Review by Eric Hillis (@hilliseric)
We live in the age of nostalgia. A look at the lineup of Hollywood movies coming our way in 2016 presents us with reboots of and sequels to properties many viewers will be too young to have remembered the first time around. Few of these examples of nostalgia porn have anything going for them beyond a desire to exploit childhood memories. The best of the bunch is the revival of the Planet of the Apes franchise, which has managed to clear its own path through the thick brush of fan service. On TV, Ash Vs Evil Dead is doing similarly commendable work.
The series has thus far avoided trading on past glories to any overwhelming degree, but in Ashes to Ashes we find Ash (Bruce Campbell) returning to THAT cabin in the woods, the most iconic location in '80s horror cinema. The episode doesn't shove its presence down our throat. The callbacks are subtle - the dust covered grandfather clock, the moth eaten mounted deer head and the porch seat, the sound of which banging against the cabin wall took me back to my youth in a far more vivid way than anything in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
In the adjacent shed, the scene of Evil Dead 2's most memorable moments, Ash finds himself locked in and harassed by the disembodied head of his old sweetheart Linda (Rebekkah Farrell), who makes some propositions that are shockingly filthy for a TV show. Back in the cabin, Amanda (Jill Marie Jones) is seduced by Ash's severed hand, which has now grown into a clone of the chinned one's entire being. Out in the woods, Kelly (Dana DeLorenzo) and Pablo (Ray Santiago) run across a trio of antipodean hikers, including a horny blonde (Samara Weaving, niece of actor Hugo) who expresses interest in having some down under fun with Pablo before Kelly tellingly cock-blocks the frustrated lad by lying about his relationship status. The trio disappear into the woods, and we can only assume we'll be seeing them again in deadite form.
In the darkest turn of the series so far, Amanda is killed by the fake Ash, though I have a feeling we may not have seen the last of her. Lucy Lawless's Ruby is absent from this episode, but I'm guessing she'll play a pivotal role in the season finale, if not both remaining episodes.
With Ash thirsty for vengeance, and Pablo and Kelly, along with a trio of potential deadite fodder, wandering the woods, everything's in place for a mayhem filled conclusion to Ash Vs Evil Dead's satisfying debut season.
