Ash Vs Evil Dead 302 - Booth Three - SPOILER FREE Review
AIRDATE SUNDAY, MARCH 4th at 9:00 PM ET/PT
Official Synopsis: Ruby gives birth to a new form of evil and disguises herself to form a bond with Brandy. Kelly returns with a friend who is leading the search for The Prophesized One to defeat The Dark Ones once and for all, while Ash realizes evil is out to get his daughter.
Good: More dialogue, more character development, great score, perfect soundtrack, all the actors absolutely kill it, amazing practical effects and one of the funniest - and simultaneously grossest - sequence from the franchise yet (almost).
Bad: While the series has never given much of a hoot about continuity, time and history - especially relating to Elk Grove - is all over the place and raises so many questions.
So while I can't confess to understand or know anything about ratings, or the way they're tallied, the premiere episode of Season Three of Ash Vs Evil Dead did not, by all accounts, light up the scoreboard. Well that is just downright disappointing and infuriating because AVED continues to be enjoyable, crazy, innovative and downright ballsy television (gotta be a poster/Blu ray quote right??) and we - my fellow fans and reviewers - continue to publicise it anywhere and everywhere anyone will listen. So just what the hell are you waiting for Deadites? You moaned and moaned about an Evil Dead 4 - long after I, personally, thought the question was relevant and so long after Bruce Campbell had already given multiple answers to the question - so where are you now ya bunch of yahoos!? Quit your bellyaching and get the Starz App today! Please!
So, now to my spoiler free review for Episode 2 - Booth Three. If this episode doesn't convince you that Ash Vs Evil Dead deserves to stay on television indefinitely then you may have taken one too many smacks to the head because the episode is absolutely fantastic.
As I do with most of these reviews, let me preface my following words of unadulterated and completely fair, fan boy, praise with this caveat - I have seen quite a bit of natter on the interwebs about the way the series has treated time travel and continuity. There are, also, some pretty entertaining theories and dissections of just what is going on and where everyone is by the time Ash Vs Evil Dead Season Three kicks off. To be honest, all that "unravel time travel" hullabaloo makes my brain ache and so, as a watcher, I tend to be able to turn it off and just follow the story as if it was linear and what is shown as happening IS happening.
This allows me to not really ask questions like "Wait, when are we again?", "Which Ruby is this?", "When Did Ash and Candy get it on?", "How long have they been in Elk Grove?", "So nothing changed from them going back in time and destroying the cabin?" and "Where is Linda B?"
Questions are raised again in Episode Two, for example, because there are some hints that both blonde, evil Ruby and Ash, himself, have been kicking back in Elk Grove a lot longer than it would appear if you follow the exact story of all three seasons.
I think what we have to do is accept that Season Three has a story arc they want to tell and if there have to be a few inconsistencies while they tell it, then we just have to live with that.
Each season, somewhat, rewrites the rules and plots of previous seasons anyway - not unlike the three films that came before them - this is most likely due to the fact that each season has, basically, had its own show runner - especially if we hypothesise that tensions on the set between Craig DiGregorio and Rob Tapert lead to Tapert making most of the important decisions in Season Two. We don't hear much about the writing room but I wonder how much that has shifted around too. I am sure examining the credits for each episode would give us a better idea.
All I will say about all of this is that the storyline of Season Three seems particularly odd if you know how Craig DiGregorio really wanted to end Season Two - but heigh ho! put it to the back of your mind, sit back and enjoy what is one of the best episodes yet of Ash Vs Evil Dead.
So, you know how I - and lots of others on the internet - have been banging on about the lack of dialogue and character in the show? This is usually due to the fact that in 30 mins the show has a lot to accomplish. Well enter Episode Two with all its nice character bits, its equal time with each actor, the fun and strong dialogue, the excellent performances and the welcomed, little bit of a slow down for us all to figure out just what is going on.
That's not to say the episode doesn't feature the requisite laughs and gore that we demand, far from it. The episode is book ended with sequences surrounding Ruby and the birth of her demon spawn which are as gory and squirm inducing as anything done on the series. Lucy Lawless is absolutely wonderful as Ruby and swaps between the many needs and facets of the character effortlessly.
Most fans are still talking about episode two of Season Two where Ash found himself at the wrong end of a cadaver (literally) and so that threw down the gauntlet at Season Three to see if AVED could top themselves. Well, apparently, episode two is where they put that jaw on the floor, what-did-I-just-watch, sequence and this episode is no different. I am not sure if it tops a prince Albert penis in Ash's face while his head is pulled up a pooper but I have to say, it's a pretty incredible sequence this time round and you'll never listen to A-Ha's Take On Me the same way again. Between the two, I have to say, I, personally, prefer this one and laughed my way through the awesome set piece.
A little brief doth of the cap to the groovy animation in this episode. I definitely loved it. Very cool addition to Dalton's storytelling. But gee they need to give Tom Sullivan a residual check because the Necronomicon design and design of the artwork on the show is basically all his and, per their original agreement, Tom owns the rights to his work.
The best thing about this episode though is how we get all the different character interactions. The cast are at their best! - We get to see more of Brandy (Arielle Carver-O'Neill), we get to properly meet Dalton (Lindsay Farris) and we finally get some much welcomed conversation between Kelly and Pablo. As a chapter two in the ten part movie that is Ash Vs Evil Dead Season Three, it's a good reminder that these seasons are best watched as a whole because this episode fills in what was missing in episode one and points to where the whole series is headed. Something I am definitely looking forward to...
Everybody needs to download and PAY FOR the Starz App - Now's the time! Don't be cheapskates! Pony up the dough!
Join the live tweeting of Season Three and do your part to #BringBackBoomstick - to find out more head on over to our friends at 1428ElmSt.com and learn all about Phase 2...
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