Wellington Paranormal Review: Who the Hell? / Time Cop (Season 4 Episodes 5 and 6)

Wellington Paranormal Season 4 Episodes 5 and 6, “Who the Hell?” and “Time Cop,” deliver plenty of laughs, slapstick, and a smattering of the butterfly effect. Both outings pack in a heaping helping of action, which is surprising, given their roughly 20-minute runtimes. 

“Who the Hell?” breaks the show’s episodic structure by separating our core four: Minogue, Maaka, O’Leary, and Parker pursue separate cases wherein three of them are linked. It’s delightful to witness how they fare without each other. While O’Leary excels by herself and even triumphs over Satan in a game of “Who the Hell?”, Minogue struggles without his partner in stopping crime. 

MINOGUE: I love posting online reviews. “Visually arresting but deeply flawed. Couldn’t understand a single thing anyone was saying at any time. 4.5 stars. Would watch again.”

Additionally, Wellington Paranormal thrusts Constable Parker under the spotlight, giving him extra screen time in “Who the Hell?” as he not-so-subtly tries to sabotage his new partnership in favor of working on the paranormal unit. Thomas Sainsbury is so fun to watch onscreen; he’s a comedic force. The crying scene in “Who the Hell?” is killer. 

The plotlines in “Who the Hell?” and “Time Cop” prove that Wellington Paranormal is a seemingly bottomless wellspring of creativity. However, “Time Cop” might take the crown as one of its best narratives. The episode dabbles with the butterfly effect and parallel universes and finally explores time travel. It also throws a zombie outbreak into the mix, producing a brilliant melding of genres. 

“Time Cop” (or “Time Cop: Not The Jean-Claude Van Damme One”) examines why some of our main players joined law enforcement — mainly Sergeant Makka, the one who started it all. The writers convey how much these characters need each other, especially our paranormal trio. Despite Minogue and O’Leary’s incessant bickering, it all comes from a place of love. 

O’LEARY: Sir, you’re resisting arrest by floating.

Wellington Paranormal never skimps on the heart, and these last episodes are no exception. There’s a real, easygoing connection between these characters, making the dialogue and one-liners all the funnier. 

As mentioned above, the writers neatly condense quite a bit of narrative action into these episodes, especially “Time Cop.” Both are entertaining, capturing our attention and keeping us invested till the end. It doesn’t hurt that the actors consistently deliver hilarious performances on all fronts. 

What makes this series finale the most intriguing is how it ends. Wellington Paranormal was never meant to have a cookie-cutter ending. There’s no riding off into the sunset or bitter goodbyes. Rather, the show simply ends as it does every week. In fact, if you didn’t know these were the last episodes before watching them, well, you wouldn’t know afterward, either. 

PARKER: Anyway, I’m off to the salon. Hair this perfect doesn’t style itself.

While some might whinge about the lack of closure or a definitive ending, the no-fanfare-style drawing of the curtain is perfect for this series. Hey, if there’s no concrete ending, then is it really over? Wellington Paranormal can continue on in our imaginations, through our weird fan fiction, or through our perpetual binge-watches. We don’t need to dread watching that final episode because it makes us bawl our eyes out. 

In the end, simplicity is best. Keep it simple. Wellington Paranormal pushes the envelope in its last hurrah with its signature panache and dry humor while never straying from what it does best: deliver laughs, showcase bumbling yet lovable characters, and dole out supernatural slapstick with a nice Kiwi glaze. 

We’ll miss watching new episodes of Wellington Paranormal, but maybe, just maybe, if we all collectively hit our heads significantly hard, we can dislodge our memories of watching this show and start it anew. 

Stray Observations: 

• The show gives Parker’s partner the same surname as actor Thomas Sainsbury, and it’s such a fun little nod. Notably when Parker continuously fumbles it.
• It might be entertaining to play “Who the Hell?” with Satan (who first appears in the “Christmas Special” episode in Season 2). Sure, he’ll cheat, but at least it’ll be a good time. Plus, then you can dance the night away at “Beelze-dub.” 
• Wellington Paranormal pokes fun at entertainment reviewers in a painfully real assessment delivered by Minogue to the tune of, “Well, this is sh*t, but I give it four out of five stars.” It’s all too real in this community. 
• Even Minogue knows it’s the end when he asks the crew in “Who the Hell?” if this is the season finale. 
• That sign behind Maaka stating how New Zealand police officers are much nicer than American officers is probably true. Not a fan of police in general, but it’s easy to imagine NZ law enforcement is considerably more cordial.
• It’s nice to see the return of Donovan and Laupepe after their zombified turn in the Season 1 finale, “Zombie Cops.” That said, it would’ve been interesting if they turned into zombies in “Time Cops” too.
• “Time Cops” is proof positive that spiky frosted tips and goatees automatically equal “evil.” Just look at poor Parallel Parker!
• The actor who portrays young Maaka in “Time Cops,” Elijah Smyth-Ruru, genuinely looks like a younger version of Maaka Pohatu. It’s uncanny. Kudos to the casting department on that one. 

What did you think of the series finale of Wellington Paranormal? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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All four seasons of Wellington Paranormal are now streaming on HBO Max and The CW app.

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