'Ash vs Evil Dead' Recap: 'Apparently Dead'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK... 

'Well, uh...rest in peace Candy Barr. You were cursed with a dumb name, but uh, I'll always remember you. Or at least, I'll never forget you again.'
- Ash

As I settled in to watch last night’s episode of Ash vs Evil Dead, one question was continuing to swirl about in my mind; was it possible for a half hour show to continue to jam in epic content week after week? After all, the last episode was packed to the gills with storylines galore and it can’t be easy for any show to give us an hour’s worth of goodies in half the time. But as it turns out, this series is up to the challenge and there’s a fair chance that epic storytelling is going to become the norm for this series, because not only did last night’s episode give us more of the same, ‘Apparently Dead’ also managed to up the ante in every way imaginable.
 
Case in point, I really wasn’t sure that the series was going to be able to top last week’s 80’s themed, semen slinging, Deadite battle when it comes to the laughs that wild moment produced. But wouldn’t you know it, the series…found a way, shortly after starting off on a somber note, since the funeral services for Candace were underway and unfortunately for Ash, the fact that the funeral home reattached her severed head complicated his attempts to pay his final respects.
 
For there are rules when it comes to people that are violently murdered by a Deadite, in that, you’ll likely become one after it is done with you, and that rule was certainly not broken in this tale since Candy Barr returned from the dead to deal with her ex-hubby and while the coffin fight that ensued was pretty awesome in its own right since it had plenty of chuckle worthy moments, and even more incredible one liners from Ash, the real magic was waiting right around the corner.
 
Because Ash was knocked out during the fight and out cold beneath the lid of the casket and in the middle of Brandy’s heartfelt farewell to her mother, Ash woke up and holy cow, you could not ask for a funnier moment. From his stunning one liner when he popped open the lid, to the bumbling that ensued, this was pure comedic gold through and through and this was so incredibly funny that I damn near choked on my cup of coffee because I simply did not see this level of hilarity coming and it just speaks to how damn talented Bruce Campbell is when it comes to comedy. But, I digress. Because there was a rhyme and reason to include this incredible sequence of events, since this was all part of Ruby’s evil plan to break up the Williams clan. 

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​After all, there was no joy or sympathy in Brandy’s eyes over Ash’s apologies and explanations, but it was clear to Ruby that she hadn’t done quite enough to create a permanent rift between the two of them, forcing her to up her game by resurrecting Ash’s father, Brock, and the sheer point of doing so, was to make sure that this new and improved version of the elder Williams would do his best to discredit and embarrass his son and well, her plan worked like a charm. Brandy trusted her grandfather and his opinions and when the time came for Ash to do battle with the evil version of his pop, the damage was already done and for the moment, Brandy has had enough when it comes to her dad.
 
Yet, while those storylines alone would have been enough to carry this particular tale, there were more goodies in store for the audience. Because Pablo’s little problem with evil was revisited once again and this time around, the mystery woman from beyond provided Pablo with a tough, but feasible solution to save his soul; find the Kandarian Dagger. Which meant that Kelly, Pablo and Dalton headed off for a little road trip and while they were successful in finding that pesky dagger, their mission ended in stunning fashion. Because the Evil found Dalton and possessed him, leaving it up to Pablo to save the day and while at first it seemed as though he did just that, we haven’t a clue at this point if Pablo is okay, or if Deadite Dalton has been dealt with.
 
However, what truly impressed me about this episode, is the versatility that the show demonstrated storytelling wise. Because while the first couple of weeks of season three dug deep into some far more meaningful fare, this episode was classic Evil Dead through and through. It was all about the gags and the guts and driving the plot forward in this tale, and it delivered in spades. Plus, once again the performances in this episode were on par. I didn’t have a clue that Lee Majors could play evil so well, and we also need to take a moment and throw a shout out to Arielle Carver-O’Neill, who plays Brandy because she is holding her own in every single episode.
 
In the end however, I love the fact that this season continues to ratchet up the intensity. There’s a real sense of urgency building in this show as Ruby continues to work toward defeating Ash and let’s be honest, her plans and machinations thus far are really freakin’ evil to say the least. It takes a supremely twisted mind to use a man’s dead father in that fashion and I was also extremely surprised over the fact that Dalton is seemingly done already because we barely got to know him or learn more about the Knights of Sumeria. Either way, this was just another amazing episode and season three continues to impress week in and week out and I cannot wait to see what treats await us next week because I’m fairly certain the series is going to up the ante once again. Until next time. 

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