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| Chainsaw arm and all |
"There's a sort of evil out there. Something very, very strange in these old woods. Call it what you want. A darkness, a presence. It takes many forms but... it's been out there for as long as anyone can remember and we've always been here to fight it." - Sheriff Harry S. Truman, Twin Peak, S01E03
On Halloween, a peculiar show on a peculiar network premiered: Ash vs. Evil Dead, a new Starz original. As a fan of all B movies, and the Evil Dead franchise in particular, the idea excited me. Bruce Campbell is one of the most fun actors to watch, and a pseudo-reboot of the series with new characters and further exploration into the H.P. Lovecraftian mythos of the franchise was certainly intriguing. However, to make it worth watching, Sam Raimi and co. would have to make something that hooked viewers week to week, developing the characters as well as delivering fun, gory, ridiculousness. Being the loser that I am, I saw the premiere live that night on Halloween, and let me tell you, the premiere episode: "El Jefe," delivered on all fronts. For the past six weeks, Ash vs. Evil Dead has become one of the best half hours of television one can watch this season.
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| Our ragtag team of Deadite Slayers |
In the Evil Dead movies, the centerpiece of the films have always been the action sequences and the hilarious performance by Bruce Campbell as the titular Ash Williams. In the series, though both of those aspects are very much present, to become more of a long form narrative, the world, as well as the supporting cast, had to be brought to light. Ever since the events of Army of Darkness, Ash has been working at a convenience store and living out of a trailer, womanizing and drinking as he goes along. However, when he accidentally reads out of the Necronomicon again, the Evil Dead rise to kill Ash at all costs. After fighting a Deadite at the convenience store, Ash's coworker, Pablo sees him and believes him to be an ancient warrior his Uncle, a shaman, told him about known as "El Jefe." The girl Pablo likes, Kelly, also joins them after her parents are killed and turned into Deadites. Meanwhile, a cop, Amanda Fisher, loses her partner to a Deadite and decides to hunt down the root of the evil. Finally, Lucy Lawless plays Ruby Knowby, the daughter of the owner of the cabin from the original Evil Dead. She believes that Ash is the root of the Deadite problem and vows to kill him to stop it.
The supporting cast has been developed shockingly well. Fisher and Knowby have teamed up to stop Ash, giving us anti-heroes, while Ash's two sidekicks have been molded into characters that the audience actually cares about and enjoys, instead of asking the question of "When will Ash show up?" After Kelly loses her parents and Pablo loses his uncle, their emotional attachment to the real world departs, allowing them to commit their time to fighting the dead full time with Ash. In a way, it's like a better version of The Strain, wherein Abraham Setrakien has gathered a band of nothing-left-to-lose vampire hunters. There however, the show is weighed down by shoddy writing and bland characterization, while Ash can focus on a small group and develop them with comedy as well as drama. Pair this with the fantastic performances all four of the supporting players have done so far, and the show engages even more.
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| Look how Lawless! |
The world of Evil Dead has also been brought out more than ever before. In a minor arc from episode three to episode five, Ash and his group summon a demon from the Necronomicon named Eligos into the world. The horrific blue creature takes up residence inside of Ash's mind, while at the same time taking over Kelly in episode five, leading to an exorcism and a defeat of the demon. Bringing more other-worldly entities is a good move for the show. We've always understood the boundaries of a Deadite's power, but other than the book being evil, nothing has ever been revealed about the story behind it. Now, with the introduction of demons into the plot, as well as further development behind why exactly Ash is the chosen "Jefe" to battle the Deadites, the mythos of the show can be given more time.
As an enormous Lovecraft fan, I'm interested to see how much they bark up that tree. The Necronomicon is at the center of the show's mythology, meaning that there could easily be Old Gods in the mix as well. Though I'm not expecting any Deep Ones or Cthulhu mentions, some reference to Azathoth, Yog'Sothoth, or Nyarlathotep doesn't seem out of the question.
I apologize for the above paragraph for anyone who isn't a total and utter nerd.
Though Ash vs. Evil Dead is certainly not for everyone, as it is littered with rather R rated humor and imagery, for any and all fans of the franchise or that genre of humor, it's must-watch television, Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi have done it again, coming together to form a show that is nothing if not 100% groovy.Labels: Army of Darkness, Ash vs. Evil Dead, Bruce Campbell, Dana DeLorenzo, Evil Dead, H.P. Lovecraft, Ivan Raimi, Jill Marie Jones, Lucy Lawless, Necronomicon, Ray Santiago, Sam Raimi, Starz, Tom Spezialy
