Do you hear that in the distance Earpers? It’s Wynonna Earp finishing its first season! Can you believe it? Our babies all grown up!
The tale of an underdog who didn’t even know where she belonged, where she was going in life, has grown into this badass heroine who defends the residents of Purgatory from the paranormal. She’s bonded with her sister Waverly again and has reunited her family by unexpectedly finding Willa. And she’s formed lasting bonds with a dysfunctional group of allies that stand by her side through thick and thin.
Before tonight’s season finale, we got a chance to talk with Melanie Scrofano (Wynonna Earp), Natalie Krill (Willa Earp), and Wynnona Earp showrunner Emily Andras about the Syfy hit series.
The success of the show continues to be a shock for Emily Andras, who previously worked on Showcase’s Lost Girl. This is her first time as a showrunner and she’s, “completely blow away by the response. And so delighted.”
When the show started, she wanted people to like it. This was her baby and who doesn’t want people to coo over how adorable and cute their baby is, no matter if it’s got a smushed face or a weird button nose?
“I wanted people to like it. You know, you just want people to like it. You just want to make people feel something and then to enjoy it. But I feel like the fact that people have just fallen in love and really understood how talented this cast is and how once in a lifetime this cast is, has made me so happy.”
Based on the IDW Comic, the series follows Wyatt Earp’s great granddaughter as she battles demons and other creatures. Despite the core theme of the show being the battle against the Revenants, the show has been applauded for its honest portrayal of women, their friendships, and relationships. This isn’t just a story about how Wynonna becomes a hero. It’s a story about how she drinks, runs from her inner demons, explores her sexuality, and falls in love (Maybe just ‘like’ at this point. We’re not sure yet Wynonna/Dolls shippers!)
It’s a strong feminist show that happens to have really good representation, is funny as hell, covers themes that are interesting and important, and just so happens to be a “demon cowgirl show.”
“So it’s like we put glasses on the smushed baby face to make it look smart and people are like hey, this is good. So I honestly could not be more thrilled. I feel like just completely delighted and proud. So proud. I’m so proud of these guys on the line. I just think they’re so exceptional and we were so lucky to have them.”
With the end almost near, we can’t help but look back at what scenes we loved. When asked to pick what scenes were best to film in Wynonna Earp‘s first season, Emily couldn’t make up her mind. And how could she? We can’t even pick our favorite scenes!
“Oh my God. I have so many and like I’m honestly that fan girl nerd when I’m writing one scene, I’m like well, this is the best ever. Like I’m writing like Doc Holiday (inaudible) and I’m like, “Well, this is the best.” And then I’ll write the scene with Dolls and Wynonna kissing and I’ll be like, “Oh, well, this is my favorite.” I have so many favorites and I have so many favorites that my writers have written for me.”
When it really came down to it, Emily couldn’t help but love the scenes between the two Earp sisters, Wynonna and Waverly. “It just felt so real to me and it’s the first time I realized that I had cast like a brilliant person. Just to make it about me, no, how amazing Dominique and Melanie were. So really my favorite scenes are the sister scenes and there’s many of them because I feel like that is the true romance of the series. The true heart of the series so for me, that’s what really makes me happy at the end of the day.”
Melanie Scrofano, who plays Wynonna, was quick to jump in and agree that the best scenes were with the sisters. That’s including the recently thought to be deceased, Willa. “Anything with the sisters, like, anything with/around the struggle to find my sisters again. Like to find the Willa that I had once to — you know, like to make amends with them. Waverly — Dominique is very open and giving actor so it was like whenever we approached those — and same Natalie obviously, which came later but it’s the same idea that was just so honest and like real people — just broken people coming together. Those were really fun to shoot. But then also anything with a harness was a favorite.”
Last we left off, Wynonna was at a swanky town party, decked out in a dress that Emily and Melanie agree, she probably stole from someone before coming to Purgatory. Our leading lady was experiencing bouts of apprehension and doubt because the peacemaker didn’t work for her.
The showrunner attributed that misfire as it being, “confused. I think it was trying to decide who the true heir was.”
Peacemakers confusion weighs heavily on Wynonna’s mind. According to Melanie, “Wynonna was never supposed to do this. She didn’t want this. So every day, like every morning, she wakes up and has to go — fuck, like, am I brave enough to do this today? And the answer has to be yes. But that takes a toll and I think — and I think part of Wynonna’s strength and part of her weakness is the same thing, which is that she just sort of — she doesn’t over think — like she just sort of does things like a bit blindly because I think if she thinks too much about it, it’ll topple her.”
Willa’s return and use of peacemaker sets a glaring light on Wynonna’s life. She’s primed and ready to fight something that wasn’t even meant for her in the first place. And she’s known this for a while. It’s why she drinks and jokes with such ease, to hide the fact that she was lost for so long and now she’s found in something that isn’t hers. Something that she’s afraid Willa will take away from her.
“This little lifetime she’s lived in this season — you know, it’s just — it’s heavy. It weighs heavily upon her (Wynonna) for those reasons and just the fact that she is just a human who like probably doesn’t get enough sleep and who just wants to be loved. She’s just a girl. A woman, a person, a human, who goes up against something she’s scared of and tries to win every day. And some days, she wins better. And some days, things knock her on her ass. And the fun in playing is to see her get back up.”
Besides Wynonna’s doubts about where she stands now in life as the Earp heir, the most interesting part of the penultimate episode was the last scene. Willa has walked away with Wynonna’s greatest enemy. And she didn’t seem bothered by it!
There was always something off about Willa since her return, but this turn of events is insane. Natalie Krill, who plays Willa, noted that Bobo is kind of at the mercy of Willa. The way they looked at each other, their body language, spoke of a bond not of kidnapping, but of companionship and trust.
“As she’s discovering who she is, that was fun to shoot. And then when she’s just a bad ass bitch, that was like so much fun to shoot as well. Playing Willa was honestly a roller coaster ride that was just the best.”
More than ever, we want to know what transpired to make her take such a dark turn and decide to leave her sisters behind.
Emily loved the mystery surrounding Willa. “I think that’s one of the things that makes Willa such a delicious character and Natalie did such an amazing job portraying her. She remains a mystery. There are hints that when she was younger, she wasn’t necessarily the nicest kid.”
As the eldest, Willa and Wynonna bonded on a different level that left Waverly out in the cold. Even now, with Willa’s memories still missing pieces, she treats Waverly different. You can see it in the way that slights Waverly every chance she gets or excludes her from plans.
Emily confirms this. “She was kind of a bully to Waverly. But at the same time, we’ve also seen that she was kind of, you know, subject to her own kind of psychological trials vis-à-vis her dad, who was training her to basically be a killer and he’s kind of a mean drunk. So, you know, it’s kind of a question we ask ourselves a lot about villains, is like, were they born or were they made?”
Tonight’s season finale will hopefully answer this question and more. Who’s side is Willa on? How will Wynonna get past the fact that she might not be the heir? What challenges will our sisters face when it comes to the final moments where all is revealed?
Tune in tonight to find out!
Wynonna Earp’s Season Finale airs tonight @ 10/9c on SyFy.