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“Wynonna Earp” creator Emily Andras talks WayHaught survival

Emily Andras knows LGBT fandom. And she wants to reassure us that we can trust her with our stories.

The Canadian TV writer and producer served as showrunner on the much-beloved Showcase series Lost Girl, one of only a few shows in TV history to give queer women a happy ending, and is the creator of the new Syfy show Wynonna Earp, which is building an enthusiastic queer female fanbase based on its WayHaught coupling.

Andras’ latest series, a supernatural Western based on the comic series by the same name, follows a female heir to the legendary Wyatt Earp, who has inherited a demon-killing gun. But what has garnered the love and affection of many lesbian and bisexual, as well as straight, fans is her little sister, Waverly and her burgeoning attraction the town’s newest sheriff’s deputy, Officer Nicole Haught. Yes, indeed, this show has given us another hot cop.

Last week’s episode, the ninth in the freshman series’ 13-episode run, turned the slow burn that was Waverly and Officer Haught, known by fans as WayHaught, into a roaring fire. Andras, who is keenly aware of the Bury Your Gays trope and LGBT Fans Deserve Better campaign, said the series filmed its first season from last August to this January, well before the controversy over Lexa’s death on The 100 and subsequent fan outrage began. But she fully understands the frustration and hurt the wave of recent queer female character deaths have caused fans—and believes it’s making a difference.

She also wants us to know that, through Hell and high water, Waverly Earp and Nicole Haught make it out of the first season very much alive.

“There’s definitely drama, and there’s definitely danger. But WayHaught survives, and WayHaught will be on screen next year – if it’s renewed,” Andras assured fans.

Andras spoke with AfterEllen from Toronto, where Wynonna Earp cast and crew are based, about the responsibility she feels toward LGBT fans, the impact the movement against the Bury Your Gays trope is making and the direction WayHaught is headed through the rest of the season. The show is still waiting to hear from Syfy about whether it will receive a second season pickup.

AfterEllen: Were you expecting this kind of fan reaction, particularly from LGBT fans, in how they’ve embraced Waverly/Haught?

Emily Andras: No, I was completely blown away, and I come from one of the most passionate LGBT communities of all time—which is Lost Girl. So I know how passionate my girls can get. Like, I get it. But I was still blown away. I was so delighted. I think overall I have been quite genuinely moved by fan response to the show.

It’s this weird little show, Dorothy. It’s a weird, demon-hunting feminist cowboy show. I can’t believe it got made, and I can’t believe that people get it. I’m not even kidding; it’s such an anomaly on television right now, so that has been so gratifying. I did talk to (Dominique Provost-Chalkley, who plays Waverly) and (Katherine Barrell, who plays Officer Haught) a lot about the passionate LGBT community and how important it is that they see themselves represented on television as people, not as tropes. And the one thing I talk about a lot is I really want to make the relationship about the relationship. Not every lesbian or gay or whatever relationship is the same in the same way not every straight relationship is the same. That’s one thing I really learned from Lost Girl. Conflict should come from whom the characters are, not the fact that they’re gay or straight or other.

So we all talked a lot about the fact that, yes, they were hopefully going to be embraced by LGBT community. But, oh my God, the response after that one two-minute scene, when Nicole Haught walks into Shorty’s and Waverly sprays herself with beer blew my mind. I just love that people understood the spirit of it. Like that Nicole was sort of unapologetic, she knows what she wants and who she is, but she isn’t a predator. And that Waverly was so delighted and baffled and turned on and freaked out. The fact that people just responded to that scene and completely lost their mind—I think Tumblr went insane—was so gratifying. It was amazing. And just knowing what’s coming, it just makes me really happy. We had already shot the whole season so if people said, “Well, I don’t buy this relationship or these characters,” well, that’s the danger of cable because it’s already done. But I could see that they could see the chemistry between these two actresses. It made the kiss in [episode] 9 that much more satisfying.

AE: Did you know from the start you wanted the show to be LGBT-inclusive? How early in the creative process did that happen?

EA: Yeah, I knew from conception, so that was about three years ago. Representing the LGBT community is really important to me, and I would hope that anything I ever create has elements of that—if not at the forefront than certainly on the fringes. So Waverly was always going to kind of find herself and maybe explore her sexuality and what she wants out of life. And I always knew that Nicole was going to be gay. So, yeah, right from the beginning I knew it was important.

I am lucky enough that I come from Canada, I worked on Lost Girl. I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone that if they hire me, it’s going to be part of my work. I’m very up-front about the fact that diversity and representation is important to me. But, as always, you have to fight for those things. But it’s getting easier.

AE: So it sounds like you always wanted Waverly, who is not in the original comics, to be the character to explore—or possibly more accurately discover—her sexuality. How would you define where she falls on the LGBT spectrum right now?

EA: Right, we definitely always knew she was the one who would explore her sexuality, just because it spoke to so much about how Waverly is as a character. Especially with her growing up in a small town. I feel like I have a lot of friends who have personally gone through that in their own life. There are a lot of people who knew they didn’t exactly fit on the straight spectrum from a very young age. But I have an equal number of friends who came to recognize their sexuality later in life—like in their 20s or even 30s or even 40s. And I feel like that is a story that isn’t always told on television, and I thought that was interesting and felt like new ground to cover.

Where Waverly is right now on the sexuality spectrum, I actually don’t want to put a number on it right now. We should be with Waverly as she discovers it. I don’t know—is she pan? Is she bi? Is she gay? I don’t even think that she is thinking in those terms. She just knows she really likes this individual right now and is feeling things she hasn’t felt before. So no spoilers on the spectrum.

AE: But Nicole then, she’s definitely L on the LGBT spectrum.

EA: She’s definitely L. She’s full L.

AE: Tell me what did you want to represent with her character? Also were you having fun with her so unabashedly naming her “Haught.”

EA: I like someone who is confident on the L scale, but isn’t falling into the trope of being predatory. I think there still is a little bit of that on television, like, “Ooh, she is such a confident lesbian and she is totally coming on to everyone.” I think she knows what she wants and is confident in her desires. But she is a respectful, good person deep down. I feel like those two things can exist in one female character.

It’s funny to me that is seems kind of groundbreaking because we all know people like that. I think she can be a good cop and a good person and a good lesbian. So that’s what we’re going for. That was important to us, although she made her intentions known with the girl she likes she wasn’t going to be super, super aggressive—until she needed to be. Honestly, we wanted people to buy into their relationship—it’s a romance, it’s not just a sex thing.

AE: Their relationship up until last week was the slowest of burns. Was that fun teasing it out before it became a full roaring fire?

EA: It was really fun for me. It’s always kind of a game of chess. It’s always a bit of a bluff. Particularly given the year we’ve had in the LGBT community, I’d be lying if I said there weren’t point that I wasn’t nervous. I couldn’t come right out on social media and say, “Well, you just have to have faith in me even though maybe you’ve been through the wringer on a lot of other series.”

I am not above a bit of trolling on the internet, as you may know. So I like that the slow burn becomes an enormous bonfire in episode 9. That felt fun. That was a triumph for Waverly to finally believe she could go over what she wants.

AE: So were you watching on social media as that unfolded in last week’s episode?

EA: Oh, I was with Dominique and Mel and Kat, and I was like, “Everybody lock the doors. It’s going to get hot in here.” That’s another thing that was incredibly gratifying. We have such an incredible cast; they are such marvelous people. And I feel like Kat and Dominique have been so delighted by the response. They are so moved and excited. That’s been amazing to watch, to see them relish in the feelings of the fans. They deserve your love and attention. You have chosen wisely.

AE: What’s your favorite portmanteau?

EA: I like WayHaught. It was funny I was with Dominique when they first came out on screen, and she had never heard of a portmanteau before. She was like, “I like WayHaught, but my name isn’t in it.” The other one I liked that didn’t take off was HaughtWave, because then it was Waverly too. But I like them all. I even like WyNaught, which is Wynonna and Haught. I just like WayHaught because it’s so definitive.

AE: Give me a sense of what’s in store for WayHaught for the rest of the season? Can you assure fans they’ll be standing at the end?

EA: Whether they’re standing or not, they are certainly alive at the end of the season. They are really trying to make this relationship work and find out what this romance is. If it has legs, what it means. But they’re doing it in one of the most dangerous places on Earth right now. So, I’m not going to lie; there’s a lot of drama and danger coming their way. People get hurt, people get put through the wringer. But they are both very much alive and very much in love come the end of the season.

AE: So there’s every intention, if you should get a second season, they would explore that moving forward?

EA: Oh, definitely. I feel like we’re just getting started. The relationship is just cooking, and there’s so much ground left to cover with those two. I think Dominique and Kat are so exceptional on screen that we all just want more.

AE: Would you be open to adding additional LGBT characters on Wynonna Earp moving forward?

EA: Oh, 100 percent. There’s always room for more. We may have already met some. I would say that any show I create has room for everybody—within our Canadian budget.

AE: There’s been so much rightful attention of late given to LGBT representation on TV particularly with the LGBT Fans Deserve Better campaign and its focus on the Bury Your Gays trope. What did you think when it first saw this developing with the backlash over The 100 and how do you feel about where it is now?

EA: When it was first developing I, like every fan watching, thought it was devastating, but you hope it’s an anomaly. You hope that, well this is one series’ decision and a judgment that was made for maybe circumstance behind the scenes we may not know about. But I was pretty astonished that within the space of three months that like, what, 20 lesbian characters were killed on television.

It’s difficult, and it’s hard to watch in particular for young LGBT fans to feel that kind of devastation again and again and again. It feels like we took so many steps forward to see ourselves and the LGBT community represented in a way that was positive. So then to see people dying again and again and again it feels like we took several steps backward.

That being said, without being glib, I really think the Bury Your Gays trope has been front and center in a way it hasn’t in the last 25 years. I guarantee when it shows up in the New York Times and we’re talking about it that that is progress. It doesn’t feel like it now, but it is. Maybe you really didn’t know about that trope. Maybe you didn’t know about the history of violence against LGBT characters in media. So, at the very least, I feel like thank God this is being put forward and maybe we can change it.

The argument by some is when you’re getting more representation on television; there is also a chance that more of you are going to go down. It’s just what happens. They kill 10 white dudes on Game of Thrones every week. So it’s a careful balancing act. We don’t want to make it so less LGBT representation is happening on television. But that being said, I don’t buy the argument that, “Well, fine, we just won’t write a lesbian character.” That solves nothing, and I think that’s complete bullshit. You just have to be a better storyteller.

For me personally as a writer, it’s very difficult. Because my job is to bring the drama. Again, I can’t necessarily have a couple sitting happily on a couch for four seasons. Like I think you will get bored of that. That being said, I really think we have to resist the particulars of the Bury Your Gays trope, which is once they find happiness one of them should die within the next 7 minutes. If you want to really pinpoint it for me, I think there can be drama, I think there can be breakups, I think there can be people changing and misunderstandings. But let’s not punish these characters because of their sexuality. Because more and more it’s starting to feel like that.

AE: So do you think that message is truly being heard by producers and writers like yourself? What kind of impact will this campaign have?

EA: I definitely think you will see a big change going forward. We need to make sure the gay characters who are arriving on television are fully fleshed individuals with their own storylines that aren’t just about their sexuality. Their storyline can’t just be that they’re gay. The storyline has to be that they’re full-fledged humans.

I look forward to the day when we can just have LGBT everywhere—from leads to supporting to villains to heroes to whatnot. And we’re not quite there yet. But right now we just have one mission, and that’s honestly to look at the Bury Your Gays trope and bury it. More than anything we have to find more creative ways to cause drama with these characters that doesn’t devastate. Right now it’s about fan triage and winning them back. If you’re courting that fanbase, I think you have to be aware of that responsibility in the same way with race or even female representation on TV. You’d better be sure. And given the year we’ve had, try to do better.

AE: Now more than a dozen writers and producers have signed a pledge, nicknamed the Lexa Pledge, in response to the campaign. I understand you’ve been approached but have so far declined to sign. Can you tell me why?

EA: I am incredibly close with (Noelle Carbone), who has created the pledge. We have discussed it with her in earnest, very, very closely. I have discussed it with many of my people. I feel a little nervous that the pledge was adopted by a particular fanbase. And I feel like I would rather let my work speak for itself. I am nervous about signing anything to do with my storytelling. Because I feel like who gets to be the keeper of that and decide when I’ve broken it or whether I’ve kept my word?

And I realize I am just sounding like a million writers who said I haven’t done that. But I feel, and I know this might sound arrogant, that my past work and my future work will speak to my promise that I am aware of the trope and aware of the trappings. But I am just nervous about signing anything that instructs me on how to tell stories.

AE: Can you tell me about the impact you’ve seen the Bury Your Gays trope have on fans so far this year. Have many reached out to you?

EA: One thing struck me about it that is actually surprising, it really made me realize how many producers and network executives and writers truly had never heard of the trope. Like I think a lot of people were honestly caught unaware by the vitriol and anger and hurt. Working in the medium I have, and on shows with LGBT representation, I live in that world. I live in a world of strong female characters and lots of lesbians and whatnot. So I was surprised that some of my own producers hadn’t heard of it. People were kind of ignorant about why this matters and I think, again, that is changing.

I’ve been sad for the fans. It’s difficult. What I think about is the 14-year-olds. I think about 14-year-old Noelle Carbone. What is it like watching television right now if you’re gay and maybe looking for a safe space and looking to see yourself represented. I think some of us will fight and try to make it better. I’m not saying we won’t make mistakes, but you are being heard by certain writers and certain creators. And there is a new generation that is coming up. And I do think it’s going to change. It has to change.

AE: As you’ve mentioned, you of course were also part of Lost Girl, which remains one of only around 16 shows (accounting for about 30 lesbian or bisexual characters) to grant couples a happy ending in the history of television. What did you learn from being part of Lost Girl about the queer community and fans?

EA: I’m exceptionally proud about that on Lost Girl that we took the protagonist, the heroine, the lead of the show and gave her permission to end up with another woman. To have a relationship that was same-sex and was a romance, we really fought for that. It was 100 percent the right thing to do. It was the relationship with the most exceptional chemistry, the relationship worth fighting for.

I think we really need to get to the point where not every LGBT character is the same character. Not every lesbian relationship or gay relationship or trans relationship or straight relationship is the same. I think you have to write to the character. So keep writing three-dimensional characters. And if your fanbase falls in love with the characters they will follow you anywhere. That has been really gratifying for me to be able to write amazing characters.

AE: What do you think is the right balance between the writers and creatives on a show and the fans and fanbase who follow and support shows? I know there have been complaints on both sides. Some say fandom wants to dictate what writers write. And other say writers don’t listen to what fandom needs.

EA: I think if you’re courting a particular community that has been maybe misrepresented you have to be aware you are asking them to support something in a way that you then need to be supportive in turn. Nobody wants to feel tricked, in real life or when sitting down at the end of a hard day to watch something that is supposed to bring them pleasure.

That being said, we all can’t drive the bus, or we’re going to drive off a cliff. My job is to bring the drama. All the fans can’t have their hands on the wheels, or it will end up being nothing. You can be on the bus, you can get off the bus if you hate where the bus is going. But you don’t get to drive the bus. But if you hate it, that’s the power you have.

The other truth is when you write a show with a lot of relationships and different characters and different kinds of romances, probably someone will be unhappy in the fandom, right? Unless you orgy it—and I’m willing to take that under advisement because it is an Emily Andras show—I think you need to have a plan and be aware of the trappings. But the show has to have a voice. And hopefully, that’s what will make you fall in love with the show.

AE: So, finally, what can folks expect from these final four episodes of the season?

EA: A massive shit storm. Massive cliffhangers including a huge one this week. I would say that Wynonna’s past comes back to haunt her in a big way. We have Bobo Del Rey and his fur coat waiting in the wings. It holds all kinds of secrets and evil plans. So hang on, it’s a blistering ride with maybe the occasional WayHaught cute moment in between, when we need a reprieve. Oh, and Nicole Haught will have her hair down again. Repeat, Nicole Haught will put her hair down again. So everyone sit down, get your lemonade.

Wynonna Earp airs at 10 p.m. Fridays on Syfy.

More by Ms. Snarker: @dorothysnarker or dorothysurrenders.com.

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