James Gunn is breaking my heart again with Creature Commandos episode 4, yet I can't get enough

EntertainmentTVAction ShowsDC TV ShowsCreature CommandosJames Gunn is breaking my heart again with Creature Commandos episode 4, yet I can’t get enoughWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. EntertainmentTVAction ShowsDC TV ShowsCreature CommandosJames Gunn is breaking my heart again with Creature Commandos episode 4, yet I can’t get enoughWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. (Image credit: DC Studios) James Gunn, I’m begging you, please stop breaking my heart. Please stop making me fall in love with weird little guys who have the most traumatic backstories possible before showing me that things are even more tragic than I thought. Please stop enlisting actors like your very own brother Sean to decimate my emotional peace. I’m literally begging you. Please stop crafting emotionally resonant, deeply affecting portrayals of strange characters who wiggle their way into our consciousness before laying bare some greater truth of the human condition. Please stop making superhero fiction that transcends its form with its focus on character development. I’m actually, sincerely, very seriously begging you. Because if there are two things James Gunn has proven he’s great at in superhero storytelling, it’s bringing together a group of misfit anti-heroes who gradually reveal their hearts of gold as they become an unlikely family, and torturing my emotions. See, I just watched episode 4 of Creature Commandos, ‘Chasing Squirrels,’ which digs into the backstory of the notoriously animalistic Weasel, showing the real truth behind the child murders of which he’s accused. And goodness gracious, I don’t think I’ve cried this much over an irascible anthropomorphic animal since Rocket’s brutally sad backstory in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Here’s your customaryspoiler warningas I explain exactly why this episode is so heart-wrenching. Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox In ‘Chasing Squirrels,’ we flashback to Weasel’s pre-Task Force X days, when he was living in the wilderness. We catch up to him spying on a group of children playing on their school’s playground, when the kids catch sight of Weasel. Though it first seems like he might be a threat to them, given his reputation as a child murderer, instead he starts playing with them, quickly bonding with the children. Things go awry when they realize their school is actually unlocked and they begin playing inside. The kids wind up the basement with Weasel, where a groundskeeper spots them all frolicking inside the school. Mistaking Weasel as being a danger to the kids, he follows them in with his gun, leading to a series of events in which the school’s boiler explodes, burning most of the kids alive as Weasel desperately tries to save them. (Image credit: DC Studios) I’m admittedly a little bit sensitive when it comes to kids and animals in danger, but jeez louise… poor Weasel and his little pals. First my special guy GI Robot gets blasted into smithereens, now this? It’s the most gut-wrenching story yet in a series that is shaping up to be all about how tragedy and trauma shape our perceptions, and who among us in society is dubbed a “monster” and why. In other words, it’s exactly the kind of story that Gunn and his co-creators excel in telling. I’ve been laying it on pretty thick here, but it’s the powerful emotional dichotomy of showing us a little monster guy who makes no sense and then showing us exactly how he reflects our humanity and our fragility that made The Suicide Squad work so well, which made Peacemaker such a terrific follow-up, and which is perhaps most effective yet in Creature Commandos. So yes, please, James Gunn, stop breaking my heart. Or, you could ignore my fraught emotional state, my abiding pleas, and continue on filling your little superhero shows and movies with a deeper emotional core that gives them a special resonance and a viewing quality beyond all the cool guys flying around. I guess you know best at this point. Creature Commandos is streaming weekly on Max. For our verdict on the new show, check out ourCreature Commandos review. For more, check out our list of all theupcoming DC movies and showsyou need to know about, or, check out our guide to thebest Max showsto stream right now. 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review: “A whole lot of game in a small package"3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure"4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years"5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths"1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands"5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS 1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 1 Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension” 2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 2 Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 3 Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4 Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5 Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2 Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3 Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4 The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5 Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 1 Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat” 2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 2 Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses” 3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 3 Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 4 Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” 5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” 5 Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”