Ash vs Evil Dead: Unfinished Business or a Dickensian moment

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Ash vs Evil Dead – Bruce Campbell and Lee Majors – Courtesy of STARZ

Ash is visited by a ghost from his past while Brandy and Kelly bond. Ruby proves that she is a cold and calculating ice queen while Dalton, well, he is just not having a good time.

“Time to man up, son.” – Brock Williams

****SPOILERS AHEAD****

The Ghost of Ash’s Past

Ash vs Evil Dead – The Ghosts of Ash’s Past – Courtesy of STARZ

Fighting demons is a rough, unfinished business. Who can blame Ash (Bruce Campbell) for wanting to down a Shemp’s after a hard night of cutting up his Dad’s body (Lee Majors)? True to form, that beer is never going to happen because he is interrupted by Brock coming back from the grave (again).

Even the afterlife hasn’t softened Brock’s approach toward his only son. However, when he finds out about Brandy, he has all kinds of questions. On learning that his granddaughter hates Ash, Brock replies, “She’s smart. I like her already.”

As we have started to see in the prior episodes, Ash is turning a corner. He cares that his daughter thinks he is a monster. His approach to Brandy is soft, gone is the wisecracking overcompensating buffoon.

Now, we are getting what Campbell has called “fixing Ash.” That level of character development is shining through courtesy of the actor himself and Nicki Paluga, the episode writer. No longer a screaming one-dimensional figure, this is a man made of flesh, blood and God forbid, feelings!

Brock is back with a purpose. He is about to show his son a secret that he has kept for years. No, he isn’t going to tell him. Instead, he will show him.

Ash’s Christmas Carol

Ash vs Evil Dead – Ash’s Christmas Carol – Courtesy of STARZ

Apparently, Brock who is acting like the Ghost of Christmas Past is serving up a Dickensian moment for Ash. They have actually time travelled so that Brock can show Ash a memory of having met a Knight of Sumeria named Gary (Will Wallace).

Through this trip back to 2012, Ash discovers that Brock had the lost pages of the Necronomicon in his possession. But through a “discussion” utilizing a swift kick to the gonads, his chance to destroy evil once and for all may have been thwarted.

It also comes to light that Gary was opening up a rift between the world of light and the world of dark by creating a portal in the cellar of Brock’s now Ash’s hardware store. Of course, a dark force does come through and tussles with Campbell’s character in a scene that clearly gives his stunt man, Raicho Vasilev a workout.

Six Million Dollar Performance

Ash vs Evil Dead – Six Million Dollar Performances – Courtesy of STARZ

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Lee Majors lights up the screen every time he appears as Brock. The banter that he has with Bruce Campbell is one of the best elements of the show. You believe that they are father and son.

Clearly, they have a rapport and watching the pair of them walk across the street together was striking because Campbell has managed to mirror Majors’ way of moving which only reinforces the fact that they are related.

As most fans of the Evil Dead universe know, Bruce Campbell has been portraying this character for close to four decades. Sometimes, an actor becomes too comfortable in a familiar role and starts to “phone in” their performances.

Not Campbell, he is just getting started with Ash. We are seeing little nuances and gaining more insight into Ashley Joanna Williams as a man. Perhaps, getting his ass kicked so many times on the playground because of his name as a kid gave him that resolve to never back down from a fight.

This is a skill that has served him well as a demon fighter. With each episode Campbell allows us to see different sides of the character thus rendering him more human and flawed.

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