Eternally Yours Season 1 Episode 3 Review: Vampires in the Wild West

Eternally Yours Season 1 Episode 3, “The Mistake,” is anything but a mistake.

It’s one of the funnier, more carefree outings we’ve had the pleasure of seeing from the newborn series and its quirky creatures of the night.

Part initiation party, part Wild West flashback, Eternally Yours utilizes an ensemble of vampires and some quick supernatural wit to deliver a delightfully spooky outing.

There are several laugh-out-loud moments that suggest this comedy is settling into a comfortable rhythm.

The entire bit where Liz is sitting in a local saloon, and men keep approaching to ask if she’s a whore is a hilarious way to poke fun at society’s ridiculous treatment of women. Liz finally yelling, “I am not a whore!” just for the man to dejectedly argue, “Well, you’re sitting there,” is the perfect escalation of the joke.

Charles’ beef with Celeste is an enjoyable pelting of snide comments throughout the evening. His fixation on her boots is petty (and we love petty), but it’s also grounded in a meaningful revelation that Charles is acting like a jilted toddler because he’s defending Liz.

Not only do we learn Charles used Etsy Witches before it was cool, but that he is a wife guy through and through. Not only will he hold a grudge against anyone who speaks ill of Liz, but he will also curse them.

Speaking of meaningful reveals, the twist ending in Jesse’s vampire origin story is as endearing as it is laughable.

In a move that speaks beautifully to the dark humor of this premise, Liz didn’t turn Jesse because she wanted him to join the coven. She just failed spectacularly at killing him.

It’s heartbreaking and incredibly valuable to both Jesse and Liz as characters. We learn that Jesse found purpose in death. Learning he was never meant to have that purpose is like watching someone kick a puppy.

On the other side, we learn that Liz spent hundreds of years struggling to accept her nature as a vampire. The fact that she was so against killing people that she accidentally turned her first kill is rather sweet. It reinforces the softer, more human moments Liz lets slip through.

Eternally Yours would do well to never let this messed-up connection between Liz and Jesse die.

Liz, Charles, and Jesse have begun to show long-term story potential.

However, Max and Emma still feel two-dimensional, even if they do make for a hot couple. We don’t see much of Emma outside of the relationship, and Max is navigating his vamp growing pains on his own. The result is a disconnect between them and the coven.

Additionally, there’s a bone to pick with the paranormal rules of this show.

It’s a sitcom, so much of the vampire lore can be silly, and it can even poke fun at itself for not making sense. However, these rules that bind the vampires have to be consistent to develop a strong foundation for jokes about their abilities.

There was an assumption that they don’t have super hearing because Emma never heard Max from upstairs in the pilot, and Charles is often whispering about Liz just out of earshot without her retaliating.

So to learn from Aldricht that they do have super hearing when the plot calls for it is a little frustrating.

What isn’t frustrating is the excuse to throw an extravagant house party and invite a host of well-dressed, snobby vampires.

All the different characters are a fun extension of the Seattle coven, directly contrasting their attempts to blend in with grand gothic fashion and exaggerated Atlantic accents.

The house draped in cheap red and black party supplies is a hilarious and vibrant juxtaposition to the historical, grungy streets of America during the Wild West.

This party is proof Eternally Yours is at its most fun when it’s embracing life’s yeehaws!

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Eternally Yours airs Thursdays at 8:30/9:30c on CBS.

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