Ash vs Evil Dead General Discussion Thread [NO SPOILERS]

[DyD]

The sad thing for me is that apparently a quite large number of fans are in fact satisfied with just the passable splatter and lazy callbacks to the films. To make matters worse, those fans seem to be the only ones the showrunners are listening to right now. They've been systematically refusing to look at the bad ratings or acknowledge any of the negative reactions, and they keep boasting about the early raving reviews that are based solely on the first episodes. They seem to be burying their head in the sand and this really doesn't fill me with confidence that we'll see any improvement or a change in approach on the second season.

 

[Joem1k]

The sad thing for me is that apparently a quite large number of fans are in fact satisfied with just the passable splatter and lazy callbacks to the films. To make matters worse, those fans seem to be the only ones the showrunners are listening to right now. They've been systematically refusing to look at the bad ratings or acknowledge any of the negative reactions, and they keep boasting about the early raving reviews that are based solely on the first episodes. They seem to be burying their head in the sand and this really doesn't fill me with confidence that we'll see any improvement or a change in approach on the second season.

Actually bruce brought the ratings up through a wise crack during his new Orleans panel for wizard world, i can't quite remember what he said but it went something like this

"Ahh the ratings are going up, this guy should have a show on starz" 

I remember watching that panel through a periscope, don't know if the link is still up for it but i'll see if i can go track it down for ya, no promises though.  :-/

I think we need to just wait and see with S2 cause, 1. The first season was made with the intent that they were getting cancelled 2.First seasons are always the roughest and hardest for writers, directors and the actors, They started out strong in the first couple episodes and ended on a high note with the final three episodes, i think what they gotta figure out for season 2 is what they wanna do in the middle and make it not seem like filler. With the few details we have right now,  it seems like they have the right idea in what they wanna do and that's expanding on it's main character and  main antagonist.

 

[MaidOfKandar]

The sad thing for me is that apparently a quite large number of fans are in fact satisfied with just the passable splatter and lazy callbacks to the films. To make matters worse, those fans seem to be the only ones the showrunners are listening to right now. They've been systematically refusing to look at the bad ratings or acknowledge any of the negative reactions, and they keep boasting about the early raving reviews that are based solely on the first episodes. They seem to be burying their head in the sand and this really doesn't fill me with confidence that we'll see any improvement or a change in approach on the second season.

I want to know what they're going to serve up this season.  At this point they can't just keep going back to the cabin every season, and they can't keep going to the same wells again and again and again year after year.  

RE the ratings see my comments below; they're aware.  The Starz execs seem pretty aware, too.  The question is are they in a position to fix it, and do they want to?

And yeah, every time they drag out that Rotten Tomatoes score they conveniently forget that the only regular news outlets who covered AvED are Rolling Stone and the AV Club.  RS was basically an excuse-making rave every week, while the AV club dashed between being properly critical and publishing raves.  

The sad thing for me is that apparently a quite large number of fans are in fact satisfied with just the passable splatter and lazy callbacks to the films. To make matters worse, those fans seem to be the only ones the showrunners are listening to right now. They've been systematically refusing to look at the bad ratings or acknowledge any of the negative reactions, and they keep boasting about the early raving reviews that are based solely on the first episodes. They seem to be burying their head in the sand and this really doesn't fill me with confidence that we'll see any improvement or a change in approach on the second season.

Actually bruce brought the ratings up through a wise crack during his new Orleans panel for wizard world, i can't quite remember what he said but it went something like this

"Ahh the ratings are going up, this guy should have a show on starz" 

I remember watching that panel through a periscope, don't know if the link is still up for it but i'll see if i can go track it down for ya, no promises though.  :-/

I think we need to just wait and see with S2 cause, 1. The first season was made with the intent that they were getting cancelled 2.First seasons are always the roughest and hardest for writers, directors and the actors, They started out strong in the first couple episodes and ended on a high note with the final three episodes, i think what they gotta figure out for season 2 is what they wanna do in the middle and make it not seem like filler. With the few details we have right now,  it seems like they have the right idea in what they wanna do and that's expanding on it's main character and  main antagonist.

Half the panel is up on youtube but no one's ponied up the complete one for free.  It's under paid lock over on ConTV apparently.

I think everyone's aware of how bad the ratings are.  Bruce's resentment's been leaking out all over the place in public, between the Walking Dead and Star Wars stuff, and now the self-deprecating snark is about to start judging from that comment.  It's really their fault for overestimating the audience they had.

 

[DyD]

Alright, when I'm wrong, I'm wrong. I guess they are aware of the poor ratings.

 

[Nick el Ass]

I hate waiting, but Bruce just posted the following on Facebook and Twitter.


[font=Arial, sans-serif]"Wow. Crazy casting news coming for [/font][font=Arial, sans-serif]@AshvsEvilDead[/font][font=Arial, sans-serif] 2!"[/font]

https://twitter.com/GroovyBruce/status/689996433911582723

 

[Joem1k]

I hate waiting, but Bruce just posted the following on Facebook and Twitter.


[font=Arial, sans-serif]"Wow. Crazy casting news coming for [/font][font=Arial, sans-serif]@AshvsEvilDead[/font][font=Arial, sans-serif] 2!"[/font]

https://twitter.com/GroovyBruce/status/689996433911582723

Please be ted...please be ted.....

 

[eViL DeAdiTe]

Shatner?

 

[MaidOfKandar]

Ted wouldn't be what Bruce would consider 'wild' or 'crazy', so it's either the Shatner announcement or they managed to score somebody unexpected to play Ash's Love Interest #2. Or Carrie Fisher really will be showing up, though I don't know if she'd be willing to go all the way to NZ, or if she could even send her support dog there.

---

Alright, when I'm wrong, I'm wrong. I guess they are aware of the poor ratings.

The big question will be what, if anything, they'll do to fix or reinvent the wheel.

 

[DyD]

The big question will be what, if anything, they'll do to fix or reinvent the wheel.

That's actually the point I was trying to make when I said they seem to be burying their heads in the sand. The general attitude I'm getting from the showrunners is "the show's an absolute success in every way and there's nothing to fix, so we're just gonna keep doing the same thing cause it worked so well the first time", and we all know that's very far from the truth.

Concerning Bruce's tweet about casting, maybe the Godfather mashup image he posted along with it is a clue? Or am I reading too much into it?

 

[Joem1k]

The big question will be what, if anything, they'll do to fix or reinvent the wheel.

That's actually the point I was trying to make when I said they seem to be burying their heads in the sand. The general attitude I'm getting from the showrunners is "the show's an absolute success in every way and there's nothing to fix, so we're just gonna keep doing the same thing cause it worked so well the first time", and we all know that's very far from the truth.

Concerning Bruce's tweet about casting, maybe the Godfather mashup image he posted along with it is a clue? Or am I reading too much into it?

This is how i look at it from what they presented in season 1 and some of the conflicts that they had with some of the storyline's going into season 1

1. The scripts were basically revisions of what sam raimi and ivan wrote in there 5 year plan that they had laid out and they basically had to come in and work with sam and ivan to make it work for tv. 

2. Ruby's character and story-line seems to have come in way later into production so it kinda makes me wonder if they had to rewrite on the fly for her character to fit into the episode's with amanda's story arc to were it makes sense and that's were i think they kinda had to rush it due to conflicts with the scheduling with lucy. 

3. Yes they had a lot of loose ends and some questions that weren't answered in the finale, but you have to remember they had to leave it open ended in case it got cancelled, so in my eyes i have a feeling were going to get some of those answers we were looking for in s1 and loose ends getting tied up in s2.

Season 1 in general seems to have been plagued with constant rewrites/revision's and it shows, i think the writers didn't know how to approach some episodes, some succeeded while others kinda fell flat on there face (*cough* rob wright*cough*). From the little details about s2 we've gotten it seems like they have several things in mind for season 2 and it's the two things that was really needed for s1, expanding on ash's character and expanding on ruby's character, and in my eye's that's a huge step in the right direction.


Now about that godFATHER image 

 

[Elise41]

Yikes. I am too excited. They need to stop teasing us. Haven't heard about Carrie Fisher or Shatner though? Where is that from?

 

[Joem1k]

https://twitter.com/meghubb/status/690370557154627585

HMMMM

Spoiler

DUDE, if ruby is going to be trading in her charger for some type of demonic horseback, that would  be f**king awesome.

 

[MaidOfKandar]

The big question will be what, if anything, they'll do to fix or reinvent the wheel.

That's actually the point I was trying to make when I said they seem to be burying their heads in the sand. The general attitude I'm getting from the showrunners is "the show's an absolute success in every way and there's nothing to fix, so we're just gonna keep doing the same thing cause it worked so well the first time", and we all know that's very far from the truth.

Concerning Bruce's tweet about casting, maybe the Godfather mashup image he posted along with it is a clue? Or am I reading too much into it?

Ahh, understood!   In a way I think it's something they have to say, and in a way I think the press is being overweaningly complimentary.  Like, they have to acknowledge that being the thirty-fourth most popular show on cable is not good.  

It could be! 

The big question will be what, if anything, they'll do to fix or reinvent the wheel.

That's actually the point I was trying to make when I said they seem to be burying their heads in the sand. The general attitude I'm getting from the showrunners is "the show's an absolute success in every way and there's nothing to fix, so we're just gonna keep doing the same thing cause it worked so well the first time", and we all know that's very far from the truth.

Concerning Bruce's tweet about casting, maybe the Godfather mashup image he posted along with it is a clue? Or am I reading too much into it?

This is how i look at it from what they presented in season 1 and some of the conflicts that they had with some of the storyline's going into season 1

1. The scripts were basically revisions of what sam raimi and ivan wrote in there 5 year plan that they had laid out and they basically had to come in and work with sam and ivan to make it work for tv. 

2. Ruby's character and story-line seems to have come in way later into production so it kinda makes me wonder if they had to rewrite on the fly for her character to fit into the episode's with amanda's story arc to were it makes sense and that's were i think they kinda had to rush it due to conflicts with the scheduling with lucy. 

3. Yes they had a lot of loose ends and some questions that weren't answered in the finale, but you have to remember they had to leave it open ended in case it got cancelled, so in my eyes i have a feeling were going to get some of those answers we were looking for in s1 and loose ends getting tied up in s2.

Season 1 in general seems to have been plagued with constant rewrites/revision's and it shows, i think the writers didn't know how to approach some episodes, some succeeded while others kinda fell flat on there face (*cough* rob wright*cough*). From the little details about s2 we've gotten it seems like they have several things in mind for season 2 and it's the two things that was really needed for s1, expanding on ash's character and expanding on ruby's character, and in my eye's that's a huge step in the right direction.


Now about that godFATHER image 

I think a huge amount of the series' problem stems from the fact that they're truly making it up as they go - it feels like the beginning and ending were pre-written, and that everything in the middle didn't really have to make sense.  Like I said, the plotting's at fault more than anything.

Yikes. I am too excited. They need to stop teasing us. Haven't heard about Carrie Fisher or Shatner though? Where is that from?

All of the spec RE the Shatner casting's from Bruce's Twitter.  He's said he wanted Shatner to be Ash's dad and Carrie Fisher to be Ash's mom.  

All of the talk the producers have done about the season 

Spoiler

about exploring Ash's childhood and past seems to suggest that this is the route they're taking.

---

https://twitter.com/meghubb/status/690370557154627585

HMMMM

Spoiler

DUDE, if ruby is going to be trading in her charger for some type of demonic horseback, that would  be f**king awesome.

Hmmm x2

Spoiler

Shades of Army of Darkness.  Are we going to get CGI-assisted demon horses?

 

[Joem1k]

All of the talk the producers have done about the season 

Spoiler

about exploring Ash's childhood and past seems to suggest that this is the route they're taking.

---

---

Spoiler

You know..if they are going back to ash childhood and delving more into his past, i just had really good idea for what love interest could come into play here in this season,what if per say, this love interest for this season was a childhood friend that has known ash since he was just in grade school, and is just seeing him for the first time since he went off to college(which i'm gonna safely assume or guess is when ed 1 happens), it would be very interesting to see how it would play out and how it would change ash's attitude in general seeing this person again.

 

[Nick el Ass]

Yikes. I am too excited. They need to stop teasing us. Haven't heard about Carrie Fisher or Shatner though? Where is that from?

We know it won't be Brando unless they manage to dig up his corpse, haha. I have seen Bruce and William Shatner have some pretty cool back and forth conversations on Twitter, and seeing Shatner on Ash vs Evil Dead would be pretty sweet. I think they would work well together, but I'm not sure about when the whole Carrie Fisher thing started. Who knows maybe Andrew Lincoln will pop up in some fashion, and we will get something to go along with the script Bruce "leaked" a while back. I don't think they can simply rely on bringing in members of the Xena and Hercules cast to keep people talking although it would be nice to see a few others like Renee and/or Ted from time to time. People on Twitter seem to enjoy the thought, but I hope they go for a big fish... and someone that sticks around for more than a couple of episodes while bringing in some new energy.

 

[MaidOfKandar]

All of the talk the producers have done about the season 

Spoiler

about exploring Ash's childhood and past seems to suggest that this is the route they're taking.

---

---

Spoiler

You know..if they are going back to ash childhood and delving more into his past, i just had really good idea for what love interest could come into play here in this season,what if per say, this love interest for this season was a childhood friend that has known ash since he was just in grade school, and is just seeing him for the first time since he went off to college(which i'm gonna safely assume or guess is when ed 1 happens), it would be very interesting to see how it would play out and how it would change ash's attitude in general seeing this person again.

---

Spoiler

They could actually do something interesting there, have her be disappointed with the man he's turned into; turn it into a cowboy-saves-the-schoolmarm kind of thing.  I'd push it up to something like his childhood sweetheart, if only to give the Ash/Linda relationship room to breathe and feel believable (I like the supplementary canon  idea that they'd been together since high school or junior high, because it adds the right amount of credence to Ash's emotions).

It feels like they're setting up that either Ash's parents retired to Florida or Ash grew up there and moved to Michigan for college? 

Yikes. I am too excited. They need to stop teasing us. Haven't heard about Carrie Fisher or Shatner though? Where is that from?

We know it won't be Brando unless they manage to dig up his corpse, haha. I have seen Bruce and William Shatner have some pretty cool back and forth conversations on Twitter, and seeing Shatner on Ash vs Evil Dead would be pretty sweet. I think they would work well together, but I'm not sure about when the whole Carrie Fisher thing started. Who knows maybe Andrew Lincoln will pop up in some fashion, and we will get something to go along with the script Bruce "leaked" a while back. I don't think they can simply rely on bringing in members of the Xena and Hercules cast to keep people talking although it would be nice to see a few others like Renee and/or Ted from time to time. People on Twitter seem to enjoy the thought, but I hope they go for a big fish... and someone that sticks around for more than a couple of episodes while bringing in some new energy.

The Carrie Fisher stuff came from Twitter, too; someone suggested the idea to Bruce and Bruce responded enthusiastically.  Then he made contact with her by trying to metaphorically pull her pigtails.  He apologized, and he's been more focused on talking up Shatner.  I think she won't do the show but that's just my estimation.  

The show really does need another regular that'll work for a multi-season arc; it's missing something intangible for me, I can't put my finger on what.

 

[Joem1k]

Found this very interesting tidbit of info on the imdb page, can't confirm it as of yet as imdb likes to flip flop on credits sometimes but apparently it looks like Rick Jacobson is coming back to direct the premiere episode for s2, which in my eyes is a very good thing , i felt he captured the manic pace of raimi's style to a tee and really added some innovative shots to the episode and he also seemed to gel well with the actors judging by there overall performances in the episode. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5158912/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_1

 

[MaidOfKandar]

Haven't found confirmation for that, either!  I wouldn't be surprised if they used him, tho.

The official Twitter and Tumblr are asking everyone to vote in the ihorror awards, haven't made mention of the Fangos yet which is interesting.

 

[Joem1k]

Bruce has landed in NZ, looks like filming is going to  start up here soon, i bet the table reads for s2  will probably be happening sometime this week for the first episode i bet.

"[font=Arial, sans-serif]Thanks for the lovely welcome back, New Zealand! Can't wait for AVED2."[/font]

Source : https://twitter.com/GroovyBruce/status/693867171408023552

 

[MaidOfKandar]

Yep, I'm about to launch the season 2 general discussion thread to talk about that!