Ash vs Evil Dead
Episode 3.3 “Apparently Dead”
Directed by Andres Meza-Valdes & Diego Meza-Valdes
Written by Ivan Raimi
Created by Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi, Tom Spezialy
Starring Bruce Campbell, Ray Santiago, Dana DeLorenzo, Lucy Lawless, Joel Tobeck, Katrina Hobbs, Lindsay Farris, Arielle Carver-O’Neill
Starz
Air date: Saturday, March 10, 2018

Warning: Ash vs Evil Dead spoilers below…

“Never get between a Poppa Bear and his cub,” – Ash Williams

“F*ck me it looks like a snuff film in here!” – Kelly Maxwell

First on Ash vs Evil Dead we find out that Ash (Bruce Campbell) is a dad — I know who’d thunk all that sex would lead to children!?!? At the same time he finds this out, Ash becomes a single father after a deadite decapitates his ex. This leaves Brandy (Arielle Carver-O’Neill) alone with only Ashy Slashy and the Ghost Beaters to help her. Meanwhile, the gang is facing issues when the new guy, Dalton (Lindsay Farris), a member of the ancient Knights of Sumeria, calls out Pablo (Ray Santiago) for his “Necronomicon tattoos” placing Kelly (Dana DeLorenzo) squarely in the middle of a potentially explosive situation. Oh yeah and Ruby (Lucy Lawless) has the Necronomicon and a new demon spawn and is on her way to conquer the “Chosen One” once and for all”¦

It’s Candy Barr’s funeral, which proves a bonding moment for Ash and Brandy until mom’s corpse attacks Ash and we get an amazing coffin scene with some truly memorable gross out practical effects and some typically great AvED one-liners. And that’s before Ash surprises everyone mid-eulogy.

Pablo gets another vision and soon the Ghost Beaters are back in the woods where the infamous cabin was swallowed up at the end of season 2. They’re looking for the Candarian dagger, an Evil Dead weapon since the original film. The tension between Dalton and Pablo is palpable and Ash isn’t there to smooth things over since he’s on daddy-duty. Watching the consummate lothario Ash Williams try to be a good dad, while battling demons is genuinely charming. Nearly 40 years of playing the same character, and Bruce Campbell still shows his chops with this new direction.

Pablo, Kelly, and Dalton encounter evil in the woods, and may I just say nothing looks as right as Kelly Maxwell holding a machine gun! Meanwhile AvED continues with perfect music choices as Tommy James & The Shondells’ famous “Crimson and Clover” plays as Brandy gets visited by an old friend at Ashy Slashy’s house. This all leads to another great battle and Arielle Carver-O’Neill getting indoctrinated into the Evil Dead family the only way there is”¦ showered in blood.

This show packs so much into so little time! In 30 minutes we got two demon battles with phenomenal practical effects, plus the backstory and requisite one-liners we expect from the gang. Campbell has upped his game and is dealing with Ash’s new mission with gusto. With Ash distracted, Santiago, DeLorenzo, and Farris are there to push the story forward and it makes for a good dynamic giving everyone in this episode their moment to shine.

Now comes the reality check”¦ if you love Ash vs Evil Dead you have to start actually watching it. Ratings for Season 3 have not been great so far, especially given the quality of the first few episodes. If we want a Season 4, we need viewership to go up and quick. Make the show go viral on social media using the hashtags #BringBackBoomstick and #AshvsEvilDead. Download the STARZapp and watch it live at 9:00 on STARZ. Catch my reaction on the Stardust app as well at DrZaiusGoD.

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