Wynonna Earp
SyFy
Season 3 Episode 4 ‘No Cure for Crazy’ Review
Spoilers Ahead!!!
The Earp Train has been full speed ahead since the opening seconds of episode 1 and the momentum they’ve been carrying through season 3 has them traveling at light speed levels of intensity with no signs of slowing down in sight. Combining brilliant storytelling and an exceptional cast with their second-to-none chemistry delivering award-worthy performances, Wynonna Earp delivers a masterclass exhibition week after week. Team Earp, both in front of and behind the camera, manage to continue to raise the stakes each episode. While this could easily bring most shows to a level of ridiculousness, Wynonna Earp manages to stay grounded and believable (given the established parameters developed for their world). Following the loss and mourning of a vital member of Team Earp over the previous weeks, this episode had a huge hurdle in front of it, to give the team heightened stakes to face at the caliber of moving the focus off the loss of Agent Dolls without feeling forced.
Where many shows in the past have faltered in circumstances like this, the Protector of Purgatory managed to go above and beyond my expectations. The brilliantly written, directed, and acted episode introduces new threats and expands on previously established plot veins. Each of which in their own right could’ve been a very suitable focal point for this pivotal episode. Team Earp however, shoots for the stars, and they wove the handful of directions into a captivating and exquisite tapestry. Reinforcing my opinion that Wynonna Earp is one of the best, most well rounded, shows on television today.
Among the series of strange going on throughout Purgatory, the happenings around its forest land is among the weirdest of the week. Between some trees jumping out into the middle of a road and clotheslining an unattentiRevenantent like they’re in a Looney Toons episode, to other trees dripping with blood and having disturbing faces within them unseen by the characters, trees are at a whole new level of creepy this week. Speaking of unseen by the characters, the blood dripping ‘murder tree’ and a mysterious stair case both appear and disappear without the slightest explanation. The bizarre occurrences not only mess with compasses and get Chetri and new potential beau Robin lost in the woods, but play mind games with Doc as well. It is revealed that Bulshar is responsible for messing with Holiday’s mind, having him hear a baby’s cry and experience the burning fire of hell, offering him reprieve from his fate in exchange for an unspoken item.
Team Earp discovers that they are out of ammo and weaponry. Without Dolls’ line of contact to his BBD contacts, the group is effectively broke and without resources. If that didn’t make matter complicated enough, a new city manager is breathing down Needley’s neck. Looking to slash the sherif department’s budget and over turn stones looking into the Cross Border Task Force cover story surrounding Wynonna’s authority. The bullet shortage results in some embarrassing performance issues with Peacemaker, and the Earp girls having to restore to using the old flip phones.
Perhaps the most disturbing unfolding of the episode surrounds the Earp girls’ mother, Michelle Gibson. Having assaulted another prison employee, the Warden is set to transfer Gibson, a notification phone call to the last known contact number winds up going to Waverly who had picked up Wynonna’s old phone accidentally. After the encounter with her mother leaves Michelle screaming at Waves to get out and that she must kill the demon, the cause for Gibson’s 20 year plus prison sentence is revealed. Michelle had attempted to burn down the Homestead Barn, with Waverly inside, claiming she was attempting to vanquish a demon. Infuriated at their mother’s outburst at Waverly, a Wynonna goes to confront their mom.
Mama Earp ultimately manages to steal Peacemaker off Wynonna and escape. Under the false pretense of an ‘accomplise,’ the Warden holds Wynonna then allows a Revenant prison guard to offer to kill her and make the problem go away, aiming to pin the murder on Gibson. The Heir makes quick work of the guard, taking the Warden’s car trying to catch up to Mama. Gibson confronts Waves in the Homestead Barn, creating an encantation set up of some kind. It is revealed that Waverly is not the demon Mama Earp is trying to kill, but rather she is the Demon’s target and Michelle had been trying to save her daughter all along. The demon, revealed to use the name Jolene, brainwashes Team Earp through illusion casting and hypnotizing baked goods; cliff hanging our week’s adventure with one of the most eerie instances yet.
With our entire team seemingly defenseless to break free of Joelene’s spell, can anything stand in the way of the Demon’s apparent plan to kill Waverly? Why is the youngest Earp sister in Joelene’s crosshairs to begin with? What was the mysterious Posion Ivy plant that attacked Robin? What does Bulshar want from Doc? What bigger part does Nicole’s history and her surviving the Cult of Bulshar massacre have in store for the fate of Purgatory?
So many questions running through my mind throughout this episode, so much excitement and anxiousness. The anticipation of what is to come is a testament to the incredible work the team does week after week. Between Beau Smith’s incredible source material comic books and Emily Andras’ pheneomanl adaptation into this show, all things Wynonna Earp should be on everyone’s radar. I cannot go on enough about how smart, multi-faceted, forward thinking, and fun the show is. For those of you eagerly tuning in each week to see what new adventures the hero of Purgatory goes on, stop be here for my humble breakdown, opinions, and constant raving about my favorite show on television.