The Best of ‘Ash vs Evil Dead’ – Season 1

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Episode 101: ‘El Jefe’
Original Air Date: October 31, 2015

‘It’s good to see you, Jefe.’
 
‘It’s good to be back.’
 
‘How does it feel?’
 
‘Groovy.’
 
- Pablo Bolivar and Ashley ‘Ash’ Williams

For a very long time in the horror world, fans of the Evil Dead franchise wanted one thing, and one thing alone… a fourth Evil Dead movie. One that would take Ashley J. Williams and his fight against the never-ending evil to new heights. But alas, the ho-hum box office success of Army of Darkness and the ever-changing horror landscape of the early aughts… never allowed for that happen. Making it seem as though such hopes would only come to fruition in the minds of the fans. But the wild success of the 2013 Evil Dead remake/reimagining, made it clear that the market was hot for horror again and well… while a true fourth film never came to light, renewed interest in the franchise brought forth the next best thing.
 
Specifically, a television series entitled, Ash vs Evil Dead. Which premiered on STARZ in 2015 and brought forth three glorious seasons of gore and guffaws and a long and winding arc that grew Ashley J. Williams like never before. Giving us in essence a massive fourth film via long-from, serialized storytelling and well… with Evil Dead Rise on the horizon, we thought it would be fun to look back at the absolute best stories from those three seasons and for season one, the choice was obvious. For the series premiere of this magnificent saga was quite special to say the least, and the best that the season had to offer for several reasons. 
 
First and foremost, ‘El Jefe’ was… the beginning of a new chapter in this story. One that was in many ways… a flawless sequel to Army of Darkness. For it leaned into the fact that it had been a few years since Ash battled Deadites in a castle long ago while dropping some amazing one-liners, and it really took its time to set the stage as to what he’d been up to since that incredible weekend at the cabin and in ancient England. Which in turn presented us with a fascinating character that had grown deeply since those days and was suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress and depression and held onto his youthful impishness and ignorance to reclaim lost innocence. Letting us know that this chapter of the story was going to be deeper than the rest and the wonder of this episode didn’t end there.

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​Because it brought forth a juicy and compelling story. One set in motion by man that couldn’t face his past or his pain and was forced to battle old demons and new ones to stop the mess he’d made, and that allowed for new and dynamic characters to come into the fold via Pablo and Kelly, and Ruby for that matter, and it also allowed… for everything we love about the franchise to come to life again. Such as the Ramo-Cam, and the horrific Deadites and all the gore we love and adore from this franchise. Plus, it featured more amazing one-liners from Ash and even his chainsaw hand, and it also blended together the comedic timing that we loved in the previous two films, alongside the terrifying elements present in the original film and the reimagining as well. And all of that came together seamlessly, largely thanks to the fact that most of the original crew and writers from the original Evil Dead stories signed up to work on this show.
 
In fact, one of the big reasons this premiere is so incredible, is the sheer fact that Sam Raimi himself directed it. And he returned to his roots with glee in this story and let years of experience working on big blockbusters seep into what made him famous, and the end result is a well-acted, slick premiere that features some bombastic moments that make your skin crawl. Such as the scene with Amanda and her newly possessed partner, and other moments that leave you gasping for air from laughing so hard. Such as the opening sequence where Ash spruces up to go out and get some in a manner that only Ash would, complete with the types of quirky failures that only he would deal with… and an unholy surprise that really sets the story in motion. 
 
If anything, this is just a perfect premiere. And while there are other great episodes in season one, and while the season finale delivers… this is the gem of season one. Because it set the tone for how this series was going to play out, it established everything the show was going to stand for from a thematic and character development standpoint and well… it was the first time in twenty-three years that Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi played their respective and established roles within the franchise. And that’s special and that is why this premiere is getting fawned over today, and this series as well. For Ash vs Evil Dead really was the stuff of legend and told some powerful tales and now that we’ve properly explored the episode that stood out above the rest in season one, it’s onto season two. And the story that could be debated as the genesis of Ash’s transformation in a true hero. Until next time.

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