Wynonna Earp is one of those slow burn kind of shows that sneaks up on viewers. One minute you’re watching Wynonna (Melanie Scrofano) spout off the history of the Earp Curse with more than a little reservation in your heart. Before you know it, you’re punching your fist to the sky as she levels Peacemaker, the mystical family gun, in the face of another demon or “revenant” as she delivers a hysterical and withering oneliner and sends them back to hell. As with any genre show, Wynonna Earp requires a suspension of disbelief and a trust in the logic and worldbuilding behind the show, but the excellent first two seasons certainly earned the audience’s trust. As we barrel headfirst into sesaon three, the SyFy Original shows no signs of slowing down.
Wynonna has always been a bit of a raw nerve, the weight of the Earp Curse resting uneasily on her shoulders, but the devastating season two finale has left our snarky leader in a darker place than usual. After sending away her and Doc Holiday’s (Tim Rozon) daughter in an attempt to keep her safe, Wynonna is attempting to heal that wound by picking fights and drinking heavily. You know, the Earp way. However, with the ominous approach of Bulshar, the demon that cursed her forefather so many years ago, she, unfortunately, has to face up to another familial rough patch: her mother.
Yes, the Earp matriarch who has long been rumored to have skipped town when Waverly was a child is less unfeeling and more incarcerated than expected. Played with more than a hint of mania by Meghan Fellowes (where are my Anne of Green Gables fans?), Michelle will likely have a pivotal presence in the season going forward. She knows more about Bulshar than anyone, and Wynonna Earp is sure to once again delve into the complexities of motherhood as Michelle learns more about the children that she left behind to protect. Waverly (Dominique Provost-Chalkley) has struggled with her identity in the past seasons, so here’s hoping that her mother can bring some clarity to her status as an Earp. While Wynonna has made it clear that Waverly is her sister, shared blood or not, the sweetest Earp certainly deserves the answers that she’s seeking. It can’t just be cuteness and domestic bliss with Officer Haught (Katherine Barrell). Actually, scratch that. It can. Please let them be adorable and in love forever.
In between all of the family drama, Team Earp also has to deal with the Cult of Bulshar rolling into town, bringing in a familiar sort of baddie that has yet to be seen on the show: vampires. Wynonna Earp brilliantly sends up the sexy vampire trope that has completely permeated pop culture, making the town swoon over the sensual villains who arrive in a blur of purple smoke and high fashion. As they glamour their way through Purgatory making seemingly-willing slaves, those who are not quite human — namely Wynonna, Doc, and Agent Dolls (Shamier Anderson) — are somehow able to resist their spell and plan a rescue mission. If these sexy harbingers of doom are any indication of Bulshar’s threat, our heroes are going to have their hands full.
What makes Wynonna Earp work as well as it does, though, is the cast. Yes, the writing is good and the world building is fun, but the group dynamic is so spectacular that you truly believe in this team. Sure, they’re dedicated to ridding the Ghost River Triangle of revenants and protecting the town of Purgatory from whatever demons may wander into town, but they’re also dedicated to each other, no matter what form their relationships take on at the time. And at the heart of that team is Scrofano who, in a just world, would have Emmys thrown at her for her ferocious and quippy Wynonna. I get it, genre shows are almost never given awards consideration, but Scrofano emotes in such a beautifully subtle way and can deliver any ridiculous line about demon hunting in such a manner that you just believe her. As Wynonna attempts to carry on after the devastation of losing her child at the end of season two, Scrofano will plumb the emotional depths of a broken woman who is slowly piecing herself back together with duct tape, whiskey, and the support of her found family.
Wynonna Earp‘s dedication to being dramatic as hell without losing a bit of fun or insanity appears to carry through the season, with the team immediately being plunged into chaos. While the comparisons to Buffy The Vampire Slayer are inevitable — an ass-kicking, quick-witted chosen one who has a special weapon to waste demons — Wynonna Earp has really become its own thing as it goes on. While it is completely underrated, Wynonna Earp occupies a unique place in the television landscape: the drama that doesn’t take itself too seriously or become too unrelentingly dark. If you haven’t been able to build up the emotional fortitude for The Handmaid’s Tale or The Leftovers, Wynonna Earp is a balm for your fun-starved soul.
Wynonna Earp premieres on Friday, July 20 at 8:00 p.m. on SyFy.
