Mythic Quest cleverly turns an Agatha Christie homage into its most romantic episode yet

Standalone episodes in seasons one and two emphasized that romances are doomed when professional ambitions get in the way. Doc (Jake Johnson) and Beans’ (Cristin Milioti) marriage imploded in “Dark Quiet Death” when his greed overtook their joint video-game passion. And later on, a young C.W. Longbottom (Josh Brener) gave up on a crush and a friend when they criticized his writing in “Backstory!” Compared to these heartbreaking half-hours, “The Villain’s Feast” is a lovely change of pace. Though the Christie homage is the conceit here, the episode drives home the point that creative and romantic successes might both be attainable. 

As soon as everyone arrives on the island decked to the nines, Dana makes the on-the-nose observation that “this feels like a place where celebrities get married.” Rachel is the most excited about what suspense the day holds while the rest of the team tries to figure out the identity of the mysterious host. She cleverly pieces together that Dana’s ruse is for her benefit. But she doesn’t surmise the motive until the ring box is out. Cue the gasps from their friends and those of us sitting at home in a proposal reminiscent of Jake and Amy’s in Brooklyn Nine-Nine. 

MQ uses this as an opportunity to solidify Dana and Rachel’s commitment despite being on opposite sides of the company. Dana evolved into a star coder thanks to Cozy Galaxy’s success, but Rachel took time to figure out her place at MQ before settling into a gig as executive director David’s (David Hornsby) right-hand woman this season. And this put the two in a bit of an art-vs.-corporate-interests conflict, with the pair squaring off about, say, raises. But MQ mostly draws clear boundaries to make their relationship work, a stark contrast to the angst with which Poppy (Charlotte Nicdao) and Ian (Rob McElhenney) usually operate. And in fact, “The Villain’s Feast” signals a shift in Poppy and Ian’s intimate, platonic bond now that he has given his blessing to her new relationship with Storm (Chase Yi). 

Speaking of, the episode also drops the wild news that Poppy might be pregnant. Her potential motherhood—can you even imagine?—is another sign that Mythic Quest is keen to explore its protagonists’ relatively softer sides this season. It’s about damn time, especially considering that almost none of them have had serious relationships. Ian’s genuine concern for Poppy, David, and Carol’s (Naomi Ekperigin) respective loneliness, as well as Brad’s (Danny Pudi) support of “Fun Dave,” are welcome surprises—and perhaps indicators of what tones the show has in store. All of this good spirit comes to a head at the end of the episode as Mitski’s beautiful “My Love Mine All Mine” plays and the team proudly toasts Dana and Rachel (and the show, in turn, caps off its most romantic episode yet).