*** Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on The TV Junkies and has been republished here with the consent of its author and Emily Andras. ***

*** Warning: This article contains spoilers for the Wynonna Earp episode “Holy War Part One” ***

“Wait a second! She can’t be? No! Right? They didn’t!” That’s probably just some of the thoughts going through the minds of many Wynonna Earp fans as this week’s episode faded to black with Jeremy (Varun Saranga) asking Waverly (Dominique Provost-Chalkley), and the audience, to trust him. Nicole (Katherine Barrell) seemed to be lying dead at the bottom of a tub of water, as Jeremy and Nedley (Greg Lawson) work to break the spell that Margo (Paula Boudreau) seems to have put over her that had her puking up frogs and looking to harm the Earps. 

Elsewhere in “Holy War Part One,” written by Noelle Carbone and directed by Ron Murphy, Wynonna (Melanie Scrofano) and Doc (Tim Rozon) went on a quest to find Peacemaker. Along the way, they learned some new things about Wyatt Earp and found a surprise Rosita (Tamara Duarte). The revenant hasn’t been seen since the Season 2 finale when she tried to take away Baby Alice, and despite how the audience may feel about Duarte returning to Earp, we can only guess that Wynonna will be less than thrilled to see her again. Once again, Wynonna Earp showrunner Emily Andras has joined us to chat all about everything that went down in this episode, as well as look ahead to the Season 4 midseason finale that airs next week.

The TV Junkies: It sure looks like Nicole is dead, but I’m guessing we heed Jeremy’s very on the nose warning of “I know how this looks, but I’m asking you to trust us”?

Emily Andras: Yes, he basically looked right into the camera and asked you to trust us. I don’t think Jeremy is going to let us down. That’s my opinion.

TTVJ: I liked that Nicole wasn’t instantly happy to see Jeremy. It felt very realistic that Nicole would be upset.

EA: We also need to hear what happened to Jeremy over the 18 months, but if I was Nicole, I would be so hurt that he hadn’t been around when I was left to defend the Homestead on my own. It would’ve been incredibly lonely. I also thought Jeremy had a good point, though, when he said that his phones were being monitored. He had his own trouble. Them coming together, and knowing that even when the are chips down, she can still trust him, and that he knows what she needs, and that he will do it for her, is all just really sweet.

TTVJ: While we’re on Nicole, we still don’t know the exact details of the deal, but does this mean Margo had something to do with bringing them home from the Garden?

EA: Well, if you watch Episode 401, you can clearly see a Clanton “C” over the door that lit up, the door that Doc said they should take back to Purgatory. So I would say that’s a good guess.

TTVJ: I knew the Clantons were evil. You didn’t need to make Nicole barf frogs to get me to believe it!  I want it on the record how upset the frogs made me.

EA: I’m just so sick of you begging for me for more frogs on the show. Every time we do a talk you’re like, ‘I just want better frog rep.’ So this is me saying, ‘Fine! Here you go!’

TTVJ: Before we leave Nicole, do you think she will ever give Waverly an answer on the proposal?

EA: Um, she’s barfing up frogs. Cut her some slack. Why do you think Nicole isn’t giving Waverly an answer to the proposal?

TTVJ: I think she did something that makes her think she no longer deserves to say ‘yes’ to Waverly. Or she thinks that Waverly will no longer want to marry her once she finds out what she did.

EA: I think that’s a really good theory. I’d say that maybe Nicole thinks she doesn’t deserve nice things, like being married to a baby girl, princess-angel, Virgo with hair for days.

TTVJ: We did get a lesson in “be careful what you wish for” in this episode. You DID give us a WayHaught wedding.

EA: It was like a goth funeral. That was a lot, but it was so beautifully shot. Can we talk about Wynonna’s dress in the snow? It was barely a dress! What is going on? Is she a penguin? How was she doing that?

TTVJ: You’re giving us all these things we wanted — like a sheriff in a Stetson — and giving it to us, but flipping them on their heads.

EA: We’re torturing you! That’s what we like to do. You didn’t say how you wanted it. That’s part of the fun, right? Probably more for us than for you. Keep the faith, though, a lot of stuff can happen, except for the fact that people are barfing frogs and drowning in bathtubs.

TTVJ: Another cliffhanger we’re left with is that Rosita is back! Yay!

EA: I know! How did she survive when all the rest of the revenants seem to have disappeared once the curse is broken?

TTVJ: Why is she the scorned woman in the painting that the nuns want? You won’t answer, so I’ll say that I can’t wait to learn why next week!

EA: And why is she standing on those rocks? Where did she get that amazing red coat? I hope people are happy to see her because I love Tamara.

TTVJ: Quick question, what is with Doc and Wynonna and creepy paintings?

EA: They are just art collectors, Bridget. They know what they like and have a very specific aesthetic. It’s Purgatory Gothic mixed with IKEA. I don’t know!

TTVJ: Doc and Wynonna find themselves on this quest for Peacemaker, and in the process, uncover some new information about Wyatt. Why did you want to bring him back into the story at this point? 

EA: What I love about Wyatt Earp, that’s not very well known, is that he’s immortalized in American history as the gunslinger at the OK Corral in 1881, but he lived until 1929. He went to Hollywood, wrote a book about his life, and became a stuntman. John Wayne was one of his pallbearers. He really went on, after this very specific 2-minute moment, and had a whole other life. It’s how I feel when I think about The Beatles. I think they were all done being The Beatles by the time they were 30. It’s so crazy.

I thought it was really moving, given where Doc is at right now, to see his best friend in the world older. To see his friend do what Doc is never going to be able to do, and that’s grow old and look back on his life from a viewpoint as an elder statesman. I also thought it was important for Doc to hear that this man, who he had put on a pedestal, maybe didn’t necessarily feel the same way about him all the time. I do think what Wynonna says is true, and people rewrite their own history all the time. As far as Wyatt knew, Doc Holliday was gone, dead, or trapped somewhere. Him talking crap about Doc makes himself look better in the moment, and it shows a weakness of character, but it’s something a lot of people do.

TTVJ: How will each of them deal with the new information?

EA: It was almost more interesting how it cut Doc, more so than Wynonna. Wynonna has already made peace with her great-great-grandfather’s legacy of death. She’s had to live with his mistake, with his curse. Doc has refused to besmirch Wyatt Earp up until this point. So for him to see his friend in a new light, and maybe make it reexamine his own part in his own history, that it’s time for Doc to take stock and take responsibility in the cycle of violence that started way back when.

TTVJ: He does seem like he wants to maybe make peace with the Clantons, and he even spoke to Holt (Ty Olsson) about that.

EA: I really liked that scene and hopefully, it was an unexpected twist. Holt seemed tired and exhausted from this stupid game where he has to answer for his ancestor’s mistakes and choices. It’s much in the same way that Doc does. It’s been a long time since Doc had a conversation with another stoic cowboy. It was possibly not since Dolls that he really had that kind of honest conversation. I thought it was very interesting.

TTVJ: Amon (Noam Jenkins) seems very set on taking down the Clantons. Does he have some ulterior motive happening? How much of an eye should we keep on him?

EA: I would say that Amon is both nuanced and less complicated than you’re giving him credit for. We have no reason to believe anything other than what he says, which is the remarkable line, ‘I don’t bottom for anyone, not even you’ to Doc Holliday. He just doesn’t want anyone to get too much power in Purgatory. That messes up his vibe and it can mess with his bar. He sensed that the Clantons were getting a bit too big for their britches and didn’t like that. You have to be so careful with someone like that because they are constantly reassessing and rebalancing their own alliances and loyalties, right? If anything, I’d say you just have to be careful with someone like Amon because he’s such an opportunistic guy/demon.

TTVJ: Now it’s time for a very, VERY important question about … deer! Last week, we saw the bounding deer behind Rachel and Billy on the road, and this week there were a ton of deer at the junkyard. Was that planned or is this simply another case of serendipitous Canadian magic?

EA: Well, we gave you a taste of deer, and then like everything with this show, we couldn’t help ourselves and went for too much. Then it’s just deer-a-palooza at the Magpie Ranch.

The truth about where we film in Calgary is that deer are really ubiquitous. They don’t seem to know how delightful, wonderful, and unique they are. They are just everywhere! The morning that we filmed that scene, there were a bunch of deer on the ranch when the crew showed up. Ron Murphy, our amazing director, was like, ‘Roll camera! Roll camera!’ There might be some deer as well in Episode 406.

TTVJ: Now we’re just getting insane, Emily!

EA: It’s the Rule of 3 in TV, Bridget. You do it with jokes, tragedy, and deer. You have to!

TTVJ: I don’t know that I believe you. I still wonder if there’s something super secret going on with those deer that we’re supposed to be noticing.

EA: Well, we did spend all our money on robot deer. Is that OK? We could only give you a death/goth wedding and Nicole barfing up frogs because we spent all our money on animatronic deer. But you know what? We heard your requests and gave you what you want!

TTVJ: Yet Tim Rozon still can’t get a horse for Doc…

EA: If he wants it bad enough he’s got to learn to ride Bambi. They are right there, Tim! Jump on one! You know who would be cool enough to do that? Doc Holliday. Let’s go!

TTVJ: Next week is the midseason finale episode. What can you preview about it? 

EA: Things really come to a head in Episode 406! I am going into witness protection. A lot of choices are made. Actions are taken. Rositas are talked to. It’s an episode that makes me feel A LOT. Serendipitously, it did turn out to be a pretty perfect midseason finale. Plus deer!

Wynonna Earp airs Sundays at 10/9c on SYFY and CTV Sci-Fi.