Borderlands 3's latest DLC titled Guns, Love, and Tentacles: The Marriage of Wainwright and Hammerlock has two moving parts: the aforementioned marriage, as well as the relationship between Gaige and Deathtrap, and the Lovecraftian mechanics. It has been years, literally, since players saw Gaige the Mechromancer in Borderlands 2, with 7 years also passing in game and the real word (as far as the release date is concerned). This means that she's no longer a teenager but a young adult, and when players meet her in the DLC, it's fitting. Due to the nature of Gaige's role in Borderlands 3, it is impossible to discuss the character without there being MAJOR SPOILERS for the latest DLC.
These changes to her character don't go unnoticed, yet still reflect the anarchy-loving tech-savvy character that fans fell in love with in BL2. So much so, in fact, that Gaige steals the thunder away from Wainwright and Hammerlock, with the Mechromancer taking center stage throughout the Borderlands 3 DLC as the candy in many player's eyes.
Where Has Gaige Been?
Players first meet Gaige in the starting mission of Borderlands 3's Guns, Love, and Tentacles DLC where she crash lands before them and promises to escort them to the party. From hereon, players learn more and more about Gaige as a character and where she has been for the last seven years. In short, she's been on the run for the "smallest amount of murder," but managed to get Wedding Planner certification on the ECHOnet.
Gaige has always been a bit eccentric about those she has a crush on, and it's clear that this part of her character does not fade. She used to have a crush on Hammerlock and muses that Wainwright doesn't seem to be the perfect fit for him, though this seems to come from the aforementioned affections and is a dominant theme throughout. Yet she also develops a thing for Eista, a new super-macho-but-honor-bound Hunter met on Borderlands 3's new planet Xylourgos. There are even more quips that show has she has grown as a character, from impersonations of most big characters to comments about her no longer being a teenager.
It also seems she has upgraded Deathtrap throughout the years (as to be expected), but this actually comes in the form of a Margarita mixer, a omelette maker, and so on. Gaige is actually intoxicated at several points throughout the story, which makes the transition period so much more real. Tiny Tina isn't so Tiny any more, and Gaige is all grown-up as well. These moments in the Borderlands 3 DLC may seem small, but for fans of the franchise, this realization is real—especially at the climax of the story.
Gaige and Deathtrap: Till Death Do We Part
Gaige makes it a point that Deathtrap is all she has, likely having been on the run and seeing few familiar faces over the past seven years. It seems impossible, but her relationship with Deathtrap feels so much more real in this DLC as opposed to a manufactured byproduct. She called Deathtrap "Babe" on occasion in the second game, but every time a player turns around, that's how she refers to Deathtrap throughout the entire DLC. Much like Wainwright and Hammerlock, it's an undeniable love in this Borderlands 3 DLC, even if it is a different kind of love.
But whereas one would think Hammerlock and Wainwright are at the fore of the DLC's climax, they're not. Gearbox has always been a master of manipulating heartstrings: when Roland died and Tiny Tina had to deal with his death in the Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep D&D DLC, it was truly heart-breaking. When characters had to kill Bloodwing, it was breath-taking (and not in a good way). When Maya died, fans were enraged; at Lilith's death, fans were shocked (to some degree or another). And Gearbox teased this with the climax of the DLC.
Deathtrap attempts to charge himself with the power of a ship and Gythian's heart, which from the get-go sounds like a bad idea. It almost immediately turns Deathtrap red and fans think that they'll have to fight him. Gaige's confidence in him doesn't break...until it does. At one point, it seems he absorbed too much and couldn't be saved, that the plan went awry, and that players just watched Deathtrap die. Gaige's heart-break, her voice begging for Deathtrap to be okay...is all too much. It's almost enough to put down the controller and step away from Borderlands 3.
Thank the video game lords, though, as Deathtrap powers back up not too long after as Deathtrap 2.0. The joy returns to Gaige's voice and all turns out okay. There's no doubt though that if Gearbox reached into the coldest depths of its heart that this would have been one of the most heartbreaking video game deaths of all time, and fans of the pair would have likely rioted. Every relationship gets tested in this Borderlands 3 DLC, as either way, it's clear that Gaige and Deathtrap share a love, however platonic, that doesn't typically get captured in a video game.
Hammerlock and Wainwright have their doubts but ultimately come together as they know they belong to one another. It's cute seeing Hammerlock swoon over calling Wainwright his husband, and there's no doubt that this DLC captures their wedding beautifully. This wasn't likely due to any real plans by their wedding planner, though, as she and Deathtrap steal the show at the end of the day.
Borderlands 3 is out now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
