
[Warning: Do not read until you’ve seen tonight’s episode]
I’m a pretty smug TV viewer who usually sees X or Y plot twist from way on up the road, so I love when a show surprises me, especially when it’s with something that I not only didn’t see coming, but didn’t even know was in the realm of possibility. Wynonna Earp did that tonight with “She Wouldn’t Be Gone.”
The accepted Earp family history, as presented to us on day one of the series, and reiterated several times this season, is that Wynonna and Waverly were the sole survivors of a Revenant massacre that claimed their dad, and eldest sister, Willa. We’ve seen the photographic proof of Dad’s demise, at the end of a gun fired by Wynonna, and there was mention in passing of Willa’s pre-murder torture by one of the Seven that Wynonna put down with Peacemaker.
Well, tonight, we found out all of that was bullshit, and while normally that would make me eleventy seven shades of angry, here it was sort of a magical revelation, because it was sneaky, and well-crafted, and because Melanie Scrofano KILLED the delivery when Wynonna realized what was going on.

The set up was about as far off the beaten path as you could get for such a reveal–Wynonna and Dolls ended up the guests of a particularly creepy Revenant who has a history with Bobo, and who turns out to be a shapeshifter who vacillates between man and wolf. Awesome.
He also maintains a cultish harem of young women who he periodically marks, casts out, and kills when he senses a betrayal. The first such victim we meet identifies herself as a runaway who made a bad decision. Double awesome.
When Wynonna meets the women, she’s befriended by one of them, Eve, who senses a kinship with her, and Wynonna’s all keep it glib, make no connections, per usual, until she returns to help the women and kill Lou and in a pique of hysteria as they’re chased by a bear, she loses Peacemaker in the snow and tells Eve to fire it at Lou. Eve does, and down, down, down goes Lou, and Wynonna is speechless that the gun worked. She’s not the only one.

Cut to the precinct and Dolls is trying to rationalize through the fog in Wynonna’s mind as she mantras to herself that they never looked for her, she was dead, that there could be a ton of reasons why the gun worked, and Wynonna responds simply, “Or there’s one.”
She watches Eve, tearful as she takes her in, and is guilty, and sad, and ashamed and a thousand other things that only compound the childhood baggage that she’s carried since that day.
Wynonna drives Eve to the homestead and Waverly bounds out the door, ready to talk about Doc baling town, when Gus follows her out to the porch, takes one look at Eve and drops her drink. There’s no question for her. “Willa!” And…credits. Well played, show.

My brain legitimately slowed down in the scene with Dolls. Scrofano does exquisite work making Wynonna suddenly very, very small. I was mostly fixated on Eve throughout the episode because I recognized the actress (Natalie Krill–a fantastic pairing with Scrofano and Dominique Provost-Chalkley, BTW), so that may be one reason why I missed it, but I also didn’t think there’d be any twists on the lore. I accepted that Willa and Dad were dead. The end. There’s been no mention of Mama Earp, so I’m assuming she’s still alive and ready to pop in at any moment, but I do not know. Y’all know I don’t traffic in spoilers.
So, what now? Willa is alive and seemingly unaware of her lineage. What does Waverly do with another sister in her life? Does Willa resume the title of heir? Did Bobo know all this time or was that another Lou betrayal? How does this affect the curse? Can there be two active heirs? Is Waverly going to react with something akin to, “Oh come ON?” because again, it’s not her? Does Wynonna spiral again, only this time instead turn to Dolls?

In general, I’m not super keen on mind wipe scenarios with a heavily implied rape component (see: Haven) but if it’s resolved reasonably quickly and with a minimal amount of Ew Ew Ew, I can deal with it. Family lore betrayals aside (I kid), I trust this show.
Only three episodes left this season. We really need a second season. Syfy is taking it to Comic-Con next month, so that bodes well.
If you missed the premiere of the episode at 10/9c, it repeats at 2 am/1 c tonight on Syfy and will be online at syfy.com beginning tomorrow.
Heather M
Related posts
Classics
John Griffin and Harold Perrineau Talk From on EPIX Season 1 Finale
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] How are we doing, #FROMily? In case you missed it this morning, the very good news is that that cliffhanger will be followed by a second season, which was gifted this morning ahead of the linear broadcast of the finale. I always legitimately appreciate when we…
Elizabeth Saunders Talks EPIX’s From
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] One of the things that makes EPIX’s From such a fun ride is the abundance of Canadian cast members. Elizabeth Saunders, who plays Donna, is a favorite from her turn on the third season of Mary Kills People, which US audiences still have not been able…
Corteon Moore Talks From “Broken Windows, Open Doors”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight’s episode of From had us all in our feels as we learned through flashbacks about the Sophie’s Choice Boyd had to make to save his son, and back in the present as Boyd said his piece with Ellis before heading into the woods with…
Pegah Ghafoori Talks From “All Good Things…”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode] Tonight on From, Fatima’s anniversary celebration turned into a Colony House of horrors when a misguided Kevin let his monster bae in and she promptly killed him and left the window open for her crew. While the party devolved into terror and sent everyone running,…
Shaun Majumder Talks From “Book 74”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight on EPIX’s From, Father Khatri made a bold move, kidnapping Sara instead of turning her in, and then recognizing her as a vessel for some big messages. That startling realization speaks to him on multiple levels–as a man of faith, a man trapped in…
Avery Konrad Talks About Sara’s Struggle in From “Silhouettes”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Over the course of the season so far on From, we’ve witnessed Sara’s battle against the voices telling her to to do terrible things, and tonight we saw her unravel further, threatening the Matthews and lashing out in a moment of terror with horrifying results….
Hannah Cheramy Talks From “Choosing Day”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight, on EPIX’s From, the Matthews participate in the show’s version of the sorting hat, choosing where to call home–the town or Colony House. At the end of the episode, Julie makes the decision to split from her family and instead settle in with Fatima…
Ricky He Talks From “The Way Things Are Now”
[Warning: Spoilers for episode 102 of EPIX’s From.] Epix’s new series From is two episodes in and it’s already laying the groundwork for a seriously spooky season. Tonight’s episode demonstrated the careful balance of relief and horror that the show hits, with our characters’ worst fears realized, just not when…
Catching Up with Ted Lasso and Previewing Season 2
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] The not so dirty little secret about how I approach a new series is that I sometimes make a call based on the headspace I’m in at the time. It’s been a minute since I’ve picked up a show after the first season and then binge…
Interview: Henri Esteve on Grown-ish Season 3
An interview with Henri Esteve, who plays Javi on Freeform’s Grown-ish. He talks about his season three experience.
What They Said: Three Revealing Conversations from Survivor’s Remorse “Closure”
WARNING: Spoilers for Survivor’s Remorse “Closure” The latest episode of Starz’s Survivor’s Remorse featured conversations that showed characters really digging deep into their thoughts, emotions and motivations.
Two Takes: The Catch “The Knock-Off”
Who can you trust? If this episode of The Catch was any indication, the answer is just about nobody. Betrayal was running rampant as Felicity (Shivani Ghai) arose from the dead to seduce-con Margot, Gretchen (Maria Thayer, Gotham, The Mindy Project) played gold-hearted Alice 2.0 before swindling Ethan, Tessa jumped…
What They Said: Top 3 Quotable Moments from Preacher “El Valero”
Both Quincannon and Jesse refuse to give up on what they each think is rightfully theirs. While Jesse is struggling to face the consequences of his actions, Quincannon has laid his past demons to rest and is hellbent on moving forward and putting Annville on the map again. Despite a…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Supergirl “Worlds Finest”
Oh, Supergirl. That ending was cold. But I can’t hate on you because the latest episode has quickly become one of my favorites.
What They Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Black Sails “XXIII”
The dialogue in “XXIII” is phenomenal. It’s always a fun ride when Black Sails carries its viewers along without giving them the chance to catch their breath. When an episode moves at this unforgiving pace, there is no chance for a breather nor is there a respite from the information…
What Lucifer Said: Favorite quotes from Supernatural “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
Supernatural episodes are almost always funny but thanks to the dialogue and a certain man speaking said dialogue, I laughed a lot during “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” You know, when I wasn’t busy fearing for Sam’s life or wondering what in the world was going on with Dean and…
What They Said: The Flash, “Legends Of Today” and Arrow, “Legends Of Yesterday”
Two nights of Arrow + The Flash = what more could we ask for?! I don’t know what it is about blending these shows, but I can’t help but feel that every time they come together, they somehow become greater than the sum of their parts. And that’s saying a lot…
What they Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Graceland “Little Bo Bleep”
Shoot outs. Fake outs. And long-awaited revelations. “Little Bo Bleep” was a jam-packed episode that wrapped up some loose ends and totally frayed others. Â It finally gave us one Sarkissian in jail and pulled back the curtain on Briggs’ master plan, but it also set up Jakes for a world…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Poldark “Part 4”
“What have I told you, I don’t require my wife to crochet and sip tea, but I do require her to remember she’s not a beast of burden.†No, I’m not talking about The Rolling Stones! I have to admit though, just for a second, the lyrics popped into my…
3 Moments of Goodness from Brooklyn Nine-Nine “Johnny and Dora”
The most satisfying part of this season’s finale has to the Jake and Amy kiss. Well, they kiss three times but the last one is the best one — and it means something. The Charles and Rosa dynamic was also great. I love how she’s convinced he doesn’t know anything…