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The Ash vs. Evil Dead season 3 premiere aired and evil has returned to torment Ash, along with the news that he has a daughter he never knew.
The third season of Ash vs. Evil Dead premiered on Feb. 25 with Ash Williams standing triumphant as the hero of the series. However, as most fans of the Evil Dead franchise knows, things are not that easy.
Not only did someone else stupidly bring the Deadittes back from Hell to torment Ash, but an old flame showed up to let Ash know that he has a daughter and the demons are hunting her as well. With that, the third season (which is rumored to be the last season) of Ash vs. Evil Dead is underway.
With the first episode of Ash vs. Evil Dead season 3 available to view on Starz, here is a look at five takeaways from the premiere episode.
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1. The humor takes front stage in Ash vs. Evil Dead season 3
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There is no doubt that Ash vs. Evil Dead season 3 is keeping the fun of the series front-and-center. The entire episode opens with Ash Williams talking to the camera about saving Elk Grove and vanquishing evil. It all turned out to be a television commercial (with the boom mic showing) for Ash’s hardware store/sex emporium. Add in the scenes of him talking with customers about the various items they can purchase, and the new season starts off taking nothing seriously.
There is also the fact that Bruce Campbell has perfected his role as Ash Williams and has the sarcastic humor mastered. When talking to the mother of his child, he has memories of when he married her, including the wild ride from a bathroom stall to the altar.
The most significant takeaway from the entire Evil Dead franchise is that the humor offsets the gore, and season 3 started out in grand style with pitch-perfect Bruce Campbell humor.
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2. Ash and his friends are split up
One of the big things that the Ash vs. Evil Dead season 3 premiere shows is that the three heroes from the first two seasons are no longer together. With evil sent back to Hell, they have stopped fighting and are moving on with their lives. Ash has his hardware store/sex emporium, and Pablo sells food at a booth on the sidewalk outside the store.
Kelly, meanwhile, is gone completely. She now works at a bar where she rules over it with an iron fist (pretzels are for paying customers only!). This situation is an excellent start because it showed the new beginning for the three demon hunters was not that great for anyone not named Ash Williams. It also shows that things are better when they are together — which they were by the end — then they are when they are apart.
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3. Ash Williams has a daughter
The first significant change that the Ash vs. Evil Dead season 3 premiere did was to bring in Brandy Barr — Ash’s daughter he never knew he had. This introduction is the first of two new additions to the cast, and the one that might take the longest to get used to. This is because the episode introduced Brandy in school, with her best friend cleaning up graffiti that they left on lockers, and she is not a nice person.
The biggest problem with Brandy is that she is so unlikeable, which makes sense because that makes her just like her dad — who she never knew existed. Her mom told her that her father was shanked in prison because that was better than being Ash’s daughter. As a result, Brandy grew up rebellious, hates her life in the small town, and seems disrespectful to everyone around her (she refers to Ash as “that chainsaw geek”).
It is hard to feel sorry for Brandy when her world falls apart after her mom is decapitated in front of her because she has minimal redeeming qualities. Ash vs. Evil Dead has a lot of work to do if they want audiences to care about her this season. Maybe the doobie Ash offers his daughter at the end will make her lighten up some.
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4. Dalton joins Ash vs. Evil Dead season 3
Outside of Brandy, the other new character on Ash vs. Evil Dead season 3 is Dalton. Very little is known about Dalton yet, as he was only shown stalking Ash during the Grand Opening of his store and then taking off on a motorcycle to follow him as he headed to the high school to try to save Brandy.
It turns out that Dalton is part of a secret society called the Knights of Sumeria — an ancient order dedicated to battling evil. When he meets Ash in the high school, it turns out that Kelly has been in contact with him about the evil still existing, and she has brought him along to fight demons with the group.
So, far the only takeaway is that Dalton worships Ash Williams (which will likely change when he gets to know him better). He also looks like a photocopied version of Dean Winchester from Supernatural.
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5. The gore level remains hugely entertaining
After the opening of the Ash vs. Evil Dead season 3 premiere, which was all R-rated comedy, the next scene flips to an auction where someone is buying antiques and other items. A young girl comes in with the Necronomicon that she “found in the mud.”
As with all other versions of Evil Dead, the man looking to buy it starts to read a passage from the book. He stops when he realizes that he is summoning demons, but it is too late, and the Force smashes into the barn and kills everyone there except for the man. That is when Ruby shows up, demands the book, and then knocks the man’s head off — literally.
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However, the best was yet to come. Splatstick describes gory horror done in a comedic manner. It also means traditional effects and was perfected in the Evil Dead movie trilogy. When Ash battles the first Deaditte, it is in the high school. This fight had some brilliant moments, including the decapitation of Brandy’s mother, Candice.
However, the best moment — by far — was when Ash beat the first demon, which had possessed Brandy’s best friend. The fight took place in the band room, with numerous pieces of band equipment used as weapons. The end came when Ash took the harp and used it to slice the Deaditte’s head like a loaf of bread. It was gruesome, gory and downright brilliant.
It is scenes like this that makes Ash vs. Evil Dead such a fantastic series for fans of the original movies.
Next: Ash vs. Evil Dead Season 3 hints at the end
Catch Ash vs. Evil Dead season 3 on Sunday nights on Starz at 8 p.m. CST. It is available through many cable providers and is also on demand on the Starz app.