Ash vs Evil Dead: Ashy Slashy
November 21, 2016 8:45 AM - Season 2, Episode 8 - Subscribe
Ruby, Kelly and Pablo encounter crazy characters when they search for Ash and Baal in an abandoned asylum; Baal schemes to break Ash and find the Necronomicon.
RIP Pablo. :(
I loved everything else, but I'm worried about the show's ability to recover from his loss. I love both Kelly and Ruby, but they fulfill similar narrative purposes: they're both snarky badasses who are skeptical of Ash. Neither one's a sidekick what believes in him no matter what. (Chet could have been a suitable replacement for Pablo, broadly, but he's dead too.)
So that will definitely change the shape of the story going forward, and I'm worried it'll go too dark without someone goofier to counterbalance it.
Apart from that, loved it. I was hoping Ash was tricking Ba'al last week. (Plus, with Ba'al out of the picture, there's time to move on to a new menace before the end of the season.)
posted by mordax at 11:36 AM on November 21, 2016
I loved everything else, but I'm worried about the show's ability to recover from his loss. I love both Kelly and Ruby, but they fulfill similar narrative purposes: they're both snarky badasses who are skeptical of Ash. Neither one's a sidekick what believes in him no matter what. (Chet could have been a suitable replacement for Pablo, broadly, but he's dead too.)
So that will definitely change the shape of the story going forward, and I'm worried it'll go too dark without someone goofier to counterbalance it.
Apart from that, loved it. I was hoping Ash was tricking Ba'al last week. (Plus, with Ba'al out of the picture, there's time to move on to a new menace before the end of the season.)
posted by mordax at 11:36 AM on November 21, 2016
I'm betting the remainder of the season is retrieving Pablo from hell.
posted by The Man from Lardfork at 11:57 AM on November 21, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by The Man from Lardfork at 11:57 AM on November 21, 2016 [4 favorites]
For anyone who happens to be, as I am, fascinated when various terrific actors turn out to be related, either by blood or by marriage, Michelle Hurd (who plays Linda in this arc... and hopefully will be sticking around) is married to Garret Dillahunt (Burt Chance from Raising Hope, Ty Walker from Justified, Francis Wolcott from Deadwood, etc. etc.)
There were hints last week that Linda was altogether stronger and more interesting than originally indicated. I'd be totally cool with it if she stuck around for a bit.
Also, I am not 100% convinced Pablo will stay dead. This show is bananas and there seem to be any number of ways that he could come back: as a Deadite; as the personality/voice of the book; brought back from hell; resurrected through some unholy rite...
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:58 AM on November 21, 2016
There were hints last week that Linda was altogether stronger and more interesting than originally indicated. I'd be totally cool with it if she stuck around for a bit.
Also, I am not 100% convinced Pablo will stay dead. This show is bananas and there seem to be any number of ways that he could come back: as a Deadite; as the personality/voice of the book; brought back from hell; resurrected through some unholy rite...
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:58 AM on November 21, 2016
The entire crew, from the writers to designers to the stunt crew to the actors to the editors/fx, has been damned impressive all season. Loved the last episode for its underlying seriousness, this episode had many creepy, truly tense/terrifying, moments in it for me.
Dana DeLorenzo must be picking up boatloads of physical humour direction from Campbell, but everyone's been great. The haunted puppet was a nice neo-callback to all of Ash's hand-related and Evil Ash hjinks.
I adored that Ash really was just faking all along. The setup from the last episode paid off brilliantly, and Campbell got to play something a little deeper than regular idiot Ash.
Poor Pablo! Look forward to seeing what insane way they come up with to bring Pablo back.
posted by porpoise at 1:40 PM on November 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
Dana DeLorenzo must be picking up boatloads of physical humour direction from Campbell, but everyone's been great. The haunted puppet was a nice neo-callback to all of Ash's hand-related and Evil Ash hjinks.
I adored that Ash really was just faking all along. The setup from the last episode paid off brilliantly, and Campbell got to play something a little deeper than regular idiot Ash.
Poor Pablo! Look forward to seeing what insane way they come up with to bring Pablo back.
posted by porpoise at 1:40 PM on November 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
I would so buy an Ashy Slashy puppet if they were available.
posted by porpoise at 1:50 PM on November 21, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by porpoise at 1:50 PM on November 21, 2016 [4 favorites]
Also, I am not 100% convinced Pablo will stay dead. This show is bananas and there seem to be any number of ways that he could come back
Agreed - and there are only 2 episodes left in the season, seems like attempting to bring back Pablo could set us up for another finale cliffhanger, where bringing back Pablo brings along more Evil for S3, or lands Ash & Co in whatever hellscape dead-Pablo is in.
posted by oh yeah! at 4:33 PM on November 21, 2016
Agreed - and there are only 2 episodes left in the season, seems like attempting to bring back Pablo could set us up for another finale cliffhanger, where bringing back Pablo brings along more Evil for S3, or lands Ash & Co in whatever hellscape dead-Pablo is in.
posted by oh yeah! at 4:33 PM on November 21, 2016
Keep in mind Pablo currently *is* the Necronomicon embodied, and that book has very remarkable traits of resilience and regeneration... otherwise it would have been torn to shreds and burnt aeons ago.
posted by FatherDagon at 4:36 PM on November 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by FatherDagon at 4:36 PM on November 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
I adored that Ash really was just faking all along. The setup from the last episode paid off brilliantly, and Campbell got to play something a little deeper than regular idiot Ash.
I read it this way too, but then I realized the show could be telling us quite the opposite -- that Ash is just too dumb to be hypnotized. I mean, his plan, let's face it, was...um...you know, it could have been better.
I feel like there's no way Pablo won't be resurrected somehow. But I'm also still in a bit of denial over what happened to Brock, so.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 8:43 PM on November 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
I read it this way too, but then I realized the show could be telling us quite the opposite -- that Ash is just too dumb to be hypnotized. I mean, his plan, let's face it, was...um...you know, it could have been better.
I feel like there's no way Pablo won't be resurrected somehow. But I'm also still in a bit of denial over what happened to Brock, so.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 8:43 PM on November 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
Sure, Ash may be too dumb to be hypnotized but he was canny enough to know that he'd be immune to being hypnotized enough to pull off his suprise.
/ok, I'm starting to take back lots of my previous "why is Pablo such a suck up to Bruce" whinging.
posted by porpoise at 8:56 PM on November 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
/ok, I'm starting to take back lots of my previous "why is Pablo such a suck up to Bruce" whinging.
posted by porpoise at 8:56 PM on November 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
The last episode reminded me of both an episode of Buffy and of Angel. If Ashy puppet and Angel-turned-into-puppet fought, who would win? Sorry.
Anyway I binged and caught up on the season, was six episodes behind. Mostly good fun. Didn't really enjoy the police station episode that much but everything else has been fantastic. For a while there I actually thought Chet was going to replace Pablo but his heart wasn't in it. I doubt Pablo stays dead. Or maybe the book will bind his spirit and he'll stick around as a ghost or something, but since Chet didn't survive I can't see them ditching the character entirely.
posted by weretable and the undead chairs at 3:33 AM on November 22, 2016 [1 favorite]
Anyway I binged and caught up on the season, was six episodes behind. Mostly good fun. Didn't really enjoy the police station episode that much but everything else has been fantastic. For a while there I actually thought Chet was going to replace Pablo but his heart wasn't in it. I doubt Pablo stays dead. Or maybe the book will bind his spirit and he'll stick around as a ghost or something, but since Chet didn't survive I can't see them ditching the character entirely.
posted by weretable and the undead chairs at 3:33 AM on November 22, 2016 [1 favorite]
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posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:45 AM on November 21, 2016 [1 favorite]