western front
Back on the frontier with season three of Wynonna Earp
Wynonna Earp’s second season ended with the titular character giving birth to her baby and then whisking it away from the Ghost River Triangle and away from danger. When the series returns, it picks up a few weeks later, and Wynonna has gained a fresh perspective on life and her legacy.
“I feel like this year is really about the reluctant hero finally embracing the hard truth, which is that Wynonna is really good at this job, but this job involves killing,” executive producer Emily Andras tells Red Alert. “So, it’s Wynonna transitioning from feeling like she’s cursed, and destiny has basically screwed her over, and realising that she really loves her job and that she’s good at it.
“The other huge theme is that even though Wynonna has figured that she’s meant to be the Earp heir, she, unlike her predecessor, has figured out she cannot do it alone. She needs this team more than ever. That’s the only thing that is going to make the difference between her journey and potentially breaking the Earp curse, and her ancestors before her who failed time and time again.”
Wynonna will need family and friends by her side against the new big bad in town, Bulshar. He’s the demon who served as Purgatory’s sheriff and that Wyatt took down. In other words, Bulshar has an extremely personal axe to grind with the Earp clan.
“When Wyatt shot Bulshar’s sons, he responded by casting this Earp curse, saying, ‘Everyone that Wyatt Earp ever killed was going to raise from the dead, over and over again, until an Earp heir managed to put down all 77 of them,’” explains Andras. “So he’s kind of the big daddy. It would be weird to have someone who hates you and despises you so much, but that you don’t know anything about.
“Wynonna senses opportunity,” adds Andras. “She knows she has gotten better at what she does. Wynonna is tantalised by the fact that if she can kill Bulshar, maybe she can end the entire curse. But let’s face it, this is a demon that other demons are afraid of. He is pretty intimidating. I think he is really able to sense weakness and go for the team in a way that does feel incredibly personal and intimate and raw. He despises them. What shape he takes, and what kind of tricks he has up his sleeve, will keep you guessing until the very end.”
As if circumstances weren’t tense enough, it turns out the long-presumed dead Mama Earp is alive – and Wynonna knew about her existence. Her presence sheds some light on Wynonna and Waverly’s dysfunctional upbringing.
“The story we have been told about Mama Earp is that she essentially abandoned three daughters with an alcoholic, demon-hunting dad when they were very young,” Andras concludes. “When you hear that story, you already have your own judgements and assumptions about what kind of woman would do that to her daughters. But there’s so much rich back story. We are going to hear Mama’s version of events. There’s going to be some hard reconciliation with both Wynonna and Waverly with their mother about
what happened.” BC