Ash vs Evil Dead: Every end has a start- Ash has left the building

Yesterday on Twitter, Bruce Campbell announced that Ash has left the building. For fans of his STARZ series, Ash vs Evil Dead this really wasn’t surprising but the impact will be lasting.

“We are proud to send the show out with a bang … and a splat.” – Carmi Zlotnik – President of STARZ Programming

It’s a Family Thing

Yesterday, the formal announcement was made by Bruce Campbell that Ash vs Evil Dead was cancelled. Following suit were the plethora of trades, sites, Tweets and Facebook posts spreading the news. The reactions ran the gamut from sadness to anger to disappointment.

The ratings were consistently low so the action by STARZ was expected but nonetheless impactful on the fans of the franchise. Immediately, petitions were started to bring the series to Netflix. Chatter was all over the internet with people saying they were cancelling the app after the show ends.

It was a non-stop barrage of opinions and high emotions. The Evil Dead series has been around for almost 40 years. Generations have grown up with Sam Raimi’s movies. Like folk stories they are passed down.

This series was the result of fans being persistent and begging Raimi, Campbell and Rob Tapert for years to get the band back together. So, after fielding unrelenting requests, the trio gave in and gifted them with Ash vs Evil Dead on STARZ.

The Saga Unfurls

In 2015, the show premiered to enormous fanfare and a premiere in Hollywood. Life was good, the ratings were sweet and the future was bright. 2016, however, would bring changes, discord, creative differences and a polarizing ending to Season 2 that left fans pissed off and confused.

Then in 2017, nothing happened. No word on what was going on. San Diego Comic Con came and went and no appearances from the cast. Finally, Bruce Campbell admitted that there was no start date for Season 3.

The search for a suitable premiere month began at the network, and after months of no information even to the stars of the series, at New York Comic Con Feb. 25, 2018 was declared the official start of AVED.

At first, fans seemed ecstatic just to get their chainsaw handed hero from the sky back. Then the comedy of errors began. The Walking Dead was also premiering in February and Ash would be pitted against zombie hordes.

One thing led to another and the show just couldn’t catch a break. The new direction and decision to go dark and delve into the mythos of Ash was ambitious and well executed by the production team, writing staff and cast.

Beginning of the End

Campbell kept on saying that he wanted to fix Ash and he did. He took a rather one-dimensional character and turned him into a real person. Ash was allowed to have feelings and the addition of his daughter Brandy (Arielle Carver-O’Neill) forced the notorious man-child to become an adult and care for someone other than himself.

We even saw Pablo (Ray Santiago) and Kelly (Dana DeLorenzo) grow up. Pablo went from a shy young man to El Brujo Especial capable of straddling two worlds and kicking evil’s ass. Kelly went from a tough as nails orphan to a brave warrior willing to sacrifice herself for the other Ghostbeaters.

Now, the time has come to say goodbye to these characters that we have grown fond of over the last three seasons. After the last two episodes air, it is time to move on. The cast has promised that the ending will be satisfying and after seeing episode 9, I am in agreement.

The Circle Is Complete

How do you think the show will end? Feel free to share your opinion in the comment section below. We want to hear from you.

Next: AVED: Exclusive clip of Episode 9 – Like father, like daughter?

Susan Leighton can be found on Twitter and Facebook @SusanontheLedge. She can also be heard talking up Ash vs Evil Dead every Monday night on the Nerdrotics Podcast at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT as well as their Pop Culture Wrap Ups every Friday night at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT.

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