Holy. Cow. That ending. I mean seriously, after all these weeks of watching this incredible show, I never expected Ash vs. Evil Dead to pull off a twist like that and I'm still reeling in surprise over it. Of course, I'm getting a little bit ahead of myself by bringing this up first thing, but look, I had to rewind my DVR a few times to make sure I heard that final line from Ruby correctly, it was that epic.

In fact, last night's penultimate episode not only set the stage for one incredible season one finale that looks like vintage Evil Dead when it comes to the horror, but it also left me with a lot more questions than answers and that's not a bad thing. There were some serious surprises that came about last night, and our powerhouse ending also managed to help tie together all the important plot threads that have been popping up this season on the show. 

But before we get to that, let's do a quick highlight reel of last night. The finale for Evil Ash was absolutely hilarious, only because I had no idea the evil that the Necronomicon creates is fully incapable of replicating Ash's wussy side. The hikers returned and Pablo and Kelly escorted them away. Amanda of course turned, because we also learned the book can talk and did so to distract Ash long enough to let her get away. That led to the splatter fest of the night as Evil Amanda found the Hikers and Kelly and Pablo and the gore came raining down and that's when things became real interesting, since Ruby returned, literally flying out of the sky to battle Amanda and get the one remaining hiker and Pablo and Kelly back to the cabin. 
That's when the show finally decided to go nuclear on my mind as Ruby managed to convince Ash that burying the book was not enough to stop the Evil, instead the book had to be dissected. 

That meant cutting off the face of the Necronomicon with the Kandarian dagger and transferring the right of ownership to Ruby, something Ash was hesitant to do and well...never thought I'd say this, I wish he'd kept that right to himself. For immediately after giving her the book, Ruby began to read an incantation from the pages before her. It seemed to awake the Evil once again, it animated the face of the book and also activated the medallion that the Brujo's spirit gave to Pablo and remember how the medallion and the book seemed to hate one another a few episodes ago? Turns out they attract one another and the book's skin latched onto Pablo's face. Suddenly it was all falling to pieces and when Ash pointed out to Ruby that she really didn't know what the hell she was doing with the book, she was quick to point out that of course she knew what she was doing...she wrote the book.

So...once again. Holy. Cow. Ruby is a freaking Dark One. This explains why she survived the fire that the Brujo Deadite dragged her into and why she has been searching for the book after all this time...to finish what the other Dark Ones started and bring about the end of the world. Mind. Blown. But as I mentioned before, I had questions after this episode and I'm hoping they all get answered next week. The first ones are, who really gave Pablo the medallion and is it going to save him? I mean, did the Evil toss it Pablo's way to get what it wants or did the Brujo know what was coming? Plus, with Ruby being a Dark One, why has the Evil been so intent on making sure she NOT reach the book again? After all, the Dark Ones were the ones who created the book to control the portals between our two worlds, did the book and the Evil take on a life of their own? Either way, because of all those questions and that cliffhanger, the wait for this season finale is already excruciating to say the least and I'll be on my couch, ready to go come this Saturday to see how this chapter in the saga wraps up. Until then.

Last week on Ash vs. Evil Dead we were all given one special treat in the closing moments of the episode when we saw Ash's Evil Hand make its way back to the cabin where this thirty year nightmare began. I make mention of that because I thought this was a simple setup shot. Something to tease us and tide us over until the season finale because that was when we would finally reach the cabin. Turns out I was completely and utterly wrong, since this is the week on the show we came back to the cabin and with good reason, there's a lot more story to tell in this awful place. 

Top it all off, the return to the cabin also signaled a return to the series' true roots in every sense of the words. After all, the cabin is in its own right a character in the story as well and it was wonderful to see the old place one more time. In fact there isn't a detail they missed about the cabin or the work shed. Everything was here, from the pastel blue room, the piano that Linda played so long ago and everyone's favorite mounted deer head popped up too. But despite the nostalgia, the cabin is still quite the deadly place. Not to mention, this is the first episode of the show that I've enjoyed that was actually light on the jokes and heavy on the scares since this particular portion of the story completely felt like The Evil Dead in every way and well...it made this episode truly magical.

But It's important we keep in mind the deadliness of the joint as get into the breakdown portion of this recap, because if you recall from last week, Ash abandoned his friends at the survivalist camp in the hopes of sparing them from the horrors this place brings forth, and now we see why because this episode also unleashed an epic surprise, but more on that and the danger of this place in a bit because as it turns out, despite what the episode led us to believe in the first few moments, Ash didn't have to face this alone after all. Fisher, Kelly and Pablo split up to find Ash and Amanda found him first, ready to help him put an end to this. Shortly after stepping back into the creepy cabin once again, Ash announces he knows exactly where the Necronomicon must be buried within the house, deep within the cellar, but it's chained up tight meaning Ash needs to find a crowbar in the work shed where Linda was...taken care of so long ago. 

Turns out the Evil was waiting for the chance to get these two apart since upon his return to the work shed, the skull of Linda comes to life, taunting our hero with promises of death and dismemberment and giving him a sense of urgency to get the hell out of there and with good reason. For while he battles with the past, Amanda is surprised with something new...a second Ash. The Evil Hand he lopped off ages ago has managed to grow a doppelgänger Ash and well...it's one evil dude. He's quick to bring as much harm to her as possible and well...here comes the reminder of how deadly a place this cabin is and that epic surprise I mentioned, because after one big time battle between the two of them...Evil Ash kills Fisher. No joke, the noble Amanda, who went from trying to bring Ash to jail to helping him, didn't make it out of this one alive.

Of course Pablo and Kelly show up at the most inopportune moment (finding the cabin with a little help from some folks on a hike) to see Ash hovering over her body and wondering if the Jefe has lost it, leading Ash to track down his twin and battle him out in fun fashion before leaving us with a cliffhanger and man...needless to say this episode left me breathless. It was simply intense, with the old school scares that got me as a kid making their return here and the fact that so many moments in this episode completely mess with your mind. Not to mention, kudos to Bruce Campbell for making Evil Ash truly wicked and creepy. Either way, there's only two episodes left of this stellar first season and well, I'm nervous now. I made mention a few weeks ago that I wondered if everyone would survive this season and our first casualty has arrived and if last night was this intense...what the are next two episodes going to look like? Guess we will find out this Saturday...until then.

As it turns out, Ash vs. Evil Dead has figured out how to manipulate its audience, in a good way that is, because last night's episode managed to surprise me in ways I never expected. For starters, I honestly thought this particular tale was going to be a big time filler episode and it turned out to be quite the opposite. 

In fact, "Fire in the Hole" ended up being a fantastic little character study for Pablo and Kelly and for the first time ever in the history of the Evil Dead franchise...Ash did something stand up and noble, despite looking like a jerk while doing it, and of course along the way there was plenty of guts and gore as the Ghost Beaters did their best to survive the Evil in the middle of a survivalist camp, thanks to a now possessed Lem.  

Yes, this evil version of Ash's old drinking buddy was taken over by the Evil at the end of last week's episode and he made it back to the Militia's home base before Ash and the gang could arrive, which means when they do...it's nothing but carnage. Naturally, the Militia members are a little skeptical of why on earth Ash and his group are inside their compound, despite Ash's claims that he can help, and that distrust only gets worse when one of them realizes Amanda is a cop. It leads to the Militia turning on their guests and Ash and Amanda find themselves dumped into a bunker where Lem is waiting for them while Pablo and Kelly head out into the woods to escape.  

That's where things became interesting as we got that sweet character development between Kelly and Pablo as we were witness to the both of them becoming badasses before our eyes. Granted, Pablo took a little longer to get there, but Kelly...well she is as strong as they come and the gal can fight and the episode's funniest moment came by way of her figuring out how her assault rifle works without killing Pablo in the process. As for Ash, well he and Amanda have a few surprising moments of romantic chemistry as they deal with Lem in the dark and I have to say, this whole sequence of the story was vintage Evil Dead, as it provided some solid laughs and some genuinely tense and creepy moments the series is known for. 

Of course in the end Lem and the rest of the Deadites are defeated and the group, stronger than ever prepares to make their way to the cabin to finish this...and that's when Ash surprises us all, by leaving them behind. Sure it's a slight dick move, but the guilt on his face, the fear he expressed over possibly seeing them die, that's why he did it. It's the nicest thing the man has ever done and those final moments of the episode were a fan's delight. Ash's evil hand returned home if you will to the cabin where this nightmare all began, setting the stage for one grand showdown with the Evil. It's the moment we've all been waiting for, and it's just around the corner...

It is hard to give up on something that you love doing.  I know that I am not the only one that believes this, but sometimes the thing that you love will not pay the bills and that leaves a big problem for most of us.  If you are able to find that perfect job that can do so, mad props to you, but it does not exist for all of us and if we don’t have the free time to do those things that we adore, well, they get shoved into a drawer and sometimes never looked at again.  It is important to make time for these things, no matter how time consuming they are so you do not lose yourself to the system, even though that is what seems to happen more often than not.

Burt Gummer is in the middle of the dessert doing that he loves, shooting his series of survival videos when a stranger arrives unannounced.  Travis Welker is looking to become a part of the Gummer legacy by taking his videos to the next level, but Burt is not too happy about his plans.  But when a truck approaches, Burt is asked to go back to what he does best, monster hunting.  With verified reports of an Ass-Blaster terrorizing a small town in South Africa, Burt is chomping at the bit to get down there and make the kill, but little does he know what he is in for.

Erich Van Wyck seems to be credible when taking the legend to his country, but he has a plan of his own when it comes to capturing the Ass-Blaster rather than killing it.  Burt knows what this entails and with Ass-Blasters on the loose, there are sure to be Graboids as well.  Not being able to use his own equipment since the government has a quarantine ban on them, Burt is handed subpar items to hunt with.  Not being happy about the situation as it stands, a report of a Graboid attack surfaces and Burt finds out that he is not up against what he is used to.  Being larger and leaner, these subterranean killing machines are more powerful and faster than he has ever seen.  When being able to track down one of the Ass-Blasters, Burt also finds out that the game has changed since the hunting and defensive habits of these monster are completely different than he is accustomed to.

Being able to kill everything that is put in his way, Burt does not see the betrayal in front of his face when Van Wyck steals a Graboid egg and cages Burt in his wake.  Thinking that he will be left in dessert to die, Burt is happy to find that Travis has got his back and the two embark on a mission that could get them both killed.  Locating a cave filled with Graboid eggs, the two have to call in the heavy alterity to destroy every last one of them, but little do they know that there is an egg that has found its way into town.  Knowing that the Graboid ‘Queen Bitch’ will do anything to protect her bloodline, Burt, Travis and the villagers have to pull out all of the stops to make sure she will not get to the egg before it hatches and the cycle starts all over again.

Just a great Tremors movie with all of the essentials that you need to be entertained with.  With more CGI than I have seen in the last three movies combined, it is hard to imagine what might have happened if this was available when the first movie came out back in 1990.  I love having Burt being sent to Africa on a Graboid safari since he has always been the one that enjoyed killing, no matter what the rules were.  I could have done without the other storylines in this and just focused on the killing, but everything gets tied up in the end and you find out that Burt has a bloodline of his own that he will need to protect from extinction.  Fun and Graboidy is the best way to describe it, and it does not disappoint, especially if you are looking to be entertained.  Stay Scared.

Oh my Moose! This mid season finally hurt my feels! So much happened! Okay. Firstly, at least we only have to wait until January, unlike most shows that are making us wait longer! Shall we get into this? Are you ready? I'm not ready. I'm still like "what just happened!?"

So, Sam has another vision, this time of actually meeting Lucifer in the cage. Dean, being smart, thinks that's the dumbest thing ever and isn't about to happen. Of course, Sam pushes, and finally a potential plan is made. It seems Amara is restless, so she's kind of causing some trouble. She's going around, smiting people with lightning, and eating souls. She has to be stopped. Dean is willing to give this "God talking to Sam" thing a shot if it means stopping the Darkness.

The boys visit Crowley to discuss the cage and see if Sam can safely talk to Lucifer. Only, Crowley doesn't know how to himself. Thus enter Rowena. Seems mommy dearest is willing to help, mostly because the Darkness is a foe even she isn't willing to let be free for much longer. The Witch will need to Book of the Damned and the Codex though. Sam supervises her research while Dean goes to investigate a church filled with soulless dead people. Dean promptly gets swept away by Amara. She explains a few things. 

She's trying to get God's attention, and all the souls she has eaten? They're alive, inside of her. Dean and Amara are going to end up together, it's destiny, he freed her after all. Because, nothing says "crazy" like saying things like that. The two are interrupted by a group of Angels. They've United against the Darkness, and she quickly kills them. Heaven isn't pleased and plans to smite her. Dean is suddenly back to where he had been before she's taken him.

Rowena found the spell she needs and a decision is made. She gets Crowley to get the ingredients while Sam attempts to get ahold of Dean. Unable to, he finally decides to go confront Lucifer himself. It's a daring plan, and so far, going okay. Just kidding! Lucifer isn't offering any help. Well, he is, but he needs a vessel. Random thought, where is Michael!? Where is Adam! They were in the cage with Lucifer too!? Well now so is Sam. The wards failed and Lucifer was able to pull Sammy in. The visions our little Moose has been having!? That wasn't God. It was Lucifer...and his little tricks worked. And that's it. For over a month we have to wait!

What a difference a week makes on television, especially when it comes to Ash vs. Evil Dead. After all last week we were plunged into the dreaded filler episode, with a simple but satisfying plot to tide us over until this week and well, that filler episode made last night's adventure worth the wait since the show brought forth all kinds of incredible treats.

In fact, the show decided it was time to up the ante with perhaps its biggest surprise of the season to date and it all revolved around Ruby. Picking up mere moments after Ash and the gang leave the Brujo's estate, Ruby and Amanda find their way to the property and begin to investigate the burning remains only to discover...that the evil has found its way into the Brujo's body and his charred remains attack Amanda before Ruby gets involved...and enter the surprise. The Brujo/Deadite takes a few moments to taunt Ruby, calling her a traitor and letting her know it will never let her have the book for herself, before plunging her into the flames. 

Now, does that mean that Ruby is dead? Well...let's come back to that in a moment. Because there were other treats delivered our way as we caught up with Ash and the gang enjoying a hearty breakfast in a diner as Ash lays out the plan for how to put an end to the evil at last, by returning to the cabin where he found the Necronomicon and burying it deep below the earth. However, he would like Kelly and Pablo to stay behind because their chances of survival are slim if they journey with him. Before the meal ends however, Ash runs into an old friend who has apparently joined a militia and of course, our favorite hero struggles with paying the bill.

While he works on a charming and overly sexual way to pay the tab Kelly and Pablo return to the trailer to discuss what happened between them when Kelly was under the influence of Eligos when something strange happens...the medal that the Brujo gave Pablo comes to life around his neck and it seems to awaken the Necronomicon in the process. A slight spiritual battle ensues between the two items, but there is a bigger problem waiting for Ash. Amanda has trailed the trio to the diner and decides to make a move and arrest him. But before she can bring him in, the Evil finds them again and another grand battle ensues with the Deadites, where Kelly gets some much needed catharsis and a new ally in Amanda joins their quest to defeat the Evil.

So, back to the Ruby thing. First off, awesome that they went there with such a bold move but I don't think she's dead because it's clear to me...she's made a pact with the Evil. What exactly that is is unknown yet but such a pact and the Deadite capturing her can only mean we'll be running into her again at some point. Actually, this ended up being an episode that brought up quite a few questions/unresolved issues. In addition to Ruby, there's also the matter of why the medallion and the Necronomicon don't seem to get along, and I'm sure this also has some major significance to the story as well but the one new wrinkle to the fold that's still bugging me...will everyone in Ash's group make it out alive? Kelly made a glib comment about being dead way before revenge consumes anyone and well...I didn't see that ominous comment coming and I'd like to see them all survive. This is one solid group of characters, the kind you actually give a damn about. Either way, I love all the things this episode set in motion as we head into the home stretch of the season and I can't wait to see what happens next week. Until then.

I totally had to look up the title for this episode. Annnnd, guys? Do you know who directed it? Our very own Trickster. That's right, Richard Speight Jr. Our own Gabriel made his directorial debut with this episode. Which explains a lot.....genuinely. I honestly can't believe how weird this episode was. But, it was still good. Someone out there is murdering imaginary friends. Yes, you heard me right. Sam gets a bit of a shock when someone from his childhood shows up. Sully may seem harmless but he happened to be Sam's imaginary friend. 

Upon the start of finding him in the kitchen and punching him, Sam is hit with the total realization that Sully is indeed real. Dean doesn't believe him at first, but it turns out to be true, especially when Sully shows himself to Dean too. So, imaginary friends are really creatures called Zana, andddd.....they're good? Out of all the monsters the boys have faced, these guys are legit good guys. They exist to help and guide lost children. But, it seems they're being murdered one by one. Some unknown killer has really upset Sully, he doesn't want to see his friends killed. So he enlists the help of the Winchester brothers.

I'm not going to lie, this episode felt very "trappish" to me. Sadly, Gabriel didn't show up out of nowhere. That would have been too much to ask for I suppose. Instead, the boys have to find a way to investigate a crime scene with which only the kid and Zana can see. Eventually, Sully allows them to see the murdered body of his friend Sparkles (yes, Sparkles), and it's not pretty. Shortly thereafter a mermaid is killed, and it just keeps getting weirder. It leads to the attempted murder of another imaginary friend. This one gets away, calls for help, and is able to partially identify what is doing this. Thankfully he lives, so Dean is off to investigate the possible murderer while Sam sticks with Sully.

That leaves some awkward moments. It seems Sully didn't want the hunter lifestyle for little 9 year old Sammy. But, all Sam wanted was to be just like his Dad and Dean! Granted, he later wants out, butttt, life happens. Sam confides in Sully about the visions he's having. They're interrupted by a text from Dean; an address. Now, I don't know what it is about either Winchester getting over powered by tiny girls half their size....but Sam and Sully find Dean tied up with some crazy girl holding a knife....the same knife she has been killing the Zana with. She knows Sully, personally. He used to be her imaginary friend, the only one after Sam. Sully messed up, he was playing tag with her twin sister, only neither saw the car coming as they ran across the street. It's tragic, and after that he swore to never help kids personally again. Sully offers his life if that will make her feel better. It's Dean's words that calm the girl and get her to stop. She throws the knife, hugs Sully, and cries.

With all this mess over and behind them, Sully goes back to business, while Dean and Sam discuss some hard topics. Sam wants to go back to the cage, to talk to Lucifer, Dean is against the idea.....and yeah, that's really not good at all. We all know where this is going.