Wynonna Earp’s Chantel Riley on Why Kate Loves Doc Enough to Let Him Go
Ever since she blew into Purgatory, Kate (Chantel Riley) has had an air of mystery to her. We soon found out that she was Doc’s (Tim Rozon) wife and that she’s a vampire, but we really didn’t know too much else about her. That all changed this week as Wynonna Earp flashed back and gave us a glimpse at Kate and Doc’s past together and more specifically, why she became a vampire in the first place. However, after realizing that his heart firmly belongs now to Wynonna (Melanie Scrofano), it appears that Kate is moving on and may be leaving town.
In part two of our interview with Riley, she discusses why she personally enjoyed getting these pieces to Kate’s story and why Kate finally realized that she needs to move on from Doc. Riley also stars as Trudy on CBC’s Frankie Drake Mysteries which returns for Season 2 on Monday, September 24 at 9 p.m. ET.
The TV Junkies: It was really nice to flashback this week and see how Doc and Kate met, how happy they once were together and that she became a vampire to find him. What did you think when you finally got those pieces to the puzzle and learned this information?
CR: It was really cool because I got to have a better understanding of where she was coming from, her connection to Clootie and Bulshar and then of course, it was the first time she met the love of her life. That for me was really exciting to finally see that puzzle put together. How did they meet? What was it that did it for her? The charm and the ruggedness of him, but also you see that she holds her own as well. Doing a flashback is always cool, and you’re going back to the 1800s so the costumes are fun and make it exciting to go back and watch their love story play out.
TTVJ: Despite initially taking the Stone Witch’s offer of independence, Kate did turn into a vampire so she could search for Doc. Now she’s dealing with the fact that not only did Wynonna find him, but his heart belongs to her. What does this mean for her now?
CR: At the end of the episode she finally admits to herself that he’s not hers anymore. She knows about Alice. She knows and sees the love that he has for Wynonna and has developed for her. They have a child together so Kate can’t really beat that. There’s a different kind of love when you have a child with someone and I think she accepts that. I think she loves him enough to let him go.
TTVJ: After dancing around each other all season, it was nice to finally see Kate and Wynonna really talk. Why do you think that was so important and has Kate maybe changed Wynonna’s mind a bit about Doc’s decision?
CR: I think after hearing her story that Wynonna has a better idea as to why Doc turned himself. Kate turned herself into a vampire to find Doc and he did it to basically protect Wynonna forever. She’s able to pick that up after hearing this. I know she was so pissed off at him, but hearing Kate’s story she’s able to have a little more understanding in her heart to understand why he did this. She can still think it sucks, but it came from a very noble place. Doc is very noble. He does love her very much and will truly do whatever it takes.
TTVJ: It’s sad too because I think in another world Kate and Wynonna would probably get along quite well.
CR: I do love how they did this episode because the last thing Emily wants to do is pit women against each other, I think. Of course we have our differences, and of course there’s going to be some head butting, but in the end there’s a camaraderie. We’re women and when it comes down to it, all we have is each other. So I love how they brought the two of them together to solve problems, figure some stuff out and deal with Clootie running around. I just love the woman power we are bigger than this man thing. It’s way bigger than that. I think the two of them recognize that and I love the direction Emily took with this episode.
TTVJ: I know you just wrapped Season 2 of Frankie Drake and that premieres soon. Is there anything you can preview about what’s to come there?
CR: In Season 2 we have a lot more butt kicking coming your way. It’s also great because you’re going to see a lot more of Rebecca Liddiard’s Mary and Sharron Matthew’s Flo. This year it’s the four of us coming together which is great. It just goes to show on TV that girls can do it no problem. We don’t particularly need the boys. It’s not to say we don’t love the boys and appreciate the boys, but it’s great to see four powerful women holding it down on television. We’re so excited to celebrate that on this level. It was a really fun season to shoot.
Have we seen the last of Kate? What do you think of her backstory? Add your thoughts below!
Wynonna Earp airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on SYFY and Space Channel.
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Bridget Liszewski
Editor in Chief Bridget Liszewski comes from a long line of TV Junkies who fostered her love of television from a very young age. She's channeled that passion into covering both US and Canadian television shows, and is thankful everyday for the invention of the DVR. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, she loves college football and is a fan of sports in general. Bridget is always up for talking TV and you can follow her on twitter at @BridgetOnTV.
I hated how Doc treated Kate back in the day and that she still came running after him! For a show that prides itself on its feminism, seeing this was like waking up in patriarchal bullshit land.
I feel we didn’t see enough of them outside of the Clooties to say that was a consistent thing but maybe it was a call to real Kate and Doc fighting at times yet they still came back together?
Because we didn’t see a lot I can kind of see why Kate might follow him, because he also did stand up for her when Bulshar was trying to force her into reading his cards, but in this time I can see why you’d dislike his treatment of her as he has been a jerk at times to put it mildly.
My favorite line of this episode was “You’re blaming me for his choices? I thought you were more progressive than that!” because it was such a bummer to see Wynonna fault Kate like she did then Kate try to soften Doc’s actions. Had she said at the end “I THINK he did it for you too” then I personally wouldn’t have been as angry at the moment, I’d still shake my head and think of course Doc gets off easily, because it’s Kate’s opinion not fact – again to me the scene read as him spiting Wynonna not going there to be some hero. And had Wynonna asked “DID you trick him?” it would have been easier for me to take because she’s just asking a question as she wasn’t there and she doesn’t know Kate so it’s fair ask arguably but to say Kate did it without proof is just grade A bull because it faults a woman for a man’s choice and that’s not cool; heck even Wynonna saying “You must have ticked him” because she doesn’t want to believe he’s as selfish as she suspects would have been better because again she doesn’t know Kate. Sadly I can’t say I’m really surprised at any of this because clearly the show wants to do Wynonna/Doc I just wish they would handle it all better and have Doc make up for his own mistakes not have Kate rewrite an event.
Doc messed up but isn’t that the concept in part of this show – flawed characters so let Doc be as flawed as others! If Wynonna wants to date a debatable selfish person like him then write it but the side effect is some fans are going to say she deserves better but at least their drama will be organic which is still rare on shows versus manufacturing Doc a way out arguably just so they can be the “happy couple”.
I realize I might not be making complete sense here but it’s just very annoying some of the things that happened in this episode regarding him and the fact this seems to be a theme with him doesn’t help.
Tim does a great job in the part, sometimes I think of him in “Tombstone” rather than Val Kilmer, and Doc was actually my favorite in “Tombstone” so I want to enjoy him more but the way the character is handled here I often can’t.
I can’t fault Kate for moving on but I really hope she sticks around for the rest of the season because she’s been a lot of fun so far. Come on Kate it’s only 4 more episodes! 🙂 You wanted to be friends with others make friends with Waverly, Nicole, and Jeremy; Nedly is pretty cool also although he might be a little standoffish because of the whole glamoring thing earlier. Ha.
Kate and Constance did rock their ye oldie clothes in that flashback! 🙂
“They have a child together so Kate can’t really beat that.” – I know kids are important but I feel they’re putting a lot on Alice when Alice shouldn’t be the only reason Doc is with Wynonna and vice versus; I know he loves her too he says and she cares about him but enough to be happy long term, I personally don’t know but if it isn’t that’s not fair to Alice to be in an unhappy home like that. Just because you share a kid doesn’t mean you have to live together forever! Wynonna with someone else or Doc with someone else doesn’t change her parentage so why force two people into something they don’t want just for the kid? It’s not fair to anyone in that situation; I just feel if Alice is the go to reason why you think Wynonna and Doc should be together then they probably shouldn’t be together because it’s essentially the same thing as staying together because your great at sex together – you can’t have a healthy long term relationship on that.
“I think after hearing her story that Wynonna has a better idea as to why Doc turned himself.” – Wynonna knew before the story he loved Kate; Kate’s and Doc’s turn are not the same – Kate turned so she could look for Doc forever, Doc turned to anger Wynonna and make her feel guilty for saying no to him. Nothing in Kate’s story explains Doc’s selfishness better than it has already been shown. Again I realize they’ll say almost anything to have Wynonna/Doc together but I just can’t stop saying in turn how it’s not enjoyable to watch in my opinion; they could have had Doc make up for his choice in another way later they didn’t have to have Kate try and pad his reasoning that was just too much for me.
“and he did it to basically protect Wynonna forever.” – expect he didn’t; the only thoughts of Wynonna in his mind at the time were him spurning her because she told him no one day, he was not thinking about doing it to protect her, at best it certainly wasn’t his only motivation. Him protecting her forever is a side possible benefit of the turn but it’s not why he turned.
“Doc is very noble.” – sometimes but not always.
I did overall enjoy the Wynonna-Kate stuff this episode except for Wynonna blaming Kate for Doc’s choices and Kate basically telling Wynonna to forgive him because…Doc? Again he did not do the same thing as Kate so I don’t understand that lie if a line basically by her saying he did it for Wynonna. Minus the “Give Doc A Free Pass” stuff though it makes me wish Kate had mixed with the group before now because she gives good advice (see the scene with Waverly), she points out issues with characters which we don’t see them doing always with one another, and she’s just fun because she’s kind of laid back.
“Have we seen the last of Kate?” – hope not this season; if she just came for a dude it’ll leave me asking why couldn’t her stuff be wrapped up in and episode or two and we get more Nedly or Bulshar set up. Kate seems like she could be useful for a battle, kind of like Ciara in S2 of “Lost Girl” but hopefully with less dying!
“What do you think of her backstory?” – overall they did well I thought.
I just need to see more more Nicole and Wayhaught sexiness and less of Doc’s assholery and everything or everyone related to it. It’s really exhausted that the show wants you to root for such a character who hardly has any redeeming qualities. The overdose of Doc is really off putting!