Apple has confirmed that the original version of the Mythic Quest season four finale has been removed from the Apple TV+ platform, with a re-cut ending now live on the service.
The streaming service replaced the original cliffhanger ending to the episode ‘Heaven and Hell’ with a new version that ties up many of the hit show about game developers’ loose ends.
Why? Because the series was cancelled last week and won’t be getting a fifth season at all. The Side Quest spin-off was also cancelled, so there’s nothing new in the pipeline from the Mythic Quest stable, on the best TVs.
After announcing the cancellation Apple did something rather unprecedented in the streaming world – it allowed the producers to re-edit the finale to reflect a last ever episode, rather than act as bridge to the presumed next season.
“Endings are hard. But after four incredible seasons, Mythic Quest is coming to a close. We’re so proud of the show and the world we got to build—and deeply grateful to every cast and crew member who poured their heart into it,” the creators Megan Ganz, David Hornsby, and Rob McElhenney said in a statement.
“To all our fans, thank you for playing with us. To our partners at Apple, thank you for believing in the vision from the very beginning,” the showrunners said in a statement (via Deadline).”
The added: “Because endings are hard, with Apple’s blessing we made one final update to our last episode—so we could say goodbye, instead of just game over.”
So for those users who did not catch the fourth season finale after it aired on March 26, you might not ever get to see the original ending.
Opinion
That’s one advantage of streaming isn’t it? You don’t have to wait until it comes out on DVD or other physical media to send out a new version.
But should there be a new version anyway? Mightn’t it have been better for Apple to offer both versions and let the original vision for the season finale play out rather than remove it entirely?
George Lucas has copped hell for his constant messing with Star Wars down the years. Few fans would argue the special editions and other tweaks improved upon the original product, which is now a lot harder to find.
I’m not sure I’m a fan of the revisionist approach Apple has taken here, but if the showrunners are happy with the outcome then its probably best to trust their judgement.
