Con SuiteThe Reactor

Ash vs. Evil Dead – Episode 210

By NCDS

Trapped in the cellar, Ash and Tanya are backed into the staircase facing the possessed AshHenrietta. Ash finally uses the shotgun, but doesn’t get a head shot, shooting her in the chest and stomach instead.  This doesn’t even faze the possessed Henrietta, as she spits up the shotgun ammo. Before Ash can reload, she does a disappearing act, only to show up behind them to grab Tanya.  With the amount of blood coming from the back of the stairs, it’s not looking to good for Tanya.  The professor goes to his baby blue VW bug for a getaway, but something is hiding in the back seat.  The scene moves to the outside of the VW bug and the inside of the windows are soon covered in blood.

Ash is finally smart enough to use his shotgun to unlock the cellar. He gets out and hears Tanya yelling for help behind him.  She pops her head out of the cellar door, but before we can find out if it is the usual deadite trick, the front door swings open.   In walks the 80’s version of Ruby. Naturally, Ash doesn’t notice the change in hair color, mistaking her for his Ruby.  Just as Ash finally realizes something is different about her, the possessed Henrietta pulls him into the cellar. The younger Ruby doesn’t know Ash, but does recognize him from his image in the Necronomicon.

Just then, the older Ruby walks in to find the younger Ruby with the Book and the Kandarian Dagger.  When Ruby explains who she is and why they are there, things seem okay until Kelly adds that they are also there for Ash.  Kelly tries to help Ash in the cellar, but is blocked by the younger Ruby.  Young Ruby turns to Old Ruby and says “You’re with him.” with disgust in her voice.  

Ash is not having a good time with the possessed Henrietta, who is trying to breastfeed him with some nasty looking breast milk.  Sadly, I was eating my breakfast for this scene and I had to stop eating.  This is a classic fight scene for Ash in the cabin, yet his moves against the possessed Henrietta backfire on him, leaving the viewer laughing.  After the possessed Henrietta turns into an even creeper looking demon, very reminiscent of the earlier films, Ash is able to cut her head off.  

Ash makes it upstairs, where Old Ruby is trying to talk to Young Ruby.  Unfortunately, Ash jumps in to help and we know Ash rarely makes these types of situations better.  When he mentions that Old Ruby killed the demon children, Young Ruby becomes upset. Old Ruby tries to talk her down, going in closer, thinking she has a chance to help her younger self, only to be stabbed instead.  Old Ruby grabs the book and knocks Young Ruby out, while falling from the stab wound.   Old Ruby knows this is her end, and exchanges words with Kelly and Ash.  Old Ruby gives Kelly the book as Young Ruby wakes up.  Old Ruby tells them she will hold off Young Ruby and for them to run.

As Ash and Kelly are running through the forest, Ash’s hand begins to grow back.  Ash and Kelly are coming to the realization that they have actually changed history.  A pounding comes from the Delta’s trunk and they open it to find Pablo intact. Apparently, Pablo didn’t read the note that was left for him, so he is confused as to what is going on.  After a quick explanation that he was dead (but is now alive again) Pablo begins to ask questions about Ruby.  Clearly, Ash is shaken by Ruby’s death, as he asks Kelly and Pablo to change the subject to something less depressing.  You know, like the time Pablo died.  The discussion quickly turns to the fact that they are trapped in 1982.  Ash hands Pablo the Book and asks him if he can use his time with the Book to read the thing and bring them back to the future.  Once he has the Book, Pablo replies that he could do this, but he is not sure if he wants to.  This is when you start realizing that something’s not right with Pablo.  After Pablo repeats that he doesn’t want to read the incantation, Baal’s creepy fingernail appears and Pablo cuts his own throat.  Removing the skin of Pablo, it is revealed that it is really Baal (if you turned to tell someone, ‘See, I told you Pablo would be back!’, it may have been too soon).  Ash stops the car as Baal knocks out Kelly, while Young Ruby appears, throwing Old Ruby’s head into the car, removing Ash from the car and knocking him out. Looks like we’re down to just one Ruby.

Ash wakes up with Kelly bending over him in the cabin.  He is hoping he is in Jacksonville, yet he soon finds out that he is actually back at the cabin, where Ruby’s spawn are being born.  Baal explains to Ash that he is course-correcting with a Ruby who hasn’t betrayed him.  When Pablo was banishing Baal, the demon was able to transfer himself into Pablo’s dead body and then he used this form to trick Ash into going back in time while he was intoxicated in the Delta.   Ash isn’t giving Baal the response he wants and instead Ash---210---GIFchallenges Baal to a one-on-one fight with no demon powers.  Ash is attacking Baal’s pride.  He bargains with Baal, saying that if he wins in a fair fight that Baal, Ruby, their kids and all the other evil crap will take a freight train to the Underworld while he gets Pablo back.  Young Ruby is quick to ask what they get if Baal wins. After some discussion, this is determined to be, as Ash puts it, “Apocalypse and a side of Kelly for the kids.”  

Ash accepts the deal and Kelly isn’t to happy about this. Baal also accepts these terms and demands that Ruby give him the Necronomicon.  Baal cuts his and Ash’s hands and they take a blood oath on the Necronomicon.  The fight begins and Ash gets the first punch in.  As they battle through the cabin, Ruby tells Kelly how upset she is that they have been used as pawns, while the men settle things with their egos.  Ruby opens the book to alter the deal (pray she does not alter it further). It’s unclear what she does, as the scene turns back to Ash and Baal fighting.  By the time the scene turns back to Ruby and Kelly, Ruby is shutting the book and asking Kelly what she is doing with Ash, since Kelly is stronger. Why should Kelly be a follower when she can be a leader?.  This is a question that has been asked of Kelly before, by a deadite, and the deja vu leaves Kelly with a bad feeling.  When Ruby offers Kelly a chance to join her, Kelly refuses and goes to grab the Kandarian Dagger. It’s not a fair fight though, as Ruby has her children to help protect her.

Baal seems to have grown bored of playing fair and turns into Ash’s old friend Chet.  This, of course, catches Ash off guard and Baal gets the upper hand (literally).  He throws Ash into the piano, trapping him, and then uses Ash’s own chainsaw to cut his hand back off.  Ash’s hand flips them off and runs away.  Baal then turns into Cheryl, chasing Ash with the chainsaw.  Ash locks himself in the bathroom, but he then hears his father’s voice from the other side.  When Ash opens the door, the man on the other side insists that he is his father.  His father begins to tell Ash that it’s vital that he know the truth.  Ash isn’t falling for this trick again and begins attacking the man.  During the entire fight, Ash’s father continues to try and tell him the secret.  We never get to hear the secret though, because Ash drowns his father.   Yet even if  he had, would we even have believed it, seeing as this man could just be Baal in disguise?

Baal walks up behind Ash, admitting that he was never going to play fairly and that humans are so gullible.  Ash hears his father’s voice, telling him to take the chainsaw, and when he turns, he sees his father’s body turn into his chainsaw in the tub.  Baal happens to have a chainsaw of his own, and the battle continues.

Ash, unable to beat Baal this time, ends up on beaten on the floor of the cabin with Kelly.  He apologizes to her for his failure.  Kelly, in her weakened state, claims it’s not failure.  Baal picks up Ash to finish him off with his nail, but Ash buys time, asking to know just one thing.  He asks how Ruby is in the sack. This throws Baal off just enough that as he goes to answer, Ash grabs his hand with the nail, forcing Baal to kill himself. Ash screams “You immortals are so gullible!”  This is when we find out what Ruby has done to the Book. It turns out that she made it so the deal would actually be honored.  Seeing as Baal cheated, he loses his skin and the cabin begins to crumble as the Underworld opens beneath it. Baal, Ruby and their spawn are pulled under.  Ash and Kelly run out of the cabin and watch it fall to the ground.  After the cabin falls, a hand comes up through the ground, and soon we see Pablo coming from the ruins of the cabin (now you can turn and say ‘I told you so!’).  Ash is still a little on edge though, and he punches Pablo to make sure it’s really him.  

This is where the episode gets a little hard to reconcile, as we go to a scene where it appears that Ash, Kelly, and Pablo have returned to the future.  The city is throwing Ash a parade for saving them from evil. It is everything Ash has ever wanted.  As they are announcing his name, Ash turns to see the spirits of his father, sister, and best friend Chet looking upon him approvingly (clearly a nod to Return of the Jedi).  Ash gives an awkward speech where he blames the town for the death of his best friend and father and we get confirmation it is indeed 30 years later. Then Ash announces he is moving back for good, to which news the townspeople cheer.  After the speech, Ash tells Linda B that this was all so perfect and he never expected any of it.  I agree with Ash that this ending does seem too perfect. If he went back in time, actually preventing his younger self from picking up the Book, then how is it that he is in a town that remembers all of those events?  Also, without the Book, how would the three of them return to their proper time?  It’s not something that Ash put in the deal with Baal. Most importantly, we know that Ash never gets to live his dream. Whenever everything is too good to be true for Ash, it is.

As the camera pulls away from crowd, we see Ruby walk away and our suspicions are confirmed that nothing is as it seems. But who is in control? Is it Ash, Ruby, or Baal? Is this world even real, or is Ash once again stuck in a dreamworld?

A hidden scene at the end of the credits shows a rusted baby blue VW and the spot where the cabin used to be.  In the leaves lies the Necronomicon.  A girl’s voice says, “Hey, look what I found!” and a small hand picks up the book.

Will season three give a nod to the  2013 version of Evil Dead where the hero was a female instead of Ash? After all, Ruby said there are infinite timelines. One thing is for sure, the Necronomicon will continue to bring back evil into the world, and Ash will continue to fight it in his own unique fashion. Bring on season 3!