Wynonna Earp season 3, episodes 11 and 12 recap: ‘Daddy Lessons’ and ‘War Paint’

Wynonna Earp season 3, episode 12 finale recap: ‘War Paint’

After a wild ride of a penultimate episode full of revelations, the season three finale begins with Wynonna giving her new revenant allies an inspiring speech about how she… loves killing revenants. Interesting choice.

She tells them killing is the only things she’s ever been good at. But she’s willing to give it up. To go back to who she was. And to share her land with them like they’ve been forced to share the curse.

They’ll go to battle, but first, they drink! She pulls them onto the previously revenant-protected Earp Homestead.

Elsewhere, Bulshar’s holding Peacemaker and quoting Jesus: “I have not come here to bring peace but a sword.” Peacemaker turns into a sword and Bulshar inserts it into a crevice in the stairs to the Garden.

He prompts one of his soldiers to climb the stairs and enter the Garden. He does and moments later his head rolls out. Bulshar observes the soldier wasn’t righteous or mortal — and neither is Bulshar, yet.

He instructs his soldiers to kill everyone. As they disperse, he instructs Bobo, who’s now wearing ill-fitting military garb, to bring him Earp blood.

Waverly runs over to Wynonna at the Homestead. Wynonna tells Waverly about her revenant army. Waverly tops that by telling her Charlie’s her father. Charlie appears behind Waverly and Wynonna watches as he spreads his wings.

At the station, Jeremy is still trying to figure out how to defeat Bulshar with science. Robin’s there keeping him calm. Jeremy wonders if he can create some kind of anti-venom. Then he gets a premonition that Doc’s in trouble. Time’s of the essence and the apocalypse is getting closer so he keeps working.

In the Earp barn, Wynonna is trying to wrap her mind around the idea that her ex could be Julian. Waverly also breaks the news to her about Doc and his lust for angel blood.

Given the current circumstances, Wynonna isn’t that caught up in the Julian thing. But if it is going to end, she needs to find Doc regardless of what he did. Waverly agrees and says she needs to find Nicole. They part.

Nicole is still with Kate but she’s worried about Waverly. Kate reads the tarot cards again. She tells Nicole Waverly’s with Wynonna. Nicole points out that Waverly’s supposed to be with Charlie. Kate reads another card and says Waverly’s not with Charlie but of him.

Before they can ponder that, Bulshar’s soldiers attack. Kate and Nicole fight back and take them all out, but Nicole is hurt in the process.

After the battle, Mercedes comes in. Nicole asks Mercedes to watch Kate so she can go find the other Earp allies and help them with the fight against Bulshar’s soldiers.

At the sheriff’s station, Jeremy thinks he finally figured out how to make the anti-venom. As he explains the reasons he’s not more excited to Robin, Bulshar’s soldiers surround them. They’re followed by a pissed off Sheriff Nedley with a large gun. Nedley tells Jeremy and Robin to duck and then starts shooting.

Nicole is trying desperately to make it to Waverly but she’s more hurt than she wants to admit. She collapses on the road and is found by Doc.

At the Homestead, Wynonna approaches Julian. Julian now remembers everything and admits he truly loved Wynonna’s mother. Awkward.

Their conversation is interrupted by Doc who has brought a seriously injured Nicole to the Homestead. Wynonna and Julian try to help her as Doc looks on.

In the house, Waverly is leaving a message for Nicole. She goes into her room to find Bobo waiting for her.

Waverly asks if Bobo’s there to help them. He tells her even if he wanted to he’s of Bulshar now. He coughs up dirt to prove the point. He asks that when the time comes, she grants him a favor — setting him free.

In the barn, things aren’t looking good for Nicole. Julian says he could fix her but there’s a price. Wynonna knows there always is. But Nicole’s the love of Waverly’s life.

Julian heals Nicole and then gets up to get Waverly. As he exits the barn, Doc — who seems to have gotten over his angel blood lust — hands Julian the sword he found in the greenhouse. Julian says he lost it a long time ago. He also tells Doc that if his soul was truly compromised he wouldn’t be able to hold it.

Julian enters Waverly’s room to find her sitting with Bobo. He tells her Nicole’s safe. Waverly wants to go to Nicole immediately — she didn’t even know she was hurt — but Julian stops her. He hands her his ring. Healing Nicole took all his power. Now Waverly needs the ring more than he does.

Their exchange is interrupted by a commotion. Bulshar’s soldiers have surrounded the Homestead.

Meanwhile, after Nedley, Jeremy, and Robin defeat the soldiers at the station, Jeremy has an epiphany he figures out how to create something that’ll help with Bulshar with no waiting required.

At the Homestead, Wynonna, Doc, and the revenants are preparing to fight. Waverly runs towards Wynonna but Julian stops her as a hail of grenades rains down on them.

The revenants distract the soldiers as Wynonna runs to the house to grab some the “real” guns. Waverly and Julian are already on it. They toss Wynonna a rifle.

At the same time, Doc goes to protect Nicole in the barn. Nicole is afraid of him but he assures her he won’t hurt her. He takes out the soldiers as they raid the barn.

Waverly, Wynonna, and Julian shoot at the soldiers from the house. Behind them, a flank of soldiers comes in. Wynonna starts to fight them but Bobo grabs her from behind.

No one notices in the chaos as Bobo and some of the soldiers drag Wynonna from the house. They take her to the woodpile behind the house where Bulshar waits.

Bulshar grabs a large axe as the soldiers hold Wynonna down. He nicks Wynonna’s hand with it and cleans off the blood with a handkerchief. Then another soldier approaches with a chainsaw.

In the house, Waverly notices Wynonna is gone. Then she hears the chainsaw. Outside, Julian kills the chainsawing soldier just before he gets to Wynonna.

Bulshar recognizes Julian. Julian tells Bulshar he must not enter the Garden. Bulshar notices Julian doesn’t have his ring. He uses some kind of magic to incapacitate him and then Bobo stabs him with the sword Bulshar made from Peacemaker.

Bobo approaches Wynonna with the sword when Doc starts shooting at him from behind. Bobo laughs that mortal weapons won’t kill him. So, Waverly runs up and kills him with her ring power.

In the woods, Bulshar is throwing something into a fire made of skulls. Wynonna and her allies run up to him, but the revenants around her disappear. Wynonna goes to tackle Bulshar but he disappears himself.

Wynonna lies in the snow where she fell. Waverly runs to her. Wynonna tells her she can feel it —Bulshar broke the Earp curse.

Back at the Homestead, Waverly sits with Julian’s dead body as Jeremy and Robin drive up. She tells them she tried but Julian won’t wake up as he did before.

She fills them in on where everyone else is. Robin informs her that Jeremy’s been working on something that’ll give them a fighting chance.

Doc is in the barn looking glum. Wynonna comes in and he apologizes for Charlie. She says he was the love of her mom’s life and he died to save Waverly.

Wynonna tells Doc that with the Earp curse broken their daughter is free. Doc gets excited. He thinks Wynonna broke the curse. Wynonna corrects him. It wasn’t her, it was Bulshar. He used her blood to break the curse.

Wynonna believes Bulshar needs to be mortal when he breaks into the Garden. When the two of them were linked by the curse her touch could end him. So he used her blood to unlink them and become vulnerable, like her.

Doc confesses he’s done terrible things but he’ll fight until the end with her. Wynonna kisses him.

As she does, she handcuffs him to a ladder. She asks how she could possibly trust him after everything he’s done. He tells her the handcuffs won’t keep him there. Wynonna agrees, but she tells him the rope soaked in holy water that she’s placed around him will. Doc calls for her as she leaves the barn.

Nicole and Waverly talk on the porch. Nicole apologizes for Charlie. Waverly says she can’t lose anyone else she loves today. She puts Julian’s ring on Nicole’s finger and tells her she really loves her. Nicole returns the sentiment, but before she can respond to her proposal, Wynonna calls them into the kitchen.

Jeremy presents what he came up with. It’s a crypsis. If they dab in on themselves Bulshar’s soldiers won’t be able to detect them, which means they won’t stop them and the gang can get to Bulshar.

The problem is how can they defeat Bulshar now that Wynonna’s no longer the heir. She tells them if anyone wants to leave they should, but of course, they all stay.

Wynonna confesses that Bulshar gave her one gift: he showed her what she’s most afraid of —losing all of them. While she talks, Nicole, Jeremy, and Robin pass out as they realize Wynonna drugged the drinks she gave them.

Wynonna takes the crypsis and goes into the woods. Waverly chases after her berating her for what she did. Waverly knew what Wynonna would do so she didn’t take a sip of the drink Wynonna gave her.

Wynonna finally turns to talk to Waverly. She tells Waverly she didn’t drug her drink. She believes the two of them are the backups for Julian and his fellow angel guardian of the Garden.

They put on the foul-smelling crypsis and approach the stairs to the Garden, which Wynonna still can’t see.

Wynonna attacks Bulshar who’s starting to turn into a snake. He may be mortal but he still has a few tricks up his sleeve and easily evades her.

During their battle, Waverly runs to the sword made from Peacemaker on the stairs and draws it out. Bulshar tells her only a hero can wield the sword against a demon. Waverly adds that only an angel can name a hero — something her father taught her before Bulshar killed him.

Waverly names Wynonna and tosses the sword to her. As Wynonna catches it, the sword’s engulfed in blue flame. Also, Wynonna can finally see the stairs.

Bulshar questions if Wynonna can handle the sword and she attacks him with glee.

As they fight, Waverly realizes she can’t leave the stairs to the Garden. Bulshar tells Wynonna the Garden will have Waverly. Wynonna quips that she’s already taken as Bulshar gets even more snaky.

Wynonna gets the upper hand and stands over Bulshar. He suggests that they could enter the Garden together and rule as one. Wynonna isn’t into the idea and stabs him through the heart.

As he dies, Bulshar goes full snake and bites Wynonna. As Bulshar burns away in yellow flame, Wynonna drops to the ground. Waverly’s still trapped on the stairs and can’t get to her.

As she watches, Doc runs up and sucks Wynonna’s blood, pulling the poison out of her.

While Doc saves Wynonna’s life, the door to the Garden opens. A snaky branch emerges and twists around Waverly. It draws her into the Garden to her protests. Wynonna tries to get to her but there’s an invisible barrier around the stairs and she can’t get through.

The doors to the Garden close with Waverly inside. Doc and Wynonna hear a deafening sound. When it stops Doc gets up, takes off his gun belt, and walks to the stairs. Wynonna protests that he’s not mortal so he can’t go in, but he easily breaches the barrier keeping Wynonna away.

Doc climbs the stairs. He tells Wynonna she’s the Guardian and the only one who can wield the flaming sword. He enters the Garden, leaving Wynonna alone.

Wynonna returns to the Homestead. She expects to find Nicole, Jeremy, and Robin but everyone’s gone. The only thing left is a word scratched on the wall: Valdez.

Wynonna walks through the deserted town and to Doc’s bar. There’s someone there — it’s Sheriff Nedley. Nedley reports that everyone in Purgatory’s disappeared. The only people left are him and Wynonna.

Wynonna says something in the Garden was trying to come through. It was coming for all the people. Nedley wants to know if any of them are still alive in there. Wynonna thinks they are.

The finale comes to an end with Wynonna and Nedley agreeing to get them back.

Woo hoo! Wynonna and Nedley team up! Along with the welcome return of Nedley after a brief absence, Wynonna Earp‘s third season finale was quite a roller coaster! The season as a whole lagged a bit in the middle, but the last third was a propulsive blast.

The show was already thick with mythology but this season took it to a whole new level. What that means for next season, when apparently they’ll take the battle to the Garden of Eden, is anyone’s guess. Either way, it’ll be hard not to miss Wynonna and her posse while they’re gone.

Fortunately, Wynonna Earp will be back for season 4 in 2019. While you hunker down for the long wait, you can read our season 3 recaps, starting with episode 1, and stream the season that was at Syfy.

Share your thoughts on the third season as a whole and two-part finale in particular in the comments.