Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead saga has made the jump to television, and we here at CHUD couldn’t be happier. Each week, Drew Dietsch and Andrew Hawkins will be discussing the current episode, and we invite you to join in the conversation in the comments below. ***SPOILERS*** for each episode will probably be part of the conversation, so make sure to watch before you read.
Drew: I hate to say it, but this week’s episode of Ash vs. Evil Dead has the slightest twinge of The Walking Dead about it thanks to a militia and a camp of survivors. Not there there wasn’t some fun to be had this week, but if I’m being totally honest, I found this week’s episode to be the weakest of the season so far. Are you a little more positive on this week’s outing, Hawkins?
Hawkins: This may have been one of the show’s weaker episodes so far, but I really did enjoy quite a bit of it. There were more than a few moments that made this one worth watching. I am not a Walking Dead fan, and I didn’t really find the whole anti-government militia thing to be annoying; but I can definitely understand how some viewers can dub this ‘Ash vs Walking Dead’ and dismiss the show entirely. What saved everything for me was that final shot of Ash’s hand scuttling towards the cabin. This is a moment I think a lot of us have been waiting for.
Drew: I’ll wholeheartedly agree with that. The promise of returning to that cabin has me on pins and needles. If the show can maintain its current level of insanity, that promises to be one heck of a ride.
But, more on this week I guess. Between this and the last episode, I’m worried that the writers are having a problem when it comes to structuring an episode around progressing one big thing but making everything else in the episode feel extraneous. This week’s episode primarily served one function: to get Ash and the gang some firepower. Why an entire episode had to be crafted around that I don’t rightly know. As much as I love this show’s over-the-top shenanigans, they are starting to feel like empty candy around some paper thin plotting. It’s a good thing I really like these characters or some of this would be unbearably tedious.
I know I’m sounding pretty negative this week, but are you picking up any of what I’m putting down, Hawkins? Or am I stacking some unfair expectations on the show?
Hawkins: I hear ya loud and clear. The setup with Ash and Clem from last week’s “The Killer of Killers” made it clear that everyone was going to arm up and get ready to kick some ass. Having the group basically raid the militia camp gave each character the chance to grab some serious artillery and one thing that caught me as being almost satire, was the throwaway like Pablo has of wondering if he is a crossbow guy. I think this episode hinged on a very basic plot, but I give it more credit than being a simple munitions dump grab and go.
Ash pulled a number on Pablo, Kelly and Amanda; and in a way I think the Raimi’s and company pulled a fast one on us as viewers. The whole time during Fire in the Hole we expect to see our group get guns and ammo and then head to the cabin, but that doesn’t happen. The whole episode is a setup. I might be reaching here, but I think Ash had it in his mind to ditch them since the beginning. That’s genius and it makes the entire thing worth it.
There were quite a few standout moments in this episode aside from all that. First off, great call on Ruby’s comeback. You called it. When she rises from the ashes, I totally got where you were coming from by thinking she has made a deal with evil. I’m all about finding out where this plotline goes, but one thing that stood out to me was that she had the Kandarian Dagger.
Drew: I’m all for more callbacks, so seeing that dagger was mighty dope. And the shot of Ash’s hand at the cabin is pure nostalgia bait but I don’t care. I got excited.
Ash ditching the group left me a little mixed. I totally get it from a character standpoint and support that decision, but it means the show is going to fragment its plotlines right after tying Amanda into the group? I’m hoping that by season’s end the show will have figured out how to tie everything and everyone together so that there’s a more streamlined momentum to the overall show.
I’m a little light on the episode this week (good catch on that crossbow comment), and not even Clem’s fire-breathing really got me going. Maybe I’m just starting to get really antsy for where the show is headed, but this felt a little filler-y in comparison to the rest of the show. Not bad, but mostly inconsequential.
Hawkins: Fair enough. Still though, I’d rather enjoy a filler episode of Ash vs Evil Dead over anything else on TV right now. One thing I would like to mention before we go is how great it was to see New Zealand actor Milo Cawthorne as Delmont. It’s cool to see him here considering how Deathgasm pays such awesome tribute to the series, and his truck hitch face impalement was one of the most metal deaths of the show so far. Overall, I am ready to move on and see Ash return to the cabin and I would have no problem seeing him face it alone.
Out of a Possible 5 Stars
Out of a Possible 5 Stars
Next Episode: Ashes to Ashes