Wynonna Earp – I Walk The Line

By starrymag | June 29, 2016

By: Caitlin Walsh

 

Some season finales have greatness thrust upon them and that was (unsurprisingly) the case with Friday’s “Wynonna Earp” Season One finale episode entitled I Walk The Line. From start to finish, it was easily one of the best hours of television and it was a display of greatness, of honest to God storytelling, that only a lucky few have ever achieved.

 

It was, simply, everything.

 

Sound The Alarms

 

With Bobo’s party having erupted into rabid, mouth foaming chaos, Doc (Tim Rozon) and Dolls (Shamier Anderson) wordlessly jump into what may now be a contender for one of the best relationships in the series. If there’s one thing and one thing only that these two have ever been able to agree on, it’s that Wynonna’s safety matters.

 

Bobo (Michael Eklund) and Willa (Natalie Krill) make it to the Ghost River Triangle line and after a quick reunion kiss, that more fully established a deeply unsettling relationship, they realize their escape wasn’t coming easily. Waverly (Dominique Provost-Chalkley) has switched out Peacemaker before Willa got out and without Peacemaker, Bobo and Willa aren’t making it across.

 

Willa gets back into action, annoyed with her sisters and determined to get Peacemaker back. She underestimates her sisters far too much, cocky and pumped with adrenaline. Even Bobo tells her that Waverly is not to be underestimated–she’s not useless, by any means, despite whatever Willa may think. Regardless, she’s determined–she’s getting that gun back. Meanwhile, Waverly, in her attempts to flee the party is kidnapped.

 

Dynamic duo Doc and Dolls rush back to the station to load up on weapons and come up with a game plan where Doc finally stumbles on Dolls’ stash of drugs. Dolls, perhaps just a seasoned addict, promises it’s just medicine and it’s fine, but they don’t have time to get to the bottom of it now. Nicole Haught (Katherine Barrell), still stunning in her gown and ever a faithful officer, bursts in and demands to know what’s going on and how she’s going to help–there’s no if about it.

 

And finally, finally, someone just decides to fill her in. Doc gives her the quick rundown–demons, Ghost River Triangle, heirs, oh my. And Haught, the champion that she is, takes it in stride. She’s not even surprised–hell, she’s just thankful she finally got the truth and wants to know what’s next. She’s tossed a shotgun and standing there, regal and badass, I’m quite sure there isn’t a person out there not in love with Nicole Haught. When Dolls welcomes “Agent Haught” to Black Badge, I’ve never been more proud.

 

Wynonna rushes back to the homestead, determined to find her sisters (after changing out of her killer red dress). This is the perfect time for one of Wynonna’s exes to barge in, of course, and while Wynonna does her best to convince him he’s rabid right now and unforgiving of that time she slept with his brother. Cue Willa to the rescue, knocking Pete (Ryan Irving) out with a pan and coming up with some frantic story of escape from the party, the liar.

 

But while Willa is determined to find Peacemaker, Wynonna is fed up–because her first priority is Waverly, not the damn gun. She’s losing patience with Willa for not putting their little sister first. (Hello, red glaring flag! Wynonna will hopefully notice you soon.)

 

Fishing for Pete’s phone and trying desperately to get in touch with Waverly, a hidden and long thought to be broken house phone rings. It’s Chrissy Nedley (Dana Hollenbach) on the other end, holding Waverly hostage at the station as bait for Wynonna and there’s no question – they’re going. (Suck on that, Willa.)

 

This Time, Baby, I’ll Be…

 

Whatever Chrissy was thinking is beyond me but, naturally, she’s no match for multiple Earp sisters. Willa runs to Waverly, playing the caring, worried sister for only a moment before jumping right into her Peacemaker obsession. Waverly grabs her clutch protectively and the jig is up–she slides it to Wynonna and Willa’s done with her ruse.

 

Wynonna just wants to be filled in and Waverly tells her she noticed something in Willa’s eyes back at the treehouse, when her memories came flooding back. Wynonna is just trying to get through to Willa when Nicole Haught comes bursting in, looking for Waverly, and Willa is quick to aim at Waverly’s girlfriend. She threatens to shoot Haught if she doesn’t hand over Peacemaker.

 

Wynonna clearly feels a little out of the loop about the girlfriend thing, but not much time to really discuss it since, you know, Willa’s gone full bad guy maniac mode. Wynonna is torn, but Waverly pleads, tearfully. “Please. I love her.” And that was it. That was all Wynonna needed to hear and she tossed the gun over to Willa, saving Nicole. Naturally, Willa shoots her anyway, because Willa is decidedly a terrible older sister and an evil, chaos loving, vindictive bully and my heart stopped and so did everyone else’s. Well, momentarily anyway until Nicole reveals she was wearing a bulletproof vest because Emily Andras is a storytelling queen and threw a tired trope out the window. Nicole Haught wasn’t getting taken down by a bullet, just like Waverly was only grazed. These are bulletproof lady loving ladies, with stories that matter, with love that matters, and they’re heroes that we get to see live.

 

Waverly is crying tears of relief over a now very much awake and okay, albeit a little shaken, Nicole, and Wynonna tells her she’s finally picked a smart one, and at this point, tears were down my face. It was perfect, and of course Wynonna is happy for them and Wynonna loves them together–her friend and her little sister. There was never any question that Wynonna would be fine with this, and yet, seeing it happen? I was a puddle of mush.

 

Wynonna, the generous, actual gold star winning older sister she is gives her sister a minute to makeout with her living, breathing, bulletproof girlfriend before she tosses Waverly her jacket. They head out to stop Willa and, more or less, the apocalypse. Outside, of course, are the town zombies out for Wynonna and it’s like she forgot that minor detail but, hey, she seems used to not being everyone’s best friend anyway.

And yet, when they’re cornered–it’s Nedley (Greg Lawson) who steps up. Even poisoned, the man is as honorable as they come and he knows that despite Wynonna’s reputation (that is at their hands, really), they can’t be selfish. They know giving Wynonna over to Bobo means handing over their only chance at stopping some serious chaos from erupting. He knows Wynonna is their hero, their only shot.

 

Wynonna and Waverly end up splitting up, with Waverly quite suddenly proclaiming she has a job that only she can do. With a kiss on the forehead, they part ways.

 

Dolls and Doc, meanwhile, charged into Shorty’s with guns blazing and Dolls ends up shot. Luckily, Doc had enough sense to grab his drugs for him (affectionately telling him he’s a lazy junkie) and picks one, loads it up and then loads Dolls up with his injection gun (fancy). Naturally, not being an addict himself, Doc didn’t know what dosage to go for–he just gave it all. Dolls goes full lizard-man (have we decided on what to label this?) and charges into Shorty’s, tossing revenants around and out the window like their rag dolls. Doc, admittedly, is a little freaked, but also impressed and the two are grinning like old pals in no time, which is how Wynonna finds them shortly after.

 

Bizarre, sure, but she has no time for it. She catches them up and Dolls bids them off, sticking behind to deal with Lucado (Kate Drummond) and deal with his injuries and the repercussions from his hulk-out.

 

Let’s Get Ready To Rumble

 

Turns out, Waverly’s solo plan was a trip to the treehouse where she waits for Bobo to appear so she can confront him, beg him to let her sister go. Bobo, in turn, explains himself how he never touched Willa when she was younger. He explains how he took care of her and protected her and how the Stone Witch stole her away that he dug for her sons’ bones to get Willa back.

 

Bobo also fills her in on how he used to watch all of the Earp girls when they were younger, before dropping a truth bomb on her–that she is not even an Earp. Before they have any chance to talk further, Bobo tells Waverly to hide and Willa comes in and off her and Bobo go, Peacemaker in hand and Waverly in tears, still hiding.

 

Doc, meanwhile, is trying to prep Wynonna who clearly is having the worst inner turmoil she’s had to deal with yet–the actual prospect of what to do with her sister that she just got back, evil or not. Doc tells an anecdote of a good dog he once had that became rabid who had to be put down. Wynonna isn’t quite ready to do that and they can hope it won’t come to that.

 

 

Dolls and Lucado, meanwhile, duke it out. She hates him, that much is clear, and he finally calls her out on it. For whatever reason, she’s holding a grudge about what happened on his last job (remember that catastrophe?) and she’s not entirely thrilled that she was left in the dark about the possible two Earp heirs business. For all of that, she’s deciding that Bobo can cross and they’ll observe–Purgatory be damned.

 

Doc and Wynonna catch up with Bobo and Willa by the edge of the triangle and a gun fight ensues–one that Wynonna has the upper hand in. By attaching a grenade to the gun that Bobo magics out of her hand and into his, she is able to blow them all back. Doc and Bobo may be down, but now it’s the two Earp heir sisters, a showdown for the millennium.

 

Despite whatever hope she may have had, despite her pleas, Wynonna can’t get through to Willa. She’s too far gone, too hateful and angry and she steps through the gate. Her side goes dark and some tentacle freak of a monster emerges, coming their way. It’s all bad, straight out of a nightmare, and sure to give me one.

 

What killed me more was Wynonna, knowing it was coming down to this, and her face when Willa goes to shoot her. But Peacemaker won’t work and out of nowhere comes Dolls, shooting Willa and subsequently, the tentacle monster gets her. It’s a rush of action and Wynonna gets over there, grabs Peacemaker and tearfully, so painfully, aims it at Willa. The gun glows blue and she shoots Willa.

 

And When All Is Said and Done…

 

Bobo, still knocked to the ground, comes face to face with Peacemaker and Wynonna will finally get this one moment of content, something she’s dreamed of, and he’s begging for it. That is until Lucado shows up, stopping Wynonna and taking both Bobo and Dolls to be locked away. She leaves with a threat that she knows something deep, dark and buried from Wynonna’s past–blackmail.

 

Juan Carlos (Shaun Johnston), Doc’s former frenemy from his road trip break down, shows up with some words of warning and wisdom for Wynonna. He notes that the Ghost River Triangle keeps things in and out. It’s two ways and that portal needs to stay closed. And Wynonna has work to do. A purpose. Whatever sliver of doubt Willa brought into the equation doesn’t matter now. Wynonna is the only living Earp heir. That, she can be damn sure of.

 

Wynonna steps out into the road and just as the truck hauling away Bobo and Dolls crosses the line (Bobo writhing in pain) Wynonna aims Peacemaker right down the line. She shoots Bobo and sends him back to hell, just as she’d needed and wanted to do for so long. That, at least, she earned.

 

Wynonna, Doc and Waverly visit the site where Willa died earlier, talking about how they’ll plant a tree for the Willa they loved (not the crazy one) and it’ll be nice, sweet. Next Spring says Willa. She plans to kick some ass, take some names, keep fighting the fight–and hell, of course, she’ll go rescue Dolls. It feels like some hope, maybe. A sliver of light in the darkness. That is until Waverly touches goo she finds leftover from the portal and when she touches it her eyes go black. She turns to Doc and Wynonna, aims her gun and shoots.

 

That, ladies and gentlemen, was a season finale.