Ash vs Evil Dead S03E04: Unfinished Business Discussion [SPOILERS]

[MaidOfKandar]

Welcome to this week's Ash vs Evil Dead episode discussion thread! Some additional ground rules to the basic ones on the forum for those who want to participate:

1: This and all future threads will be a choose to warn experience; IE you will not need to use spoiler bars to talk about things that happened in this and previous episodes.

2: It is, however, advisable to use spoiler bars if you want to talk about spoilers for an unaired episode.

3: Please be respectful of the opinions of your fellow Deadites; some people may not love the episode as much as you do; some may love it more. Discussion and debate are good things.



LAST WEEK'S THREAD:

Here!



SUMMARY:

Brock warns Ash of an otherworldly hurricane brewing; Ash and Pablo make a discovery at the hardware store; Kelly and Brandy face a familiar foe


TRAILER:

Clips:

2

Gallery:

@FarFarAway Site


Episode was directed by Daniel Nettheim, and was written by Nicki Paluga, both of whom I can't find Joe helped me find IMDB credits for!

All news, spoilers, clips and reactions pertaining to the episode are welcome!

 

[Joem1k]

Here's the imdb credits for both people and another clip.

Nicki

Daniel


Clip

Spoiler: Thoughts on both clips

1. I'm really going to love the relationship between brandy and kelly, seems like she's going to be the one to knock some sense into brandy about her father and what's currently happening. That Daria burn though, good lord haha.

2. So i'm gonna safely assume the brock we saw in the previous episode was in fact a evil version of him and this is the real one, that aside. It's very interesting to now hear ash got beat up/bullied over his full name in his childhood on the playground.

 

[MaidOfKandar]

Thank you! Amending the post now.

Spoiler: Theory

I'm pretty sure Brock's soul's going to escape the wasp and make his way back to Ash somehow. HOW IDK but somehow.

 

[Joem1k]

Episode is now up for viewing on the app. Enjoy Everyone !

 

[Kevin]

Really enjoyed this episode. Just lots of cool little things that made this episode really fun. The sets continue to be fantastic as well. A very solid fourth episode.

 

[Joem1k]

Felt like the first part to a two parter, but i will say it was a very amazing first parter.

Really loved that they fleshed out brock's relationship with ash in a short span of time and we got some very much needed fleshing out for kelly along with brandy.

Spoiler: Ash's name

Good lord brock, were you trying to get your son builled with that middle name ? haha, i'm starting to think he was expecting another daughter.

 

[MaidOfKandar]

It's a very good episode and I've got minimal complaints at first blush. Will be back tomorrow night with thoughts!

Spoiler: Spoiler for those who won't be watching the episode since this is important canonical information; Ash's middle name is...

The J in "Ashley J. Williams" stands for Joanna.

Spoiler: @Joe

I used to headcanon that Ash's mom was a Gone with the Wind fan which is how he ended up with Ashley; now I wanna know what happened to cause him to end up with that kind of moniker in actual canon!

 

[Sutter Cane]

Well, I cannot say this episode was awesome but it was at least interesting. There's still bad corny moments but overall I can say it was average/good. It seems to lead somewhere (at least for the first part). Once again, hope they will not destroy this set up in the next episode.

Spoiler: Spoilers comments

PRO :

-Camera work, atmosphere of the whole episode
- More mytholigy (It was about time)
-Despite de bad FX morphing on little Evil Ash I think this could lead to something interesting.

CON :
-Everything about Kelly (Sorry she's just a poor's man Ash. Everything that happened to Ash before, is happening to her soon or later.)
-Deadite Pablo : Did I need to say something? He was just bad as a deadite. They should at least add more evil FX to his voice to hide the bad performance.
-Did we need to bring back the powerful vagina joke once again? Did it was a good one liner last season? Hell no! So why bringing it back?
-As I said earlier, please stop bad mouth morphing FX. It's so bad B movies from early 2000. Just some rumbling camera work and sound fx could have been more effective.

Toughts : About that "Joana" reference on Ash name. Is it just a joke or this will lead to something more? Are we going to learn that maybe, Ash's mom was someone from the KoS? or maybe a more powerful group that fight against evil? So that could explain why Ash is half Joe Shmuck / half heroic. If he is a descendant from a powerful person of the KoS that could explain a lot of things.

 

[Nick el Ass]

Spoiler: Spoiler for those who won't be watching the episode since this is important canonical information; Ash's middle name is...

The J in "Ashley J. Williams" stands for Joanna.

Spoiler

I always assumed his middle name was Jay much like Homer Simpson, or in the case of US President Harry S. Truman it was just something added to fill out his name.

Spoiler: Poor Dalton.

Really went out with a bang.

 

[DyD]

Just a stream of random impressions this time, cause once again, I don't have much to say... Pretty mediocre episode. I liked the interaction between Ash and Brock a lot, even though I still hate the context around it. Did they really turn Brock into a remorseless murderer now, just for giggles? And Ash's the one who's supposed to be a sociopath? Lee Majors is a treasure, perfectly cast and has great chemistry with Bruce, but I hate nearly everything they did with the character so far. Such a waste. Dalton is also a waste of a surprisingly good character and actor. I'm already starting to question the way they decided to move forward with Brandy and I'm also really starting to hate Kelly as a character. She's just baggage so far and has contributed absolutely nothing to the show. Couldn't give two craps about this Kaya character. She's just gonna be the Eligos of this season with a bit of Baal sprinkled on top, but probably a lot worse. I'm still not seeing the point of introducing this new character and plot point halfway through the season when they already have so much going on that needs proper development. Deadite Pablo had his ups and downs, sometimes he was good sometimes he was bad. At least I really liked the way his action scenes were shot. That diving through the windshield and his two-feet kicks against the trailer walls were really cool, very AoD. Dialogue continues to be uneven and inconsistent, same as the humor. One liners feel forced and unfunny. Ash's fight against the tentacles and the stuff with Kelly's leg were a LOT of fun and really well made, I got lots of real Evil Dead vibes from that stuff. Those are probably my favorite bits on this episode. On the other hand, I absolutely hated the demonic kid at the end.

I still think this is the strongest the show has been so far... But it's still far from being good. Or maybe I'm just burnt out at this point. I honestly don't care about it anymore and don't get any expectations or excitement from watching new episodes.

P.S.: "Ah, it's pretty convoluted" and "Wow, talk about two steps back". I honestly can't tell if those lines are just a coincidence or actual self-aware ironic commentary about the writing on the show and the criticism coming from people online about it... And I don't know which would be worse.

P.P.S.: This episode really could have used Johnny Cash's "A Boy Named Sue" at some point. By the way, I'm not a big fan of Ash's middle name reveal. If it doesn't lead anywhere, it was just a bad joke that felt just as forced as "Linda B".

 

[Joem1k]

I still think this is the strongest the show has been so far... But it's still far from being good. Or maybe I'm just burnt out at this point. I honestly don't care about it anymore and don't get any expectations or excitement from watching new episodes.

I'm gonna say it's a case of being burnt out with the show and trying to look for every fault with each episode because of the previous two seasons and where they will fuck it up again, those types of expectations will you burn you out after two years of doing that. you don't gotta watch it weekly anymore if you don't want too.

i'm starting to get to that breaking point as well with this show where i'm burnt out on the weekly wait in-between episodes, just feels like a drag waiting to get to the next part of this show week after week and only getting served a half hour of material to discuss and dissect stuff. I'm very much contemplating on letting the rest of this season air and binge it or waiting a couple weeks letting the episodes build up.


I'm thinking about skipping out on a full review on this episode, just don't feel up for doing it tonight (Even though i really loved this episode, i've hit the wall on the weekly wait for this season)

 

[Surtur]

P.S.: "Ah, it's pretty convoluted" and "Wow, talk about two steps back". I honestly can't tell if those lines are just a coincidence or actual self-aware ironic commentary about the writing on the show and the criticism coming from people online about it. And I don't know which is worse.

I have actually only seen overwhelmingly positive reactions to the show both online and in person, until coming here. I have my own couple complaints about the show, but I also have a few complaints about the original trilogy as well. All I really wanted was some more Ash fighting deadites after decades of watching the same three movies, and they delivered, none of the other small complaints can take that away

 

[DyD]

I'm gonna say it's a case of being burnt out with the show and trying to look for every fault with each episode because of the previous two seasons and where they will fuck it up again, those types of expectations will you burn you out after two years of doing that. you don't gotta watch it weekly anymore if you don't want too.

i'm starting to get to that breaking point as well with this show where i'm burnt out on the weekly wait in-between episodes, just feels like a drag waiting to get to the next part of this show week after week and only getting served a half hour of material to discuss and dissect stuff. I'm very much contemplating on letting the rest of this season air and binge it or waiting a couple weeks letting the episodes build up.


I'm thinking about skipping out on a full review on this episode, just don't feel up for doing it tonight (Even though i really loved this episode, i've hit the wall on the weekly wait for this season)

Just wanna clarify that "being burnt out" doesn't mean in any way, shape or form that I'm actively looking for stuff to complain about or that I wouldn't be able to recognize things that are good and well done. That's kind of a condescending thing to say. In fact, I had positive things to say about the episode. It's just that to me, personally, the bad outweighed the good once again. This has nothing to do with expectations. Like I said at the end of my post, I hardly have any expectations at all anymore. Currently, the show isn't frustrating me, it's just boring me to tears. It's just there, doing its slightly improved stale schtick.

But I agree with the rest of your post. I've been noticing that fewer and fewer people are here discussing the show on a episode by episode basis. I don't know if the possible imminent cancelation has anything to do with that, if less people are watching the show as it airs or if it's just honest to goodness burn out/lack of things to say.

 

[waifugenerator]

Spoiler: Episode

Ughhh a lot of things have looked cheesy this season in a not fun way. Kaya talking through the book looks so ridiculous compared to the effects in season one. I also don't like this "dead world" plot point that's about to come up. It feels very Stranger Things-y and I bet it's supposed to be the place where deadite host's souls go. Hence Brandy's friend appearing in the portal

 

[Sutter Cane]

Spoiler: Episode

Ughhh a lot of things have looked cheesy this season in a not fun way. Kaya talking through the book looks so ridiculous compared to the effects in season one. I also don't like this "dead world" plot point that's about to come up. It feels very Stranger Things-y and I bet it's supposed to be the place where deadite host's souls go. Hence Brandy's friend appearing in the portal

Yeah using the Necronomicon as an Ipad with an app chat video to contact Underworld was not the best idea. I agree. How about something more ritualistic through fire or water?

 

[Nick el Ass]

I've been noticing that fewer and fewer people are here discussing the show on a episode by episode basis. I don't know if the possible imminent cancelation has anything to do with that, if less people are watching the show as it airs or if it's just honest to goodness burn out/lack of things to say.

I don't think there are less people on here to discuss the finer things about each episode in fact I have seen a lot of new faces, but there is only so much that can be said about each episode in a reviewing manner. People also like to focus on the lager picture on here plus there is the whole social media aspect which plays into it all which I have seen more people starting to call out others for their "so called" fandom on Twitter as a reason for the show not doing so hot. That is the reason I like coming on here to discuss AvED as opposed to other places because we are fans of The Evil Dead who aren't afraid to call it like we see it, and with less snootiness when we disagree on something. The Evil Dead has been around for nearly 40 years, and will continue on forever as will Deadites (finger crossed)... but I hope these people realize how good they have it with something more than an idea like back in the dark ages when we had no clue if Ash would ever return to any screen.


/Now I have to get my thoughts together on this episode.

 

[MaidOfKandar]

And here are my opinions for the week:

The Good

The Brock and Ash relationship generally felt good and flowed well. I don't know if I 100 percent buy the mean edge of Brock not wishing him well in the end, but it felt very them, and the love between them felt very true and natural. Ash's feelings

I liked Ash lamenting the fact that Brandy hates him, and Brock's fondness for Brandy even though he doesn't know her. Him wanting Ash to tell Brandy about him was really sweet.

Kelly and Brandy's chemistry was also bitter, sweet and intereting.

I really like the surviving hitchhiker and her buddy chemistry with Ash

Spoiler: Spoiler

Naturally she's supposed to die next week and is the person the baby pilots around.

The Meh

Kelly's still a flat character, but I like her in mama bear mode. If she grows a mini-Pablo out of her leg I'll be...intrigued if nothing else.

Ashley Joanna Williams. It's not the worst choice they could've made, but I'd have at least made his A Boy Named Suing make sense.

The Force Ghost effect wasn't embarrassing this time but wasn't the best choice they've made.

Deadite Pablo was at least funny, and Ray was clearly having a lot of fun. His sex puns are an echo of the notion that they have reduced Deadites to a single mode: horny.

Whelp. Pablo/Kelly shippers are getting their wishes fulfilled in strange ways... (Sorry @Joem1k )

Dalton's super noble second death goes to show how thoroughly he's been wasted. Not as much as Linda B and her brood or Amanda, thankfully, but still frustratingly wasted.

The Bad

I know why they didn't show Pablo going Deadite last week. They really missed out on a money shot.

So somehow the passage to the underworld was opened by these hidden passages when Ash didn't read them. Just touched them. Was the implication Ruby did it when she let Brock's soul out? The combo of that and Kelly claiming the dagger. And if Ruby still has friends on the other side that they're working against, you'd think she'd have turned to her first.

Why was Ruby shoving various effluvia down the sink? Didn't it smell? Do demons like the scent of rotting flesh?

The CGI on the baby's mouth. No. No thank you.

Was there any plot reason for Brock to actually imprison that dude in his basement until he starved to death? He could've just as esaily painted the book pages as graffiti on the side of the building. A weirdly dark moment in an arm of the franchise that's been pretty lighthearted.

You'd think Kelly would know to chop her leg off if she'd been bitten. Ash saved his own life that way. How did he never tell either of them about it?


Final Verdict: A solid if not perfect episode!

Observations:

Ash's middle name is officially Joanna now, which josses long-held comics canon that it's James.

Did Brock sleep with all of Ash's teachers?!

 

[MaidOfKandar]

I'm thinking about skipping out on a full review on this episode, just don't feel up for doing it tonight

Missed your presence on Twitter tonight!

I have seen more people starting to call out others for their "so called" fandom on Twitter as a reason for the show not doing so hot.

I was afraid that might happen. Ultimately if someone's taking the time out to talk about the show, then they're doing something important for the fandom; discussing, debating and keeping it alive.

 

[Nick el Ass]

Was there any plot reason for Brock to actually imprison that dude in his basement until he starved to death? He could've just as esaily painted the book pages as graffiti on the side of the building. A weirdly dark moment in an arm of the franchise that's been pretty lighthearted.

At least he had some Spam to chow on, but you would also think he would be making some noise down there so he could be found before he died.

Missed your presence on Twitter tonight!



I was afraid that might happen. Ultimately if someone's taking the time out to talk about the show, then they're doing something important for the fandom; discussing, debating and keeping it alive.

Yeah, the guy I chatted with who was using the bring back the boomstick was calling out certain fans who in his words were capable... but too lazy to buy Starz for killing the show and thus the entire franchise for everyone. I mean I have heard Bruce talk about people downloading stuff, but at least Bruce knows what he is talking about. Like I said above I don't think some of these people understand that attacking people in articles and/or Tweets isn't going to make people buy Starz, but it is their last resort when everything else has failed.

 

[MaidOfKandar]

ring back the boomstick was calling out certain fans who in his words were capable... but too lazy to buy Starz for killing the show and thus the entire franchise for everyone. I mean I have heard Bruce talk about people downloading stuff, but at least Bruce knows what he is talking about. Like I said above I don't think some of these people understand that attacking people in articles and/or Tweets isn't going to make people buy Starz, but it is their last resort when everything else has failed.

i was worried that might be a reaction in the fandom. I wish i could say Bruce's statistics pan out right, but they simply don't seem to - and even the highest bootlegged episodes on the lists pull in a million or more of live viewers. Attacking one another won't get anyone anywhere.