Wynonna Earp - No Future in the Past - 2.08 - Post Mortem

Wynonna EarpFollowing the review is a full recap of the episode.

"No Future in the Past" was my favorite episode of Wynonna Earp so far of the season. So much was going on, and so much was revealed.

At the beginning of the episode, I love that we get more insight into Waverly (Dominique Provost-Chalkley)'s past with the flashbacks in the episode, especially because she's been trying to find out if she's really an Earp.

Wynonna (Melanie Scrofano) seemed oblivious to what Waverly went through as a child, though I think that is only because she was a child herself, and also, she was in a very bad place back then and not really looking out for her sister. Thankfully that has changed.

Wynonna EarpThe part of the story about Waverly's heritage has been going on since the end of season one when Bobo (Michael Eklund) told her that she wasn't an Earp. It seemed bound to come to a conclusion soon, and I was so happy that it was addressed so well.

It's obvious that Nicole (Katherine Barrell) hid the truth about the results from Waverly, because she didn't want to see her hurt, but she had to know that it would backfire and blow up in her face. I think eventually Waverly will forgive her, she's just going to need time.

Another big part about the episode, is of course, still Wynonna's pregnancy. When she goes to her OBGYN appointment and doesn't want to know the sex or see the ultrasound photo of the baby, it shows she is still struggling with her pregnancy. However, she is going to have to look at her baby at some point. I feel like to her, right now, looking at it would mean she is accepting what has happened to her that she felt she had no power over, since she has been blaming the curse on her birth control failing.

At some point she is going to have to take some part of the responsibility, after all, she was obviously involved in creating the baby. It's not only that, but at times I think that Wynonna feels that being pregnant is a weakness or at least that perhaps she thinks that others see it that way, and she doesn't want to let any little bit of weakness show, because that would be accepting defeat.

In the episode we also have Rosita (Tamara Duarte) taking an interest in Wynonna's baby, which was a bit odd. I think perhaps it is because she is trying to take Doc (Tim Rozon)'s advice and become friends with the Earp sisters. Doc may want them all to get along, but I have to admit, I really don't like Rosita as a love interest for him, simply because I prefer Doc with Wynonna, regardless of how things will end up. Rozon and Scrofano have a better chemistry together, in my opinion. I do, however, appreciate the fact that Rosita is becoming more of a character in the episode and being given more to do. She definitely becomes more likable by the end of the episode, and I enjoyed her bonding with Waverly.

We also see the return of Juan Carlos (Shaun Johnston) in the episode, and I was quite happy to see him again. He has continued to become more interesting the more we learn about him. However, knowing that he was involved with what happened to the Widows, and Clootie for that matter, was surprising to me. It was great to see more of his backstory.

Although I wasn't surprised that Wynonna took Juan Carlos up on his offer of the vision quest, even if she didn't know what she was doing. She always has a need to know the truth and couldn't have said no if she tried, regardless of the risk.

I was, however, definitely not expecting the Widows to try kill Juan Carlos in the end, as he's been a key player in the show, even if we haven't seen much of him on screen. I did like the fact that it was Dolls in the end though who put him out of his mystery, rather than him being finished off by the Widows.

While talking about Dolls (Shamier Anderson), I do also want to mention that I hope that the show delves more into why he was able to break the Widows' spell. Was it simply his love for Wynonna? Was it that he was experimented on by BBD and is part dragon? There was no explanation.

Back to the vision quest, this episode had so many flashbacks as part of it as well. Flash backs are always a great way to get more information on the backstory on Wyatt Earp and the curse itself.

It was really cool just in general to get to see so much about how the curse began and really get an insight into all the moves that were made and the people that were involved that led up to where Wynonna begins. It also connects more than a few things together for the audience.

The few scenes in the episode not only explained fully about Constance's husband, but also about the origin of the Widows, and, as I mentioned, I loved that Juan Carlos was also involved from the beginning.

Wynonna EarpI also have to wonder in the scene though, regardless of the fact that the box was obviously not indestructible, why in the world did Constance leave a hold big enough for one of them to stick their hand through to grab the stick of dynamite in the first place?

On a side note, another small nitpick is about Clootie herself. While Jessica Sipos did a great job picking up the torch from Rayisa Kondracki, who previously played Clootie in season one, I have to wonder why they decided to show a younger version of Constance in the flashbacks. The Stone Witch made Doc and Juan Carlos stay young, I'm surprised that she wouldn't have done the same to herself. Perhaps it was simply a contractual thing, because Kondracki was really fantastic in the role as well.

In the vision quest, the third seal is also revealed, and how apt for her to use her wedding ring, since it is her husband she is sealing away.

This is actually big reveal if you have been paying attention, as it hints at Doc's ring, which means that the seal was in his possession the whole time.

That brings us back to Doc and his flashbacks with Bobo. It was really wonderful to see Robert/Bobo again, and even more so to see a different side to him. This episode is interesting because it shows us what could have been, how things could have been so different for both him and Doc.

It was also great to finally see Doc's point of view. We had known that he was stuck in the well but not much else. It's sad to know that he had a chance to end it all but didn't take it. It does make me curious, however, if all the time he was suffering all he had to do was take off the ring and become mortal. Was his hatred and want of revenge for Clootie so great that he was willing to suffer for centuries until someone eventually found him? Doc sealed his own fate, and it's quite sad.

Even more tragic, however, is the scene where Clootie reveals to Robert that he would become a revenant. The revelation that Bobo was originally a good person and friends with Wyatt Earp was surprising, as it was that simple jealousy would be his downfall in the end. I would like to think that Doc would have saved him had he helped him out of the well.

I also love the fact that Clootie claiming Bobo would get her sons' bones regardless of him not getting the ring gave us more information connected to what happened in the past. It all circles back to season one when the Stone Witch used Bobo's love for Willa (Natalie Krill) to get him to do her bidding. Bobo really got the short end of the stick.

It's ironic that he sees Wynonna as an angel since she is the one destined to send him back to Hell, and even more so that he is the one to save her from the fire by ringing the bell.

One of my favorite parts of the episode is when Wynonna tells Bobo that the name of his "angel" is Waverly. It once again circles back around to the reason that Bobo protected Waverly in season one, which is shown in the conclusion of the beautifully shot flashback on the frozen lake.

It has been debated online, but if Waverly did call Bobo "Papa," that was huge and quite shocking, but it does actually make more pieces of the story fall into place if it's true. I have to wonder though how Waverly would have known it was her father; perhaps she was simply delirious and it is to let the audience know the truth. Regardless, the way it was wrapped up with that scene worked perfectly.

RECAP

At the beginning of the episode we see a flashback of Waverly as a child, running across a lake of ice to get her stuffed rabbit that Willa took, and it starts to crack.

In the present, she talks to Wynonna about how mean her sister was and how her father ignored her since their mother left. She thinks they all hated her because she must not be an Earp. Wynonna didn't realize that it was so hard for her, but consoles her that what happened doesn't mean she's not an Earp.

She asks Waverly who saved her from the ice, and she thinks it was Wynonna.

Elsewhere, Juan Carlos stops to help someone on the road, but it's the Widows, Mercedes (Dani Kind) and Beth (Meghan Heffern). We find out that he knows what they are; he says he put the Widows in the box. They are after the location of the third seal, but he refuses to tell them, so Beth comes up behind him and bites him in the shoulder.

Back at Shorty's, Rosita is upset that Doc isn't paying attention to her, but he has some errands to run. He tells her that both she and Wynonna are a part of his life and it would help if he wasn't divided between them. He wants her to be friends with the Earp sisters since he is not always there to protect her. After a bit of coercing, he finally admits he's headed to the salt flats, which keys the audience into the fact that he is going to see Clootie.

Wynonna EarpWynonna goes to her OBGYN appointment, but doesn't want to know the sex or see the ultrasound photo of the baby, as she is still struggling with her pregnancy.

Dolls was waiting for her outside in the waiting room, thankfully, because when she storms off outside, she is grabbed and pulled into a truck, with a blood trail left on the ground.

Dolls has Sheriff Nedley (Greg Lawson) run the plates, but they're not in the system. Dolls thinks it might be Juan Carlos. Nedley suggests he goes to the fire department to talk to the Order.

At Shorty's, Waverly talks to Nicole about her worries while they shoot pool. She tells Nicole she sent in a DNA sample so she should know if she is an Earp soon.

Rosita wants to throw Wynonna and Doc a baby shower. Waverly thinks it's odd that Rosita wants to be involved, but agrees. They decide to use Nacho Night as a cover to lure Wynonna there without her suspecting.

Dolls brings Ewan (Brendan Fehr) from the Order into questioning. He denies knowing anything, saying that Juan Carlos couldn't force the heir to do anything.

Dolls gets a call from Wynonna. She says she is fine, but then she suddenly yells to him for help and gives him some clues to the location of the church they are at.

Wynonna is with Juan Carlos, who tells her that she knows he isn't bad. He has information, but it is his burden, his curse, to witness and not interfere. He says he can show her what he knows, but she has to go willingly and must follow his directions.

She enters the church (spoiler alert; definitely not going to be a virgin birth) and puts Wyatt's badge and Peacemaker inside the marks on the floor and reads the words aloud as instructed.

Thinking it didn't work, she goes back to Shorty's, leaving Peacemaker in the church. Viewers realize very quickly that something did happen, even if it takes Wynonna a bit to figure it out.

Wynona sees Doc, but he doesn't answer her when she tries to talk to him. She realizes that she's not in Shorty's, but a different saloon, and that no one can hear her. She walks outside of the saloon and realizes that she's not in her own time either: she's on a vision quest.

Wynonna watches as Robert/Bobo (Michael Eklund) talks to Doc. He's brought him a letter from Wyatt. Doc is drunk and rude to him. He tells Doc that the priest in Purgatory wants Wyatt to come help because the sheriff in town is a madman and terrorizing the people. Wyatt wants Doc to ride with him. Doc just tells Robert the town is a lost cause.

DOC: I have made my peace with Wyatt. Now you can go to hell.
BOBO: For Wyatt I would. I would ride to hell and back for him if need be. Used to be you would too.

Wynonna follows them outside, (and uses the quote "Tacos are tasty!" again) but no one is there. Time has shifted. She picks up a newspaper from the ground that says that Wyatt shot Sheriff Clootie. She realizes this is where it all began.

She follows a trail of blood into the church. Robert is sitting on a pew bleeding. She sees the two Widows as they originally were. One is chained to the floor, another is being frozen by a spell from a young Constance Clootie.

The one Widow asks where their husband is. Robert says he's dead and that they will never find him. Clootie says that regardless, he's as good as dead, because he's buried in the earth. She says it's funny, he loved her most of his wives because of her magic, and now it's her magic that will doom him.

The priest, who turns out to be Juan Carlos, walks into frame and punches the one Widow. Wynonna makes a snarky comment that that was definitely interference.

Wynonna EarpBack in the present, Waverly and Nicole talk as they ready the party. Rosita enters with a creepy piñata that's shaped like a baby. She tells them it's filled with donuts, so Wynonna will love it. Waverly and Rosita bond a bit over cocktails.

Dolls drives up to the church. Juan Carlos tells him that Wynonna is a willing participant as it has to be. He also comments for Dolls to remember who brought him back to Purgatory when he was half dead. He tells Dolls that though her body lies in the chapel, she is not in their time. She and the baby are fine, but they won't be if he wakes her during her vision quest. He says that Wynonna needs to see the past if they have any hope for a future.

Dolls rushes into the church but doesn't wake her.

Back in the past, Constance has locked the Widows in the box we saw at the beginning of the season. Robert questions that they can't escape. She says it will take a force of nature to shatter the box and get them out. Wynonna makes a quip about dynamite.

Juan Carlos says he's more worried about their husband than the Widows, because Constance now knows that Wyatt killed her sons. Clootie says that he will pay for that, but she has priorities. If her husband should get free he will go after her. His funeral is her freedom.

She says they need more than earth to hold him. She gives Juan Carlos and Robert vials of liquid metal. She says it has to be iron or silver (like a wedding ring), and says to pour them on the talismans she's given them, repeat the words she's taught them, and then add their blood fresh. They are then to each hide their seals at a holy site and it will keep him locked away. They each have one so one can't decide to turn traitor.

In the present, Dolls talks to Juan Carlos again, wanting to know how long it will take. He says time isn't his strong suit; he was granted immortality like Doc, along with some other perks and burdens, and that he was not permitted to interfere. Dolls comments that that is exactly what he is doing, but he says it's because he is no longer afraid to do so, because he's dying of gangrene from the Widow's bite. He tells Dolls the Widows have arrived and are looking for the third seal. He doesn't know what or where it is. He says whatever happens to him, just don't let them get to Wynonna.

Dolls enters the woods and the Widows attack him.

Later, back at the chapel, a bleeding Robert is still sitting there when Constance comes back in. Robert says that he is waiting for Wyatt who said he would return to set everything straight. She asks what happened to him, and he says he was shot. She knows her husband didn't need a gun. He says that Clootie used him as a shield in between himself and Wyatt, and he was going to get away. He told Wyatt to take the shot. It went through him into her husband. Meanwhile, he received a letter. Doc has gone missing and Wyatt left to go find him, which is why he is waiting for him to come back.

She questions Wyatt choosing Doc over him, but Robert says that Doc saved Wyatt's life; he just got in the way. She reveals to him that he gave up his soul for Wyatt without knowing it.

Wynonna, knowing what she's about to hear, tells Clootie not to tell him, even though she can't hear her. Even Wynonna sees the tragedy in it.

Clootie reminds Robert of her husband's curse that sent Wyatt fleeing: all killed by Peacemaker were destined to Hell and would resurrect upon Wyatt (and each subsequent heir)'s death, becoming revenants to kill all the Earp heirs.

Robert/Bobo says that he is a good man, but Clootie says that Hell burns that right out of you.

She, however, says that there is a way she can help him if he does something for her: bring her the bones of her sons. He at first refuses but eventually gives in.

Meanwhile, the Widows have knocked Dolls to the ground and have frozen him, ready to consume him.

Wynonna EarpBack at Shorty's, the girls are playing a drinking game. Waverly goes in Nicole's purse to get a pen when she shes her DNA results sticking out of it, which Nicole claimed hadn't arrived yet. She starts yelling at Nicole that she had no right to not tell her, but Nicole uses love as her reasoning. Waverly says she is not a child, and going by the look on her Nicole's face, apparently not an Earp either. She leaves crying.

Back in the vision quest, they have moved outside to a well. Doc is at the bottom. Constance tells Robert that she wants vengeance on Wyatt for the death of her sons, which is why she has left his best friend alive down the well forever. She tells him that the ring she gave Doc not only heals the dying and delays death interminably, but it's also the final seal.

Constance says that he has a choice. He can rescue Doc and use the ring to avoid demon-dom, and Doc will be reunited with Wyatt. She gives him some string as another option. She says she trusts he'll make the right choice. She obviously knows that Bobo is jealous of Doc and Wyatt's friendship. She leaves.

Robert calls to Doc down the well and sends down the string. He says that if he sends him up the ring he will throw him down a rope. Doc questions trusting someone he doesn't know.

Robert questions that he would rather stay in the dark than give up immortality. Doc says to throw down the rope or go to Hell. Bobo says that he believes he will.

This scene seals the tragic fate of both characters.

Clootie says to Robert that he will still retrieve their bones eventually. She'll find something else that he wants.

Back in the present, the Widows have left Dolls frozen in the woods to finish off Juan Carlos. Dolls sees Wynonna in his mind and is able to get up, his dragon eyes igniting.

A more alert Dolls rushes to Juan Carlos, but the Widows leave before he can shoot them, confused, saying it's impossible that he made it there.

They have torn Juan Carlos apart. At his request, Dolls kills him to end his suffering.

Dolls makes it into the church, the paralysis overtaking him again as he starts to refreeze. He lays beside Wynonna, hoping she'll wake up.

The Widows outside are upset he has claimed sanctuary in a church, but they say they can burn it down, and they light it on fire.

Back at the church, in the past, Bobo is praying. Wynonna stands over him. He can see her; he guesses because he is dying. He's caught glimpses of her his entire life: his guardian angel. She responds that she's, "Something like that."

She starts coughing. From the present, Dolls yells to her to wake up, and it appears she can hear him in the vision.

Robert says that he is a good man and deserves to be saved. She says he was jealous and left Doc down the well to rot. He confesses, but says that it was a moment of weakness.

She says things could have been different if he had only rescued Doc. She calls him "Bobo" and when he asks, reveals that that is his name when he is resurrected as a demon. She picks up Peacemaker. He questions what he has done and what he will now become. She tells him to try to remember how much he loved Wyatt.

Wynonna starts coughing again, dying in the present from lack of oxygen from the fire, and Bobo says he doesn't want her to die because of him. He swears that he will never hurt her, no matter what form he takes. He asks her what his angel's name is, and she says, "Waverly." He says he will remember and to wake up. He proceeds to ring the church bell.

Back in the present, Dolls and Wynonna are outside on the grass, the EMT helping her. She wakes up and Dolls kisses her. Dolls ask how they found them, and the EMT says that he made a smart move ringing the bell. Dolls says it wasn't him. Wynonna tell him that it was Robert.

Wynonna EarpLater, Waverly stands with her test results. We see the rest of the flashback from the beginning of the episode. It's unclear if it is for the audience's benefit or if Waverly is also remembering. Bobo has picked Waverly up from the ice and says, "I'm here; I got you Waverly, angel." At this point, which has been debated about, she either calls him "Bobo" or "Papa."

Dolls lies next to Wynonna, hugging her. She tells him that the third seal is Doc's ring and that Clootie has tied his mortality to it. If it does break, Clootie's husband will rise.

He kisses her. She says she is fine. He tells her she died for a few minutes, lost her pulse.

She realizes that the Earp heir was dead, but it was only for a few seconds, right? She looks worried.

Unbeknownst to them, elsewhere, Bobo rises.

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