Ash vs Evil Dead
Episode 1.10 “The Dark One”
Directed by Rick Jacobson
Written by Craig DiGregorio
Created by Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi, Tom Spezialy
Starring Bruce Campbell, Ray Santiago, Dana DeLorenzo, Jill Marie Jones, Lucy Lawless, Samara Weaving, Indiana Evans, Ido Drent, Rebekkah Farrell
Starz
Air date: Saturday, January 2nd, 2016, 9pm

Ash (Bruce Campbell) is back at the cabin in the woods. His return there has been… well, I guess, same old same old. By that, I mean same old deadites running around killing people he cares about, blood spewing, body parts rolling… ya know, the good ole days! Just as Deadite Fisher was about to go after Kelly (Dana DeLorenzo), Pablo (Ray Santiago) and cute blonde hiker Heather (Samara Weaving), Ruby returned seemingly from the dead. Ruby (Lucy Lawless) tells Ash to cut the face off the Necronomicon (eww) and IT attaches itself to Pablo (eww again)! Everyone assumes Ruby is there to help stop the Evil Dead but it turns out, she WROTE the darn book! Ash and the gang must fight The Dark One, as season one of Ash vs Evil Dead comes to its conclusion.

Spoilers below!

Deadite Fisher returns to the cabin and goes right after Ash. Ash “breaks up” with her the only way he knows how; with “the saw.” He and Heather take a good old fashioned blood shower in the process. In the fracas, Ruby escaped to the basement with Pablo. Ash needs to go it alone; he tells Kelly, “She has my book and she has my Pablo” (Aww). Kelly demands to go with him; “That’s my Pablo down there too!” (Awwwww).

Ash descends the steps, but the house knocks him down, and he wakes up Bob Newhart style all the way back in Episode 1 about to read from the Necronomicon. Don’t worry, it’s not the “it was all a dream” cliche; rather Ruby using her powers to make him an offer. You see she wants to control all evil, and since she wrote the book, she knows Ash is destined to be the only one who can stop her (in a cool callback to Army of Darkness). The offer is a truce, in which he gets to go to his beloved Jacksonville and pretend like nothing has ever happened, and she gets to be the Godfather over the darkness… and she promises not to cause any more trouble. Let’s just say Ash doesn’t buy it:

“Godfather… I hated that movie. Too long, too boring, not enough boobies; I’m more a Death Wish kinda guy.”

So Ash is locked in the basement dealing with Ruby, Pablo, and the disgusting little black eyed monster babies that Pablo is throwing up. Upstairs Kelly and Heather are at war with the cabin, and they are not faring very well. Kelly gets knocked outside, and Heather is subjected to some Hellraiser level torture, including nails to the face and feet before being literally chewed up and spit out by the cabin… well that at least eliminates Kelly’s threats for Pablo’s affection.

The final battle in the basement sees Ash battling Ruby, while Pablo is sicced on Kelly and nearly chokes her to death. Ash is stuck between a rock and hard place. On one hand, he can dispatch Ruby with the Candarian dagger, but then demon Pablo kills Kelly, and he’s alone, and he let his friends die. Ash makes a decision that temporarily saves his gang, but will have long term, probably horrible and horrifying ramifications.

Season 1 of Ash vs Evil Dead is in the books. I LOVED IT! Sorry for caps, but saying “it’s good” doesn’t really cut it. The creators know, as do I, that one’s enjoyment of the show depends tremendously on your love and appreciation of the source material. This show called to me, beckoning me to “JOIN US” like demons in the dark woods. This is as someone who has waited 4 hours to meet Bruce Campbell in person, met all 5 members of the original cast, had each of the trilogy posters on my college bedroom wall, and spent 2 hours waiting in line at NYCC to get a sneak peek of the premiere; yeah, I was the target audience. The show hit every mark for me as I’m sure other horror geeks and Deadite fans would agree. The one liners and cheesy Ash dialogue was on point, and Campbell kept it coming fast and furious. The bloodshed (and there was plenty) flew across the screen. Nearly every main character got their fair dose of blood to the face. There were plenty of callbacks to the films (even poor Jake from ED2 makes an appearance in the finale).

What I liked most about the series was the bond formed between the three main characters. When they introduced other characters, even interesting ones like Fisher (Jill Marie Jones), their deaths came as surprises, but also led to refresh the fact that the show is about these three people, and they are team bound to stop evil. The three of them are en route to Jacksonville; Ash trying to stay positive, Kelly and Pablo knowing better. I can’t wait for them to get there.

Ash vs Evil Dead returns later in 2016 on Starz.

Image Gallery

Videos

Ash vs Evil Dead | Season 1 Finale Preview | STARZ

In the season finale, Ash will be offered a deal that could change him and mankind forever in a monumental last-ditch attempt to rid the world of the Evil.

Ash vs Evil Dead | Season 1 Finale Clip: Undo Button | STARZ

Ruby bargains with Ash in this clip from the Season 1 finale of Ash vs Evil Dead.