This article is a collaboration from SpoilerTV writers – DJRiter, Zandarl, and Luana Arturi.
There are so many moving parts to any production, so many decisions to be made to make sure that every nuance of an episode of television is captured. Many performers have been both in front of and behind the camera and it is evident that the experience and appreciation of what goes on there has enhanced their performances
Katherine Barrell is such a performer and a very talented lady whether it be in front or behind the lens. (She has directed many short films). She uses her behind the scenes knowledge of the intricacies of filmmaking to bring a greater depth and understanding of the role she plays. In playing Officer Nicole Haught on SyFy's Wynonna Earp, she has charmed her way not only into Waverly Earp's affections in the second episode of the series but into the fan's affections as well. By the actresses' own admission in a previous Spoiler TV interview,
Wynonna Earp - It's all about the WayHaught. Interview with Katherine Barrell, June 2016, she only expected to be a part of the show for six episodes. Now, having just been renewed for a third season, she finds herself a major part of the cast and one-half of one of the most popular LGBT couples on TV today. Her performances particularly in episodes 2x6 – Whiskey Lullaby, and 2x7 – Everybody Knows has earned her the title of SpoilerTV Performer of the Month, Outstanding Actress for July 2017.
Officer Haught, while the pun may have been obviously intended in the name is a Deputy in Purgatory and while she knows something isn't right it's not until near the end of season one where she realizes, Demons are real and they live in the town. She soon became an ally and a friend to the rest of the team and eager to join Agent Dolls and Wynonna in the black badge division.
Katherine Barrell plays Officer Haught with a charming grace and a fun side that soon had fans wanting more. While Wynonna (Melanie Scrofano) is a heroine, Officer Haught proves she is more than capable with a gun and determined to uncover the town's secrets. During this time Waverly (Dominique Provost-Chalkley) is questioning her ever growing attraction to the Deputy and soon a blossoming romance develops. The undeniable chemistry between the two actresses, who by their own admission have become firm friends, had us all, in turn, falling in the love with them as an on-screen couple. Both have commented on the effect it has had on them with people sharing their stories so you can imagine fans were somewhat disappointed when a rocky road seemed to be developing with the pair at the start of season 2. Both Katherine and Dominque have both spoken up about how important it is to them how the relationship is portrayed. We all know as well, that show creator, Emily Andras is fiercely protective of the pair.
Nicole hasn't been on the show from the beginning but she has become family, just like the rest of the team, unlike many other shows where there's one character who's the only comic relief, on Wynonna Earp they all find a way to take the dire situations they're usually in, with as much humor as possible, and this is part of what makes the team so special, the ability to make going through hell almost enjoyable, and sometimes just another bonding experience, and Katherine Barrel is particularly gifted, she can be quirky and snarky in the sweetest way imaginable but also bad-ass at the same time, she has stolen the hearts of many viewers, and especially the heart of our beloved Waverly, with ease.
Conflict does, in fact, bring great drama these scenes have given Barrell more of a scope to work with rather than just playing alongside the other characters. Also, secrets have since been revealed. In the scenes nominated not only had audiences begging that she be added to the title of the show but wanting to see more of Officer Haught. An insecure Nicole is afraid Waverly wasn't herself when she was with her in her demon possessed days and is uncomfortable with that idea. Waverley says she knows it she was herself, because she remembers everything she did with her but she doesn't remember when she was possessed, which doesn't make much sense since, if she doesn't remember, she has no way to know exactly what she did or didn't do in those moments, but it was the right thing to say for Nicole not to freak out, and a good hot moment for many fans, followed by a hilarious moment when Nicole is found naked downstairs by Dolls.
But, no matter how amazing Waverly and Haught are when they're together, the moments where Barrell's charm is in full force is when she shares scenes with Melanie Scrofano, even small moments like Wynonna complaining about having no case to take her mind off of her personal drama and Nicole dryly sending her away, are made fire by the chemistry these two performers have. And once Waverly shows up, her immediate expression change warrants one hundred percent Wynona's remark about them making The Notebook look bleak with their googly eyes.
After Waverly, she's the first to find out about Wynonna's pregnancy, it's by mistake but she was discrete giving her all the privacy and support she could, her first reaction, other than "Wow", was "Heaven help that gynecologist", always thinking of others, luckily, she didn't have to keep it a secret from Waverly because that would've been a whole other thing. Speaking of which, if the possible revenant baby-daddy story has given us it worth noting, it's worth it for the scenes it gave us of Nicole baby-sitting Wynonna alone. Her resignation when they go to the bar to stalk Jonas, and she realizes she'll have to drink for two, was hilarious. There were several small moments in that bar where Nicole cracked us up, from her face when she realized who Aphrodite was, to her acceptance that Wynonna's plan for figuring out if Jonas was the father of her baby was actually solid, or at least it sounded like it while she was drunk. In that moment, Wynonna points out that "you don't become Wynonna Earp by confronting problems head on".
At the worst possible time, after a few shots she had to drink double to help Wynonna hide her state, Nicole gets a call from Waverly and she can't lie to her, she starts confessing and Wynonna drops her phone in a beer pitcher, "Okay, I guess I deserve that", Wynonna spits out that this is what you get when you are friends with a narc and Nicole says she probably deserves that too. When it becomes obvious that Jonas is onto them, Nicole realizes she left her gun at home, which is not helpful, but she's so hilarious she can be forgiven for that. They manage to get out but Jonas catches them, only to get knocked out by Waverly who comes in hot telling them they're both in trouble, and a nervous Nicole hilariously drunk-breaks the news of the possible half revenant baby.
This, the friendships, the team work and the humor, are what makes Wynonna Earp truly shine, and Barrell has become an integral part of what makes it all work. She has been an amazing addition to the team and we can only hope they'll share the many adventures to come with the same humor and love for each other.
This article just touches on a few of the many moments in which Katherine Barrell shined in episodes 2x6 and 2x7 of Wynonna Earp, earning her the recognition of fans and the title SpoilerTV Performer of the Month, Outstanding Actress for July 2017. There were so many terrific scenes in July that it was just impossible to cover them all in this one article. Please, feel free to use the comments section to discuss all the amazing scenes we couldn't get to in this article.
PLEASE READ: Please keep comments on topic and just discussing the performances of the winner.
***WRITER'S NOTE - The writers would like to send a special shout-out to the creator of POTM, Aimee Hicks, who is recovering from recent surgery. Get well soon Aimee, you are missed and we hope we've done proud by the series!
