Wynonna Earp – Friends in Low Places Review

A few housekeeping notes before I start this review:

1. This review presupposes that you have watched the episode and it will discuss anything and everything that happens in it. Turn back now if you don’t want to be spoiled.
2. I may speculate on what I think might happen (or what I would hope to see) in future episodes. I write all reviews in a vacuum – I don’t watch previews, I don’t watch commercials, and I only watch/write about a single episode at a time. Sometimes I guess right, sometimes I’m way off in my speculation. But that’s all it is – speculation.

So, everyone is back in Purgatory from their quick sojourn to the Garden of Eden . . . ok, only Wynonna, Doc, and Waverly are confirmed to be back in Purgatory. And the trip was a tad longer than we all anticipated it would be (time certainly goes slower in the Garden, with 18 months passing). And, well, we haven’t seen whether or not Jeremy, Robin, of the Countessa made it back from the clutches of Black Badge – and if they’ve also been gone for 18 months, well, that’s not a great sign. Also, we don’t know what is going on in Purgatory that has Nicole on edge and hangings being conducted in the center of town, but I wouldn’t be shocked if Eve was out and about and making herself known (with the time differential between Eden and Purgatory, I would assume that her getting sent through the portal prior to our heroes would mean she had a head start in getting her evil on, if it is indeed her – also, to make things easier, I’m going to refer to Eve as “her” until we get a confirmation on her pronouns . . . and just what exactly she is).

A lot happened in “Friends in Low Places,” working to (presumably) set-up the season’s major arc. As many predicted, the naked Nicole Haught that appeared at the end of the season premiere was not, in fact, the real Sheriff, but was a super evil being calling herself Eve who seems to have the ability to change into anyone she wants. The best comparison I could come up with was The First from Buffy, although having The First only appear as deceased people was a tad more fun than just having a villain who can be anyone – although that does save a lot on the payroll side of things to use actors already under contract, while also giving the cast something pretty fun to play around with. And you could tell Katherine Barrell and Varun Saranga were having a hell of a good time getting to indulge their inner-villains during their turns as Eve. Assuming Eve is meant to be our Big Bad for the season (or at least for the initial arc), I’m looking forward to seeing other cast members getting a chance to flex their acting chops playing wholly against type (just imagine the fun of having Greg Lawson’s Nedley as a sassy villain). But I’m getting a bit ahead of myself here.

While the episode moved the story beyond Eden*, it didn’t do all that much else save for letting us know that something is rotten in the town of Purgatory. And that Nicole made it out of the zombie horde seemingly in pretty decent shape (sure, a broken leg heals in 18 months, but I’m eager to hear the story of just how she escaped from near certain death to protect the homestead from the latest round of danger). Oh! And Nicole accepted Waverly’s proposal and the pair were awarded with their first love scene (strange to think that it took to the fourth season for the show to give all the WayHaught shippers a love scene, but I suppose the later time slot is already paying dividends in that regard). It was nice to end the episode on a really lovely note – sure there’s danger percolating, and there will be a battle to fight in the coming episodes, but it’s nice to see the show’s two central romantic relationships on fairly solid ground as the story progresses.

*So, let’s tackle Chekhov’s stone throne while we have a minute. We were reminded once again that it’s Waverly’s destiny to sit on the throne in Eden, turning to stone herself, in order to keep Eve safely locked away in the Garden. We know Eve is on the loose, which is not great (and likely the major conflict this season – getting her back in her place). If you mention a stone throne that is Waverly’s destiny multiple times in a series, Waverly needs to eventually sit on the throne – or else someone else better be sitting on that throne to keep Eve locked away – by season’s end. Them’s the rules, and I don’t doubt that the writers made sure we recalled that particular prophecy for a reason. It’s easy for a series with popular characters and a vocal fan base to sway the writing of a series in small ways that eventually leads to the elimination of stakes (I’m looking at you, Killing Eve), meaning that certain characters are so protected by plot armor that no matter what the odds against them, everyone comes out of the danger alive and well. And I also know that, when dealing with LGBTQ characters, the Bury Your Gays trope still remains a far too common element of film and television. I’m intrigued to see how the writers work their way out of this particular corner, knowing that taking Wavlerly off the game board in any permanent fashion would be devastating to both the series and the fan base, while still having to pay-off the plot point they’ve put into play in a major way. It’s doable, but it’s going to be hard to thread that needle.

I’m eager to see what we have in store for us the rest of the season. Wynonna is now just a regular gal without her super gun (not that it would help much against non-Revenant baddies, but still), and this season seems constructed to put Waverly in the hero slot (unless we find some more angels hanging out in and around Purgatory, Waverly’s got the best shot at stopping this particular apocalypse). I have to say, it will be really cool to see Waverly get a chance to step out from the shadows and take command – she’s been the damsel in distress far more than any other character throughout the run of the series, so getting to see Dominique Provost-Chalkley take a step out of the background and into the forefront will be pretty fun. As much as I love Wynonna, it’s time we get to see another Earp kicking ass and tacking names.