We're back. The blood and gore is flowing. Heck it's flying and our intrepid heroes head back into battle.
The ep opens with Ruby discovering what most parents know....your kids inevitably hit an age where you can't control them. This problem is worse when your kids are demon babies summoned forth through the mouth of a poor innocent Brujo in training.
While all of this is going, on Ash is in Jacksonville, FL throwing one heck of a party. He's found other uses for the chainsaw; opening a keg of beer. The keg gag made me really sorry the Mythbusters retired, because this is a stunt I seriously want them to tackle!
Ash's mother/daughter hook up is interrupted when they turn into Deadites and announce that his truce with Ruby is over. Before long there’s blood flying (spraying(?) gushing(?)) all over the bar. Ash, Pablo, and Kelly waste no time grabbing weapons and dispatching Deadites. I do have one question, when Pablo has Deadite blood spraying in his face he keeps his mouth open. Ruby did the same thing when she got black Ichor in her face. Ewwwww. That cannot taste good.
Mama Deadite gave Ash a clue as to where Ruby can be found when she calls him "Ashy Slashy", a taunt from his return to his home town after his first encounter with the Evil Dead. So, the three take off for Ash's hometown, Elk Grove, Michigan.
My favorite surprise of the episode was the discovery that Lee Majors plays Ash's father! I don't know how many of you watched Six Million Dollar man back in the day, but I was shamelessly thrilled to hear the "Better, Stronger, Faster" riff dropped into the dialog.
It looks like one of the bonuses of this season will be staying in one location. Setting episodes in Elk Grove means that we’ll be able to delve into who Ash really is and his relationships with his father and friends/enemies from Ash’s high school days. I look forward to that.
It’s not long before we meet a potential love interest for Ash. Her name is Linda Bates and, unlike pretty much everyone else in Elk Grove, she seems happy to see Ash. One of the guys Ash used to pick on in high school, Tommy Emery, is now the sheriff and married to Linda. That should be fun.
We get our first hint about Pablo’s power when he has a rather freaky vision of Ruby that ends with the Necronomicon’s face glued to his again. His vision leads them to Ruby's location and we're off into the final sequence of the episode. Not surprisingly it will take place in a Crematorium. It's generally best to stay out of Crematoriums, especially if fighting Deadites is a day-to-day occupation.
I loved the demon shadow gags. I liked the chainsaw/bayonet switcheroo and the fingers that dragged Kelly off into the flooded basement were nice and creepy, but by far the backbend walker was the creepiest image of the episode. The demon kid design worked really well for me.
I was really starting to worry about Pablo and we see the first sign of his power. Pablo accidentally makes himself invisible! That is handy. Now if he can just learn how to do it intentionally.
Kelly has her own worries. First she punches herself out, then she winds up in danger of drowning in blood. As usual Pablo’s got her back.
Bruce Campbell was looking really good in the pilot. He also felt more at home playing Ash. I’m still loving Ray Santiago’s comic timing. His reaction shots were made all the better by the fact that his hair managed to get taller over the hiatus. I’m looking forward to seeing him get more to do this season as Pablo’s powers begin to grow. I’m still hoping that Dana DeLorenzo gets to do a little more with Kelly this season. I love the character’s feistiness, but I don’t want her to get short changed.
What did you think of the season opener?
