sense that Dana isn’t going to give this up.
It’s something that Hakim is excited to explore in a potential third season, thanks to Dana’s unending drive and self-confidence.
“I think what’s really nice about Dana is that, even though she’s really young, do feel that she has a strong sense of self. Especially in the gaming industry, which could be very hard and critical. It’s important for a young woman to have this clear vision of what it is that she wants, even if she’s unable to do it yet. She’s like this, ‘I can see it. I know what I want. I don’t know how to do it, but I’m going to learn how to do it.’ She’s unapologetic about claiming that right.”
Mythic Quest streams exclusively on AppleTV+.
