By Olivia Copeland
If you’d like to see a show about killing demons and monsters, hanging with old western bandits, and protecting lesbians at all costs, then look no further than “Wynonna Earp.”
The SyFy series premiered just over five years ago and has since attracted a cult following of dedicated fans who have campaigned tirelessly to keep the show running. But, as all good things must come to an end, “Wynonna Earp” wrapped its fourth and final season last Friday with a beautiful, fulfilling finale.
The show follows Wynonna, who has inherited a curse from her great-great-grandfather, Wyatt Earp, and is tasked with killing demons to protect her hometown, Purgatory. Wynonna is supported by her bubbly little sister, Waverly Earp, as well as Waverly’s girlfriend and the sheriff of Purgatory, Nicole Haught, and the immortal gunslinger, Doc Holliday.
Season 4 follows a thrilling cliHhanger: Waverly has been captured by sentient vines from the Garden of Eden and Doc has gone in to save her. With the Earp Curse having been broken in Season 3, the team has new problems to deal with, such as a century-old rivalry with the murderous Clanton family, a mysterious fog that drives people to insanity, and, of course, wedding planning.
Waverly and her girlfriend, Nicole, finally get to tie the knot in the series finale, after serving as crucial figures in LGBTQIA+ representation since 2016. The wedding is turbulent but charming – just as the pair deserves. Waverly and Nicole’s relationship is a beacon of light in a season focused on healing from a lot of trauma.
The writers of “Wynonna Earp” fully understood their responsibility to accurately and respectfully represent queer relationships, and as a result, the show has garnered a loyal following of LGBTQIA+ fans.
Waverly and Nicole’s relationship is not the only representation, either. In Season 4 alone, there is Demitri, a pansexual stripper, Amon, a bisexual club owner, and Jeremy, a gay genius who was introduced in Season 2 and has a happy ending with another man in the finale.
“Wynonna Earp’s” strengths lie within its character relationships and comedic appeal, and the fourth season had no shortage of these. Corny jokes are a fundamental characteristic of the show, and Season 4 did a great job at incorporating funny moments into an otherwise emotionally heavy season.
The season also gave more attention to the relationships between characters who did not often have significant moments together, like Doc and Nicole.
What Season 4 did best was developing the characters fully and providing closure for their stories. Throughout the series, Wynonna makes sacrifice after sacrifice for her family, and in Season 4 she finally gets to put herself first.
Waverly, the goody-two-shoes half-angel, gets to explore her dark side. Nicole goes through a journey of guilt and self-forgiveness and repairs her damaged relationship with the town. Doc, who made a lot of mistakes throughout the series, has a satisfying redemption arc in the final season.
This season brought in new characters as well, like Rachel Valdez, a spunky teenager who adds a fresh, young perspective to the team. Cleo Clanton is also introduced in Season 4, and she creates some great comedic moments and acts as a foil to Rachel.
One issue with the season was that the plot could be a little confusing and hard to follow. For example, the whole Garden of Eden storyline was never fully explained. Also, at one point, Waverly kisses a frog for no apparent reason and Nicole somehow dies, becomes a ghost, and is brought back to life. Overall, there is a lack of specific direction in this season compared to previous seasons.
Regardless of defects throughout the season as a whole, the finale was perfect. The team is given one last supernatural case to solve – one with a bridal theme that will fit the wedding occasion – and then everyone comes together to celebrate the long-awaited marriage of Waverly and Nicole.
The episode pays a beautiful tribute to the previous seasons. The team labels empty chairs for the characters from earlier seasons who could not make it to the wedding. Rachel sings a rendition of the song that played over Waverly and Nicole’s iconic first kiss from Season 1.
After a set of tear-jerking vows from the couple, each character gets a hard-earned, satisfying
conclusion to their story.
The final season of “Wynonna Earp” may have been messy, but it was beautiful and it did justice to the characters.
As Wynonna says: “It may be a sh*tshow, but it’s our sh*tshow.”
B+ ... “Wynonna Earp” goes out with a bang