Previously: Gun hijinks.
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Leavin’ On Your Mind
Marines: Wynonna is carrying down the last of Waverly’s stuff from her apartment on top of Shorty’s. Waverly is busy working. Wynonna spots Doc at the bar and asks him to buy her a drink and adds in some extra flirting.
“Henry” shuts her down by getting real close to her face and asking her why she assumes she is his type. He leaves, and Wynonna seems well satisfied with the interaction. Waverly comes over to lightly judge Wy’s taste in men. Wynonna tells her to myob and just be ready to present her research to Dolls the next day. Waverly says she’s ready. They are gonna “dig it.”
Segue Magic to something recently dug up. An older gentleman is giving a speech about the wife of one of their founding fathers, Shirley Dixon, who could neither hear nor speak, but was known for her poetry. She buried a time capsule, which is presumably why the small crowd is gathered today. In attendance are 3 revenants. You can tell their biker gang couture. Rev 1 asks Rev 2 if he’s sure what they are looking for is here. He’s sure.
Once the time capsule is open, the revs charge and grab what they are looking for: Dixon’s diary. “Voice of a mute,” Rev 1 says. He puts the diary away and drops a severed hand, whoops. He quickly stuffs it back in his bag as the gathered crowd all gasps. Rev 3 is very twitchy. He ask “Sammy” if he can pretty please just do a thing. Sammy tells Marty, the twitchy one, that this one has to hold him over. And then Marty repeatedly and violently stabs the older gentleman who was trying to participate in a bit of local history.
I TOLD THAT DEVIL TO TAKE YOU BACK.
After the credits, Waverly is presenting her research. She starts with the curse land, called the Devil’s Triangle. She hesitates a bit because saying all of this out loud is weird, but Dolls tells her to get on with it. The triangle works as a prison. Any of the revenants who try to cross it suffer hell on earth. Dolls asks if she can ID any of them. Waverly starts to explain about her stolen ledger, but figures it’s just better to say that she can still ID some and work on others. Dolls says that if this is a prison, they’ve just become the wardens. Wynonna is all for that and for shooting revenants in the face and for generally instilling fear.
Dolls quickly wraps this all up, though Waverly reminds him that she spent years putting this research together. They are interrupted by a knock on the office door. They put away any demon-y stuff and Dolls calls out for them to enter. It’s Nicole, and she’s got news of something weird coming over the wire. Dolls leaves to check it out, but not before catching ~a look~ that passes between Waverly and Nicole.
Waverly is kind of bummed about the reception from Dolls, but Wynonna says that’s just how Dolls is. She did a great job. As Waverly is packing up her stuff she comes across a picture of Doc Holliday. “Oh shit,” she says in wonder, as she recognizes the face. Indeed.
Doc is in his trailer looking better than we’ve seen him in any of his weird clothing choices. His mustache and greasy hair don’t do much for me but in this scene? Is it the fact that he’s wearing little glasses and reading a book? Idk, I feel exposed.
A girl comes knocking on Doc’s door. She says that Bobo sent her, so he tells her to hurry up and get inside. She gets all flirty as she says that Bobo has another job for Doc, who she heard is brave and good with his gun. They take this gun/dick thing real far in this scene, just so you know. Doc says that brave is another word for stupid, which he is not. As for his gun, he’s gonna shoot Bobo good unless he gets the information he requires. Wait, are we still doing the gun/dick thing? I confused myself. The point is that Bobo didn’t pay Doc for his last job, so he’s declining to take any new ones. And then the girl takes off her shirt and says that hooking up will piss Bobo off. That + boobs is enough enticement for Doc.
Dolls and Wynonna are reviewing crime scene photos. Wy wants to know why this job belong to them. Dolls says that the deputy mayor’s body was fileted like a fish. Wynonna thinks maybe the revs stole the Dixon diary for money, but Dolls tells her they also have a severed hand. He plays the security footage of the revs attacking an old man on a bus bench and violently chopping off his hand.
Wynonna notices that Marty moves weirdly. In fact, she’s seen this revenant before, which we know through a handy flashback. He was one of the Seven who killed her family. Dolls realizes that these guys are preparing for a ritual. The old man on a bus bench is a guy who was charged for killing his girlfriend but was let off. And Dolls happens to know that the left hand of an innocent murderer is said to open gateways. These revs are trying to get out of the Ghost River Triangle. Dolls wants to think about what they might be going after next, these things usually come in threes, but Wynonna would rather go get tequila. “Mucho tequila.”
Graveyard. Marty starts digging up one Stanely Gatewood’s grave. The worker who tries to stop him also gets fileted like a fish.
Shorty’s. Doc is telling Waverly that he’s writing a book. She’s having a pretty chill conversation with him, considering what she suspects. Doc says he’s looking for the name and likeness of a prominent figure, but he can’t find her. Waverly has her collection of old newspapers on hand and brings one out that features Big Nose Kate. She was Doc Holliday’s wife at one point. Doc is just like, “nope, not it,” but doesn’t give any sign of recognizing Kate or realizing what Waverly is doing. He’s looking for a blonde who, idk, maybe was a the last spike ceremony. Waverly pulls the corresponding newspaper. There aren’t any pictures, but there is a list of names. Doc looks it over and thanks her for the help. Waverly asks where she can find him, in case she learns any more information. Doc says he’s staying at the trailer park owned by Bobo Del Rey, and she should not go there. After Doc is gone, Waverly starts her research.
Wynonna visits the grave for her dad and Willa. She apologizes for not visiting much, but they aren’t even in there. Just sand in their caskets. Her moment is interrupted by Marty, who is still nearby, digging up a grave and muttering to himself. Wynonna wanders over, at first to tell him off, but then she just stands there way too long. I mean, this guy is digging up a grave in broad daylight, spazzing, and muttering about hell. She just stands there. He does eventually face her, so she can see that he is a revenant, but then she’s slow to pull her gun and then takes her time to tell him he’s going back to hell and all that, so the rev has time to shovel dirt in her face and run away. More than any hand-wavey lore is gonna bother me, THIS is gonna bother me. Shoot first, pun later PLEASE. At least, though, in his rush to get away, Marty has dropped something.
Sheriff’s Doll’s office. Wy gives him what Marty dropped. She thinks it’s a combination, but the old bank is now a store. Dolls thinks the old vaults might still be in place. He tells Wy to down her coffee before they head to the old bank, for some reason. It’s an a portable cup for a reason, my dude.
Bank Store. They spot a shady van outside, and Dolls says they are too late. They should take cover and regroup, so as not to tip off the revenants. Champ and Shorty are inside, shopping. Champ bumps into Marty, who calls dibs on Champ, who takes this as a compliment. Unfortunately, Dolls and Wynonna didn’t lay low fast enough, I guess, because they are spotted. Marty super runs to the door and yells at them that they have hostages. He fires off a few shots before super running back inside.
Shorty tells the revs just to take what’s in the register and go out the back. Marty super head butts him, hurting him pretty badly as a result. Sammy tells him to keep his head. “That bitch outside” can send them all to hell. The hostages are their only bargaining chip.
Outside, Sheriff LOL and Deputy Haught arrive. Dolls tells them to basically wait for his instructions. Wynonna thinks they can bargain with the revs, maybe she can offer herself up in place of the hostages. Dolls isn’t so sure, but Wynonna insists. He gives Wynonna a cell phone and takes away her gun, knowing the revs won’t let her in with it. And then he caresses her in a way that made me think, “is he planting something in her hair? Weird.”
Wynonna heads to the store, hands up in surrender, and knocks. One of the revs answers. She proposes her hostage switch and the rev pulls her inside. Wy calls Dolls on the cell phone, and he basically just threatens to hurt them if they hurt Wynonna. Cool, thank you.
Sammy brings Wynonna to where the other hostages are, but only releases 3 of them. He keeps Champ and Shorty because the revs need 3 people. Champ is trying to think of a plan, but then we hear Marty go all growly and stabby on someone.
Outside, Nicole asks Dolls for the plan. He wants to surround the store. They take any clear shots they get. They go in if they hear any shooting. He also asks Nicole to call Waverly and tell her about the situation. Nicole notices that Champ’s truck is parked outside the store. “Waverly’s boyfiend?” Dolls asks. “Unfortunately,” Nicole weirdly answers, considering that dude is in a hostage situation inside. Also, I can’t tell if Dolls’s v intense reaction to this is because 1- he also thinks this is inappropriate 2- he’s all about the hot gossip or 3- this is the first time he’s encountered a lesbian.
Doc goes to talk to Bobo. He basically says he’s moving out, which he can do, unlike the revenants. He did the first job for Bobo but didn’t get the information promised. Bobo lords that information over him now. He knows Doc is looking for the Stone Witch. Bobo has her name but won’t share it until Doc takes out Wynonna. Of course, Waverly has been badly spying on all of this. And didn’t turn her phone to vibrate. So it rings in perfect timing for Bobo to tell Doc to deal with it, or he will. Doc takes care of it by firing his gun real close to where she’s hiding. Waverly takes off running.
Bank Store. Marty stabbed Gary. Sammy tries to talk him off a ledge because “the witch” chose them 3 for a reason. Each of them had a piece to the puzzle– Sammy the hand, Gary the diary and Marty the combination to the vault. Sammy wants Wynonna to bring Gary back to life, but she explains the curse doesn’t work that way. Sammy gets upset, so Wynonna reveals that she has the paper Marty dropped. And she thinks she may be able to open the vault. She gets to work.
Shorty’s. Waverly is looking at that list of names from the article earlier when Doc walks in. He asks wtf she was doing. Waverly asks wtf he was doing with Bobo Del Rey. Doesn’t Doc know who he is? Doesn’t Doc know what Bobo did to their family? Doc says that Waverly has no idea who he is. Way know who he’s supposed to be. A hero. Wyatt Earp’s best friend. He’s supposed to be there to help them. Doc slams his hand on the bar and yells at Waverly to pull her heard out of the past. She needs to do whatever it takes to realize that if anyone is going to clear the Earp name and pull Purgatory out of misery, it’s not going to be the heir’s pitiful little sister. Waverly says that Doc forgot to add stupid. She’s stupid for thinking that he was more than just another a-hole.
Bank Store. Wynonna figures out the combination. The revs get inside the fault and find what they are looking for: the heart-shaped locket that belonged to Stanley’s two-timing wife. “A loveless heart.” Wynonna tells them they are stuck, though, because the place is surrounded by cops. Sammy is confident they’ll get out, ’cause Wynonna is coming with them.
The revs use Wynonna as a human shield, taking Champ and Shorty with them all the way to the getaway van. Sheriff LOL and Nicole can’t believe they are just letting these guys get away. Dolls orders them to clear the scene. They he takes out Peacemaker and looks at it real seriously.
Some other location. There is an altar set up, right where the Stone Witch said it would be. Bobo told these guys to wait on his plan, but Sammy and Marty are really scared of going back to hell. Marty’s been down south three times already, which explains why he’s extra weird, I guess. Sammy starts working on putting all the pieces of the ritual together in a small vessel provided by the Stone Witch. Meanwhile, Wy finds the little tracker DOLLS TOTALLY PLANTED IN HER HAIR. I knew it. Maybe it was really obviously, but I still knew it. Anyway, Dolls is nearby, watching them through a viewfinder.
Shorty isn’t doing too well. He pulls his hand out of his jacket, and we can see that it’s bloody. Shorty realizes that Curtis was right, the way he was always talking about monsters. Purgatory ain’t right, but Shorty is gonna miss it. Wynonna gets angry and stands up, but she can’t do anything? So she just gets Marty threatening her. Sammy gets tired of hearing Marty yammering, so he shoots him twice. The rest of Sammy’s plan comes into focus for Wy: he’s going to possess Champ and us that human form to walk across the line. Sammy talks about all the happy families he’s going to murder, and threatens to also kill Wynonna if she tries anything.
Sammy heads back to the altar to starts his ritual. Wynonna tells Sammy to take her body instead, but she’s ignored. Wy goes back to the boys and tells Champ to make a run for it. Shorty tells Wy to run too, but Wy thinks she’s the only one who can stop these guys if they get free. Shorty says he always knew that Wy would make it back. Sammy finishes his ritual, but realizes that Champ is gone. He doesn’t have time to do much about it, because his smokey life force leaves his biker gang couture body. Wynonna prepares for possession (“this is not the kind of penetration I’m used to…”) but Shorty jumps up at the last minute and gets between her and the smokey life force.
Shorty!Sammy is pissed at being in the dying body. He figures that the Stone Witch can get him another body, though. And even if she kills him, straight up death is better than being sent to hell again and again. Speaking of the Stone Witch, she rolls up in a pink Cadilac, like all good stone witches should. Shorty!Sammy hobbles toward her, but Wynonna gets his attention by chucking a stone at his head. Shorty!Sammy was trying not to kill Wynonna, but now he will.
Wynonna charges at him and they wrestle a bit. Dolls has gotten closer and tries to use Peacemaker, but it doesn’t work for him. TOLD YA SO, BUDDY. He runs over and knocks Shorty!Sammy out with another rock to the head and then hands over Peacemaker. Wynonna quickly shoots Sammy’s body. They she shoots Marty and watches him get pulled to hell. Dolls points out that nothing happened to Sammy, probably Sammy is in Shorty now. Wy has to shoot him. Wynonna of course doesn’t want to. She starts pleading with Shorty to fight of the rev possession. Shorty does for a bit, but he says it burns. He’s in pain and he can hear all of the rev’s horrible thoughts, including what they did to Willa. “She screamed for days…” he says and Wynonna shoots him in the head. As soon as she does, Sammy’s old body gets pulled to hell.
Wynonna cries over Shorty’s body.
I’m actually really surprised that they has Wynonna kill Shorty in episode 3. He wasn’t like super present in the show, or anything, but the bar is named after him! And he had the stand-in father feel to him. Damn.
Wake at Shorty’s. Nicole comes over to console Waverly, who is crying behind the bar. Champ interrupts them with noisy kisses. It’s as annoying as the writers want it to be. Nicole takes this as her cue to go. Waverly keeps crying, and Champ somehow makes it about him. Waverly shares with us the official story: gangs on PCP. JUST KIDDING! Brainwashed by a cult. Champ says that he was really brave out there and then goes back to the noisy, annoying kisses.
Nicole finds Dolls and asks for an update on the time capsule murder. Dolls says it’s unresolved. As for Shorty, they are thinking that the stress of the kidnapping was too much for his heart condition. Nicole sees Waverly join Wynonna by the pool table and once again, Dolls has found himself in the middle of this burgeoning love story.
Waverly tells Wynonna that she could’ve helped out there, as part of the team. Wynonna says that’s not the deal. Also, Wy isn’t even sure they are the good guys in all this. Waverly says that good guys are in short supply these days, but Wynonna is definitely one of them.
Dolls joins them and Waverly takes that as her cue to go. Dolls offers Wy a short, “it’s tough, but it’ll pass.” Wynonna isn’t really here for that, seeing as how Shorty is dead, revenants can body snatch, and they don’t know how to ID them. She mentions that she found the tracker Dolls placed behind her ear. She asks what took him so long. Dolls says he was always there, but he just wanted to see if the revs could actually do the ritual. Wynonna can’t believe he did that at the expense of Shorty’s life. He calls that collateral damage. They are waging a war and this is what victories are going to look like. Wynonna is disgusted. With all the shit she’s done in her life, it’s now, working with Dolls, that she doesn’t think she can look at herself in the mirror.
Homestead. Wynonna gets home to find that Doc has made himself at home. She’s not here for his small talk and innuendos because she’s had a shitty day. Truth is that Doc came here for an introduction. Waverly was right. His name is John Henry, but most people just call him Doc. Wynonna knows this means Doc Holliday and can only offer an “oh shit.”
Next time on Wynonna Earp: Wynonna encounters a demon barber in S01 E04 – The Blade.
I'm a 30-something south Floridan who loves the beach but cannot swim. Such is my life, full of small contradictions and little trivialities. My main life goals are never to take life too seriously, but to do everything I attempt seriously well. After that, my life goals devolve into things like not wearing pants and eating all of the Zebra Cakes in the world. THE WORLD.
