Wynonna Earp Review: Look at Them Beans (Season 4 Episode 3)

Wynonna Earp Season 4 Episode 3, “Look at Them Beans,” introduces us to a whole new Purgatory and revamps the show in a very cool and exciting way.

When the Earp curse was broken back on Wynonna Earp Season 3 Episode 12, “War Paint,” there were questions as to what this would mean for the show. Hunting revenants seemed like it was integral to the show, but Wynonna Earp proves with “Look at Them Beans” that it doesn’t need revenants and a curse to keep going.

No revenants, no problem. There’s an influx of demons in Purgatory now.

While it could have been easy to introduce demons as the awful, well, demons right out the gate, Wynonna Earp doesn’t do that either.

Casey, Wynonna’s cellmate, is pretty amazing and not at all menacing (he’s more scared of Wynonna and her non-existent peacemaker), the demons at The Glory Hole seem chill, and the big bad monster of the week turns out to be Nedley.

Instead, it’s the people running Purgatory that are the most threatening, and there’s the looming concern of the Black Badge perimeter. I mean the fact that Mercedes is masquerading as a vampire shows that the demons aren’t the problem in Purgatory.

Waverly: I missed so many Property Brothers.

Doc: I feel that.

Waverly: At least if we’d lived the past 18 months, it would be easier.

Nicole: There’s nothing easy about those months, not a thing.

Obviously, whatever monsters that are lurking in the woods, that aren’t Nedley, are a real threat, and I’m sure we will get to know more about that as the season progresses. However, it is refreshing to see Wynonna Earp first focus on the dangers that a scared town with a weird magistrate can pose.

If you were amazed at Katherine Barrell’s acting on Wynonna Earp Season 3 Episode 2, “Friends in Low Places,” Barrell proves in “Look at Them Beans,” that she is just getting started.

We don’t really get an answer as to what went down in those months that Waverly, Doc, and Wynonna were gone, but you can see just how much they’ve changed and probably scarred Nicole.

You see how she tries to drink up every moment she’s with Waverly, taking her in as if she’s a miracle and hoping she’s not a mirage. And you can also see how those months changed her. She can’t rest until she checks all the traps after hearing what is potentially just Wynonna shutting a cabinet.

She’s more of a recluse, rarely straying into town. It’s heartbreaking to see how much trauma Nicole has endured, and it’s interesting to see how everyone reacts to it.

Waverly is Waverly; she is settling into life with Nicole like things are normal, being absolutely head over heels for her fiancé. It isn’t until she sees more of the pain and trauma in Nicole that she starts to check in more.

Doc makes sure Nicole is praised for surviving, for doing so well, and Wynonna does her best to check in with her best friend. She’s really the first person to reach out and ask how Nicole is, and she’s also the one who notices that Rachel’s been taking care of Nicole, not the other way around.

Speaking of Rachel, I love that she’s stuck around, and she introduces a new family element to the show. I hope we see even more of Nicole and Rachel’s bond in future episodes.

It’s fascinating that we are slowly learning about what happened in Purgatory picking up on clues given by Nicole and even Mercedes.

Wynonna: I never imagined you giving up the star, power hungry fiend you are.

Nicole: I didn’t give it up. Cleo showed up, reincorporated the town, made herself magistrate, and elected her own sheriff.

The focus is on the humans we love who, while integral to the once revenant fighting team, aren’t always at the forefront of every episode or storyline. Seeing how they are coping (or not) is our sneak peek into what went down in Purgatory.

Wynonna Earp is showing that while the show may be filled with demons, vampires, heirs, and (formerly) revenants, the people are what matter most. The focus is being shifted even more on them, which is amazing to see, and it allows for some beautiful storytelling.

Stray Thoughts

• Congrats to Melanie Scrofano for directing such a wonderful episode!
• The slow-mo, the music — honestly the whole Nedley rescue scene is a work of art.
• Mercedes does whatever it takes to survive, and I love her for it.
• I feel like Doc’s flirting a bit with the guy from Continuum who owns the Glory Hole.
• Jeremy has a lot of explaining to do.
• Any theories on what Eve is up to?

What did you think of this episode of Wynonna Earp? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Wynonna Earp airs Sunday at 10/9c on Syfy.

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