Ash vs Evil Dead: Judgment Day or the beginning of the end
Let’s Dance
Ash vs Evil Dead – Let’s Dance – Courtesy of STARZ
Ash is creeping around Ruby’s place. He watches in the shadows as she seals the new page in the Necronomicon. Quietly, he grabs Kelly/Kaya and holds the Kandarian dagger to her throat. Ash demands she remove Kaya from Kelly’s body.
Of course, Ruby refuses. He also tells her he’s been in the rift and he retrieved his daughter. You can see in Ruby’s eyes that she is clearly worried that he can do that.
Since Ruby’s “powers of persuasion” are clearly not working on Ash this time around, Deadite Zoe springs to life and claws Ash’s leg (just like in the original Evil Dead). His attention elsewhere, Kaya grabs the dagger and then she and Ruby tag team him to find out where the rift is located.
Ash gets tossed around the room like a rag doll. Even after Ruby ruins his chainsaw, he still gets up to fight her. It looks as if he is saved by the sudden appearance of the Dark Ones.
It is retribution time! Kaya is dragged out of Kelly’s body and placed back in her own. While Ruby watches her friend is literally burned alive. Meanwhile, Ash drags Kelly’s body to safety.
He watches while Ruby gets her comeuppance by having her soul sucked out of her body. Ash being Ash, has a pithy retort for this, “Oh, Ruby, I’m melting! F*** off, bitch!” Kelly is safely tucked away in the Delta with Ash, he is driving her back to the hardware store while the Classic keeps getting pelted by Deadites.
The Final Countdown Starts
Ash vs Evil Dead – The Final Countdown Starts – Courtesy of STARZ
Needing to tell Pablo his plan, Ash speaks to him through the Necronomicon. Blinded by connecting with the Book, Pablo tells Brandy to take the wheel. They pull over and Ash explains he has Kelly and they need to meet up at the hardware store.
Pablo pleads with them not to go to the rift but the transmission fades out. Ash finds out that martial law has been implemented because of violent riots in the streets of Elk Grove. He speeds off into town.
Everyone meets up in the middle of Main Street just as things are turning to s***. A crack opens up in the road and stops right at Ash while a sinkhole is forming.
Ash being Ash goes toward it just to see what it is when he stops and a giant claw comes out of the ground. The gang stands watching in horror along with the townspeople. This does not bode well for the citizens of Elk Grove. Echoing the very first episode in S01, El Jefe, Ash looks at this creature and utters, “F***!”
It’s about Character
Ash vs Evil Dead – It’s about Character – Courtesy of STARZ
It is obvious that we are gearing up for what Pablo has said will be the time to “test the mettle of man.” While man is in the plural, collective sense it is also meaning Ash. He is going to be digging deep for this challenge.
Lucy Lawless really shined this season. She was great in the prior ones but this incarnation of Ruby was an exceptional performance. Her portrayal of the Deadite Queen ranks right up there with some of the worst nemesis in history. Your hero is only as good as your villain or in her case villainess.
The choice to give Ash a daughter which had fans skeptical at first, has really paid off. Arielle Carver-O’Neill is the perfect choice to play the scion of the Prophesied One. In this episode, she excelled. O’Neill handled all the callbacks to ED2 with ease and her facial expressions even conjured up a youthful Bruce Campbell.
Brandy does have her father’s strength. She is capable of fighting beside Pablo and Kelly now as an official Ghostbeater.
We are also learning the many skills of Pablo. When he said that he didn’t get the El Brujo Especial manual, he wasn’t kidding. He is definitely going to be the Ghostbeaters ace in the hole when the final battle ensues. Now, he gets to be a hero in his own right.
Bruce Campbell is giving his all to his character. Ash, the irresponsible idiot is no longer present and a man with priorities and a mission has taken his place. He knows love now and is willing to do whatever it takes to keep his daughter and his friends safe.
The Verdict
More from Bruce Campbell
- Evil Dead star Bruce Campbell to guest star on A.P. Bio Season 4
- Bruce Campbell: Impact Wrestling wedding pays homage to Evil Dead 2
- Bruce Campbell: What is his connection to Impractical Jokers on Tru TV?
- Bruce Campbell: Last Fan Standing returns to Wizard World
- 31 Days of Halloween: Revisiting American Gothic with Bruce Campbell
This episode is the perfect set up for the final showdown between man and evil. The end of days has begun.
Ironically enough, the show has also reached its stopping point. After seeing the promo for “The Mettle of Man,” there will be dire consequences. The stakes are high and the casualties could be plenty.
Who will be left standing and who will fall? Judging by whatever has suddenly appeared in Elk Grove, it may be the end of the town as we know it. Can Pablo become that all powerful Shaman and pull some El Brujo Especial magic?
Everything was on point. The acting, the special FX, the direction and the writing were firing on all cylinders and steamrolling to the ultimate conclusion. There were no holes in the plot and it is pretty evident that events are going to be wrapped up.
I don’t know what will happen next week but what I am sure of is that I will be riveted to my television set like the rest of the fanbase of this amazing show. There is never a dull moment and there will never be another show of this kind again.
What did you think of Judgment Day? Are you prepared for the finale? Please feel free to share your opinions in the comment section below. We want to hear from you.
Next: Ash vs Evil Dead: Every end has a start- Ash has left the building
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.