Ash vs Evil Dead: The Dark One

January 2, 2016 6:55 PM - Season 1, Episode 10

During a last-ditch effort to rid the world of the Evil, Ash receives an offer that could change his life forever. (Season Finale)
posted by oh yeah! (15 comments total)

The house "eating" the last hiker and spitting her out the front door was a nice touch.
posted by weretable and the undead chairs at 7:17 PM on January 2, 2016

a) weak

b) that Ash vs The Walking Dead script floating around the Internets was funny/true up until this episode.
posted by eyeballkid at 11:57 PM on January 2, 2016

And just to flesh out my point "a" a bit, that was a lot of people running in place to stretch out a half hour show to 45 minutes.
posted by eyeballkid at 11:59 PM on January 2, 2016

a) weak

Glad it wasn't just me. The AV Club recapper gave it such a rave review, I wasn't sure if I was judging it unfairly. I was glad that Pablo & Kelly survived the season, but Ash taking Ruby's deal was super unsatisfying.
posted by oh yeah! at 6:52 AM on January 3, 2016

Ash taking the deal was weak - but how else could there be a second season? But yeah, this ep stretched on a little long.

Strange flashback/callback to ED2 with Jake's dead body in the basement.

Kelly is awesome!

Overall, I enjoyed the season,the physical slaspstick, the cheesey gore, and the snappy snarky dialogue.

"Think about it Ash, you are old and fat and weak and you cannot keep this up forever... Ash your entire life has been marked with tragedy and dissolution and woeful inadequacy."

"I get the idea!"
posted by porpoise at 9:02 AM on January 3, 2016 [1 favorite]

Ash taking the deal was literally the Ashiest thing he could do. Like, we're supposed to want him to do the heroic thing, but he's gonna let us down because he's Ash. That's what he does.
posted by zjacreman at 3:49 PM on January 3, 2016 [6 favorites]

I was with this show through its ups and downs but that was not a satisfying finale. I get that it's funny that Ash Does the Wrong Thing and feels so good about it, but they've been making that joke all season long and I was kind of hoping we were going to get a Last Temptation of Christ moment this time around where Ash finally decides to climb up onto the cross and do something selfless for a change. Oh well, , and all that.

I will keep watching this show (because: Evil Dead) and I guess that's what matters to Starz and the creative team but I guess I was hoping for more of a sense of resolution/accomplishment.
posted by Mothlight at 10:03 PM on January 3, 2016

to stretch out a half hour show to 45 minutes.

With ads?

I enjoyed it, and I kept speculating that S2 was going to be Ash Vs Freddy because there were a lot of things that could have been callbacks as well as tropes... but I also thought they'd find a 21C spin on the rape tree... so I was pretty wrong.
posted by Mezentian at 6:28 AM on January 4, 2016

Well I mean he saved Kelly and Pablo in addition to himself, how selfless do you want him to be after 10 episodes
posted by zjacreman at 12:32 PM on January 4, 2016 [1 favorite]

Tell you what I want to know: Where's all that skin cut from Pablo's back that Ruby wrote on with her blood magic? It didn't just magically fly back onto him and heal that huge wound, did it? (I haven't rewatched yet so I may have missed something about this in the ending.)

I know Pablo's free of the demon mask now, but damn. He really got some short shrift out of this finale, and I feel just awful for the kid.

S2 prediction: We'll have some kind of Scooby Gang break-up motif where NuDeadite-Slayers Pablo and Kelly branch off from Papa Ash; ultimately, they'll have to drag him out of retirement down in Florida for a second showdown with Ruby in the S2 finale.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 1:51 PM on January 4, 2016

Wait... did Ash's lizard (Eli?) survive?

And did anyone spot Ted Raimi?
posted by Mezentian at 2:30 PM on January 4, 2016

Ultimately, it wasn't everything that I wanted out of the finale, but it wasn't bad. Everything that happened felt true to the characters, I had several laugh out loud moments, the gross-outs were appropriately gross, and there were a lot of fun callbacks.

Also, a firmer conclusion likely would have meant no Lucy Lawless in Season Two, and losing Lucy Lawless is where a lot of shows lose me.
posted by Parasite Unseen at 12:49 PM on January 5, 2016

"Pedro, I'm comin' to save ya! Wait... Pablo. I meant Pablo."
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:26 PM on January 5, 2016 [2 favorites]

I though Ash taking the deal was perfect (which I've had to argue with a few people). Ash isn't motivated by saving the world. He's a severely traumatized and flawed person, and I think his motivations are simpler. Not having to deal with Deadites anymore is what drives him, not the welfare of humankind.
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 11:41 AM on January 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

Yeah for Ash not to take that deal would have been the most unbelievable thing. It was even set up - shoot first, think never. Thinking is when he's weakest and when he fails at the slaying.
posted by phearlez at 6:41 PM on January 13, 2016