Wynonna Earp: Emily Andras Talks “I Fall to Pieces”

*** This article contains major spoilers for the Wynonna Earp Season 3 episode “I Fall to Pieces” ***

There were hijinks and lots of jokes to go around on this week’s Wynonna Earp, all up until the final few moments at least. That’s when all jokes stopped and things got very emotional as Wynonna (Melanie Scrofano) discovered the truth about Doc’s (Tim Rozon) decision to become a vampire, and the gunslinger banished him from the Earp Homestead. Elsewhere, Nedley (Greg Lawson) revealed to Nicole (Katherine Barrell) that he was the one to save her as a child, rescuing her from the Bulshar massacre and that he always watched out for her and considered her a daughter. It was a heartbreaking end to what was up until that point a fun and laugh out loud episode.

The laughs came mainly from the fact that Nicole and Wynonna spent a good portions of  “I Fall to Pieces,” written by Noelle Carbone and directed by Grant Harvey, handcuffed together as they ran a somewhat contrived errand for Nedley. The two argued, taunted and teased each other most of the way before joining forces against Purgatory councilwoman Bunny Loblaw (guest star Jann Arden) and reaching a place of mutual respect and understanding. Elsewhere, Mama Earp (Megan Follows) tricked Doc into helping her as she left behind her girls and went in search of her love Julian, who Bobo said was outside of the Ghost River Triangle. As is usually the case, it’s a good thing showrunner Emily Andras joined us for her weekly chat because there was a lot that happened that we need to break down!

The TV Junkies: This episode was all fun and games and then POW! You hit us right in the gut with the feelings at the end. That was very rough!

Emily Andras: That’s Josh from SYFY’s favorite scene of the whole season. Tim and Mel are so good together. They trust each other so much as actors and can really push each other emotionally to the depths of despair. It’s really, really beautiful to watch, as devastating as it is. It’s funny because I feel both things — you can admire the performance, but at the same time think it’s so, so sad. So who’s right, Bridget?

TTVJ: I don’t know. I’m so torn and feel for them both! “John Henry Holliday, you’re not welcome in my home anymore.” Oof!

EA: I know, he can’t even come in the house. I agree with you, but I also felt that he tried to do the right thing by just coming clean with her and telling her the truth. It’s just so complicated because they are both so stubborn and beautiful!

TTVJ: What does it mean then for Doc going forward now that he’s banished from the Homestead? Where does he go next?

EA: I guess into the arms of his vampiric wife, Kate. You can only be rejected so many times by the woman you love before you’re like “fine!” Especially if you feel like you’ve made huge sacrifices for her. Doc has a lot of feelings, but he also hasn’t dealt with his vampireness yet. This is all so fresh. We saw at the beginning of the episode that he actually had some regret. It’s like he woke up after a horrible one night stand and thought ‘what have I done?’ It’s like when you wake up and you’ve gotten a tattoo with a sailor you just met on shore leave and it’s like ‘Uh oh!’ Except he’s a vampire. We’ve all been there, Bridget, come on!

TTVJ: It’s the worst tramp stamp ever.

EA: It’s a vamp stamp!

TTVJ: Hey-o! I set that up and you hit the home run. Well done.

EA: I wouldn’t have gotten there…

TTVJ: So it’s true then that Doc is really regretting his decision here?

EA: I think he is initially and knows that in a moment of weakness on Christmas, feeling rejected and dejected and wanting to help Kate and be needed, that he did something without thinking through the long-term consequences. That’s also why I’d argue that he and Wynonna are so alike on some level, and constantly acting impulsively against their own best interest, because they have so much self loathing. They are such an interesting combination of shear ego and self loathing.

I also think by the end of it that Doc has realized that maybe he can use this to his advantage and that he’ll stick around and fight for Alice and the Earps as long as it takes. It’s like I said, I think Doc is both selfish and selfless. I was interested when we thought about how hurt Wynonna would’ve been by this decision. I think she’s equally as hurt in the moment that it was about him committing to Kate, right?

Look, she was kind of in love with a dragon. Really, don’t be so judgy, Wynonna. You know, you literally were in love with a dude that could breathe fire.

TTVJ: I really enjoyed seeing the pairing of Mama and Doc this week. It seems that they really have each other’s numbers. Why did you want to pit them together in this episode?

EA: I feel that they do have each other’s numbers. I do think that’s true. I think Mama has been thinking since Christmas that she has to go find her man. So in a weird way, because she doesn’t really like Doc that much, she knew that she could use him to facilitate her exit. He could take the blame, he could help her and like she said, Wynonna always forgives him. Plus they are both damaged people who have hurt their family and hurt people they’ve loved so of course they’d understand each other.

TTVJ: I hope she is right and Wynonna forgives him.

EA: Well, I don’t know. It doesn’t seem like things were that great at the end of the episode, Bridget.

TTVJ: I’m a little worried too that Mama was just taking Bobo’s word on everything that happened with Ward pushing Julian outside of the Ghost River Triangle. Can you preview what her next moves may be in her search for Julian?

EA: No, I can’t!

TTVJ: This is why I don’t even ask questions and most of the time just make statements on my feelings because I know you won’t say anything.

EA: You say ‘preview’ in the question and I’m like ‘Nope!’ It’s like ‘can you just tell us what’s going to happen?’ Nope! I cannot. I cannot tell you what’s going to happen, Bridget. ‘Can you distinctly outline the next six episodes?’ No I cannot. So the answer is ‘no.’

TTVJ: Fine! I just thought Mama seemed to know that Bobo was a “son of a bitch” and then she’s just trusting what he told her about Julian.

EA: Well, it’s not that but just what do we know about Bobo? The information is so delicious and he held onto it for so long. Why hold onto a lie? That’s the thing about Bobo, he’s not necessarily a liar. Yes, he’s a shit, but he was also the one who told Waverly she probably wasn’t an Earp. He does seem to have a connection to this family and some insider information. He is not just a pathological liar necessarily. He’s just a jerk.

I do think it’s dangerous for Mama to just take him at his word, but she’s just so desperate, house bound and stuck that she needed an excuse to leave anyways. She can’t just hang around. She’s a fugitive! She could bring the law down on her family.

TTVJ: Speaking of the law, Nedley and Nicole had me crying real good too.

EA: Oh I know! Can we just talk about Greg Lawson? He’s so good this year! He’s so amazing and I cry every time I watch that scene.

TTVJ: I know! I was just getting over this and you were like ‘no, no here’s Wynonna and Doc too.’ Why are you doing this to us?

EA: We just gave you a gnome wife so we really rode the spectrum of emotions this week, Bridge.

TTVJ: Kat Barrell and Greg are always great together but seem to be really exceptional these last two episodes.

EA: They’ve been amazing. They work really well together. Even his little smile when she brings him the photo because he’s been waiting for this and he’s proud of her, but also hesitant to tell her. He’s such an incredible actor. He really is.

TTVJ: I think we all need to check on Nedley’s #1 fan, Cat Zimm, after that scene. She’s going to be dead.

EA: I agree. Shoutout to Cat Zimm, are you OK?

TTVJ: He did say he will still be around. I assume he’ll not be going anywhere and still help the team fight?

EA: Well that’s what he said but lots of stuff can happen in Purgatory, Bridget. People have lots of good intentions, like not becoming a vampire, but yes, he sure did say that. He said that.  [laughs]

TTVJ: Oh man, I hate you. [laughs]

EA: I know. I’m the worst. You can taunt me back if you want.

I will say I’m really proud of the writers this year and we all really worked well on scripts together. This one was really funny and I was so happy about Noelle’s sense of humor. There were hilarious laugh out loud jokes. I was delighted.

TTVJ: Because before you hit us with all the feelings you did give us this really fun Wynonna and Nicole shenanigans episode. How will everything that they went through in this episode affect their relationship moving forward?

EA: It’s a moving target, right? They are constantly getting under one another’s skin. What I think is so funny about those two is that they would be better friends if Nicole wasn’t with Waverly. I feel like they were on their way to trusting each other and becoming friends more before that complication got involved, just because I don’t think anyone is going to be perfect for Wynonna’s favorite person in the whole wide world. Nicole has to constantly deal with Wynonna Interruptus and Wynonna throwing her weight around.

What I really liked about it though is them coming to the realization — particularly Wynonna extending this olive branch — that Nicole is 100 per cent part of the team. She is meant to be in the Ghost River Triangle. She’s not just some cop that showed up and has been bumbling her way through demonville. There seems to be some other force at work, even when it comes to Haught, and Wynonna acknowledging that they all have a role to play in the events going forward is a huge step for her.

Likewise, I really liked the honesty of Nicole’s admission that sometimes she’s jealous of Wynonna. Wynonna gets to have sex in the firetruck and is whooping it up and she’s still the chosen one. She’s kind of the best at fighting demons and is the superhero. Everybody loves her wit, her hair and her heart so she gets forgiven for everything, whereas Nicole tries so hard but just can’t help it. By nature she’s just a little more straight-laced and a little more by the book so it would be hard, right? Wynonna essentially gets away with murder so I like Nicole saying part of her issue with Wynonna is that she’s jealous.

I just like that they became honest with each other, and I think they know each other really well. I love the way they fought together. They were in it together and they are, they have been. It really feels like one of those workplace friendships, right? In no other circumstances would they ever have become friends, except in these circumstances, and I think it’s fun.

TTVJ: I love Nicole as part of WayHaught, but it’s really nice that with new information like this and then seeing her campaign for sheriff, that we’re really seeing her and learning more about her outside of that relationship.

EA: I always say that I like Nicole because she’s ambitious and she wants something. She really cares about her career and really wants to be sheriff. She’s not going to apologize for that and she should be sheriff. I wish we saw more women on TV liking their jobs, being good at it and working towards something that isn’t just romance, which is obviously very important, but I agree. Thank you.

TTVJ: You guys have added Megan Follows this season but this week’s episode also featured another Canadian legend, Jann Arden! I can’t say I’m sad to see Bunny go, but how did that all come about and what was it like having Jann join things?

EA: Jann Arden is a Canadian legend and incredible singer and songwriter. You should go download her entire catalog if you don’t have it immediately. She’s also known for her extreme wit. She’s so incredible to see in concert because she will have you rolling in the aisles with self deprecating, humorous stories and then will make you bawl with her beautiful, beautiful songs. The other thing about Jann Arden is that she’s from Alberta. She’s an Alberta girl through and through and has a huge fanbase in the LGBTQ community as well. Honestly, I’ve had my eye on her since Season 1 and even had floated the idea of asking Jann to play Gus. I thought she’d be a perfect fit, but she’s Canada’s princess. She’s touring, traveling and going off to England to comment on the Royal Wedding. She’s a big deal!

She also hadn’t been an actress, but in the last year did Workin’ Moms with someone I like to call Dani Fucking Kind and Kat Barrell. She kind of fell in love with them so I felt like that was my in. I basically then pestered the gingers in my life to put in a good word with Jann and they did! Honestly, Jann and I hit it off like gangbusters and she’s exactly who I want to be the rest of my life. She’s such a capital B Broad in the best sense of the word. She just fit in with Melanie, Dom and Kat and came on set and just got it. She was so great with the crew and had so much fun.

She completely embraced Bunny Loblaw, who I thought was just the most amazing character. I think we needed that type of character. Where is the small town racism and homophobia that WayHaught is dealing with all the time? We needed a reminder that there’s people in town that are horrible to the Earps. I don’t want it all to be too soft. In the same way that Nedley has become lovable and an ally when at first he was an adversary, we still need civilians that are dicks. Who better to fill that role than Jann Arden?

Jann actually has a show coming out on CTV that’s a comedy based on her life as a musician and I’m going to consult on it a bit because we just hit it off so much. She’s so funny and she just had a ball. I would do anything for her. I would totally do the Bunny Loblaw spinoff. On a cruise. On a sexy cruise.

We also had Jann Arden on set and then like poured tea down her throat and locked her in a car in the freezing cold. What a gamer!

TTVJ: With Jann, and then as we’ve seen with Megan Follows, everyone comes ready to play. That’s so awesome.

EA: I think our set is starting to get a reputation as super, super fun and very safe. People know they can come and try things on set and it’s going to be very warm. They aren’t going to be left to fall. That’s what we assured Jann of and there’s a ton of outtakes of Melanie and Jann just making each other crack up. That’s a good set. That’s a good, relaxed set.

TTVJ: I’m a little scared to ask, but what can you tell us about what to expect next week?

EA: It’s date night in Purgatory so everybody’s going to try to get some, but unfortunately someone shows up who is a hated/beloved enemy of old that they all have to deal with. Start guessing who that is. Lots of date night hijinks ensue and there’s some pretty funny pairings. There will also be some actual answers to just what Bulshar wants and is doing in Purgatory. Hopefully you will find them astonishing.

What did you think of this week’s Wynonna Earp? Add your thoughts below!

Wynonna Earp airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on SYFY and Space Channel.