You know, I had some beef with the season 2 finale of Ash Vs. Evil Dead, the main source of it being that time travel nonsense went vaguely unexplained and Ash was randomly revered as a hero in his home town. But, with the Evil Dead series, in which every movie essentially rebooted the entire franchise, glossing over lore sort of just comes with the territory.
This was my attitude going in to season 3, which Starz was kind enough to provide TVOvermind with previews of the first five episodes. Though a few lingering questions still stuck in the back of my head, they were easily quelled by the insane and goofy fun that Ash Vs. Evil Dead has become known for.
Season 3 opens much like the previous seasons, with Ash and friends settling into a peaceful, if not a bit mediocre, life, only for the halcyon days to be ripped away by the hands of Evil once more. While this might sound a bit formulaic, Ash Vs.‘s third season finds ways to make everything feel, not just fresh and new, but deep as well.
In season 2, we learned that Ash’s home town saw him as a killer, a monster who chopped up his friends in a cabin in the woods, which was a great way to delve deeper into the world of Evil Dead. In season 3, the world sees him for the brave monster hunter that he truly is, inflating his ego more than ever. Even better, Evil is seemingly defeated and he’s taken over his father’s hardware store, becoming a local celebrity for whom nothing can go wrong.
But, of course, various metaphorical monkey wrenches are thrown into this newfound peace; Ash finds out he has a daughter, Evil has returned, and he is once again dragged into his fate as the prophesied one. While this might seem like the same old song and dance – and there are times when season 3 definitely feels this way – that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Ash Vs. is almost always a satisfyingly silly ride of comically oversaturated gore and creative action sequences draped over a whole lot of heart, and season 3 takes this notion, something that all entries in the franchise share, and builds upon it. Ash’s aforementioned estranged daughter, Brandy, brings a welcome change to the usual formula, dialing up the show’s emotional core and providing Ash with a real reason to develop as a person.
As Ash attempts to convince Brandy that he’s not the “Ashy Slashy” monster she believes him to be – which isn’t easy after he kills her deadite friend in front of her – Ruby is up to her old ways, plotting to take down Ash by hitting him where it hurts, his family. She attempts to lure in Brandy while raising a whole new kind of Evil to combat Ash, a reveal that is better left unspoiled.
Family is a big theme of the new season, but it isn’t dug into too deeply, which is the perfect approach for the show. Ash Vs. sticks to its guns (or should we say boomsticks), focusing on the creative action sequences, genuinely frightening monsters and overall goofy fun. But, not to be without substance, these elements are the outer shell of an emotional core that peaks through strongly in season 3.
So, what is there to expect in the new season of Ash Vs. Evil Dead? As usual, a whole lot of fun, an insane war between good and evil, and a whole lot of heart. The show makes its first big veer from the formula of previous seasons, but does so in a way that, while cliche at times, makes us genuinely invested in the characters and overarching plot.
New elements are introduced into the lore of Evil Dead while old ones are explored deeper, a nice mix of world building styles that makes the first half of season 3 feel fresh, but familiar. If you want to see Ashley J. Williams fight Evil once again, this time with a lot more at risk, then get ready for season 3 of Ash Vs. Evil Dead.
Ash Vs. Evil Dead season 3 premiers tomorrow night at 9pm on Starz.
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