Ash vs. Evil Dead - Bait - Review

The second episode picks up right where the pilot left off. It enhances the feeling that this season is going to be one story rather than an episodic one with an arc to tie the pieces together. I’m good with that.

It might not look like it on the surface, but Ash is a pretty goal oriented guy. He is intent on getting The Book of the Dead translated so he can put the evil to rest and is willing to sacrifice Kelly’s family to do it. There are those who wouldn’t argue with his priorities. I can see his point. Pablo can’t. He convinces Ash that Kelly took The Book so Ash will have to go after her.

They take off. Turns out to be a good thing that Ash drove off with the trailer in tow. First because the police show up at the trailer park not long after he leaves (why is unclear) and secondly because watching the trailer swerve up the road as Ash fights off his Deadite boss (Mr. Roper…anyone else watch “Three’s Company”?) was just a hoot. Ash saws most of his head off with a broken beer bottle then uses a passing car to decapitate the Deadite. I do love that they are coming up with some fun ways to behead the Deadites. I would have loved seeing the reaction on that driver’s face.

Ash and Pablo burst into Kelly’s house ready for more action, Ash wielding his trusty chainsaw and Pablo the broken beer bottle, only to find Kelly’s mom alive and well and explaining that she was in a homeless shelter in Ohio with amnesia. Ash doesn’t buy it for a minute. His dinner party interrogation was awesome. He went longer than I expected before punching Mrs. Maxwell off her chair and forcing the Deadite to reveal itself.

This episode was filled with some great dialog, more than in the pilot. I am growing to enjoy Ray Santiago’s performance. He’s made Pablo a very unique character with a unique voice. I was happily surprised to see Mimi Rogers. She seemed to be having a great time during the dinner interrogation scene.

No sign of Lucy Lawless this week, but we did see Amanda start her investigation. The one oversight in the script was why the cops showed up at Ash’s trailer park. At least she’s asking herself if Ash has anything to do with all the bodies dropping as opposed to jumping to the conclusion that Ash is guilty.

This week’s installment continued to give fans the silly, bloody fun they love about the franchise. It feels like set pieces are being moved into position for where the story is headed. The episode ran only about 22 minutes or so; unexpected for Starz, but I think the format is going to work well for the show.




I also like the idea of picking up right where we left off the previous week. If they keep it up it’ll mean that when I go back and binge the entire season it will play like a seamless movie.

What did you guys think? Are you still enjoying the show?

About the Author - Prpleight

Prpleight is a screenwriter and senior software engineer with solid geek cred. When not writing code, screenplays, or watching TV (sometimes she does all three at the same time), she uses her broadsword Bessie to battle evil. She's been a frequent contributor to the SpoilerTV discussion boards for several years now.

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