Wynonna Earp Episode 1 Review: A Campy Western Horror Mashup (Series Premiere)

The series opens with two strangers talking on a bus. The brunette is traveling to Purgatory for her uncle's funeral. The bus gets a flat tire. The blonde heads into the woods to pee. They hear her scream. The bus drives away as quickly as possible. Wynonna stays behind to help but it's too late. All we see is a dismembered head. Wynonna kills a few of the red eyed creatures. And it's her 27th birthday. Lucky her!

I'm Digging The Blue Filter

Not many people are happy to see that Wynonna's back in town after three years. Her sister Waverly is the one exception. A US Marshall arrives to investigate the death in the woods. We later learn his name is Xavier Dolls. There has been a recent increase in "activity" in the area and it's not due to coyotes.

Agent Dolls Of The Mysterious Black Badge Division

We see a flashback to Wynonna's childhood. Apparently all the men that her great-great-granddaddy Wyatt Earp killed are now demons. Her older sister Willa was taken by them. Her father (a law man) was also carted away. Wynonna tried to stop them but accidentally shot him in the back. She's a really BAD shot

What's This Guy Really Up To?

A mysterious man appears in the saloon. He knows a LOT about Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp. That's probably because he IS Doc Holliday. We don't know if he's a good guy or a bad guy yet (or why he crawled out of the well after Wynonna retrieved Wyatt's gun from there).

Wynonna finds her Aunt Gus injured and her sister kidnapped. The demons (also known as revenants) want the gun. The reason is they resurrect each time the current heir celebrates his/her 27th birthday. The only way to kill them is with the long barreled Colt .45 revolver (nicknamed the "Peacemaker"). Otherwise they are free to roam Purgatory (but cant go outside the town).

Interesting camera shot from inside the Colt's barrel.

Wynonna manages to kill the demon named Malcolm Ranmaker and not shoot Waverly in the process. Dolls arrives as backup. He threatens to blackmail Wynonna is she doesnt join him in fighting the baddies. And with that, our show is setup and ready to go. Wyatt killed 77 people so we're going to be here a while.

Only 76 To Go

Favorite Quotes:

"Your scrap booking habit has taken a turn for the worse."- Wynonna to Waverly.
"Rule #1: You never get off the bus."- Words to live by.
"Why dont you slip into something more comfortable--like a coma."- Waverly to Wynonna when she thinks she's after her boyfriend.
"Sometimes life chooses for us."- Doc Holliday
"You are the most pathetic heir we have ever seen"- Malcolm to Wynonna.
"I dont do authority."- Wynonna.
"Couldnt get a bigger truck?"- Wynonna to Dolls.
"That's why they call it a curse."- Wynonna.

Grade: 4 Monsters (out of 5). If you're expected hard core horror, you'll want to look elsewhere. If you're looking for campy fun with a horror backdrop, this show is worth a look. Yes, the premise is totally bizarre. It's from the producers of "Lost Girl" and "Killjoys" so expect more in that vein.

The main actress (Melanie Scrofano) is compelling. She's strangely good at hand to hand combat but seriously sucks at shooting. She has a strong dislike of the law (having a juvie record). It sounds like she's had her share of men and booze. All this makes for a fallible and interesting character.

Wynonna's sister Willa (Dominique Provost-Chalkley) is also a hoot. She may be the standout of this series. Tim Rozon (who plays Doc Holliday) is particularly charismatic.

"Wyonna Earp" is quirky and entertaining enough to keep me coming back for more. It's also great to see a female lead since there aren't that many on television in the horror/scifi/fantasy genres. Right now I can only think of "Jessica Jones" and "Supergirl". Let me know in the comments if I've forgotten anyone.