Not only did Caitlin D. Fryers have the pressure of writing her first Wynonna Earp script, but it was an important one. Friday’s “Whiskey Lullaby” followed up the revelation regarding Wynonna’s pregnancy with the fallout of that information when it’s revealed to the team. (Who do you think is the father? Vote below!)
And, with the Gardiner gals hunting down seals at a rapid pace, and the citizens of Purgatory put into dreamland by the Gardiners via Hypnos the god of sleep, Fryers had a lot on her plate. We got her on the phone to discuss everything that occurred, including that Wynonna-Dolls kiss and Doc’s heartbreaking message to Wynonna.
We had the huge reveal last week that Wynonna is pregnant. No pressure, but your first writing credit is the follow-up when the team learns she’s pregnant. I know writing for television is a collaborative process, but what did it mean to have your name on this one in particular?
Caitlin D. Fryers: It was really special. I felt very blessed, and it was a big vote of confidence for Emily [Andras] to have entrusted me with this episode. I just sort of put myself into Wynonna’s shoes and had fun with it. It was scary because I think people had a lot of questions. We’re trying to get the balance of Wynonna still has to be this kick-ass demon hunter, but man she has a lot of emotions that she has to deal with. Trying to find that balance between those moments and still making her this powerful woman was both daunting and a lot of fun.
I wondered what pregnancy would mean for Wynonna diet-wise. She doesn’t eat or drink the best stuff; now we have her trying to keep her edge while drinking tea.
Part of the comedy is that this woman has to suddenly cut that out from her diet and be very careful about what she puts in her body. Obviously, she’s going to make some mistakes. [Laughs.] There are a lot of moments for comedy and also showcases this other side of her relationship with Waverly. Waverly is already very careful about what she eats and we’ve seen that throughout the season. Now we’ll see Waverly being the mother figure to Wynonna.
It is fun; will that be a story arc through this season?
It definitely continues and there is a nice back and forth where Wynonna is protecting Waverly and Waverly protects Wynonna. It really is a show about their relationship and the way that these sisters protect and help one another. A strong woman doesn’t mean a woman who doesn’t make mistakes.
What about Wynonna’s physicality? She can’t get into fist fights and get thrown through walls anymore.
That’s a terrifying thought for her. Now she’s fighting for two and has to look after herself and the stakes are really raised. But we still want her to be a fighter and she learns some tricks and techniques that I think will be fun for fans to see her do. She has to use her head and think about this extra person. But also, there were lots of moments where Wynonna could step back from what she was about to do and she doesn’t because that’s Wynonna. She finds a different way of handling things.
I wondered how you would explain Wynonna showing her pregnancy. Having the Gardiners force Hypnos to put Purgatory to sleep was a great way to have time elapse and have Wynonna showing.
Thank you!
Was that something you came up with or was it broken in the room?
We had sort of created this villain already and then this episode came up and I said, ‘Is this a way that we can sort of accelerate things using and adjusting this villain’s powers to sort of like a dream state?’ But, Wynonna being the heir and her body being magic, she and her child don’t follow the rules. The spell doesn’t work exactly the way Hypnos expected and we were able to use that to allow us to show Melanie and have Melanie be more free.
Let’s talk about Black Badge breaking up. Does this free the team up to do what they want because there is no one to report to?
For us, as writers, we thought, ‘What would it mean to each of these characters if you suddenly remove their safety net but also this sort of overhanging threat?’ We see what Dolls feels all of a sudden. But, at the same time, they’re going to be asking questions constantly. Is Black Badge really gone? Where did they go? What does this mean? Even though they’re gone, the spectre of Black Badge is still hanging over our team.
Those Gardiner sisters have got two of the three seals and are well on the way to concluding their plan.
They’ve definitely got momentum, which is terrifying. They’re really delicious characters. We had a lot of fun coming up with these villains. Dani Kind really brought a humour to her character that just really works. It’s almost more scary when your villain is quipping as she eats you. [Laughs.] That was fun.
I loved the fact that Dolls got to smile this episode.
Oh, my goodness. That doesn’t hurt, right? We were just sort of ready to explore what would happen to Dolls if he didn’t have the restrictions that he himself imposed on himself. And also, as writers, we just like to have the drama between Doc and Dolls. The bromance/frenemies story is very entertaining and any time we can stir that up we try to.
There was a lot of energy crackling between Dolls and Wynonna during that kiss.
Yes. Their relationship and chemistry on-screen is wonderful but also a little bittersweet. Every time these two get close something comes up and we get to see the ways Dolls handles that and it hurts. You can tell that it hurts him and that’s another side we haven’t seen.
The vibe that I’m getting is that Dolls thinks the baby is his.
I think there are a lot of questions…
That’s just me as a viewer and fan watching. I think Dolls thinks the baby is his and that Doc thinks that Dolls is the father too.
That’s interesting. That’s good. We want you to have no idea and I think there are a lot of questions surrounding this baby.
I also translated Doc’s note, ‘I’m all in,’ as meaning he supports her even if the baby is Dolls’. Fans are going to have a lot of fun with this.
The power of that moment is that Doc loves Wynonna is his reaction to this is not to ask questions and not to poke and prod and demand answers. It’s just to offer his commitment to her. When I watched Melanie’s reaction, as Wynonna, to that note I almost lost it because she gives us that moment because it’s very powerful for their relationship.
What can you tell me about next week’s episode?
It’s a really fun script. Dolls and Jeremy have some really hilarious moments … and that’s all I’m going to give you. It’s a great episode.
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Wynonna Earp airs Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on Space.
Images courtesy of Bell Media.
