Animation
Good Times
Netflix takes a classic sitcom, Good Times, and turns it into a vulgar, violent, sexually-charged TV-MA show.
When Ian Grimm set out to create Mythic Quest–known to its fans as MQ–it was mostly a narcissistic ploy to put his name and face on a product that would be sold worldwide. But with more than 11 million players worldwide, MQ has become the most popular massive multiplayer online role-playing game ever.
No one could have predicted the success of the game, especially with a creative director who regularly pushes back release dates and exceeds production budgets. But somehow, Ian’s rash, last-minute “noodling” always works out, ever expanding his legacy. Er, I mean his team’s legacy…
Much to the chagrin of the MQ staff, Ian isn’t great at sharing the glory. He believes that spewing out terms like “fire rain” and “blood ocean” with no context is contribution enough. And in the past, it fell on the shoulders of lead engineer Poppy Li to turn thought into virtual reality.
But after nearly losing Poppy in the first season due to the lack of recognition for her hard work, Ian promoted her to co-creative director. And together, they’re learning not only how to work together as equals but how to lead their team in a respectful and inspiring manner.
Poppy’s wasn’t the only disgruntled MQ employee, though. Executive producer David Brittlesbee is tired of being chastised by the corporate office for the pandemonium left in Ian’s creative wake. Award-winning writer C.W. Longbottom loathes Ian’s general disregard for the artistry of story-crafting. And the other cogs in the MQ machine just want to be paid overtime for the extra hours they’re logging while catering to Ian’s every whim.
One thing’s for sure: if Ian wants his (and his team’s) legacy to continue, he’ll need to figure out a way to appease not only the masses of online players but the masses of employees at MQ.
Mythic Quest is an accurate depiction of gaming culture—including everything wrong with it.
To be sure, there are many positive elements to online gaming (and to Mythic Quest)—the camaraderie, the engaging storyline, the emotional connection built between characters. But as any parent of a teenager obsessed with Fortnite knows, there are also many negatives.
Language (especially the f- and s-words), sexual innuendos and toilet humor flow just as rapidly as MQ’s in-game blood. Remember that term “blood ocean?” Yeah, the gameplay is about as gory and disturbing as it sounds. LGBTQ characters are present (and engaging in romantic relationships). And the staffers at MQ love to hate on a 14-year-old boy who goes by the streaming tag “Pootie Shoe.” They nonchalantly call him a “little s—” and don’t even realize how unprofessional their behavior towards the child is until a rival company points it out.
Mythic Quest, the game, would no doubt be rated M for mature. And the show is no different.
After returning to the MQ headquarters after spending some time in lock-down due to the coronavirus pandemic, Poppy, Ian and David struggle to come up with a name for Mythic Quest’s new expansion.
People describe sex dreams and we see some of these dreams on screen, with people lying in bed covered by blankets. (One of these scenes involves two men and another shows a man with a clone of himself.) We see a shirtless man pour milk over his chest in a “seductive” manner. Two women kiss a few times. An HR representative laments how inappropriate it is to discuss sex at work. A girl talks about whether someone is homosexual and cisgender.
People drink alcohol and encourage others to “get drunk.” There are a few sexist comments. Someone brainstorms the idea “Sea of Nazis.” A woman wearing a cross necklace compares the term “Sea of Ashes” to the “Dust of Christ.” We hear uses of the f-word, “p-ssy” and “d–n.” We also hear misuses of God’s and Christ’s names with the former occasionally paired with “d–mit.”
As MQ prepares to release its first game expansion, Poppy pushes to have her design for a simple shovel incorporated into the game.
A commercial for MQ portrays Ian shirtless, CGI characters making out and violent, bloody battles. A woman says she can get real heads (non-human) to smash in their motion-capture studio. A game avatar uses a shovel to smash heads. Ian throws things off employees’ desks in a temper tantrum. Ian says the game needs more blood.
We see an almost naked CGI woman. The MQ staff discusses the meaning of an obscene acronym referring to gamers drawing pictures of penises within the game (which we later see). A painting of a man on a wall has a window placed over the groin area. A gay woman rehearses telling her crush that she likes her. There are several graphic sexual references and jokes.
Someone drinks from a flask. A man sleeps in the office when he drinks too much. David complains about his parents’ divorce, saying that his mom called him untalented and his dad was too drunk to stand up to her.
A motion graphic of a shoe stepping in excrement accompanies Pootie Shoe’s online streaming channel. He gives a shoutout to his fans, calling the females “Pootie cuties,” the males “Pootie doodies” and the LGBTQ population “Pootie fruities.” He curses at his mom when she interrupts his recording session. And he rates games using anuses.
People lie and rudely interrupt each other. A man talks about the “gods” in the MQ storyline. We hear several uses each of the f-word and s-word, as well as “d–k,” “a–,” “whore,” “b–ch” and “h—.” God’s and Jesus’ names are misused multiple as well, once accompanied by “d–n.”
Emily studied film and writing when she was in college. And when she isn’t being way too competitive while playing board games, she enjoys food, sleep, and geeking out with her husband indulging in their “nerdoms,” which is the collective fan cultures of everything they love, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate and Lord of the Rings.
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