Wynonna Earp: Why the recent death hits so hard

We’re used to our favorite characters dying, but why does the death on Wynonna Earp cut so deep?

At this point, we’re acutely aware of how likely it is that a character we love will be killed off. It’s something that’s become all the more common these days, due mostly to things like Joss Whedon shows, along with Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead.

Television has been training for many years, but particularly in this decade, that practically any of your characters can die at any point. Granted, that’s not always true; there’s always characters that feel unkillable, but it’s a feeling that’s persisted nonetheless.

It could be said then that television viewers have a certain kind of familiarity with experiencing on-screen deaths that have accompany a bit of a sting.

Recently, Wynonna Earp, now in its third season, had its first major character death and, as one might expect, the fans took it hard. They were supposed to, but it felt somewhat different than others. There are a couple reason for that, but it ultimately boils down to the same things that makes any relationship successful: respect and commitment.

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The death of Xavier Dolls hits hard and it’s completely unexpected, but the death itself is only one part of this. Many have called Wynonna Earp a successor of sorts to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and that’s entirely fitting given how similar “Colder Weather,” the follow-up episode to the death, is to the latter’s “The Body.”

There isn’t much plot to speak of, instead opting fora slowed down examination of how this affects the surviving characters. It serves to say one thing very clearly: this happened and it is permanent. The characters and the audience both have to find a way to find a way to grieve this loss in a way that makes the most sense to them.

That’s a unique thing that the series is able to say, that there is no one correct way to mourn. All that mattes is there be a healthy process to it.

The permanence of this death is so pivotal, too. It’s so common for genre shows like this one to reverse a meaningful death. On Buffy, Angel can be killed but you know he’ll come back. There’s no such comfort here. Wynonna Earp forces you to exist in that death and accept it.

It’s abrupt and sudden and maybe that’s what makes a good death. In real life, there’s no timer for the passing of people in your life. They just go. There’s rarely any warning or time to prepare. Death is sudden and it is abrupt. Television copying that is not only effective storytelling, but realistic, as well.