Gory, gory, hallelujah! Ash is back once again, baby, for the third season of Ash vs. Evil Dead, the Starz show that continues the gloriously gory legacy of Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead films. At the conclusion of last season, Ash (Bruce Campbell) and his merry band of misfits have defeated the evil plaguing Ash’s hometown of Elk Grove and suddenly Ash was no longer the outcast suspected of murder and called “Ashy Slashy” but a local hero. But if there’s one thing we’ve learned over the course of three Evil Dead movies and two seasons of Ash vs. Evil Dead, it’s that evil never lays down for long and it’s only a matter of time before Ash has to gas up that chainsaw and load up his double-barreled boomstick.
In the season premiere, “Family,” we first see Ash talking directly to the camera about his past exploits in fighting the evil of the Deadites that arise from the Necronomicon, the Book of the Dead and the origin of the evil spirits. But Ash isn’t there to revel in his past gory glory. He’s there to slash prices at his brand new hardware store and pornography emporium Ashy Slashy’s. Now that he’s a local hero, Ash is prepared to use his fame to cash in and be the life of the party. Just outside Ash’s new shop, Pablo (Ray Santiago) works diligently at his own fish and chips stand. Elsewhere, Kelly (Dana DeLorenzo) is a hardened barkeep far from her former partners in Elk Grove.
During an Antiques Roadshow-like program, a young woman brings the Necronomicon for appraisal and the expert appraiser reads the passages, once again giving birth the evil of the Deadites. Enter, once again, Ruby (Lucy Lawless), the immortal demon who bounces between serving good and evil. The resurrection of the Deadites bring a few new faces into Elk Grove looking for Ash, including Candace (Katrina Hobbs), a woman whom Ash married years ago in the midst of a drunken bender. It’s then that Ash learns he has a long-lost daughter Brandy (Arielle Carver-O’Neill). Meanwhile, Kelly is greeted by Dalton (Lindsay Farris), a rugged and mysterious stranger who knows something about the ancient evil. With Deadites revived and terrorizing Brandy at her high school, Ash and Pablo must spring into action and begin another journey of battling Deadite bastards amidst geysers of gore.
Directed by Mark Beesley and written by showrunner Mark Verheiden, “Family” starts of Ash vs. Evil Dead’s third season with plenty of promise, establishing a new set of character dynamics as well as giving the audience plenty of raunchy humor mixed in with moments of genuine terror flavored with ample blood-letting. This season premiere continues the journey that the main characters have been on since the first episode and it’s been fun watching them grow and evolve, except, of course, Ash who is always a brash egotist overflowing with unearned confidence. Kelly is now a hardened badass unflinching when confronting evil. Pablo has bulked up and toughened up, but there’s still that twinkle of kindness and optimism in his demeanor. As for Ruby, well, you just have to see which way the wind is blowing to know exactly which side she’s on.
In the role that has defined his career, Bruce Campbell seems to be having the time of his life giving Ash one last go around. Nobody knows how long this show will carry on so Campbell is eating up every scene stealing over-the-top moment he’s provided, and he’s provided quite a few. It should be fun watching the bombast of Campbell’s Ash, who revels in irresponsibility, forced to reluctantly confront a sense of paternal duty over the course of the season. In the first episode of the third season, Brandy isn’t a fully defined character and it’ll be intriguing to learn the layers to the character especially when forced to confront such a crude and oblivious father. Usually the addition of a long-lost child is a sign of writers running out of ideas, and here it seems that it might actually be an inspired moment with significant ramifications down the road.
Over the course of its existence, Ash vs. Evil Dead knows exactly who this show is being made for. It’s a cult show for a cult audience, and never does the creative team behind the show betray the enduring legacy of Evil Dead in favor of broader appeal. The bizarre and bloody mythology of the show expands the universe of Evil Dead and though Sam Raimi has only directed the series’ first episode, Ash vs. Evil Dead has retained his oddball sensibilities and kinetic style of filmmaking. Ash vs. Evil Dead has proven itself to be a deranged delight over its first two seasons and that manic sense of fun has carried over into the first episode of Season 3. Grease up the chainsaw. Load up that shotgun. Ash vs. Evil Dead is just getting started, baby.
Ash vs. Evil Dead returns with its Season 3 premiere Sunday, February 25, 2018 9pm ET/PT on Starz.
Ash vs. Evil Dead
- Family
Summary
The premiere horror-comedy cult show returns for its third season with a season premiere that introduces Ash William’s long lost daughter and a brand new struggle with evil over the famed Necronomicon.