Drax the Destroyer is a wonderful curiosity. He’s capable of serving up both comic relief and legitimately emotional moments. He’s a treasure of a character, and for me, easily one of the highlights of both films. We get to spend some time in his past, much in the same way that we were able to with Rocket and Gamora in the last couple of episodes. Knowing as much as we do about Drax’s backstory, you’d think that this episode’s flashback would be a haymaker to the gut. Surprisingly, what we get is a subtle, quietly tender sequence between Drax and his daughter Kamaria, as he prepares her for an upcoming rite of passage. It’s the standout sequence of this episode, and how could it not be?
Drax’s story aside, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: Episode 4 – Who Needs You is a big mess. Its closing act in particular left me aghast, and not for the reasons the writers intended. I’ll attempt to explain why without getting into spoiler territory. I understand the writers’ impulse to create drama, as well as the most common toolset of tropes and devices used in that particular endeavor. However, certain types of developments and events have to be earned through careful plotting, solid characterization, and smartly-written dialogue. My experience saw two such moments, but neither of them were even close to warranted or justified. The writers applied such an unnatural degree of force in their attempt to get the story to a very specific point, and something critical broke as a result. By the time the credits rolled, I felt like I’d stepped into someone else’s playthrough.
