A Farewell to 'Ash vs Evil Dead'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

I think it’s safe to assume, that horror fans are in mourning on this fine Monday. After all, Bruce Campbell has announced that he is retiring from the role that made him a household name now that Ash vs Evil Dead is off the air and well…it’s strange to come to the realization that the storied Evil Dead franchise has in essence, come to an end as we know it. Granted, it may live on in other unique ways but in the here and the now, everything we know and love about this saga has come to its logical conclusion and well, that definitely makes one emotional.
 
I know for me, it’s the end of a twenty-five year journey on the big and small screen since I was introduced to this franchise right before I started high school, and this saga is one of two that quickly rose to the top as a favorite of mine and heavens knows I poured over these movies time and time again and well, I was over the moon when STARZ announced that Ash vs Evil Dead was coming to life because this was the likely the Evil Dead 4 fans were waiting for and really, while it was surreal to write my final recap for this magnificent show, and know that there will be no season four to look forward to in the fall…I’m oddly at peace with all of this.
 
Because sadly, every story has to come to its end, and in all honesty, I was satisfied with the ending and I cannot be mad at STARZ for giving us three wonderful years of this show. So today, let’s take a few moments and celebrate this series, and all the joy that it brought us over the past few years, because this story went above and the beyond the call of duty and quite frankly…I think it actually managed to serve as a pioneer for television for several reasons, starting with the fact that it was downright genuine.
 
After all, this is the nostalgia era, where everything old is new again and AvED isn’t the only sequel or continuation to find its way to the airwaves. But the difference here, is the sheer fact that this series wasn’t a cash grab, or an attempt to garner ratings on the name alone (looking at you Fuller House), this was an attempt to tell a true Evil Dead story, one that upheld the high quality of the tales that came before it and let’s be honest. It was a rousing success through and through. This felt like a logical extension to the franchise, rights issues be damned (-coughs- S-MART) and that that honest approach to this series made it a joy a to watch and everything felt natural, and it would be wonderful if future shows that continue the legacy of a big-time franchise, use this series as a blueprint as to how to make their show, phenomenal.

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​But more importantly, this series gets some serious credit for taking chances every step of the way as well. Outside influences could have watered down this franchise to make it ‘accessible’ to the masses, but instead this sucker went bold week in and week out. It pushed the envelope when it came to gore, and it even took some serious chances storytelling wise, as was evidenced by the twists and turns this series took over the course of its run and well, any show that refuses to take the easy way out and pushes as hard as it can to explore brand new territory in a universe that can easily become stale on television, is okay by me.
 
However, what matters most to me…is the sheer fact that this show told a complete story and rattled the horror industry by bolding letting it know, that characters in this genre should be allowed to grow and all of that came about by way of Ash’s journey, since he went from lovable loser to outright hero and family man over the past three years and well, it was just amazing to see a man this traumatized and shattered and selfish become so much more and I really hope that the industry takes note of this, because horror’s only real problem in this day and age is that its characters rarely have depth and if this series can serve as a blueprint for changing that…well then we can expect some serious wonders from horror in the years to come.
 
If anything, this series really was perfect through and through, and I was always impressed with the fact that it had something for everyone. If you needed your splatter fix, the red, red vino was never in short supply. If you wanted a laugh, Ash had a one liner ready to roll. If you wanted a scare, the Deadites would arrive at the perfect time and oddly enough, if you wanted to feel something, the story found a way to tug at your heartstrings and all of these elements worked because of the perfect casting, since the performances in this one were simply to die for, and well…I do hope we see plenty more of the cast on the silver and small screen in the future and I thank them all again for their fine work in this series.
 
Either way, this is a series that I will always look upon fondly, and one that I will revisit often because I’m sure there are plenty of nuances and epic moments that I missed out on while either laughing, cringing or outright wiping a tear from my eye and I am so happy that the Ash Williams portion of the Evil Dead saga went out with a bang instead of a whimper, because that’s what this series has always deserved. So, thank you for the memories Ash vs Evil Dead, and it’s been an absolute honor to write about this series and experience it with all of you fine folks and I cannot wait to see what awaits this saga in the future, now that this chapter has come to a close… 

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