Wynonna Earp Vengeance Spoiler Review - Perfect it is not.

[@carolyneaster1926]

Thank you for this review. You nailed my feelings perfectly with how Nicole was treated. With the sacrifice she made, then the question i need answered is : Is Nicole still the Angel's Shield if there is no angel there to shield?

[@foreverfangirlsreviews]

Oh that is a really good question! Where does this leave Nicole if she isn't the Angel's Shield? Could she leave? Would she? That shift might open a completely different dynamic.

[@kathystrong5163]

@@foreverfangirlsreviews maybe Nicole will leave and go back to Shay. It could happen.

[@KarlaGarcia-of7rh]

In my opinion, the format is the problem here. Emily was conditioned to bring more audience with this 90 min special so it felt to me as she had compromise a lot of the characters growth as well as the story archs for most of them in order to create a story that felt simple and yet had a few glimpses for the fans who have been here since season 1. Honestly I think the only character that had a coherent protray in this special was Nedley. I fucking loved him so much. The rest were brought back to their season 1 selfs which made no sense and... the thing that annoyed me the most is also the portray of Nicole Haught. Emily should've worked out a way to bring up why she's stuck at the Ghost River Triangle and make it intriguing for new audiences so they could go back to the series and figure it out. Instead, she made Wynonna (her best friend, who also knows what Nicole had to compromise to save her sister) to resent her for holding back Waverly and a great oportunity for WayHaught to have a better and deeper conversation about what is like when a parter sacrifices for the other and how to handle guilt or resentments was missed. ugh! sorry, rant over. Great review guys!

[@foreverfangirlsreviews]

Thank you so much! And we agree. The 90-minute special was a wonderful surprise for fans, but WE seems tailored for an episodic set up. Maybe, with future movies, things will level off in a way that makes everyone happy. Emily had a difficult job balancing 4 seasons worth of story development we fans devoured and new people who had no idea what Wynonna Earp was. In the end, we can only hope more Earp brings things back to where we are used to seeing them. And more Nedley. Would Lou Bega stop with Mambo 1-4? No, he created Mambo #5 and history was made. In other words - more Nedley :)

[@ghazalar9407]

Great review, lots of interesting points discussed. I remember Emily saying in an interview that for Tubi and for newbies she wasnt really allowed to put much folklore in the special which was likely why Mercedes wasnt a vampire. I didn't think it was Nicole being treated badly. Wynonna was her usual self to Nicole. It felt more like lack of communication between Waverly and Nicole. Wynonna returning and discussing with Waverly makes her realise that she can consider leaving and she can talk to Nicole about it. Things made more sense to Waves after talking to Wynonna. " I wish I could be the one to show you the world" scene I think makes up for some of Waverly's apparent meanness. Even if we didn't know about S4 folklore that Nicole is bound to the Ghost River Triangle, it was obvious that as Sheriff of a town of the supernatural, she couldn't leave. Tim had said that he pitched this storyline as tubi asked.. well after happily ever after what more is there...answer: The end of Doc Holliday. I loved the hellhounds scene and I thought they were very creepy, it reminded me of the Season4 clanton reapers. In order to have the special in the first place, these were the compromises we had to have.

[@Girl4Music]

Waverly going on a temporary trip to Egypt to reconstruct a corrupted Black Badge Division. Waverly and Jeremy. The BIG brained duo. Honestly, I’m happy for her. I acknowledge that Nicole couldn’t come with her due to the whole Angel’s Shield stipulation but then I think that would kind of be counterintuitive and counterproductive if she could. This is WayHaught’s necessary break from each other to find their own paths in life and follow their own ambitions - and to be actually EQUAL in their marriage which I kind of understood was the point of the contention between them in the special. Nicole was holding Waverly back. Not selfishly as such. She just didn’t realize Waverly wanted more - or more specifically - wanted to be more than just a wife. Nicole wasn’t around for Waverly declaring “Shut your patronizing mouth garbage. I can be a hero AND a wife” but their wedding vows were pretty pointed when it came to that. They need equal partnership and for Waverly, that means having an adventure where she can use her full potential and learn new things and just be her own guide and warrior in life. It’s not that it’s not something Nicole doesn’t want either. It’s just that she already has it with being the Sheriff of Purgatory and she’s fully satisfied with that. What she does want - however - is something much more personal and that is to have a kid with Waverly. Which - I mean - ugh… every time I think about this subject I just have a screaming “what about Rachel?!” response come from the back of my mind because where is Rachel and why isn’t she mentioned? That WayHaught conversation was the time for her to be but they cut all that short following Mina showing up. I mean I like it when WayHaught get interrupted but not like that. Not when they were about to have an important conversation that we really needed to hear - at least as far as… WHERE THE FUCK IS RACHEL?! But yes, I am satisfied with this next step in Waverly’s journey and I believe it makes complete sense for her. Can they actually manage long distance? Maybe their libidos can’t. But time will tell whether their love for each other is strong enough to withstand separation. And for them to be equal partners in life and love. In marriage and heroship. This is what it’s going to take. Can the WEARP fandom be okay with that? I don’t see why not ‘cause surely they’d want them both to grow. As for me - I’m used to seeing main female characters that are in a relationship go off on their own for awhile to do their own thing for their individual development. I expect it. More than that. I encourage it. WLW/queer relationships are great and I love seeing WayHaught together. But I also love seeing them individually too and how their dynamic changes and evolves based on the contrasting effects of being together vs individual. It’s one of the things I love about Xena and Gabrielle. How they’re so much a part of each other that they can be separated and still be whole characters alone and I don’t like any form of art/entertainment that perpetuates the ridiculous notion that they can’t be because it’s insulting and condescending as all fuck. I wasn’t worried about the conflict for WayHaught in the special in the slightest once I realized where it was going because I knew they would resolve it just fine. I just wish they hadn’t cut THAT conversation short because even if Waverly didn’t answer Nicole about whether she wanted to start a family with her or not, I still wanted them to talk about RACHEL because ??? It was just a gross oversight of a significant character from Season 4 of the TV show and the only thing I can honestly say really bothered me about the special because even if Emily doesn’t consider Rachel to be WayHaught’s adopted daughter, I still need to know about where she even is, why she isn’t mentioned and how WayHaught aren’t fucking concerned about her! Everything else in the special that I disagree with I can take with a pinch of salt and be just like “meh, it’s whatevs. You can’t please everyone” but NOT THAT! If Emily just wanted to erase Rachel from the storyline, that’s a choice that has to be acknowledged in the characterization because - what the fuck, Emily?! 😑

[@foreverfangirlsreviews]

First, we agree completely on the Rachel aspect. Even a throwaway line, explaining she is in college or away with Billy and some friends on a fishing trip would have sufficed. Not sure if Audible has filled in this gap or not as we haven't heard it yet. As for Waverly going to Egypt, while they say she will be back for Easter - there is no clear delineation for her permanent return. While traveling and being the big brain duo is wonderful and allows massive character growth, that in itself is also an inherent issue. Growth does change a person on a psychological level. That's wonderful. However, there was nothing that stated Waverly couldn't create a BBD outside the GRT away from prying eyes to do the same thing. Why Egypt where she would have her own team and no direct contact with those same people who helped be her foundation? Yes, we are positive their love is boundless, but as we said - sometimes it isn't enough. You can love someone, but can't be with them anymore. Distance can make the heart grow fonder, but it can also make you grow apart father than the physical miles. Again, just our opinion, but we wanted to make sure it was clear. As for Xena and Gabrielle... not sure we can compare them to Nicole and Waverly. Yes, they were strong women and yes the actors portraying them did believe the two were in love. But on screen they were not. It was all subtext. So in essence, they had to be strong on their own because one day it was possible for them to be married off etc.

[@Girl4Music]

That’s a fair take. Just a heads up, the Audible does address the Rachel issue so when you get time to listen to it, answers are there. Still would have benefited for them to have a one liner about it in the special though. As for Xena and Gabrielle. I cannot say it was ALL subtext because the final season alone does have main text episodes where even if they weren’t together as a couple, they were still depicted as best friends in love at the least because there was romantic feelings between them and they made an effort to show that that was the case. The debate I feel was more were they monogamous or playamorous rather than were they/weren’t they because - as I said - there was a few episodes where it couldn’t really be denied that there was anything there between them. A lot of people who haven’t seen up until the final season do not know this though. The creators sided with the fans.

[@foreverfangirlsreviews]

Oh good! If there is more Earp, maybe they will bring Rachel back for some scenes. As for Xena, the last season was not met well with fans, right? Trying to remember if it was. Either way, Xena was a great show.

[@Girl4Music]

@@foreverfangirlsreviews the last 2 episodes were not. The season as a whole was quite well-received by the fandom especially because there was main text episodes such as The Ring Trilogy episodes and ‘When Fates Collide’ - which was written by a fanfiction writer who specifically writes X&G femslash. Because the creators sided with the fans - the last season basically confirms the romantic subtext. They just had to be careful with it.

[@foreverfangirlsreviews]

Those episodes were some of the best ones. It might be that we block out the last few episodes as the ending of the series felt like a tonal shift or a simple way out. One of our favorite episodes was Remember Me. That, to Kimberly, was one that also showcased the connection between the two characters. But overall, I'm sure you would agree - Xena was one of the many shows that walked so WayHaught could run.

[@avphotog]

I am in total agreement with you on how they treated Nicole throughout the movie. Also, really unhappy with how they basically put Dom as Waverly instead of Waverly being Waverly. It wasn't character growth of Waves it was basically Dom the entire time. I have been doing a rewatch of the entire show and the Waverly we know is nothing like Vengeance. If you are going to do character growth it should be the actual character not the actor.

[@foreverfangirlsreviews]

Maybe if they had a full season to develop or showcase all the changes for each character, it would have felt less jarring. But 90 minutes wasn't enough. Hopefully, we get additional Earp to allow each character's growth to be shown on screen.

[@Girl4Music]

A lot of people in the WEARP fandom seem to be having issues with the WayHaught narrative in the ‘Vengeance’ special. Specifically with the dialogue used of Nicole “holding Waverly back” and “keeping her on the hook” and being blamed for Waverly’s miscommunications about her desires and ambitions. I feel like I need to address this because I think people are taking it WAY out of context based on the specific dialogue used by the characters and I want to throw some perspective into people’s opinions with this. Wynonna saying what she does to Nicole is just Wynonna being Wynonna. Those are just her words and accusations. They’re not a statement of fact about Nicole or even an accurate account of how Waverly thinks or feels about Nicole and her treatment of her. It’s literally just Wynonna talking aggressively to Nicole because of what she’s got going on in her head at that moment. It’s not a true reflection of what’s actually happening. Wynonna’s just taking her stress and frustration out on Nicole because she can and because that’s what she does and because she loves Waverly so very much and is worried that she’s letting married life change her. Waverly has not egged Wynonna on or got her to fight her own battles or anything like that. Yeah,… she’s talked to her sister about the way she’s feeling. She’s talked about her anxieties. But none of that has anything to do with Nicole or how she believes Nicole is treating her. Wynonna has just perceived it that way because she always takes things to heart and blows them out of proportion. That’s just what she does. Especially when it comes to the people she loves. Especially Waverly. Nicole, however, has taken in what Wynonna has said personally and thought about how having Waverly around 24/7 is actually hindering her growth and not helping it. She realizes that she kind of has been holding her back. Obviously, it’s not in a selfish way. It’s just in the way that she was not aware of what Waverly wanted or needed because Waverly just had trouble being open and communicating that with her - which also isn’t something that should be taken as a reason to blame either of them for their contention. This is a completely natural and normal thing that all real life married couples go through and the special is just representing that because it’s just an interesting subject to explore. Especially between two women. There’s no animosity there. There’s no aggression there. That’s all Wynonna butting in and just being her usual flawed emotional hot mess self - which we love because that makes her real and raw and compelling. There’s no one to blame with any of this really… and why do we even need to blame anyone anyway? 💁‍♀️ This is just interesting storytelling that probably just needed a little more time to really explore properly so that this subject wouldn’t be taken so out of context. I mean people can interpret what goes on in the special any which way they like but why they have to think of it as more serious or dramatic than it is I… I honestly do not see it that way myself at all. I just see it as a realistic representation of very natural, normal and interesting to explore storytelling of married life. At no point did I see any of this narrative in the special look toxic - as if they were on the verge of a break-up. What I saw was partners very much in love figuring out equal partnership in very early years of their marriage. The “drama” or “conflict” between WayHaught came about very naturally and it was resolved very naturally.

[@foreverfangirlsreviews]

While we agree this was Wynonna being Wynonna, saying those words to her best friend was somewhat cruel. At this point in the story arcs, one would expect the character to have some growth to talk to Nicole in a slightly different manner. Not perfect or without some flaws in her tangential direction, but Wynonna could have been more compassionate in her attempts to make her best friend see Waverly's internal struggle. You may feel this is being taken out of context, but without further development or a series-like structure, we cannot say that for sure. All we have are our extrapolations based on several seasons of enjoying Wynonna Earp.

[@Girl4Music]

I think stress is a major factor as to why Wynonna acts the way she does in that scene. She’s just found out someone from her past wants to hurt her and her loved ones down. She’s not in the best state of mind and so just lashes out at Nicole. Again - very Wynonna.

[@Girl4Music]

Wynonna’s backstory in the special as a 15 year old messing around with magic to prove her “delusions” and accidentally creating the special’s Big Bad Mina. We need to address this inconsistency as a fandom. Besides from the fact she was very knowledgeable about things that are an inconsistency not just in the lore of the TV show but also for her characterization… I think her motivations to use magic to prove herself is definitely something that Wynonna would attempt to do. Especially with feeling as powerless and insecure as she felt back when she was a juvie-stained teenager who just wanted to protect Waverly. I think that makes sense for Wynonna at that point in her life and Nedley does bring up the truth of this in the special. That she was a little power hungry and she deep-down thought her father and big sister were horrible to her and due to always being the “weak one” she couldn’t really do anything but sit and stew in her borne insecurities. Hence why her main priority was always Waverly - who was just as weak but a whole lot smarter than her. So what I don’t think makes any sense at all is that she was basically more like an aggressive Waverly in those flashback scenes in that she was hyper aware of and so adamant about things that adult Wynonna isn’t and has already proven wasn’t in the TV show. That whole spiel 15 year old Wynonna gives about the homestead being built on a bedrock of the mineral ammolite to ward off the evil that wanted to attack her family… Honestly, sometimes I think Emily knows and loves her characters so much to the point where she ends up just mixing them up because in 1x02 the character that knew that information or was smart enough to figure it out was not Wynonna. It was Dolls. It’s not that 15 year old Wynonna wouldn’t do those things in those flashback scenes that we saw. It’s that she was uncharacteristically knowledgeable when she did. The storytelling feels off because the character does. And I say this all the time - but how to avoid that is by wrapping the narrative around the characterization rather than wrapping the characterization around the narrative. In other words: if Emily had just thought for a moment about what kind of character Wynonna is or would be when she was that age - she wouldn’t have made an inconsistency in both the lore and character. So I like the backstory. I even like the portrayal by the actress. What I don’t like is the OOC script writing for a 15 year old Wynonna who had no idea what the mineral “ammolite” even is or was used for, let alone knew the homestead was built on a bedrock of it because it wasn’t even HER who figured that out. And it certainly wouldn’t have been a 15 year old Wynonna who would be knowledgable enough to figure it out. A 15 year old Waverly. Sure. A 15 year old Jeremy. Sure. Even a 15 year old Dolls. Sure. A 15 year old Wynonna?

[@foreverfangirlsreviews]

You're right. Maybe this could have been a young Willa or Waverly. It could have been a high school teacher or a friend's mom that sucked into the portal etc. But yes, there is inconsistency with that aspect.

[@kathystrong5163]

Well Doc is dead ( or is he ) and Waverley is gone and may not return. So what if Wynonna and Nicole develop feelings of the romantic kind. 😊😅

[@foreverfangirlsreviews]

That would definitely be a serious twist. Still hoping Doc and Waves come back... but that would seriously add significant drama.

[@kathystrong5163]

Waverly won't be back. Because Dom doesn't want to be in it anymore.

[@foreverfangirlsreviews]

Really? We've googled and couldn't find anything. Could you share a link to the info? Whatever they decide we'd support... but as a fan of the characters, we'd love to see their story continue.

[@kathystrong5163]

@foreverfangirlsreviews there is no link....it's my opinion due to Dom's actions.