Ash vs Evil Dead
Episode 2.10 “Second Coming”
Directed by Rick Jacobson
Written by Luke Kalteux
Created by Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi, Tom Spezialy
Starring Bruce Campbell, Ray Santiago, Dana DeLorenzo, Lucy Lawless, Samara Weaving, Indiana Evans, Ido Drent, Rebekkah Farrell, Joel Tobeck
Starz
Air date: Sunday, December 11, 2016

Spoilers below for the season finale of Ash vs Evil Dead…

Oh what a strange trip it’s been! When season 2 of Ash vs Evil Dead started, Ash (Bruce Campbell) thought everything was peachy keen, holed up in his personal paradise, Jacksonville. Soon Ruby (Lucy Lawless) was calling for his and the Ghostbeaters’ help. Kelly (Dana DeLorenzo) and Pablo (Ray Santiago) went along for the ride back to Ash’s hometown of Elk’s Grove, Michigan where Ash had to deal with both the new evils of Baal (Joel Tobeck), and a hometown that viewed him as a murderous pariah nicknamed Ashy Slashy. This season has provided some unforgettable moments. Ash’s trip up a butthole of a corpse… yeah, never thought I’d type that sentence. Ash’s reunion with his surly dad (Lee Majors), Pablo’s terrifying transformation into the Necronomicon, Kelly’s brawl with the Ashy Slashy puppet in the asylum… what a tremendous season!!! And of course, the saddest moment in the show’s short history, when Pablo was sliced in half and killed as he sent Baal back to Hell. Last week Ash forced Ruby to send them back in time to right before the original films, so Ash can destroy the book and prevent any bad stuff from happening. Of course, that is easier said than done and soon it’s an Evil Dead 2 redux as Ash battles Henrietta (Ted Raimi)…

Ash and Henrietta reignite their long standing feud from Evil Dead 2 with another utterly disgusting battle scene. Just like last week, there were moments that genuinely made me gag a bit, and of course Bruce and Ted are just having a ball dishing the one liners. Meanwhile, something splatters the old man and it’s Ruby showing up to the cabin, book in hand… 1980s Ruby that is. When Ash surmises the double Ruby situation, he ponders whether a three-way would count since they’re the same person. 80s evil blonde Ruby stabs present-day red haired Ruby leaving her on the verge of death but not before she has a moment with Ash;

“I was wrong about you. You’re an alright sorta person… sorta.”

“Well even though you unleashed evil on the world, you didn’t get in my way while I cleaned it up, so I guess you’re an okay half human, half demon yourself.”

She gives Kelly the book and Kelly and Ash skedaddle, leaving Ruby to battle Ruby. Suddenly, the changes of the past catch up with them. Ash gets his hand back! “A brand spanking new hand; or a brand new spanking hand?” And best of all, Pablo is back and alive… or so we think, as the happiness melts away real fast, when Baal rips Pablo’s face off revealing it was him the whole time. That and Evil 80s Ruby tosses good Ruby’s head in the car, and things are not looking too well for Kelly and Ash.

Ash challenges Baal to the grandaddy of all final battles. One on one, no demon powers, a straight up fight. If Ash wins, they get Pablo back, and Baal and Ruby are banished from Earth. If Baal wins, apocalypse, plus Kelly is demon-children dinner. They seal it in blood. An absolutely phenomenal final fight ensues with Baal, of course, cheating the deal and using the bodies of Chet (Raimi), Cheryl (Ellen Sandweiss) and dear ol dad (Majors) to distract Ash. Of course, in the end, Ash is able to turn the tables on Baal at the last moment and save Pablo. Somehow, they arrive back to the future where Ash is given a hero’s welcome with his lady, Linda (Michelle Hurd) there to supply the sugar. As the town celebrates, Ruby sneaks away forcing us to ponder a whole bunch of questions as we now wait for season 3.

Wow. That was a truly epic season of TV, and kudos to Starz for bringing back my favorite show for another season. They upped the ante on gore, and then kept trying to outdo themselves each and every episode. I cannot stress how awesome this show is, and the countdown to next fall and season 3 is on. Ash is the king and we all must hail. But the Ghostbeaters were right with him this season. Kelly and Pablo are no longer sidekicks. Pablo legit saved the world after going through a hellish season. And Kelly may just be the single most kickass female on television. If you missed any of Ash vs Evil Dead go to Starz.com or download the Starz app now.

Image Gallery

Videos

Ash vs Evil Dead | Episode 210 Preview | STARZ

Ruby and Kelly battle the past to get to a future where Pablo is alive and the world is safe from evil, but the family from hell has other plans.

Ash vs Evil Dead | Ep. 210 Clip: Fair Fight | STARZ

Demon powers or not, our money’s on the guy with the chin and chainsaw. Screw you, Bill.