Wynonna Earp - S2E8 - No Future in the Past

Previously on Wynonna Earp, “Everyone Knows”

The second season of Earp has made an astronomical leap in scope, myth and drama, however, beginning with the airing “Let’s Pretend We’re Strangers”, the cast and crew have thoroughly succeeded in continually raising the tension in every episode since. Showrunner and perpetual ball of energy Emily Andras, along with her dauntless company of writers, have cleverly weaved Earp’s current arc into a gratifying series of wtf moments and cliffhangers every Friday night.

For all the face-tearing, eating of guts and deceptively crude humor, Earp’s continually growing appeal is due to its greatest strength: Their efforts have turned Wynonna Earp into true can’t-miss television - and all involved in its production were rightfully rewarded with a third season renewal by Syfy during Comic-Con weekend.

Carrying on with recent tradition, “No Future In The Past” worked upon last week’s confirmation to a long-standing allusion: Waverly may not be a direct descendant of Wyatt Earp, if any blood relation at all. Written by Andras herself, the episode also pits Wynonna against her insecurities about motherhood and her family’s history, as Juan Carlo (Shaun Johnson) finally revealed his purpose in all matters Purgatory and how the town’s sordid reputation was formed over a century ago.

It’s been a rough ride for everyone in Team Wynonna the past few months. Between the pregnancy, Black Badge Division’s implosion, Agent Lucado’s cranial explosion, the Widows, Tucker Gardner, and that dang body swapping Mictian goo, the Earps and company deserve a respite. That doesn’t mean they’ll be getting it anytime soon… I’m just saying they deserve time off. Regrettably, the worst is yet to come for our resolute heroes, but not before Andras at long last uncovered the dark history of the Ghost River’s once cosmopolitan township.

“What do you have to fear Wynonna, with Peacemaker at your side?”

Wynonna was “kidnapped” by Juan Carlo out of desperation, due to a rapidly spreading case of gangrene courtesy of The Widows. Knowing his time on earth is nearing its end, JC told The Heir she can access her family’s past and witness exactly how and why the curse was formed. This has been the moment virtually every Earper had been waiting for since the series’ earliest days and boy oh boy, it was certainly worth the wait.

Firstly, welcome back Michael Eklund! As fun and intimidating as Mercedes and Beth Gardner have been, the prospect of seeing Bobo Del Rey back in any form is a welcome sight. The big, bad, mohawked revenant would hardly be seen in “No Future” yet we’re privy to Del Rey’s emergence which begins the gradual destruction of Bobo’s former life as Earp’s latest deputy, Robert Svane.

My, how our perception of things change once we receive a nugget of truth here and there. Things were plenty different in the late 1880s: Svane sought Holliday’s attention in the hopes to elicit his services one more time to rid Purgatory of a demon inhabiting their sheriff. I wouldn’t say it was uncharacteristic of Holliday to be a dour, bullying alcoholic with a death wish but it was jarring to watch how meek and naive Svane was about the state of the world then. Like many of us, he expected heroes to rise up when needed and bear a standard few can achieve.

Through Svane’s final days as a human, Wynonna observed how Wyatt and Doc are essentially responsible for their own fate thanks to a series of terribly irresponsible choices. What was anticipated to be an uncomplicated job turned into the biggest clusterfudge of Wyatt’s career. Having no other option, Earp killed the demon-possessed Sheriff but only after he killed or turned a majority of town, created a pair of hell babies with his wife Constance “The Stone Witch” (Jessica Sipos), and became “acquainted” with The Widows for good measure. Due to his rash decisions, Constance wanted vengeance against Wyatt and all who stood with him.

Soon after the Widows were trapped by Clootie and Father Juan Carlo, Constance turned her attention to Holliday and Svane, as both men desired to preserve their mortal lives rather than live out an eternity in damnation. Again, Robert proved himself to be the better man despite the torment he would inevitably suffer. Clootie put Svane to the test when she promised to restore his health in exchange for a ring Doc wear that imbues him with immortality. Retrieve the ring and Robert is renewed yet Doc will die, slowly and painfully. Based on how Earp has turned out so far, we already know Robert’s choice and for Wynonna and all of us, it completely alters our mindset about revenants and the perniciousness of the Earp curse.

Even as both lay dying, Robert could see Wynonna and looked after his “guardian angel” in his arms, humbled and repentant during his last moments of humanity. Svane stated that he hoped to see her again some day when the curse was broken. Little did either one of them know this peculiar sequence of events would not only add a fantastic and heartachingly sympathetic dimension to Earp’s mythology, but potentially grant the king revenant himself a second chance, thanks to a technicality.

Sooo… Bobo is back?! Question is if he remembers and Wynonna will come to an understanding, or still be at each other’s throats.

In the time Wynonna was getting the 411 on everything Purgatory, Waverly was doing her darndest to forestall an identity crisis of cataclysmic proportions. Rather than ponder on the forthcoming results of her DNA test, she Nicole and Rosita (Tamara Duarte) made the best of their time and magically whipped up a baby shower for Wynonna, complete with a disturbing piñata filled with doughnuts. I don’t know much about being pregnant but carbs always sound delicious. While sorting everything for the big surprise, Rosita and Waves managed to have a moment that assures the former is in for the long haul. Being the girlfriend of the man who may be Earp’s baby daddy automatically puts one in an odd spot, to put it mildly. Nevertheless, Bustillos put her best foot forward and eventually broke through Waverly’s frosty exterior - though from her perspective, Rosita appeared as equally intimidating.

That newfound relationship appeared to be faring much better than Wayhaught, after the test results Waverly had been waiting for were found stuffed away - and already opened - in Nicole’s handbag. I mean, c’mon… you may be the most stable relationship in all of Purgatory, but you can’t just open up your boo’s mail like that! That’s just as bad as checking their phone when a new text chimes in. In any case, Waverly is doubly upset; she can’t trust Nicole at the moment because she withheld the results and violated her privacy. Worst of all, it’s a certainty Waverly is not an Earp… but a Svane???

Hold on. I have pick up what’s left of my brain from the walls because it was blown away.

Notes from the Ghost River Dispatch

• Waverly’s name could have been Welcome??? Yeesh. It’s obvious from that near-miss the Earps really didn’t care for the “little angel”, save for dear ol’ mom.
• Near the end of the first act, Ewan (Brendan Fehr) claimed The Order is tasked to combat the demons within the Ghost River Triangle, full stop. No seals, Widows or witches. So are there other orders that go after other supernatural entities or beasts, or does The Order simply allow them to roam and maim as they please?
• Does Wyatt’s badge have powers as well?
• “If we live long enough, we all become enemies.” Well geez Xavier, whisper more sweet nothings in Wynonna’s ear, why dontcha?