*Spoilers Ahead*
The Evil Dead franchise has always been one of the most loved franchises among movie buffs and horror fans alike. So, it’s kind of amazing that it’s taken this long to get the band back together, especially in the age of endless reboots, yet it feels right that 2015 is the year we finally get to see Ash Williams fire up the old chainsaw and grab hold of the boomstick.
Ash vs Evil Dead could have easily been a disaster but with both Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell in the pivotal roles of director and lead the chances of it being a forgotten misstep decreased rapidly and then completely faded away by the time the trailer was released a few months ago. Thankfully, it seems that the show more than lives up to the sheer awe the trailer rose in me.
Opening with, a now much older, Ash getting ready for a night out the only way he would, by checking himself out in the mirror and rocking out to Deep Purple’s “Space Truckin.'” After getting an eerie message from the titular Dead in the form of the women he is currently plowing in the ladies’ bathroom. We learn that Ash, never the brightest man, may have brought this all on himself when he decided to read out of the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis to impress a girl he had brought home. It’s a great way of reintroducing the Deadites and it’s hilarious to boot!
Ash is not alone in his journey this go around as he is joined by two of his fellow employees at the store he works at (not S-Mart due to licensing issues with Army of Darkness.) Pablo is the sidekick who seems to have an odd reverence for Ash. The other character, Pablo’s neighbor, Kelly, is much less impressed with the old blowhard especially when he attempts to flirt with her. The trio works well together especially in the final scenes when Pablo and Kelly watch Ash get his groove back and decimate the Deadites attacking them.
As great as the cast is the star of this show is without a doubt Bruce Campbell. Campbell steps back into the role of Ash and it feels like he never left. Whether he’s trying to impress women with his wooden hand (“It’s made of rosewood.”) or smashing pots over his head to destroy an evil toy attacking him, Campbell is still game for almost anything and it shows throughout the episode.
“El Jefe” is also helped with the directing of Sam Raimi. Raimi brings his signature style back to the series that made it famous and it works just as well on the television as it does on the silver screen. Whether it’s the slapstick comedy of Ash accidentally breaking a bunch of lightbulbs or the outright terrifying battle police officer, Amanda, has with a Deadite in an abandoned house. Raimi is in top form and he gives the episode a kinetic energy that builds to the perfect climax with Ash finally letting the chainsaw loose and raining hell down on anything in his path.
We’ll have to wait and see whether the show can keep up that type of frenetic energy when Raimi isn’t behind the camera but I have hope that the show will more than live up to this stellar debut. El Jefe is back and it feels…groovy.
Bits ‘n Pieces
- You’ll notice I didn’t spend much time on Amanda and the horrifying death of her partner. While I enjoyed that little side story I think it suffered overall because nothing was going to compare to what ever Ash was doing. This might prove to be a problem for the show but for now it’s just a small issue.
- Lucy Lawless makes a brief appearance, mainly to tease her character, but it’ll be nice to see her and Campbell kicking ass together again.
- Ash’s boss is named Mr. Roper. Yet another reason to love this show.
- “Oh, they’re comin in alright, and it ain’t for Shabbat dinner.”
Jesse Swanson is a would-be writer, podcaster and funny guy who covers TV shows of all shapes and sizes. You can find him on Twitter @JesseSwanson