Wynonna Earp: This Generation’s Chosen One

By: Maggie Stankiewicz

If you’ve ever found yourself immersed in geek culture at some point between the year 1997 and today, chances are that you’ve heard the old adage, “In every generation there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer.” Joss Whedon’s camp-fest cult hit turned feminist icon Buffy the Vampire Slayer has transcended her roots to become a staple in popular culture, the portrait of a reluctant heroine and the inspiration behind decades of “strong female characters. Among the most influential of these characters is Wynonna Earp.

Wynonna Earp has been making headlines since the comic hit television screens across Canada and the United States in 2016 and has been steadily gaining momentum ever since. Wynonna Earp shares Buffy’s own ability to subvert the horror and supernatural genres by showcasing a fallible female Chosen One without a choice, with elements of found family, daddy issues, love triangles and complex Big Bads meticulously woven into the fabric of the show’s universe. Buffy Summers (Sarah Michlle Gellar) was the hero the masses needed, but it’s time to pass the scythe (or revolver) to the next woman in town. Wynonna Earp’s (Melanie Scrofano) television portrayal is proudly and overtly influenced by Buffy, though the titular character is a little more reluctant and oftentimes a lot more intoxicated and our favorite Slayer.

Wynonna, like Buffy, was thrust into the world of heroism not by choice, but by unfortunate happenstance. Whereas Buffy’s power stemmed from demon blood and dark magic, Wynonna’s affliction is the result of a family curse. Both women suffer at the hands of their ancestors and are forced to reconcile with their irreversible destinies – but Wynonna’s story is much more aligned with the 21^st century cure for the patriarchy and all of its impositions. Still supervised by a male with a dark and violent past, Wynonna’s weapons of choice are her sharp tongue and a mystical buntline special with an extended barrel. The similarities between these two heroines don’t stop here – but what makes Wynonna Earp such a pivotal character in the realm of Chosen One mythos is the way showrunner Emily Andras and the crew of Wynonna Earp have gone so far as to correct some of Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s mistakes, both on and off the small screen.

Take for example the life and death of Joss Whedon’s fan-favorite creation, Tara Maclay (Amber Benson). Tara Maclay was one of prime-time television’s first out lesbian characters and one who existed within the Buffyverse for the span of two seasons before she met her untimely death from an unexpected gun-shot wound. While Tara Maclay’s life was groundbreaking and even life changing for many LGBTQ fans, her death became one of the earliest and most infamous instances of the “Bury Your Gays” (BYG) trope. The overused BYG plot device has plagued this minority group, diminishing the viewer experience and undermining any progress made through LGBTQ inclusion.

Wynonna Earp became the antithesis of this trope’s machine by presenting audiences with an out and proud lesbian cop named Nicole Haught (Katherine Barrell). In the season finale of Wynonna Earp’s first season, Nicole (who is dating Wynonna’s sister Waverly [Dominique Provost-Chalkley]) is again unexpectedly shot in the chest from a close-range. Audiences felt their hearts break as she crashed to the floor, but were revived when they realized that she had not only survived yet had planned for the very attack by wearing a bulletproof vest. Andras’ adamant opposition to the BYG trope is more than fan service, it’s a well-deserved slap in the face to all who perpetuated the negative or temporary representation of LGBTQ characters in media.

Wynonna Earp’s treatment of women, both fictional and real, has always been integral to the show’s success. When Wynonna actress Melanie Scrofano became pregnant for the show’s second season, showrunner Emily Andras embraced the blessing with open arms by actually writing the pregnancy into the show. Wynonna Earp, a 21^st century screw up, became one of the first television portrayals of a pregnant superhero. This bold move took more balls than a bowling alley to pull off, but the cast and crew did so tremendously. To add such a real, human element to a supernatural-fantasy show is a risk that few writers are willing to make. If you juxtapose this celebration of pregnancy and womanhood with treatment of Buffyverse actress Charisma Carpenter, it’s a clear distinction to make. As a television show, Wynonna Earp’s grace is the perfect complement to Wynonna Earp the character’s complete lack of it.

Consent is another topical issue that is handled with care in the Wynonna Earp universe. Buffy was littered with problematic events and allegories circulating around the idea of consent from penetrating vampire bites to the genesis of the First Slayer or Spike’s (James Marsters) attempt at raping Buffy. And this is something that Wynonna Earp approached from a different, perhaps more resonant angle. From first time-love scenes to stolen kisses in barns, Wynonna Earp examines consent from both fantastical and realistic lenses. After Waverly and Nicole have sex for the first time, Nicole learns that Waverly had been sporadically possessed by a demon. Before they head to bed for a second time, Nicole asks if any boundaries had been broken or if the consummation of their love had been legitimate. Thankfully, it was, but it was a conversation that was fundamental to the relationship’s development.

Possession and sex are often overlooked in the science-fiction genre and are quickly written off as a non-existent issue. In season four of Buffy the Vampire Slayer when Buffy and Faith (Eliza Dushku) switched bodies, resulting in a sex scene between Faith (in Buffy’s body) and Riley (Buffy’s boyfriend) – only Buffy’s jealousy was presented as an issue and Riley’s (Marc Blucas) feelings on the matter were never truly acknowledged. Consent between men and women is equally as important – and this was not an oversight for the Wynonna Earp writers. Doc Holliday (Tim Rozon), a love interest of Wynonna’s, tells her in a brief exchange, “You are free to kiss whoever you want…only if they want you to.” This conversation occurs after the two characters have already had multiple intimate encounters – solidifying with audience that consent is episodic, not permanent. This is but one example of the care Wynonna Earp’s writers give to their characters and to their audiences.

Beyond the more obvious comparisons between Wynonna and Buffy, the contemporary portrayal of a flawed Chosen One is something that we’ve seen before, but never in such a way. Wynonna Earp is perfectly poised to stand beside Buffy in the ranks of legendary femme fatales and the show is well on its way to securing a position in the pop-culture lexicon. The expertly crafted cocktail of precocious dialogue, emotional complexity and generational appeal goes down smooth as Wynonna’s favorite whiskey. One exemplary element of the show’s craftsmanship is the use of historical figures such as Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday (a rather Spike-eqsue character). By bridging the gap between the old West and the population’s thirst for a fresh new hero, Wynonna Earp brings the past back to life making it not only relevant but fresh and palatable to a wider audience. History, whether it be from the late 1800s to the late 1990s, will be repeated. It’s up to us how to keep it preserved, while bettering ourselves.

Wynonna Earp has been fondly referred to as a “shit show” by fans, an inside joke pulled directly from the show’s dialogue. But this declaration couldn’t be farther from the truth. Wynonna started as a potential and quickly graduated to contemporary Slayer – righting the wrongs of her predecessors and paving the way for future generations. From 1997 through 2003, there was something extraordinary about one girl in all the world facing the forces of darkness with a sharply whittled stick, but it’s time to watch a new woman face a world she never asked to be a part of. And this time…she just so happens to be a hard-drinking, potty-mouthed Canadian with killer aim.