Review

Guardians of the Galaxy Episode 4: Who Needs You

We’ve made it to the point of no return. It’s the episode where Telltale usually places the most harrowing of experiences for the protagonists; they (we) are made to suffer before, seemingly succumbing to a looming threat. The same holds true for the Guardians. The exception: their main plight is self-inflicted.

“Who Needs You” deals with the aftermath of Star-Lord’s previous choices. Namely in what to do with the Eternity Forge after gaining entrance to a long-lost temple. If you remember, the team was split on what should be done. Some saw it as a means of reviving fallen loved ones. In their eyes, it was a tool to be cherished. Others, felt that its power posed a risk to the rest of the universe. Naturally they sought its destruction. The final decision was left up to Star-Lord. Which of course sucked – regardless of what was decided, some of his friends will have felt betrayed.

The situation quickly deteriorates and before you know it, our group is plummeting into the lower depths of the temple. Their morale is at an all time low as they literally hit rock bottom. Looking for a way to escape, they make their way through the caverns, all while trading jabs at each other. Guilt swells up in Gamora, hate in Rocket, regret in Drax – all of it overwhelms Mantis. And that’s before they are swallowed by a giant monster. Yes, this is the Guardians at their worst.

This episode is full of emotionally charged moments. Most of which lead to some profound revelation that highlighted various characteristics of each team member. Similar to Rocket and Gamora’s journey up until this point, the focus lingered on Drax’s past before moving back to current events. And thanks to some great writing, I was given reasons to care about his hang-ups (outside of the fact that he’s a member of the team) on a more personal level. Basically, there was strong character growth here.

The humor that permeates this entire series was better utilized in this episode. Tense moments weren’t cut short just to get out an ill-timed joke. The doom and gloom will probably confuse fans who enjoyed the sillier side of the Guardians that’s currently being portrayed in movies and such. For me though, “Who Needs You” is better because of this tonal shift. The despair adds weight to an otherwise lighthearted story; we all know that the Guardians will prevail against their foes in the final. What makes their eventual triumph better is the mere thought that they may fail, even if we know that won’t happen.

Editor’s Note: We weren’t able to review the final episode. Our writer who was reviewing this series was/is dealing with some health issues that not only delayed this review, but others as well. He did say that the last episode was great. We know that isn’t exactly a review, but that’s our final word given the situation.