Season 3, Episode 8: Rifting Apart
SUMMARY: Ash (Bruce Campbell)and Pablo (Ray Santiago) come up with a bonkers plan to save Kelly (Dana DeLorenzo) and Brandy (Arielle Carver-O’Neill).
REVIEW: Well, that didn’t take long. I predicted last week that Brandy’s “death” wasn’t gonna last, as Ash was just too damn bummed, and who wants to see an “Ash vs Evil Dead” where the hero isn’t cracking wise? So, when the episode starts off, Ash immediately hatches a place to go into the rift and pull his daughter’s spirit out, which actually involves him letting evil, at long last, kill him.
Of course, Pablo, with his new brujo powers, is the ace up Ash’s sleeve, but the whole episode is rather good, with Ash travelling into the rift and seeing that many of Ruby’s victims are stuck in limbo, including Dalton. It’s a surprisingly emotional outing, as Dalton once again sacrifices himself for the greater good of the group, but not before smooching with Kelly, who’s clearly in love with him. My hunch is that Dalton will be back somehow, especially now when we realize that Kelly is still stuck in limbo, with Ash only managing to pull Brandy out of the rift in the end.
It’s worth noting that, with “Ash vs Evil Dead”’s ratings taking a nosedive, this is likely the last season of the show. It’s ironic that the end comes just as the show’s at its best, but isn’t that always the case? It really does feel like the showrunners saw the writing on the wall, and that it’s playing towards some kind of conclusion. My hunch is that Kelly will stay dead in the end, and get reunited with Dalton somehow, but we’ll see.
Overall, this is another good episode, although it’s lighter on the laughs than usual, with the horror aspect being amped up a bit, something I actually like as its so rare the show really doubles down on horror. I’m liking the fatherhood arc this season, as well as Pablo’s beefed-up part, so hopefully this plays to a satisfying end. I guess we’ll know soon enough as there are only two episodes left. I’m optimistic.
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