After another longer than expected wait, it’s finally time to return to Purgatory. This time, it’s for the final six episodes. Yet, even with the end looming near, there are still more stories to be had with the glorious dumbass that is Wynonna Earp and her ragtag family.
It’s been a month since we left off and in that time Wynonna has returned to her old familiar habits; monster hunting, booze, and sex, not necessarily in that order. She runs into Amon on one of those monster hunts. She’s ready to wipe him off her list, but he reminds her he’s the reason she found Peacemaker nor does he mean her any harm. She lets him walk, but it’s clear their standoff isn’t over.
Meanwhile, at Shorty’s Nedley is popping champagne for Nicole and Waverly. Their actual engagement party is the next day, but there’s always time for a pre-party party. When Wynonna shows up it’s clear the tension between her and Doc is still high and neither shows any signs of being the first to give a peace offering.
Waverly wants to know where Wynonna’s been and she covers her hunts by pretending she planned a bachelorette party and drags them to a strip club. To be fair, even if she had planned one, she might have still taken them to a strip club, albeit maybe not one with just male strippers. When Nicole gets pulled away by another celebrating bride for shots, Waverly mentions to Wynonna Nicole wants to go to the courthouse. Waverly says she’s fine with that, but Wynonna knows she’s had a wedding scrapbook since she was a kid. She deserves a wedding and Wynonna knows Nicole would listen to her.
A new stripper, with odd scars on his back, comes out and Waverly gets the feeling she knows him. The Earp sisters invite him for a drink and chat. Demetri, for a self-proclaimed love professional, has a very cynical view on love, that being it doesn’t exist. If there’s anything Waverly Earp knows is real it’s love. She knows that’s it’s what she and Nicole have. Demetri makes a bet about it being real or not and when she’s not looking slips something into her jacket.
Rachel is hitting up Shorty’s for something to drink. She gets juice for her troubles and questions from Nedley about her being in school. She’s too anxious and doesn’t do well around kids her age, looking at what happened with Billy. But she doesn’t like being alone at the homestead either. Nedley offers her a job once she agrees not to sneak any alcohol or go in the basement.
Nicole and Waverly head to the sheriff’s office for a marriage license, thinking it would be empty without any Clantons around. But there is someone there, Bunny Loblaw. She’s been filling in the office duties and is still as subtlety homophobic as ever.
While they’re talking Nicole finds a piece of glitter on her clothes. She looks at Waverly and suddenly she’s her in a new light, like she never realized before how beautiful she was. She goes for being standoffish about PDA to ready to make out on the couch like it’s their first time, never mind Bunny being ten feet away.
Waverly manages to hold her back long enough to demand a marriage license from Bunny. But as they’re leaving Bunny finds a piece of glitter on her hand and, with one look to Waverly, she’s enamoured.
Waverly sends Nicole home for a cold shower and goes to the Glory Hole with a peace offering apple pie for Amon. She wants a truce for one day so she and Nicole can get married. At first, Amon isn’t interested because Wynonna’s being killing his customers. Then some glitter brushes off Waverly and there are glamor shots again. Amon is ready to give Waverly anything she asks for and more. She’s a little thrown off by his sudden 180 but isn’t about to look a gifted horse in the mouth.
Before she leaves, Doc catches her, asking about Margo Clanton. Waverly doesn’t really know what she did, just that she touched her. Doc promises to look for Cleo to ensure their fight with the Clantons is really over.
Back at the homestead Waverly asks Nicole about her suddenly becoming a ‘horny octopus’ in front of Bunny Loblaw. Nicole just loves her so much and wants to show it. She found Waverly’s wedding scrapbook and wants to do everything in it, despite wanting a courthouse wedding only a few hours before. Waverly is concerned she’s possessed, again. But before she can confirm that someone’s arrival interrupts them.
Bunny’s back and declaring her love for Waverly. Waverly nopes right out of that, sending Bunny off the homestead. Wynonna wakes up in the back of their pick-up, hungover, and amused at the whole exchange. Waverly is confused why everyone is suddenly horny for her. Wynonna just assumes the obvious, everyone loves Waverly Earp. But when she mentions Amon had the hots for her too, Wynonna is sure he did something. Waverly is starting to think she made the wrong bet.
At the Clanton’s ranch, Doc finds the decaying remains of Ma’am Clanton, a broken finger, and lost Cleo. Some glitter left on him from Waverly kicks in right then and he falls for her. He talks with her, and sure his words may be loaded with flirting he sincerely wants Cleo to see she can be more than what Margo saw her as. She can leave the Clanton legacy behind like her brothers wanted to. She lets it slip that Margo and Nicole made a deal, get Waverly out of the garden in exchange for Doc.
Meanwhile, Wynonna visits the Glory Hole and her own bit of happy glitter makes her fall in love with the demon. She tries seducing him, but he declares his love for Waverly. Speaking of Waverly, she’s tracked down Demetri to figure out what he did to her.
He admits to making her a cupid, pointing out the vile of glitter he slipped her. A bit of the glitter will make someone fall in love with the next person they saw. She tries to give it back, but he doesn’t want the job anymore, preferring the hours and free food he got working delivery. The only way she can get rid of it is if she passes the job onto someone willing.
Later, she fills Wynonna in as they’re getting ready for the engagement party. Wynonna, being Wynonna steals the glitter, hoping to use it on Amon. At the party, Bunny and Amon are there, both vying with Nicole with Waverly’s affections. Wynonna gets some glitter on Nedley who falls for Bunny. When everyone starts fighting to sing love songs Waverly retreats to the bathroom to call Doc for backup. Rachel uses the chaos to sneak into the basement because that’s where Nedley told her not to go. She learns there’s something or someone invisible locked up and realises its Billy.
When Doc shows up, at Waverly request he joins the fray trying to stop the chaos. Waverly also got Demetri to Shorty’s by ordering delivery. He gets there just in time to see Wynonna pull out the glitter and get everyone except Waverly covered in the stuff.
Seeing it’s gone too far, Demetri reveals his spit can reverse the effects. He also opens up to her, revealing Amon is his ex. He broke up with him one day without warning. Waverly points out that the heartache proves love is real. She also knows Doc and Wynonna love each other, even if hurt and pride get in the way. Demetri agrees to take the glitter back, he and Waverly firing spit wads at everyone to undo the spell.
When the love glitter clears Nicole is all too happy to curl into Waverly’s arms. They agree to a ‘medium fussy’ wedding. Demetri admits he gave Waverly the glitter because he’d never seen anyone as in love as she and Nicole are.
Wynonna goes to the glory hole, looking for a way to assuage the guilt she’s been carrying, hoping to find that in Amon’s bed. At the Clanton’s, Cleo feeds the chainsawed bits of her mother to something in a pit. By the sounds of it, Billy and their Uncle Abe weren’t the only reapers their family made. Footprints appear in the dirt and Cleo knows Billy came home.
Review
Wynonna Earp has never shied away from showing the blemishes in its titular hero. Those chinks in her armour that she overcompensated for with sardonic wit and snide dismissal that there’s anything wrong. But this time Wynonna’s insecurities aren’t being pressed from the outside. This isn’t because of judgement from townsfolk who think she’s a screw-up or some villain trying to belittle her.
Wynonna dug the ditch she’s in with her own hands this time and she’s the only one who can pull herself out. She killed a man who’d already lost too much. And yes, she did it for her family, for her daughter. But telling herself those things aren’t going to release her guilt. The alcohol and sex help temporarily, but as we’ve seen in the past with Wynonna, those are only band-aids. They don’t help the healing get done.
She’s hurting and looking for comfort in the one person who won’t give it to her. Doc was trying to find a better path. He didn’t want to be the single-minded killer Wyatt seemed to think of him as. With Holt, he had the chance to find that path but Wynonna’s choice blocks him from that path. Now, they’re in a place where they’re clearly in love, like Waverly said. Sometimes just love isn’t enough.
It’s an interesting takeaway from what’s ultimately a lighter episode focusing on love. It’s always delightful to see Wynonna Earp lean into its comedy. Love glitter and pansexual cupid, perfectly Wynonna.
Speaking of, it’s great to see a character so plainly state his pansexuality without there being a qualm or need to question more. So to was the moment later on when Waverly questioned ‘What was their name?’ when asking who Demetri was in love with. ‘Their’ is so simple and shouldn’t stand out as much as it did. No assumption of gender. No clunky attempt to work around it.
Demetri didn’t just have a line about love coming in all forms. When everyone got blasted with glitter, as humorous as Nicole coping a feel of Wynonna’s behind (a nice call back to top-shelf ass), there were still clearly boundaries the characters understood and respected. It’s the little things like that that make the difference and show how much Wynonna Earp cares about these aspects of its story.
Best of Earpisms
- Nicole tracked down the couch that used to be in Nedley’s office and proposed on it.
- While Nedley was a parasitic puff ball monster he ate Nicole’s cat. RIP Calamity Jane.
- A moment must be taken to appreciate Waverly’s new do. The bisexual bob’s legacy carries on.
- There have been so many possesions on this show it took me a moment to remember which time Nicole had been possessed when Waverly asked her.
- Loved the little moment of Waverly taking care of a hung over Wynonna by fixing her clothes for her.
- “Get her so sloshed she thinks she’s Jann Arden.” I see what you did there Wynonna Earp.
Images courtesy of Syfy.
Have strong thoughts about this piece you need to share? Or maybe there’s something else on your mind you’re wanting to talk about with fellow Fandomentals? Head on over to our Community server to join in the conversation!
