Streaming Wars is a weekly opinion column by IGN’s Streaming Editor, Amelia Emberwing. Check out the final entry Did Daredevil: Born Again Just Confirm A Popular Foggy Nelson Fan Theory?
This column entry accommodates spoilers for the collection finale of Mythic Quest.
For those that could have missed it, Mythic Quest, Apple TV+’s fantastically bizarre present a couple of sport studio and its tousled management, has come to an finish. Apple TV+ introduced that the collection was cancelled after Season 4’s, uh, polarizing season finale about two weeks after it aired on March 26, leaving followers of the present someway extra pissed off than they have been earlier than. As a results of the cancellation, Apple TV+ has determined to tug the unique ending solely, changing it with a distinct finale meant to “tie up free ends”. But the change isn’t solely unsuccessful, it additionally continues an unpleasant precedent in streaming.
The authentic finale was met with blended response attributable to a sudden kiss between leads Ian (Rob McElhenney) and Poppy (Charlotte Nicdao). Some discovered the out of the blue smooch jarring, whereas others have been ready the length of the collection for it to lastly occur. But the true ire got here when followers realized that the stunning second wouldn’t have any followup after the collection’ messy leads lastly made out. The authentic plan had been that Mythic Quest Season 5 would discover the fallout of Ian and Poppy’s kiss.
With future episodes off the desk, collection producers Megan Ganz, David Hornsby and Rob McElhenney issued a joint assertion that ended with “Because endings are onerous, with Apple’s blessing we made one remaining replace to our final episode — so lets say goodbye, as a substitute of simply sport over.”
The up to date episode, launched on April 18, removes the controversial kiss, swapping it out for a hug and returning Ian and Poppy to their beforehand present establishment as they plan to proceed work on their sport growth. Is the brand new ending extra palatable? Perhaps. But nobody has ever as soon as described finale — season or collection — as palatable. Big swings may not all the time work however they’re, at the very least, all the time attention-grabbing. The replace does nothing to assuage the frustration of the cancellation and, worse nonetheless, the unique ending now not exists on Apple TV+ in any respect. This signifies that the change to the ending doesn’t simply imply the collection involves an in depth with a whisper as a substitute of a bang, it additionally opens a sophisticated can of worms in relation to film and TV curation and streaming as an entire.
Ultimately, the truth that Poppy and Ian work as characters due to their sophisticated platonic relationship doesn’t find yourself being what’s most essential right here. Hell, even the truth that they made a weaker ending for his or her collection isn’t even the most important problem. It’s that the unique ending was eliminated solely that leaves me with a lot concern. Alternate endings existed lengthy earlier than streaming, although they’re principally relegated to movie reasonably than tv. But eradicating entry to the unique ending solely is a separate can of worms, yet another akin to what Max and Netflix have been as much as as they’ve began disappearing movies and tv collection from their respective platforms.
When you exist solely in a digital house, erasure from platforms means that you just stop to exist. Though there’s an opportunity that Apple TV+ ultimately decides so as to add the unique ending again or provide it later in particular options ought to the collection ever get a bodily launch, its present non-existence continues a irritating pattern in digital media. Having a boring ending is obnoxious in and of itself, however realizing that there was one other one which dared to take a danger even when that danger didn’t finally pan out? Infuriating!
