SO LONG, FRIEND
‘Mythic Quest’ bids a fond farewell to CW Longbottom
IT’S always interesting when a show announces one of its regulars won’t be returning. “Mythic Quest” finds itself in that situation at the start of Season 3, the first installment after F. Murray Abraham’s announced departure. But as is often the case with this show, it’s not how Abraham was written off but the tenderness of his departure that’s surprising.
Season 3, which premiered Nov. 11, starts with a pitch-perfect sendoff for its walking legal liability, a departure that simultaneously embraces how controversial Abraham’s C.W. Longbottom was while also paying tribute to his hidden tenderness.
What Chevy Chase was to “Community,” Abraham has been to “Mythic Quest.” The writer of this series’ titular game, C.W. was a washed-up fantasy author who was a walking headache for HR. He often hit on his far younger female coworkers and made racially and sexually insensitive jabs. C.W. was never quite a racist, misogynist or a homophobe. But he accidentally toed that line more often than not. That’s why the season premiere, “Across the Universe” depicts a party for this man as a chore for his coworkers. It’s also why it’s so unexpected that his death brings
them all together.
Most of the episode shows various pairs bickering with one another as they prepare for C.W.’s party. Ian (Rob McElhenney) and Poppy (Charlotte Nicdao) argue about how much money they should take for their new game company. David (David Hornsby ) and Carol (Naomi Ekperigin) butt heads over what it means to be a corporate figurehead. Jo (Jennis Ennis) yells at everyone. You get the idea; no one wants to be at this party. Tensions are high when David takes the stage to read a note from the man of the hour.
“If you are hearing these words I am already dead. That’s right; dead as Dillinger, daddio,” David reads in mounting disbelief. As the letter reveals, C.W. received what he called an “unfortunate prognosis” and set about ending his life in a truly original way. That meant copying the end of “Thelma & Louise” and … launching his remains into space? But hey, the man was never great at pop culture or originality.
In this final letter, C.W. atones for his sins that were uncovered. He admits that a lot of his work was stolen, a secret that was uncovered in the superb “Backstory!” He quotes the brilliant woman who used to be his friend, A.E. (Shelley Hennig). But the point of this final letter isn’t about forgiveness but gratitude. “I let my hubris convince me that I didn’t need friends, that success was the only thing that mattered, that I was better off alone. I was wrong. And if I had to do it all over again I wouldn’t change a thing because that mistake led me to you, my MQ family,” David reads. “Do not weep for me because I go to my rest as so few men do — content. So if I may, one final word of advice: Hold onto each other for as long as you can because that’s all there is.” Oftentimes when a show kills off a major character, it’s clumsy or oddly vindictive. This death is neither. C.W. has always been a great unifier for “Mythic Quest.” Even when characters were at each other’s throats, they could typically all agree that C.W. was worse. It’s lovely that his death could use that unexpected superpower one last time to impart some of the wisdom old age grants us all.