For four seasons, Hit Apple TV+ Comedy Mythical research has followed the disasters of a dysfunctional game studio. The last season addresses the balance of work and life through the Poppy Office pregnancy, with mixed results.
When I started looking for the first time Mythical researchI was pleasantly surprised by his thoughtful portrayal of the significant connections that people form with video games. While the show finds a lot of humor in both US office culture and game industry, it also balances its humor with a real appreciation for games as a story medium.
Throughout the seasons, I have also been impressed by the thoughtful performance of the show in real -world issues, including rampant sexism in the game industry, the abuse of parents and the neglect, and the economic impact of the Covid Pandemia. The show has demonstrated a surprising ability to run from humor to serious issues – often focusing on the pleasures and risks of very true to love what you do at work.
So far, the fourth season has continued this focus. For example in the fourth episode, the tall couple of the Rachel and Dana office become engaged and the show underlines how their personal love for each other is contrary to their interest and survival in the workplace.
I was pleasantly surprised when, at the end of the fourth episode, the show turned to pregnancy in the workplace as a new big plot. The main poppy character, played by Charlotte Nicdao, is the co-creative director and workshop at Mythical research. Without previous interest in starting a family, Poppy discovers that she is pregnant and decides to keep the baby. The plot developed when Nicdao became pregnant.
Poppy’s pregnancy is particularly compelling because, as Kayla Cobb observes wrapping“There is no part of this character that suits the expected TV archetype of a mother.” Creative and competitive, poppy – like many women – is deeply passionate about her career. After her journey as a mother who will be soon allows the show to explore many different ways that motherhood may seem.
Poppy pregnancy also gives Mythical research A compelling opportunity to explore the tension between being a good parent and a good employee. Almost immediately, poppy begins to be afraid that it will not be a good mother. Overloaded by these anxiety, she throws herself in her other “baby” – an expansion of the game she is developing at work.
As I was eager to see these tensions unfolded, I was a little disappointed with the treatment of the Poppy pregnancy. In the fifth episode, she learns that she is pregnant, but until the next episode, the story is thrown forward in her baby shower, apparently in her third trimester.
For many women, those six or more months in the middle can be challenging.
So far, the physical symptoms of poppy pregnancy have been reduced to some scenes in which she expresses disgust when she smelled of her favorite food: candy.
But pregnancy does not always work that way. The early stages can lead to severe nausea, fatigue and dizziness, among other symptoms. Even when these are not deteriorating (which can often be), they can make the productive stay more difficult. Beyond physical challenges, frequent doctor’s appointments require rest time – especially difficult for those with long hours or inappropriate hours. According to the voting by the Bipartisan Politics Center, nearly one in four mothers have considered the removal of their work due to the lack of accommodation or fear of discrimination during pregnancy.
Every pregnancy is different. Being pregnant does not necessarily change or reduce your capacities or interest in work. In fact, many pregnant employees think they need to maintain or get extra work in order to push behind harmful stereotypes that make you pregnant less capable.
But if you are fighting physical symptoms, or pushing against stereotypes and discrimination, being pregnant at work can be difficult.
While a short series likes Mythical research (With 10 episodes half an hour a season) cannot cover everything, bypassing several months of poppy pregnancy feels like a lost opportunity. The show may review this period through backwardness or choose to focus on working life tensions as Poppy approaches the end of its pregnancy. Whatever it is, I am happy to see Mythical research Addressing parenting in the workplace. Given her record, I expect that she will continue to do so with humor, depth and nuance.
The other new episode will appear on March 5 and the last episode of the fourth season will appear on March 26, 2025 on Apple TV+.