“I Am Groot” is Marvel’s most non-Marvel production to date. With no dialogue, the show takes baby Groot from one adventure to another while exploring different sides of his character, i.e., sweet, intelligent, feisty, and punchy. The show is set between the events of “Guardians of the Galaxy” Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 and shows Groot as he grows from a sapling.
Spoilers Ahead
‘First Steps’ Recap
In this episode, we see baby Groot, born and taken care of by two drones after the death of Groot at the end of “Guardians of the Galaxy” Vol. 1. However, very soon, he is disregarded by the drones, who then begin to take care of another relatively bigger house plant. This Groot doesn’t like it at all. He then decides to fight with the plant, which ends with him taking the plant down with him to the ground, which breaks both their pots in which they were kept. While it frees Groot, who realizes that he has legs, the plant is uprooted from the soil inside its pot and thus dies. Groot is happy to find out about his feet, but he makes sure that the plant doesn’t feel alone either (which is although dead). He makes the plant sit beside him, and they both enjoy a view of the space from their ship.
‘The Small And The Little’ Recap
Groot builds a tower for himself out of little figs, but it is soon destroyed by a Vyloo. In the middle of expressing his anger, he finds a stone underneath which is a miniature Grunds civilization. As soon as the little blue beings see him, they take him as a threat and attack him. In a sudden fit of fear, Groot farts out a leaf that is nothing but food for the Grunds. As they start eating it, Groot rushes to bring more leaves for them, but while returning, he crushes them under his feet. Saddened, he puts the stone back over them and runs away. A minute later, one by one, the blue beings come out of the ground, proving that they are still alive.
‘Magnum Opus’ Recap
Groot’s aim to draw a portrait of his entire “guardian” family leads to trouble when he accidentally blows a hole inside the ship. The portrait is made using real-world objects, including a handful of Rocket Raccoon’s tail hair. But by the time Rocket realizes it after Groot shows him the portrait, it is too late as he is sucked into the hole and thrown out into space, perhaps. Groot slides away on Drax’s soap, another object he used for his portrait.
‘Dance Off’ Recap
Aboard the Quadrant, Groot hears a spooky noise and tries to track its point of origin. He ultimately finds that it is coming from an Iwua, a semi-liquid “flubber” Groot, who challenges him to a dance-off. They ultimately start dancing together while Flubber Groot starts giving the real Groot some advice on dance skills, unaware of the fact that Groot has something else in mind. He leads his flubber self towards a portion of the Quadrant that apparently acts as the depressurizing zone and jettisons him into space.
‘The Great Bath’ Recap
Groot discovers a bath in the middle of a jungle and is mesmerized further when the mud from the swamp he is bathing in allows him to grow leaves all over himself. As he tries out different looks, the mud slowly runs out. He sits sadly while a colorful squirrel laughs at him. The next thing we see is Groot walking away with colorful fur around his neck while the squirrel is left almost naked and shivering.
Easter Eggs: Explained
Vyloo and Grunds: In The Little Guy, Groot’s newly made twig tower is taken over by a Vyloo. We saw them in the second volume of “Guardians of the Galaxy” sitting atop one of Berhert’s tree branches near the Milano crash site. We then come across a tiny blue alien race known as the Grunds. In the Marvel comics, however, they are yellow-colored creatures, looking quite like humans.
Iwua: In Groot’s Pursuit, we meet an Iwua, which is a shape-shifting slimy alien.
Peter Quill’s Backpack: At the beginning of Magnum Opus, we see a backpack. It is the same one that Peter Quill had on him the night he was abducted in “Guardians of the Galaxy” Vol. 1. From inside the bag, Groot pulls out an Alf comic. It is a real Alf comic issue (#4) from 1988, which makes sense as it was around that time when Peter was abducted.
The Portrait: In Magnum Opus, we see Drax’s soap and Peter Quill’s boots, both used by Groot to create his portrait. The portrait seems to be a reminder of the moment he saved his fellow Guardians (the “We Are Groot moment”) in “Guardians of the Galaxy” Vol. 1. This means that Groot might still retain some of the memories, although vaguely.
‘I Am Groot’ Explained: Are Groot’s Experiences Random?
His experiences are random, but they do show him growing up. Groot’s First Steps shows him being born and learning how to walk. The Little Guy shows that he is big. In other words, he is growing up. Magnum Opus shows him learning new skills. Groot’s Pursuit shows him sharpening his senses and fighting (a dance-off much like Starlord in Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy”) to prove himself better. And finally, Groot Takes a Bath shows Groot’s first act of revenge.
There is a dark humor that lies beneath the visible fun and amusement. We see death, we see regret, we see rage, and we see revenge as well. All these are what make Groot more akin to us humans than we can realize. Another thing to consider is that Groot is a plant, a Flora Colossus. We all know that plants are living things just like us. And to show a plant experiencing all these emotions is to give a whole new meaning to life as we know it. In the comics, Groot is the biggest and most powerful member of the Guardians. Here, we see him in his most vulnerable state. Maybe there is a Groot in all of us, too, a vulnerable child that is restless, looking for new things all the time only to end up in unusual situations, feeling glad and happy during times, and angry, regretful, and vengeful during others.
All five episodes of “I Am Groot” are now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
