Note: there will be spoilers below!
Recap
Amanda is still handcuffed in book store with the store owner (now a Deadite) headed her way. She’s saved by her “new best friend,” Ruby.
As Ash and friends drive to Pablo’s uncle’s, Kelly’s feeling a little sick. They soon discover they’re followed by a deadly cloud of Evil Dead smoke. Ash tries outrunning it but his car’s not quite up to the task. They arrive on Pablo’s uncle’s land just in time and the evil can’t follow. The place is loaded with freaky talismans and symbols to keep the evil out.
Ruby reveals her connection to Ash. In the cabin years ago, Ash killed her mom. She says they both want Ash so they can help each other out. As they get ready to leave the store. Amanda wonders if they can get any leads off of Ash’s left behind wooden prosthetic hand. Ruby shows she has his actual hand. It’s been still for thirty years and just started moving. It’s looking pretty nasty and she thinks it’s looking for its master.
Pablo’s uncle says he’s been expecting him. Pablo says he believes there’s something special about Ash. Ash takes a little spiritual trip with Pablo’s uncle. Things get pretty trippy and we see memories from Ash’s life. Ash passes out and wakes up in a grave with his eyes sewn shut. Pablo’s uncle is still talking to him. He tells him to stop being a bitch and act like a jefe. He’s able to shake off having his eyes sewn shut and see’s he’s surrounded but he has his chainsaw. He’s able to control where he’s at.
Kelly is still hearing noises and voices in her head. Pablo’s trying to build a mechanical hand for Ash. Kelly still has a major headache. Kelly goes in the other room. Her eyes are totally black and we see the demon from last episode in the mirror.
She’s definitely under the influence of the demon and causes Pablo to get electrocuted. Ash is enjoying his spiritual journey in his happy place, “Jacksonville,” and Kelly comes in to get Pablo’s uncle to look in on him. As she looks over the unconscious Ash, we see the demon has entered Ash’s mind. His talking iguana reminds him he’s in control. As he holds back the demon, he’s actually choking Kelly in the real world. Pablo knocks out Ash. Kelly hugs him but we see the demon is still inside her.
Thoughts
“When evil shows up, it blows up.”
This is definitely one of the trippiest episodes. You could imagine what entering Ash's mind might be like. There's a bunch of weird imagery and the battle and his time there makes the show feel a little different. This gives us a little variety instead of having Ash fighting Deadites every single episode. While we've been getting gallons of blood and gore, the approach to this episode really works to mix up the pacing. It's a strange detour but works wonders in giving a more open feeling compared to last week's episode feeling rushed while contained in the tiny book store.
We finally find out what Lucy Lawless' character is after. The fact that she has Ash's hand is pretty weird and gross. She has no problem keeping a gruesome severed hand in her trunk, especially after it started moving. Has she kept it someplace close for the past thirty years? (Also, I thought Ash shot his severed possessed hand with the shotgun in Evil Dead 2 which caused a fountain of blood to gush out through the walls where it was hiding).
Kelly and Pablo continue to grow. It's great seeing Pablo take the initiative to try to build Ash a better hand (with a screwdriver and laser pointer included!). We have to hope Kelly can get free of the freaky demon.
The main downfall in the episode is the sudden ending. While all the episodes serve to tell the overall story, they've all been pretty self contained. This was the first time we really feel the sting of the thirty minute format. It does make us even hungrier for the next episode. It's also going to make the show flow really well when they're all released and we eventually binge watch them all on Blu-ray or Netflix.
Ash vs Evil Dead continues to be a blast to watch. Rather than give us more of the same, this episode really turns things sideways as we take a bizarre and trippy ride through Ash's mind. We get some answers about Lucy Lawless' character and see Dana DeLorenzo's Kelly may be in some pretty big danger. We're completely left with a cliffhanger as we really feel the pain of a half hour format. You can absolutely feel the story building up to something bigger and we now begin the painful task of counting down the days and hours until the next episode.