Wynonna Earp
Syfy
Season 3 Episode 1 ‘Blood Red and Going Down’ Review
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
The Earp Heir and her Purgatory Protecting Pals are back again, cracking jokes, taking shots, and kicking Revenant tail! Based on the incredible IDW comic series of the same name, Wynonna Earp’s second season ended with the highest stakes Team Earp has faced to date. The third season begins with the team working to track down the dangerous demon Bulshar, dismantling teams of Revenants along the way. Despite their ability to still function in the same effective, albeit clumsy and haphazard way, Wynonna and her crew are all carrying heavy weights, distracting them from fully committing to their mission and operating at their full potential. Wynonna and Doc are stumbling across the tension between one another after having to give up their baby into adoption to save her from the demonic epicenter of the Ghost River Triangle, Dolls continues to struggle with his confused feelings for Wynonna, and Waverly and Nicole work on rebuilding trust after their fallout at the end of season 2, as well as Waverly’s concern for her sister and Nicole’s distraction with the name of Bulshar hanging over her shadowed past.
In addition to the usual demon Revenant destruction, we’re treated to two new ominous threats introduced to Purgatory. Further exposure to the Cult of Bulshar, introduced in the form of a massacre at the local bar, arranging the bodies in a deliberate pattern, including carving a symbol into the bodies. Nicole has been researching the Cult via old Black Badge files Dolls gave her and believes she is the sole survivor of a previous Cult massacre. We also get to see the first appearance of Vampires, dressed in stereotypical European Club ‘Glamour’ garb, preceded by a thick pink ‘sexy fog’, and possessing the ability to place humans under their spell with a simple touch gaining their absolute loyalty and infatuation. The Vampires attempt to round up the descendants of the First Families of Purgatory as an offering for Bulshar, while attempting to eat the remaining citizens, before Wynonna and Dolls go Buffy the Vampire Slayer on them, gradually freeing the rest of the team as they kill the vampires that placed them under their spell.
The Vampires are an incredibly fun introduction to the show’s roster of paranormal monsters, but unfortunately, the large tour bus of bloodsuckers is introduced, becomes the principal antagonist, and are completely defeated within the single episode. I would have personally loved for the threat to be more looming and potentially stretch over a few episodes of the season, perhaps there are more dangerous Vamps yet to enter Purgatory. A single Vampire is spared, sent back to be a message to Bulshar, who destroys the fanged follower for failing him. Placing a strange mollusk looking object into his mouth, followed by off-screen shouting and crunching.
The cast of Wynonna Earp continues to deliver the best ensemble chemistry I’ve seen within a show. The team, no matter which combination shares a scene together, works so fluid and effortlessly that it is incredibly convincing and engaging for the audience. Making it appear as if it is not a scripted show at all and draws the viewers in as spectators sharing the experiences with the characters. Pop culture references, which always make shows and movies more entertainingly relatable when done correctly, are a specialty of Wynonna Earp, this episode is no exception, including Wynonna wishing for a cloned army of Jason Momoa’s for her to encounter, and hoping the Vampire’s fog is a surprise Rhianna concert. The puzzle piece perfect fit cast, incredibly smart writing, balancing the hilarious, suspenseful, and emotional with mastery, and the superstar showrunner, walking the line of utilizing references from the source material while creating a work of art completely their own, Team Wynonna is arguably one of the best, most complete shows on television today. Taking the formula made famous with Supernatural, adding in equal parts grittiness and adorable, turning the kick-ass girl power representation up to 100, and not apologizing for being the show it is has made Wynonna Earp a must watch program. If you haven’t seen the show, get Netflix and binge the first two seasons, if your television program list doesn’t include SYFY, pay the extra to add on the channel, not only are there many other great shows to turn into weeknight staples, but the Earps are worth the price by themselves.
As the season premiere ended we saw the Earp Sisters suffer a car crash shortly after Wynonna told Waverly that her mother was actually alive and Wynonna had been in contact with her. After the crash, we saw Waverly being dragged away screaming for her sister who lay unconscious in the wreckage. Who has Waverly? Is it Bulshar? His Cult? Some other nefarious force? After you watch this powerhouse show, you’re not going to want to leave the house on Friday nights until you’ve had an opportunity to travel to Purgatory. Tune in next week to learn who grabbed Waverly, and what Team Earp’s next move is.