Wynonna Earp Season 3 Episode 11 and 12 Review: Daddy Lessons and War Paint
Olivia Popp
at
.
Updated at
.
Well, it has officially all drawn to a close -- Wynonna Earp Season 3 is complete. But what a whirlwind it has been!
Wynonna Earp Season 3 Episode 11 let us get our feet wet into the secrets that the Wynonna Earp world holds, particularly the careful hints that have been laid out this whole time surrounding Julian and Waverly's angerly heritage.
And without a doubt, Wynonna Earp Season 3 Episode 12 was the most action-packed, tying-up-loose-ends episode this show has ever had (and one of the most jam-packed yet still cohesively crafted episodes I've ever seen!).
From the incredible shoot-out scene to the multiple emotional death scenes and moments of utter desperation, this episode showed us the peak of what Wynonna Earp can and should be.
If you think about it, there were so many clues surrounding Waverly's background that should have clicked. The show is about demons and hell, and Bobo kept saying that Waverly was his angel.
Nicole: Besides, I would be terrible at keeping Waverly anywhere. She can convince me to do anything.
Wynonna: Get a blazing phoenix tattoo all up your butt?
Wynonna also calls Waverly "angel pants," and Michelle also called Waverly her angel. All the signals -- how did we miss them?
Now that the season is over, a hearty re-watch is in order -- we can't miss the incredible path that was laid out by Emily Andras and the writers. It's brilliant.
Maybe Julian was a bit of a surprise. There wasn't much to ultimately suggest that Charlie was, in fact, Julian -- not much about his memory was brought up previously.
However, a mystery character like that was bound to be revealed as an existing character, and in retrospect, Charlie seems like the only viable option. Some people suspected Juan Carlo, but given his absence this season, it seemed unlikely.
His lack of traditional aging also helped to fool audiences -- and, of course, his involvement with Wynonna. There's so much amusing intergenerational relationship-building that the show begins to laugh at itself.
Wynonna: Let’s blow this Bulshar stand.
Mercedes: Ew, don’t say “blow” and “Bulshar” in the same sentence.
The ending of the season gets a bit messy when it tries to set itself up for the next season (what's with Waverly not being able to get out but Doc being able to go in?), but the perfect chaos of the other two hours simply makes up for it.
It's great to also see old jokes brought back including Wynonna's ass being top-shelf and Nicole smelling like vanilla-dipped donuts.
Wynonna: I'm just the girl with the big-ass -- ass.
Nicole: Girl.
Wynonna: You're right, them boots is tight.
Nicole: Top-shelf.
By the way, we should really get more Kate and Nicole, if we can -- two strong women that stray away from Wynonna's brand of sarcasm make for a badass combo.
Oh look, it’s the world’s worst Sons of Anarchy cosplayers.
Wynonna
It's impressive how well the plots were all finally explained and backstory began to sneak itself in. Doc's vampirism also finally came in handy, even if his trustworthiness is still hard to believe -- did he get over Julian's blood that fast or did Julian knock Doc out of it?
Even small easter eggs like Keith the revenant and Nedley pulling out the shotgun were such treats for devoted viewers. It's things like this that really round out the world and make it feel real and full.
Waverly: I thought I had lost you.
Nicole: No! I’m just having some baby carrots!
We also finally got reasons behind Bulshar's appearance in the Ghost River Triangle, the full origin of the curse and Wyatt Earp, and the religious mythology. It somehow all clicked in a way that was unexpected but inevitable -- the best way to go.
Related: Enjoy UNLIMITED access to thousands of Movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video. WATCH ANYWHERE. CANCEL ANYTIME!
It's very interesting to see all the religious elements get tied into a show that is particularly heavily rooted in a fantasy element -- but in many ways, it's not at all a stretch.
Waverly: This is bigger than you.
Wynonna: I’ll tell you what’s bigger than you — me!
The ideas of hell and demons have been there from the start -- it's the angels and some of the familiar elements that some people don't regard as fantasy that make the show so special.
Wynonna Earp has started branching into a particularly unique form of fantasy that encroaches upon what we see as reality -- even imagery of the flaming sword in the stairs evokes King Arthur and sword in the stone.
Waverly: I really, really love you.
Nicole: And I really, really hate this ring.
It's possible that Bobo said that Waverly was kin given that she was an angel, and he's a demon. It's a bit of a stretch, but Bobo's storyline is finally closed, courtesy of a few beautiful scenes with Dominique Provost-Chalkley and Michael Eklund.
Wynonna: I’m glad you’re here if it’s going down.
Waverly: I’m yelling timber.
It would've been nice to see Mama Earp again, although I'm hoping she might make an appearance next season to mourn Julian or rejoin the group. Given that she sought Julian, maybe she'll come back eventually and potentially leave again out of sadness.
Related: Get Showtime via Prime Video Channels for Award-Winning Original Series, Hit Movies, Sports & More!
The shootout scene was something that Wynonna Earp has never brought on that level. Sure, there's been BBD shootouts, but the intensity and the level of grittiness were a dynamic and tone that audiences have never seen -- and it really worked.
It brought a certain urgency and desperation to those moments that were essentially reminiscent of war films -- of sacrifice, loss, and glory. Although the beekeepers are often a bit cheesy, the armor and realness of their threat expanded during that scene.
Wynonna Earp could have ended after Wynonna killed Bulshar, but now, with another season, the ending tacked on was a perfect segue into the next storyline.
Related: Get Comic Con HQ via Prime Video Channels to Stream Original Series, Past Comic-Con Panels & More!
The show seems to be building to something more, something beyond the Ghost River Triangle, and something entirely beyond anything we've ever seen.
Waverly: And, you know, your hair looks great.
Wynonna: Yeah, but is it end-of-the-world great?
It'll be sad to see that Wynonna's gun-slinging days with the revenants are potentially over, but all in all, maybe that's a good thing. We've had a solid three seasons (or maybe more like two-and-a-half) centered on revenants, and it's time for growth and change.
I'm extremely happy that these two episodes were so utterly filled with content, hitting us with scene after scene of character-filled drama and drawing our characters ever closer into the Earp legacy.
Plus, it wouldn't be Wynonna Earp without a good helping of sex jokes and crude comments -- and even with all of the somber and hard-hitting emotional content, it's often the humor that gets me most.
I’ll take that as a “yas queen!”
Wynonna
So for now, we say goodbye to our faithful Purgatory friends, our loyal Syfy allies, and the characters and the world we love with all our hearts -- until 2019. It'll come soon enough
I'm dying to do a finale rewatch already! If you're in the same boat, make sure to watch Wynonna Earp online.
What did you think of Wynonna Earp Season 3? What do you think will happen to Waverly and Doc? Are you ready for Season 4? Let us know all your thoughts in the comments below!
Olivia Popp was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She left the site in September 2018.
