Mythic Quest “Across The Universe” Spoilers Ahead
Mythic Quest’s Season 3 premiere is a doozy. It starts with hilarious bouts of rivalries and ends with a quiet heartbreak no one saw coming. It thematically showcases where the rest of the season can go while simultaneously allowing us to continue uncovering depth and emotions in the series. By the end, it presents a clear, brilliant message: “no one is better off alone.”
Mythic Quest’s “Across The Universe” sets up its emotionally moving premiere by using C.W. Longbottom’s legacy to showcase what it truly means to get a second chance and how to make it worth every moment.
Across The Universe: To Begin Again
From the start, C.W. Longbottom (F. Murray Abraham) was a riveting character. As the head writer of Mythic Quest, there were pieces of him integrated into both the game and the series. And when the series gave us his backstory, followed by the revelations that A.E. had passed and Peter was approaching his final days, there were clues planted that we might see the end of C.W.’s life too.
Hold onto each other for as long as you can—David reads the letter aloud, allowing it to bleed into everyone’s hearts (along with the audience’s). And how C.W.’s ascend happens is, well, in more ways than one, similar to the greatest success of his life, like Mythic Quest. C.W. shoots through the night sky with his team watching, realizing that not only is life too short, but it’s so damn unpredictable at times. They all believed they were coming to a celebration, on the dot per Jo’s harsh probing, but instead, they were coming to face a goodbye.
And perhaps the most riveting part of this scene is that if you pause when they’re all looking up, every actor’s face is saying something different. Every character is thinking about their significant moments with C.W.—their own memories, heartaches, and confusion, while their expressions exhibit emotions that words would undoubtedly fail to say aloud.
We should also note the detail that on any other show, something like this wouldn’t work. It’d feel cheapened, emotionless, and too dramatic for the sake of a plot twist, but on Mythic Quest, it’s just right. And ultimately, it’s a moment that allows everyone to genuinely see that there’s more to life than the video games they’re producing. Everyone yelling at David while he continued to vouch that he was learning this information alongside him made the scene much more jaw-dropping. Because, as the audience, it was easy to wait for a “sike” at the end. I expected C.W. to pop out from the back of the audience somewhere in disguise. But this was real, and as thoughtfully staged as it was, it worked to showcase that the character ultimately cared profoundly about making an impact through his life’s story. This ascend was his perfect epilogue, the way he wanted it, down to the very millisecond of his heart’s desires.
Related Content: Mythic Quest Season 3 Review: Hilarious and More Emotionally Coded
As the team heads back into their former offices, Poppy and Ian included, drinking Ratger Hauers (coffee and cough syrup) they reflect on C.W.’s life, what he meant to them, and how they could all move forward in their grieving processes. It ends as you’d expect, with people parting ways, yet despite the clear distance, it’s evident now more than ever that they’ve never been closer or more connected. Great, big changes are coming to Mythic Quest, and this episode is proof of it in every way.
Now streaming on Apple TV+: What are your thoughts on Mythic Quest’s “Across The Universe?” Let us know in the comments below.