Last Week on Syfy - Wynnona Earp, Killjoys, & The Purge Reviews

Wynonna Earp - Undo It - Review

The synopsis of 'Undo It' - Wynonna Earp trapped in a time loop by Bulshar - made me groan, but surprisingly the episode turned out to be incredibly poignant and written with a fresh perspective.

The loop essentially was a means for Bulshar to take the Earp gun from Wynonna by bringing the ever perseverant heir to her knees. By episodes end, Bulshar achieved his goal.

However, if there was one positive that Wynonna's ordeal proved it was that Bulshar needed to give it his all to get Wynonna to her knees and also her team never stopped looking for her. Together - the alcoholic MILF, the unreliable vampire, the underfunded sheriff (as Wynonna hilariously put it) and Waverly - are a force to be reckoned with. This was a point raised by Waverly and though it was quickly glossed over in her scene with Wynonna, it nevertheless spoke volumes. Them now being on the same page is a great step forward in their war against Bulshar.

'Undo It' was a turning point for this season because finally, we are seeing the team working together, brought on by the ordeal that Bulshar put Wynonna Earp through. More importantly, trapping Wynonna in a time loop with Doc, forcing her to try over and over again to rescue him as he drowned in dust, was the bonding they needed to get back to full strength. And the bond between Wynonna and Doc is key to defeating Bulshar.

Another key aspect in the fight against the big bad is Waverly, whose powers with her supposed angelic father's ring around her finger was explored more in 'Undo It.' We find out in the closing scene that she can heal, on top of throwing someone across the room and scorching a persons face. Waverly's backstory is certainly intriguing and the show has done a great job teasing us along, revealing every week a little more, bit by bit, of who she is and what powers she has.

It was also great to see Bobo make his return. This show has sorely been lacking that wildcard type of character, and Bobo brings it in colours. We haven't seen a lot of him since his demise at the end of season 1, but when we do, he always makes a positive impact on the show. I hope that his path to redemption continues on past Season 3 and that he doesn't die again in some act of self-sacrifice against Bulshar, which can very well happen.

Overall, 'Undo It' took the tired time loop convention and made it its own - strongly developing Wynonna and Co. individually and as a team.

8/10


Killjoys - The Kids Are Alright - Review

Season 4 of Killjoys is now winding down to what is sure to be an explosive finale. In 'The Kids Are Alright' Team Awesome Force is finally back together and ready to bring the fight to the Lady. Unfortunately, Team Awesome Force came out of the episode one member short. Two, if you count Weej.

If there was one member to die to raise the emotional stakes it had to be Pip. The nerd void is currently being filled by the excellent Zeph and often times Pip, as great of a character he is, felt like a redundancy.

Killjoys has excelled in not making its 'ships the main focus of its story, keeping the story engaging without turning the show into a soap opera.

Pip's death was nevertheless heartbreaking and sad to see, especially when considering how Zeph finally opened herself up to him, only to see him give his life away. McCormack gave an amazing performance this episode, showing us a vulnerable side of Zeph we don't often get to see. Her performance was raw and emotional, and as sad as it was, I think his death really gives so much more room for her character to grow.

One highlight scene was when Zeph blamed Dutch. Though blaming Dutch was unjustified, Killjoys' main protagonist was the best option to blame for someone going through the anger/blaming stage of grief. I couldn't help but feel for Dutch in this situation too.

Would it be bad timing to ship Zeph and Johnny? I am curious where the younger Jaqobi brother's storyline is headed. With one season to go, I really do not see a new relationship with a new character on the horizon as it would need time to grow for it to have any kind of resonance. But they have been really hitting it home how a white knight like him deserves love - that of which was stripped away from him. Of course, there is also the overarching question about his true importance to saving Dutch and stopping the Lady. Johnny has indeed been the third wheel, but there are big things planned for him as the end of the series nears and what that is continues to remain an intriguing mystery.

9/10

The Purge - Take What's Yours' - Review


The Purge continued to drag in 'Take What's Yours.'

Most of that dragging out had to with Rick and Jenna's storyline, which so far has nothing to do with anything. All we know is that there is some kind of unstable love triangle with this Jenna who is at the party. The few scenes dedicated to the storyline involved a whole lot of shifty stares and meaningless conversations. I am all for character depth, but so far this storyline has achieved nothing but add soap opera elements to a show that is not a soap opera.

More intriguing was Jane's story. 'Take What's Yours' revealed a little bit more of her background - a woman on the cusp of joining the #metoo movement against her boss, played by William Baldwin, for not giving her a promotion due to her rejecting his creepy advances. But this is the Purge, why #metoo when you can simply have your creepy boss killed on purge night.

It is great to see how purge like thinking is even influencing someone like Jane who normally would not be engaging in such violent activities. Jane's storyline offers a fresh perspective on this whole Purge concept. It is also worth mentioning Jane's co-worker Alison and the humorously suspicious conversation she had with Jane. Does she know about Jane's plan of hiring someone to kill William Baldwin's character, or does Alison have plans of her own?

Elsewhere, Miguel's storyline was frustrating. It's great to see what is going on in the streets during Purge night, but it would have been more entertaining to see it through the eyes of someone more competent.

Watching Miguel stop his car in front of a bunch of humans who clearly want him hurt or killed, instead of simply running them over had me screaming at my TV screen. What was worse was that obstacle course where he refused to pick up a weapon, and once he did he dropped it soon after. I get Miguel is likely against partaking in any violence, but c'mon, I'm sure his need to survive the night and, more so, to be alive to rescue his sister, is even greater. He already has blood on his hands anyway after killing those drug dealers in episode 1.

An interesting, yet illogical part of this Purge night that we saw in Miguel's storyline were the medics who apparently are exempt from being harmed. It would be nice to get an explanation of who exactly is keeping tabs. If someone murders these medics, will anyone even be able to punish the evil doers? By the end of the Purge night, those who break the 'do not harm the medics' rule will be long gone.

The last storyline did not see too much progression. Penelope is beginning to have a conscious, going so far as volunteering to take the place of a scared bus mate chosen to sacrifice herself. Penelope has the most depth of any character on this show so far, which isn't really saying much, but this storyline continues to be the most engaging, just because of how bonkers it is, and how much we root for Miguel to come to the rescue of his sister.

'Take What's Yours' continues to drag out its four main storylines, especially Rick and Jenna's. The show has so much opportunity to explore this world and give us some interesting characters, which so far they have not been achieving. Maybe next episode?

4.5/10