Wynonna Earp: Emily Andras Talks “Daddy Lessons” and “War Paint”

*** This article contains major spoilers for the Wynonna Earp Season 3 finale episodes “Daddy Lessons” and “War Paint” ***

When finale time rolls around in Purgatory viewers can always count on a ton of action, emotion and questions to be left in its wake. Everything felt doubled this time around, as the Season 3 finale of Wynonna Earp aired as back to back episodes on SYFY and Space Channel.  Wynonna (Melanie Scrofano) finally put an end to Bulshar (Jean Marchand), who was denied entrance into the Garden of Eden soon after breaking The Earp Curse. However, that victory was short-lived as the Garden took two people closest to Wynonna. Her sister Waverly (Dominique Provost-Chalkley) was taken against her will into the Garden and Doc (Tim Rozon) seemed ready to sacrifice himself, as he entered willingly to be her weapon and fight.

While the fight against Bulshar came to an end, Wynonna Earp showrunner Emily Andras and her team set up plenty of new mysteries and questions to answer moving forward into Season 4. Wynonna returned home to find Nicole (Katherine Barrell), Jeremy (Varun Saranga) and Robin (Justin Kelly) all missing and only the name Valdez present. Who is that? Where did her team go? Luckily, she was able to find Nedley (Greg Lawson) and the two headed off to save everyone else. These were two very jam-packed episodes with a lot of information and revelations. Good thing that Andras joined us one last time for Season 3 to break down the finale and look ahead to Season 4.

The TV Junkies: Wynonna has finally defeated Bulshar, but it’s come at quite the cost. Other than Alice, she’s now lost the two most important people in her life. What effect will Waverly and Doc being in the Garden have on her heading into next season?

Emily Andras: We’ve set up all year that the thing Wynonna fears the most is being alone and letting her team down, and that seems to be exactly what has happened. Unlike the episode where she kind of breaks down and gives Bulshar Peacemaker, she seems determined to get them back at any cost. We wanted to end on a bit of a positive note and that even with Nedley, they are going to do their best. I believe in her and that she’s got a fire in her belly, determination in eyes and I think they can make it work.

TTVJ: Speaking of Nedley, you were right and he ended up factoring pretty big into things from dropping F bombs to then making Mambo No. 5 references.

EA: Amazing! He’s so good. Greg Lawson for president!

TTVJ: Why was it important that he be the one left behind there in the bar?

EA: Those two have just come so far together. It’s awesome to think of those teaming up when you think back to their first encounter in the pilot, with how aggressive he was towards her and how much animosity there was between them. Now just to hear him say ‘I trust you,’ it brings a tear to the eye. He’s also not maybe the number one person you’d want as your backup, but Wynonna is going to need him. I just feel like it’s such a fun pairing, and I’m excited to see under what circumstances it ended up being those two versus everyone else. Where is everyone else?

TTVJ: Yea, where are they?

EA: I don’t know! Maybe they’re with Valdez.

TTVJ: Right because we saw Valdez’ name at the Homestead. Can we assume that’s the same character from Beau Smith’s Wynonna Earp comics?

EA: Again, I cannot tell you. Beau was delighted when he saw that decision though.

TTVJ: But will she be similar to the character in the comics?

EA: I’m not telling you anything. Nope, nothing. Not a thing. Literally nothing. I’ve already said too much.

TTVJ: You’ve already said too much given you said her name is Valdez?

EA: Pretty much.

TTVJ: There was a ton of things that happened in this finale that we’ll be digesting for the entire off season and things got very Biblical this season. Can you share a little about why you really wanted to delve so deep into theology this season?

EA: I always really liked the idea that the universe is one of balance and the idea of good and evil having to exist concurrently in the same space. That yin and yang is very interesting to me and it’s not just a Christian theory, it’s found in religions all around the world. I always knew that supposedly the Garden of Eden was going to be a part of the Ghost River Triangle. I’ve known that since I wrote the bible for Wynonna Earp. Juan Carlo even says that to Wynonna at the end of the first season, that it’s not just a prison but it’s also protecting something.

So it seemed like the easiest, most basic, take we could do with the Garden of Eden because it can be a lot of different things to a lot of different people. The idea of a garden reoccurs in a lot of religions around the world — the Fountain of Youth, the Promised Land, the Hellmouth or whatever you want to call it — that beginning of humanity really appealed to me. The other thing I’d say is that in a weird way while it seems very biblical, it’s oddly godless. Right now it’s just good guys and bad guys running around — and angels, sure — but it’s not the heavy hand of God on Wynonna Earp. I’m not interested in that but rather the idea of a wild world or universe where there isn’t really anyone at the helm anymore.

I’m interested in those juxtapositions, but Wynonna Earp is always going to ultimately be a demon fighting show. I think it’s really important we get back to that in Season 4 and make it a little more grounded and personal for Wynonna. Now we kind of have both elements which is so exciting going into Season 4.

TTVJ: Prior to Bulshar dying he did break The Earp Curse. What’s this mean for Wynonna? Who is she without this curse?

EA: The thing I like about The Earp Curse getting broken is that it’s the thing she’s striven for for three years, but it happens under the most dire of circumstances, and actually causes her to lose everything and everyone she loves on some level. Wynonna has always been kind of a screw up and underdog but still gets up and fights every day. In the same way that she doesn’t need Peacemaker to do that, I don’t think she needs the curse to do that. On the other hand, there’s always more demons, always more villains, always more deals with devils that may need to be made in order to get the people she loves back. One could argue that she’s been recursed in a weird way and doesn’t even know what that looks like yet. Stay tuned. I’d say the premise of the show is going to change less than you think.

TTVJ: Does this mean that we’re done with the revenants and Peacemaker?

EA: You’re asking me all these future questions and I can’t talk about it. [laughs]

TTVJ: Doc went through quite a journey over the last two episodes, but in the end he was able to come and help Wynonna. What does it mean that he could ascend the stairs and how did he get free in the barn?

EA: I can’t tell you!

TTVJ: Dammit, Emily! [laughs] Does it mean he was mortal because he can go up the stairs?

EA: That seemed to be the implication, but this is supposed to be a mystery and leave you with new questions to answer next year, right? You’re not supposed to know how he got free from the barn and it’s a question to answer next year. I promise. And yes, he should not be able to climb the stairs, but the fact that he can? You should be as mystified and bamboozled as Wynonna feels. She’s like ‘how the hell did that happen?’ And he seemed so certain, right? I’m sorry!

TTVJ: Prior to things going down, we did see Waverly basically propose to Nicole on the front porch. Wynonna, naturally, interrupted and we didn’t get a real answer. Does this mean we may get yet another proposal and maybe with a different ring down the road?

EA: Anything is possible in Season 4/5/6… If I was Waverly I would just not be casually slipping that ring on people’s fingers because it tends to get a little bit stuck! I do think it was important for Waverly to say how much she truly felt about Nicole. I think that’s a huge deal for Waverly, as she’s used to people leaving all the time, and she’s such an open, perky little jelly bean but has trouble voicing her true emotions to the people she loves. So for her to say ‘I love you’ to Nicole and admit to both Nicole, and herself, that she wants to be with Nicole forever was a really big moment for them.

TTVJ: While we’re still discussing the ring, we saw Waverly wield its power to kill Bobo once and for all. Why was now the right time for it to be the end of the road for Bobo? Assuming he’s really dead…

EA: This is right? Bobo is the ultimate demon cockroach and always seems to find ways to keep crawling back. One thing I really love about Bobo’s journey, through Michael Eklund’s incredible portrayal, is just how we upended expectations about him constantly. When we met him in Season 1 he was the leader of the bad guys, seemed terrible and was a potential abuser to Willa. Then through Season 2 we saw he started out as a good man with good intentions who was corrupted by The Curse. One could argue on some level that he was as victimized by Bulshar and Co. as the Earps were. I think there was some mercy in letting Bobo stop being such a servant to evil. It seemed fitting that it be his angel that set him free.

TTVJ: It was fitting and sad too when Waverly told him “you could have been better than this.”

EA: He could have, right? That’s the difference between a Waverly and a Bobo. Bobo would argue that he never had a choice, but Waverly and Wynonna would argue that there’s always a choice, even if it’s hard.

TTVJ: I’m still going to hold out hope though for a spinoff of Bobo and Robin doing crosswords.

EA: Oh my god, I love it! Or just listening to jazz.

TTVJ: The jazz can be playing while they are doing the crossword puzzle on Sunday morning.

EA: Amazing! I would totally watch that. In this environment I think we need that in 2019 now more than ever. It could be even sweeter than Great British Bake Off.

TTVJ: Another big reveal that was in the finale was the fact that Charlie was actually Julian, Waverly’s father. Will Wynonna and the others continue to feel any fallout from that revelation moving forward?

EA: I think it’s one more way that the universe is screwing with Wynonna. It seems like cruel fate that her maybe dim/cute/sweet firefighter boyfriend A) turns out to the love of her mom’s life. B) Is her half sister’s maybe daddy and C) is a friggin’ angel. Wynonna just cannot catch a break, which is why I think it’s so remarkable that she keeps on fighting, joking, quipping and trying.

There’s definitely going to be fallout because look, Mama Earp left to try and go find Julian. That’s a conversation I definitely want to have on screen is Mama coming back and finding out what happens. How do you have that conversation? Unfortunately, because of the way the episodes aired it all happened so quickly. Waverly barely had her dad back before she had to say goodbye. She hadn’t even processed who this person was, what that means for her going forward and I think Waverly never really got to know him at all. It’s going to be a lot.

TTVJ: It was nice to have characters like Kate (Chantel Riley) and Mercedes (Dani Kind) also along for the ride in this finale. I’m assuming they are still out there and there’s a possibility both could come back in later seasons?

EA: There’s a possibility. Everything is possible.

TTVJ: That’s another spinoff for you — Mercedes and Kate having to get along as roommates.

EA: I’d love it and that’d be amazing. I would definitely watch that series. It could be a home reno thing where they each decorate a room and then the owner has to decide which style they like: the vampire style or the bitchy, no face style. It’d be great.

TTVJ: I did really like seeing the pairing of Kate and Nicole in scenes. It was unexpected.

EA: They are really fun together, eh? I think it was really funny for them to talk about the nature of love. I think Nicole had a point that Doc, on some level, is a very bad boyfriend and she wasn’t having any of it. At the same time, Nicole forgives Waverly a lot — obviously nowhere near becoming a vampire and killing people. I like them though. That’s the gift of this show is that the cast is so strong. I love putting different characters together and thinking of what that relationship would look like. It’s almost like a workplace comedy sometimes and I really loved them together too.

TTVJ: I just thought of it, but the Earp Homestead is in sore need of redecorating after that huge shootout and then Valdez coming and carving her name into the wall. That is where Mercedes and Kate can have their decorating contest!

EA: Perfect! So good! Although it’s going to be bloody sheets and sex toys, like Mercedes says when she shows up back at home. Although really, I feel like that could be on brand for Wynonna too. She’d be fine. The Homestead is so cozy though, even though it’s riddled with bullets.

TTVJ: You mentioned earlier this season when we heard the slowed down version of the theme song that you weren’t going to release it just yet. Might that now be available for fans since you used it again here at the end of the finale?

EA: I think it will be available on iTunes by Jill Andrews. I need to double check but hopefully we’ll have that.

TTVJ: Since this was covering two episodes and all, is there anything I missed that you wanted to touch on?

EA: Season 3 was a lot and a blistering ride, but it made my heart so happy to see the Earper community continue to expand and make room for everybody including the writers, the new cast members, composers and directors. The love that gets spread, not only amongst each other, but for the cast and crew that so lovingly try to make this for you is so joyful and gratifying. I feel so thankful that we get to do this for another season. I also look forward to having theories yelled at me for another year.

Well, we’ve come to the end of another season. Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments below!

Wynonna Earp will return for Season 4 in 2019 on SYFY and Space Channel.