Over this past weekend, while on my couch feeling like a sick potato, I searched through Netflix for a show to watch. I wanted something that had more than one season and something non-Marvel/DC related, but with a nice fanbase. One show that I knew had a cult following was Wynonna Earp, a supernatural Western horror show based on a comic book produced by IDW. I don’t often watch the Syfy channel for its sometimes low-budgeted programs and not very good acting. Still, I gave Wynonna Earp a shot and I have a lot to say.
Disclaimer
Before going any further, I would like to start by saying that if you are a fan of the show Supernatural that Wynonna Earp is something you should check out. It reminds me a lot of seasons one through three of the hit CW show, but less “monster of the week” and more of a consistent focus on demons, with the occasional other supernatural creatures coming to play. The main sisters could be slightly reflective of Sam and Dean, though Wynonna herself reminds me of Jessica Jones. With her leather jackets, heavy drinking, and brash attitude paired with her sister Waverly’s need to be special like her sister, there is a definite Jessica Jones and Trish Walker feels here.
The first episode of Wynonna Earp didn’t do much to keep me interested. Maybe it was because I hadn’t known the show was produced by the Syfy channel and I was a little flabbergasted by the clear low-budget and honestly, there were a lot of cheesy lines being delivered. The acting wasn’t great and there was a lot that was hard to take seriously. I probably just stuck with the show because there was nothing else to watch. I know that sounds harsh, but I am happy to have been proven wrong.
Just like the early days of Supernatural, Wynonna Earp feels like it is trying to figure itself out in the beginning. With so many shows out, it’s hard to be original. The “family business” aspect to the Earp sisters is almost exactly akin to the Winchesters. Wynonna puts down demons with a revolve called the Peacemaker. For the Supernatural fans out there, doesn’t this sound like the Colt revolver Dean and Sam needed to kill demons? Wynonna’s “I don’t care about anyone just kidding I care a lot” attitude is exactly familiar to Jessica Jones. There’s even a scuffle between Wynonna and Agent Dolls that reminds me a lot of a fight Jessica and Luke had in Jessica Jones season one.
I Was Wrong
Regardless of this, I watched both seasons of the show in one weekend. The first season is on Netflix, so I bought the second one on the Play Store. This is because no matter how much I wanted to say the show was corny or a ripoff, I found myself wanting more. I found myself watching one episode after another, wanting to know what happened next. I even teared up quite a bit the second season, where I really felt the plot got a lot better and now I’m upset there’s no season three yet.
The Characters
The characters are the heart of the show. Sure, you care a little bit about the plot, but the Earp heir/curse, triangle, Black Badge, etc. can be a little confusing at times. It’s really the people in the show who you keep showing up for, because as strange as some of them could be separate, they’re really spectacular to watch together.
- The Earp Sisters. Wynonna (played by Melanie Scrofano) didn’t initially pull me in. I came to realize that what was refreshing about this show was that it didn’t take itself seriously and over time, Wynonna’s occasional corny line became whimsical. In the second season, we see more of a dimension to her character instead of being one-sided. Her love for her younger sister Waverly (Dominique Provost-Chalkley) becomes more wholesome and relatable as the show goes on. Waverly is also a nice beckon of light in the show, who for the most part doesn’t lose her positive edge. And by showcasing her relationship with Office Nicole Haught so openly, I feel like Wynonna Earp has done something a lot of shows can’t: have a healthy, open lesbian relationship that is not exploited nor with anyone trying to break them up for a man.
- Doc Holliday. Maybe because I am from New York or the Northeast, I had no idea who the real Doc Holliday was. Now that I know, I love the inclusion of the “wild, wild west” lore; it reminds me ever so slightly of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. While it may seem strange to have a man from the past still speaking like we’re in 1882 or even dressing in his old-fashion clothes, Tim Rozon’s performance as Doc Holliday him one of my two favorite characters on the show. Well-rounded, flawed, loyal, and funny, Doc’s development and story arc gets more interesting with every passing episode. I’ve come to feel like he is an integral part of the cast and the show would lose a lot of its whimsy without him. Also, I just so badly want him and Wynonna together and I rarely “ship” characters on shows.
- Fire With a Side of Habanero. Essentially the “straight man” in the show, Deputy Marshall Xavier Dolls (Shamier Anderson) was really intriguing from the start. Coming in as what seemed like a normal law officer, we find out his involvement in an organization called Black Bade is very X-Files reminiscent. He and Wynonna are extremely important in the fight against demons and just when you thought he was possibly the normal one in the group, he too is hiding an unearthly secret that comes in handy more than one occasion. There’s a well-established love triangle between Dolls, Doc, and Wynonna, but Dolls and Doc still have each other’s backs in the fight against evil.
- The Demon. Just like Mark Sheppard’s Crowley stole every scene he was in while in Supernatural, Michael Eklund definitely takes the spotlight as Bobo Del Rey. Eklund’s work as Dimi 2 in Netflix’s Altered Carbon was another push for me to watch Wynonna Earp. Eklund did not disappoint. Bobo is eccentric, unpredictable, and has more layers than any friggin onion. The leader of all the demons (revenants) involved in the Earp curse, his true plans involving Wynonna’s older, presumably dead sister Willa shows a new side to Bobo; he’s not just a mindless demon. Season two’s eighth episode gave us a very wide window view of who Bobo was before his death, as well as Doc. I hope we get to see even more of Bobo in season three. Also, he’s the most stylish one in the show.
Now that we have established all of the main characters in this funky show, I should probably end this long review. What you should take away from this is that Wynonna Earp may have its flaws, but it’s a show that has a lot of unexpected gems in it. Not every show needs to be dark and brooding when it comes to the supernatural and their focus on the characters rather than anything else is what makes it worth watching.
Wynonna Earp’s third season is set to air July 20th of this year.
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