'Ash vs. Evil Dead' Recap: 'Delusion'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

Of all the genres out there, it is safe to say that horror, and the respective franchises that populate it, face the greatest struggles when it comes to keeping the story fresh and invigorating for the fans. After all, there are often rules that go with the monsters of these worlds, and specific moments that make a particular tale special so its no wonder that we often fall in love with a creature or a storyline only to eventually taste disappointment when we see the same concepts and ideas used over and over again.

Yet despite the many franchises and horror themed fads we have seen come and go due to familiarity, The Evil Dead saga is one that continues to endure and ignite our imagination in ways we never thought were possible. Part of that comes from the fact that if a gag(s), or concept(s) from earlier movies are going to be recycled (the intros to Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness come to mind) the powers that be find a way to make it exciting and fresh or over the top and we simply eat it up. Or...the wonder we experience sometimes comes from the fact that this franchise goes out on a limb to do something we've never quite seen before leaving all of us in awe when this new feat is accomplished...as was the case with last night's episode of Ash vs. Evil Dead, 'Delusion'.

Because this is an episode that straight up messed with our minds, taking us on a trippy ride that forced us, and Ash to question something that the show has thrown in his face all season long...that everything that ever happened in Ash's life is a lie and he did indeed commit grisly murder in the cabin all those years ago, and is making everything else up to cope with his actions. Of course, up front it seemed as though that Baal was simply screwing with Ash, digging into his deepest and darkest fears to wear the Jefe down and finally break his spirit, but let's be honest...as the minutes progressed and Ash tried to distinguish between reality and fantasy, one had to wonder if by chance Ash really was in a home for the criminally insane and whether or not we have indeed been living a wild and delusional lie after all this time and well...thankfully our initial assumptions were correct, but our validation was nothing more than a pyrrhic victory since Baal was successful...he shattered the Jefe's spirit.  

So when all is said and done, this was an outright stunning episode of the show. Credit needs to go to the writer of this one, Hank Chilton, and the director, Mark Beesley, for putting together what was in essence a minimalist story set in a single location...that managed to keep me on the edge of my seat the entire time. It was a beautifully crafted script and episode that was complimented nicely, by some of the finest performances to date on the show as well. The entire supporting cast helped greatly in keeping us guessing as to whether or not Ash was nuts, but really...the highlight of the night had to be Bruce Campbell. His work on this episode was simply breathtaking as he struggled to comprehend the nightmare unfolding around him and those final moments where he admitted to Linda he was in essence a murderous monster...well that was just heartbreaking to watch.

Either way, when this franchise decides to try something new...it goes all out in doing so and this time around it gave us one of the finest moments in the saga's storied history and now for the second time in Ash's life...the Evil has found a way to control him and this time, it's hold on him is strong. There's no romantic ties to help him to come to his senses, he truly believes in the garbage that Baal was selling him and the Ghostbeaters will have to come up with one hell of a solution to snap him out of this madness and get him back on track to help send Baal back to Hell, and to finally take his rightful place as the savior of all mankind. Until next time.

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