This finale episode was really great overall except a few things. I was expecting a disturbing ending and I was half right about my theory. That's disturbing too..:s I think with this ending we must understand Ash is a mortal man. He can't read the book. He can't control all this evil alone. He was faced with two bad choices IMO. He chooses the egoistical one to keep his friends alive and try to get a normal life.
Even if Ash
killed Ruby what's next? She already unleashed something that he can't undo alone. Bury the book or dismantled it at this point was useless. He made the choice of a mortal man not Superman. What would you do?And don't pretending you can read the book, know someone who can read it,or know something about it. You're all alone and can't leave this place. I'm sure a lot of people would choose Jacksonville. I'm glad they didn't choose to kill the bad guy to end it all (Just like Army of Darkness by the way. Why the hell killing Evil Ash stopped everything!?). It's not all about the bad guy it's about uncontrollablesupernatural power. The heroic choice Iwas hoping was this one: Ash kill Ruby, Pablo and Kelly. He's alone in the cabin with the book in his arms trying to contain it. We don't know if Ashcry or laugh but itinsane. We can hear his echo in the wood. The END. This is an end and it leaves room for a second season.
Overall I enjoyed the show. Really entertaining and I'm more satisfy with it than Army of Darkness at some point. The major problem is the lack of epicness. There are a few epic moments but that's not enough. I must give AoD that point. Thethings thatannoyed me so far: -We don't have any clue who is Ruby. Why she's a Dark one? There's no explanation at all. Why there's no reference to the Knowby? Raymond, Annie? No revenge? What the Hell? We need an explanation in season 2. This is disappointing. They said they would end the season with no cliffhanger. This is a major plot hole if they leave it like this. This character has no background at all. She's just a mysterious figure. -Kelly needs to be out. I said this before and I keep my point. She's useless. Her only purpose is to be the badass girl of the show. Could have been a interesting character but it's not. Dana's acting kills it all. This finalepisode proved it once again. -Pablo vomiting creepy kids. That's a good idea once again no explanation.... Why the Kids need to look like those dumb prank videos. This is not scary at all. -Lack of charactersand story development overall. -Each episode have only 30 minutes and there's still some filler...What the hell? What they need to fix in season 2: -They need someone in the team who can handle the supernatural aspect. It just likes starting an RPG without a wizard. They need the Dungeon & Dragon aspect. Each character completes each other. This made what we called “a team” and I don’t have that feeling right now. Pablo could be this character next season. But we need to see him study and understand the whole thing. (I personally just think the best trio would have been Amanda, the bookstore guy and Ash) -They really need to do something about Kelly’s character. (no motivation/no purpose) -The show must be at least 45 minutes not less. (Character development) -Consistency: Writers need to talk to each other. Sometime I just feel they choose what they want to tell in their 30 minutes and let the next writer deal with the shit they left at the end.
+ Heather's death
+ Freddy's glove
+ Jake's cameo (but the ED2 footage was included quite clumsy)
+ The little one sucking the boomstick
+ Ray Santiago's acting: Honestly, he is the only one on this series, who plays a terrified person believable
+ Ash unleashing apocalypse (for season 2, if that ever happens; although the writing behind Ash's decision was awful)
But overall the finale was very disapointing for me like the whole season. There were some great episodes (El Jefe, Bait, the one in the diner and the first cabin episode with Linda and Evil Ash), which were written and directed quite well. But the rest felt more like a "My Name is Bruce"-Sequel with bigger budget rippin of ED2 and AoD. It is not only the lazy, sitcom-level writing, but also the visuals often feel so undynamic and clumsy - during the action scenes but also regarding the settings. During the last two cabin episodes the setting never had this creepy atmosphere of a isolated cabin in the dark of the night, that made ED2 so awsome. I don't want to go much in detail. I was happy to see Bruce back as Ash (and directed by Sam). So thanks God. But it could be better, even without nitpicking.
I do agree that the episodes being 23 minutes if you subtract the first 2 minutes of recap, last minute of car driving off or them walking off into the sunset, credits, and trailer for next episode.
I feel that Kelly's character may be there as a new young blood tough guy to do things Bruce may be too old to do. I would have liked to see Amanda's character in next season but she's a dead deadite on the floor of that cabin for now. They should have buried her at the end of the episode.
I think with this ending we must understand Ash is a mortal man. He can't read the book. He can't control all this evil alone. He was faced with two bad choices IMO. He chooses the egoistical one to keep his friends alive and try to get a normal life.
I think that my main problem is not with the decision itself, but more with it's execution on Ash's side and the fact that it even got to this. There were a lot of ways how to end this (I actually like your laughing/crying idea) that didn't have to make Ash a complete retard.
EDIT: Come to think of it, I think I would take it better if Ash knew Ruby is full of shit, but still preferred the end of the world that would save his friends' life, rather than him actually stupidly falling for the whole Godfather notion, which is what we got.
Ruby's intention is to be the leader of all evil, then why did she unleash even more evil with that child? There's a difference between controlling evil that's already out there and brining about even more evil.
@TOFB: I'm guessing tons of CGI or (if we're lucky) models and puppets. I wouldn't be surprised if Starz cut their budget this year because of the show's under-performance.
ETA: will be starting a spin-off subject in the OT discussion thread at Kain's request about season 2 talk/overall season discussion sometime in the evening.
If they cut their budget they better choose to do just one big movie for television or less but longer episodes. The show is already short.
Kain said:
I have to say episode 10 was the most disappointing episode of the season for me. It's like the writers ran out of steam just right after episode 9. I didn't like how the episode ended at all. I'm curious to how they will resolve it in season 2, which will probably be the last season.
They ran out of steam because there was no character such Annie or the wiseman in the team who could figure out how to deal with this evil power. They got stuck in the corner.
Muzzlehatch said:
There were somethings I liked:
+ Heather's death
+ Freddy's glove
+ Jake's cameo (but the ED2 footage was included quite clumsy)
+ The little one sucking the boomstick
+ Ray Santiago's acting: Honestly, he is the only one on this series, who plays a terrified person believable
+ Ash unleashing apocalypse (for season 2, if that ever happens; although the writing behind Ash's decision was awful)
But overall the finale was very disapointing for me like the whole season. There were some great episodes (El Jefe, Bait, the one in the diner and the first cabin episode with Linda and Evil Ash), which were written and directed quite well. But the rest felt more like a "My Name is Bruce"-Sequel with bigger budget rippin of ED2 and AoD. It is not only the lazy, sitcom-level writing, but also the visuals often feel so undynamic and clumsy - during the action scenes but also regarding the settings. During the last two cabin episodes the setting never had this creepy atmosphere of a isolated cabin in the dark of the night, that made ED2 so awsome. I don't want to go much in detail. I was happy to see Bruce back as Ash (and directed by Sam). So thanks God. But it could be better, even without nitpicking.
Dead Jack cameo was really useless. Pure "insert nostalgia moment here" purpose. I think they should explained what happened to Annie's Body. This is another big plot hole
Hurley said:
Sutter Cane said:
I think with this ending we must understand Ash is a mortal man. He can't read the book. He can't control all this evil alone. He was faced with two bad choices IMO. He chooses the egoistical one to keep his friends alive and try to get a normal life.
I think that my main problem is not with the decision itself, but more with it's execution on Ash's side and the fact that it even got to this. There were a lot of ways how to end this (I actually like your laughing/crying idea) that didn't have to make Ash a complete retard.
You're right the execution was really weird. I think they should cut the crap of dumb Ash playing with the radio in the car and go straight to Jacksonville...but an apocalyptic version. This was the perfect timing to bring that Apocalyptic ending removed from Army of Darkness back. They obviously just played the dumb card. I'm not fully satisfy with this ending either. Now I have just hope they will fix things in season 2 and this annoy me.
Not sure how I feel about the ending, but I'm still excited for season 2.
I feel like the black eyed children will play important roles in season 2. Throughout the episode you saw multiple children running away, some were obvious while others were out of focus in the background. If these kids look like 7 year old children the second they are born then imagine what they grow up to be, we could be seeing some serious demon boss fights in season 2.
There's also the question of what the new page Lucy added to the book was, it shows her removing a passage and burning it, then she writes a new one with Pablo's blood and sticks it in the book. My theory is that she tore out the page that depicted Ash as the hero and replaced it with something else, maybe that's why Ash acted so out of character when he made the choice to let her live, maybe she rewrote his destiny and season 2 will be about Ash fighting it.
But I'm just a crazy speculator, I like to think really outside the box. Anyone else have crazy theory's or ways to justify Ashes choice being more than just poor writing.
Can we also talk about Pablo having now half of his back skinless? That's a really difficult thing to treat in a demon ruling postapocalypic world. But you know. Screenwriting I guess...
There's also the question of what the new page Lucy added to the book was, it shows her removing a passage and burning it, then she writes a new one with Pablo's blood and sticks it in the book. My theory is that she tore out the page that depicted Ash as the hero and replaced it with something else, maybe that's why Ash acted so out of character when he made the choice to let her live, maybe she rewrote his destiny and season 2 will be about Ash fighting it.
Well I loved the "Evil Dead" stuff in this episode, especially the Amanda deadite fighting Ash and the cabin coming alive to torment and kill what's-her-name (hiker). Also loved Ash fighting the kid demon. Classic Evil Dead slapstick mixed with modern 'creepy kid' horror. I liked that.
I don't like Kelly at all. They're trying so hard to make her this badass second coming as Ash but its just coming off as forced and its making me dislike her. They need to humble her. Even Ash gets scared. Even in this episode he shrieks at the little kid demon (I lol'd at that). I feel like they won't let Kelly have any vulnerability. Not to mention her "Come and get me ya jerks!" attitude and the care-free attitude behind it kills the tone. You want her to step up and be a badass? Ok, but she needs to stay a human being reacting to what's going on around her. Let's be honest, as of now, she's a Mary Sue.
I'm not sure why everyone likes Ruby but she's pretty one-note in my eyes, even after the big reveal. I don't care about her at all.
So is the cabin burned down? It would irk me if the cabin is burned down just like that, and especially at Kelly's hands.
Hated the ending and the choice Ash made. I was really expecting him to blow Ruby's brains out once she took the deal, or have some kind of plan. I hope there's more to it then what we saw. I'm not sure I want to see the Apocalypse. I don't think they can pull it off with the show's resources, and if they could, its not really "Evil Dead" to show the entire world being overtaken and destroyed anyway. Feels like more of a Dynamite comic storyline. I dunno, I'll hold off on speaking to that until we know more.
All in all I feel like they're almost stumbling onto a good Evil Dead tone with what we've seen since they got to the cabin, up until the ending anyway. I hope they keep it up and take to heart some of the general concerns of the fans. Ash needs to be redeemed and not be made into such an asshole. We like Ash. We think he's a hero. We want to see him destroy Evil. We're not here just to laugh his at stupidity (well maybe that's part of it sometimes), and we're certainly not here to watch him purposely be a douche and make awful choices. But I'm definitely not in the "I hate Ash" camp. I'm still rooting for him above anyone else by a mile. Just hope they change direction and bring him back to the Ash we saw at the end of episode 1.
I feel like a much better ending to the season finale would have been for Ash to trick Ruby and blow her head off once the face was back on the book, with the unknown repercussion that everything gets unleashed WITHOUT Ruby there to be the "Godfather". That would be a true Evil Dead ending.
Awful episode. Just a crappy, poorly written end to a crappy, poorly written season. I honestly couldn't care less if this show got cancelled and unless they do a complete overhaul in talent and concept for the second season, I'm done with it. Screw this show.
The demon kids stuff was terrible, unoriginal, looked ridiculous and it really didn't feel like Evil Dead at all. Was this really the best creature design they could come up with? They just painted some little kids grey and blacked out their eyes. The worst part is that they actually looked like a bunch of dirty kids and nothing else.
No backstory or further development on Ruby. We still don't know what she is, where she came from, what motivates her or what's her place in the story. The fact that she's a Knowby went absolutely nowhere. She could've been anyone, really. Is she a dark one? Is she possessed by one? What does she really want? Who the hell knows? I wasn't even sure what the hell she was doing most of this episode and why she was doing it. How did she have the dagger? How did Ash have the book? The whole El Jefe thing was also a whole lot of build up for nothing. This whole season was pointless. It was just a huge waste of time that ended the most unsatisfying way possible. Not only they didn't do anything worthwhile with the characters and the story, they never fixed any of the glaring plot holes they introduced at the beginning and somehow managed to create even more at the end.
I like that the characters ended up on a worse place then they were at the beginning, but I hate how they got there. What they did with Ash on this episode is baffling. I get what they were trying to do, but was this really that best way to go about it? "WHY?" is the main question running through my head right now. That last scene is just baffling in every single aspect. The only part of this episode that was even remotely enjoyable for me was the stuff with Kelly and Heather, but even that stuff was underwhelming and had a lot of issues.
I don't see myself re-watching this season. Ever. I'm not buying any DVDs or catching any reruns. Once again, screw this show.
Each to their own I suppose, I had a lot of fun with this episode; three stooges eye poke, talking severed head drop kicked, Freddy's glove in the cellar and the gourds hanging from the ceiling, the clock going mental, flying deadites and Ash getting copious amounts of face splatter .... Ruby's starting to get boring, I can't work out why Ash didn't just stab her in the neck with the kandarian dagger once he realised she was vulnerable to it, the botd cover would have probably just fallen off Pablo's face once he'd done that being as she was the book's creator and all ... the maggot being born from Pablo's mouth has been done before in Poltergeist 2 .. A couple of friends asked me what this new series was like and I answered "It's pretty good but for some reason they've turned Ash into a complete dick head" which garnered disappointment from both of them ...
You've got to sympathise with Sam, Rob and Bruce though ... we got the more gritty remake (which I enjoyed) and people complained .. they listened and produced this series more faithful to the spirit of the original films but again people still aren't satisfied ... it's never going to be the original trilogy, that time has passed .. I'm just grateful that we get one last dance with these lunatics but again, everyone's entitled to an opinion.
Where to start with The Dark One, hmmm?!? I thought the episode was pretty good with a lot of throwbacks to the past, and we got to see Jake again plus Freddy's glove hanging by the door in the basement. I did think that Heather the hiker got nailed (like in the remake) before being dragged off was kind of weird, but the little kid was kind of cool... and Ash's reluctance to blast him on the count of three before he went apeshit was great. Not to mention the "someone needs to wash your mouth out kid, and that someone is me" part was a fitting end for the little bastard. The ending left a lot open for Ruby as the God(mother)Father of evil and/or Jacksonville for what is to come in season number 2, and I wouldn't be to rash in writing this show off as someone above. No offense. Season 2 can't get here soon enough no matter when it will air. I saw that they were in the process of writing for it, and I'm sure Starz will make an announcement at some point in the not so distant future.
I enjoyed that last episode. I actually found it pretty scary in places too, which is something. I've enjoyed all these episodes, but with the exception of the first and last episodes (and a little bit of the second) it didn't particularly scare me. That's not necesarily a bad thing, as there are other things to enjoy but the scariness is a big aspect of the films. Even AoD to some extent. Those demon kids that kept appearing in the dark and screeching. Brrr.
What actually were they? They're not your standard deadites, as they are not possessed people. Their eyes are different (actually they don't appear to have any real eyes, just holes) and they lack the deformation of the usual deadites. As others have said, they basically just look like children albeit rather dirty. I don't mind that in itself as I find creepy children rather freaky, and these were just wrong.
They don't act like regular deadite either, prefering to run away into the woods rather than attack on site. The exception is the one that attacked Ash, and I'll admit I find that in itself rather amusing. I suspect that might have been Ruby's doing, a kind of guard-dog to keep Ash away, if that makes sense. (I think she underestimated Kelly and felt no need to keep her out.) But the idea that the kid just took a major dislike to Ash is funny.
So are they another kind of demon? Adolescent dark ones? They seem to be critters under Ruby's control, anyway, unlike the chaotic deadites. I wonder, will she bring the regular deadites under her control, or are their going to be two factions in future series? The white eyed possessed, and Ruby and her abberrations?
And Ash's decision- it made sense to me in context. His mates were trying to kill each other, and he saw the idea of Evil being under one ruler the lesser of two evils (Evils?) . Sure there was some selfishness there too - and this, rightly or wrongly - has been an established element of this version of Ash. I think he knows things could well turn out bad, but he is lieing to himself, that things will work out okay. That he'll get his cake and get to eat it too, to borrow an old cliche.
He will wise up soon or later. I'm interested to see where series 2 will go.
And Ruby. I hoped we would get more information concerning her. Was this her plan all along, or was she possessed at the Brujo's cabin?* Is she really a Knowby, or was that a scam? She certainly didn't seem intent on revenge on Ash for unleashing the Evil. She had a whole other agenda. That cowled shadow at the cabin MUST be a clue.
I don't mind that the questions concerning her are still unanswered, as long as we get answers next series.
Overall, I was happy with the series and I liked the characters. My only issues would be that:
1. Amanda was way underused. If they are going to do that, then I don't think they should have killed her off so quickly.
2. Linking to the above, - I wished they had done more with the Amanda and Ruby team up. I understand this is largely due to Lucy being unavailable, but then maybe they should have not teamed up in the first place, if they're not going to do more with it.
3. I have mixed feelings concerning Ash's character. He seems way more egotistical and full of bravado than his film incarnations. But he is kind of amusing. I guess I can see how that version could end up as this version, as his character does shift through the films anyway (yet not in a way I find paricularly contradictory. More a progression or digression due to trauma and circumstances.) But I'm curious what a series with a character closer to that older version would be like.
* Concerning the Brujo, since he left the amulet for Pablo, and the amulet played a role in getting Pablo mask, was the amulet affected by the Evil before it fell from the fire? I.e. was it left by deadite Brujo rather than the Brujo himself? Or is there something else going on there?
I enjoyed that last episode. I actually found it pretty scary in places too, which is something. I've enjoyed all these episodes, but with the exception of the first and last episodes (and a little bit of the second) it didn't particularly scare me. That's not necesarily a bad thing, as there are other things to enjoy but the scariness is a big aspect of the films. Even AoD to some extent. Those demon kids that kept appearing in the dark and screeching. Brrr.
What actually were they? They're not your standard deadites, as they are not possessed people. Their eyes are different (actually they don't appear to have any real eyes, just holes) and they lack the deformation of the usual deadites. As others have said, they basically just look like children albeit rather dirty. I don't mind that in itself as I find creepy children rather freaky, and these were just wrong.
They don't act like regular deadite either, prefering to run away into the woods rather than attack on site. The exception is the one that attacked Ash, and I'll admit I find that in itself rather amusing. I suspect that might have been Ruby's doing, a kind of guard-dog to keep Ash away, if that makes sense. (I think she underestimated Kelly and felt no need to keep her out.) But the idea that the kid just took a major dislike to Ash is funny.
So are they another kind of demon? Adolescent dark ones? They seem to be critters under Ruby's control, anyway, unlike the chaotic deadites. I wonder, will she bring the regular deadites under her control, or are their going to be two factions in future series? The white eyed possessed, and Ruby and her abberrations?
And Ash's decision- it made sense to me in context. His mates were trying to kill each other, and he saw the idea of Evil being under one ruler the lesser of two evils (Evils?) . Sure there was some selfishness there too - and this, rightly or wrongly - has been an established element of this version of Ash. I think he knows things could well turn out bad, but he is lieing to himself, that things will work out okay. That he'll get his cake and get to eat it too, to borrow an old cliche.
He will wise up soon or later. I'm interested to see where series 2 will go.
And Ruby. I hoped we would get more information concerning her. Was this her plan all along, or was she possessed at the Brujo's cabin?* Is she really a Knowby, or was that a scam? She certainly didn't seem intent on revenge on Ash for unleashing the Evil. She had a whole other agenda. That cowled shadow at the cabin MUST be a clue.
I don't mind that the questions concerning her are still unanswered, as long as we get answers next series.
Overall, I was happy with the series and I liked the characters. My only issues would be that:
1. Amanda was way underused. If they are going to do that, then I don't think they should have killed her off so quickly.
2. Linking to the above, - I wished they had done more with the Amanda and Ruby team up. I understand this is largely due to Lucy being unavailable, but then maybe they should have not teamed up in the first place, if they're not going to do more with it.
3. I have mixed feelings concerning Ash's character. He seems way more egotistical and full of bravado than his film incarnations. But he is kind of amusing. I guess I can see how that version could end up as this version, as his character does shift through the films anyway (yet not in a way I find paricularly contradictory. More a progression or digression due to trauma and circumstances.) But I'm curious what a series with a character closer to that older version would be like.
* Concerning the Brujo, since he left the amulet for Pablo, and the amulet played a role in getting Pablo mask, was the amulet affected by the Evil before it fell from the fire? I.e. was it left by deadite Brujo rather than the Brujo himself? Or is there something else going on there?
Too many things unanswered that should have been answered at the end of this season. When you look at shows usually they continue until spring. It feel more like an half season to me. Anyway I'm complaining but I did enjoyed the show a lot. Hope they will clear out some major mysteries next season.
A little. As silly as it sounds (reads) I think the cabin blew the fire out when the door opened. I didn't think setting fire to the cabin where her friends were located was Kelly's best plan...
I said earlier that I think Ruby didn't set one of those critters on Kelly as she didn't see her as a threat. But then it occurred to me, Ruby was probably aware Kelly was fighting the cabin itself, and she obviously has other plans for her 'babies' anyway. She might even have set it the cabin gainst her, herself. She did underestimate her though.
I think that when Heather (cute hitch hiker) got blown to pieces and her head told Kelly that Ash failed, she might have taken that as they died and she's left alone. To which she decided destroy the cabin once and for all. When it opened up, she might have thought they were able to dispatch Ruby after all and Heather Deadite lied.
But I'm glad the world was saved over...gas money.
This episode reminds me of the season finale of Supernatural where Sam kills Lilith and that starts the apocalypse, last sign that needs to be broken for the Devil to walk the Earth in that now that Ruby is given the book face back she can do Jim Carey mask again to someone else and that it sets up next season for unthinkable horror that awaits our ragtag team of ghostbeaters. Another similarity between supernatural and this show is the blade they used to kill demons, Sam and Dean Winchester have a similar blade. Glad Ash is keeping the blade for season 2.
I loved how Pablo kept telling Ash you have no idea what's out there also a hint that season 2 is going to be kickass. I do feel that this was Ash at his core, finding a way to shirk his responsibility, to accept a deal made by a dark one to let someone else handle the mess he started. Sure he had some good intentions to save Pablo and Kelly so that can't be all selfish of him.
I found the scene where Ash said I'm not losing any more people I care about funny. Kelly asks if that included her and he said of course. Then Heather asked me too? Sure just make sure you stay close to her,
Ash did say the last 40 years which Ruby corrected him by saying 10 years of his life. So hopefully we got 10 seasons coming.
I did like that line about how Ash told Pablo that he forgot to tell him to gas up the chainsaw when they were at the cabin. If you look at the following week's episode thread you will notice I posted that Pablo forgot to tell Ash to gas up the chainsaw in the militia compound episode. I didn't know it would pay off like this though lol.
One thing this episode didn't clear up is Ruby really the sister of Annie Knowbee inhabited by a old one that wrote the book? Was she just using that information and claiming to be a family member?
I felt that Kelly should have said something more then Pablo isn't my boyfriend when kicking Heather's head like maybe "He will be."
I can't wait for season 2. Wonder how long we have to wait 2 months?
Ironically, that's another big chunk of what makes it annoying for me. If the show keeps backtracking and having him make the same stupid decisions over and over again it's going to start getting ridiculously repetitive. Let him be fate's fool, that was what happened in the first two movies and the majority of AOD.
Iii don't really think Bruce'll be doing this show when he's 67, between the harnass work and the stunts required of him. Also they're getting the kind of ratings DaVinci's Demons got in their first and second season, which are frankly pretty atrocious, and Starz cancelled them before greenlighting the third.
Much longer than that - the writers have barely convened to write the new season. Shooting should happen over the spring/summer and we'll probably get it around October!
The Other Frog Brother said:
Is that the Freddy glove in the cellar!? Check at 11 mins 36 secs. I don't have HD so I could be wrong.
Yep, but it looks bladeless, perhaps because of rights issue stuff?
Sutter Cane said:
This finale episode was really great overall except a few things. I was expecting a disturbing ending and I was half right about my theory. That's disturbing too..:s I think with this ending we must understand Ash is a mortal man. He can't read the book. He can't control all this evil alone. He was faced with two bad choices IMO. He chooses the egoistical one to keep his friends alive and try to get a normal life.
Even if Ash
killed Ruby what's next? She already unleashed something that he can't undo alone. Bury the book or dismantled it at this point was useless. He made the choice of a mortal man not Superman. What would you do?And don't pretending you can read the book, know someone who can read it,or know something about it. You're all alone and can't leave this place. I'm sure a lot of people would choose Jacksonville. I'm glad they didn't choose to kill the bad guy to end it all (Just like Army of Darkness by the way. Why the hell killing Evil Ash stopped everything!?). It's not all about the bad guy it's about uncontrollablesupernatural power. The heroic choice Iwas hoping was this one: Ash kill Ruby, Pablo and Kelly. He's alone in the cabin with the book in his arms trying to contain it. We don't know if Ashcry or laugh but itinsane. We can hear his echo in the wood. The END. This is an end and it leaves room for a second season.
Overall I enjoyed the show. Really entertaining and I'm more satisfy with it than Army of Darkness at some point. The major problem is the lack of epicness. There are a few epic moments but that's not enough. I must give AoD that point. Thethings thatannoyed me so far: -We don't have any clue who is Ruby. Why she's a Dark one? There's no explanation at all. Why there's no reference to the Knowby? Raymond, Annie? No revenge? What the Hell? We need an explanation in season 2. This is disappointing. They said they would end the season with no cliffhanger. This is a major plot hole if they leave it like this. This character has no background at all. She's just a mysterious figure. -Kelly needs to be out. I said this before and I keep my point. She's useless. Her only purpose is to be the badass girl of the show. Could have been a interesting character but it's not. Dana's acting kills it all. This finalepisode proved it once again. -Pablo vomiting creepy kids. That's a good idea once again no explanation.... Why the Kids need to look like those dumb prank videos. This is not scary at all. -Lack of charactersand story development overall. -Each episode have only 30 minutes and there's still some filler...What the hell? What they need to fix in season 2: -They need someone in the team who can handle the supernatural aspect. It just likes starting an RPG without a wizard. They need the Dungeon & Dragon aspect. Each character completes each other. This made what we called “a team” and I don’t have that feeling right now. Pablo could be this character next season. But we need to see him study and understand the whole thing. (I personally just think the best trio would have been Amanda, the bookstore guy and Ash) -They really need to do something about Kelly’s character. (no motivation/no purpose) -The show must be at least 45 minutes not less. (Character development) -Consistency: Writers need to talk to each other. Sometime I just feel they choose what they want to tell in their 30 minutes and let the next writer deal with the shit they left at the end.
I would've pulled the old 'your shoelace is untied' trick on her and grabbed the book (it actually did work there for a bit). The porthole spell is probably in there still half-translated (because you can't tell me Ash JUST had one spell translated). Open the porthole, send the evil/Ruby back. I'd risk getting sucked up by the thing but after all this time there's way to get out of anything. If they had successfully established a power level for Ruby in a realistic way it'd be easier to determine what's doable but she became a demigod out of nowhere.
Spec:
Either she made up the Ruby ID as a convenient cover story or it's possessing Ruby's body. She really didn't need the cover story at all, the only person she told it to was Amanda, who had no idea who Annie was. She could've made up some stuff about a recent boyfriend death or something simple. It was cheap little bit of fannish
I'll admit that the Kelly parts were the most fun for me, but you're right about Dana's acting. I gave them a pass on the Pablo thing just for the gorn content it brought along with it but it made no sense.
I'll be sliding my hopes for improvement into the next thread.
Muzzlehatch said:
There were somethings I liked:
+ Heather's death
+ Freddy's glove
+ Jake's cameo (but the ED2 footage was included quite clumsy)
+ The little one sucking the boomstick + Ray Santiago's acting: Honestly, he is the only one on this series, who plays a terrified person believable
+ Ash unleashing apocalypse (for season 2, if that ever happens; although the writing behind Ash's decision was awful)
But overall the finale was very disapointing for me like the whole season. There were some great episodes (El Jefe, Bait, the one in the diner and the first cabin episode with Linda and Evil Ash), which were written and directed quite well. But the rest felt more like a "My Name is Bruce"-Sequel with bigger budget rippin of ED2 and AoD. It is not only the lazy, sitcom-level writing, but also the visuals often feel so undynamic and clumsy - during the action scenes but also regarding the settings. During the last two cabin episodes the setting never had this creepy atmosphere of a isolated cabin in the dark of the night, that made ED2 so awsome. I don't want to go much in detail. I was happy to see Bruce back as Ash (and directed by Sam). So thanks God. But it could be better, even without nitpicking.
Ray knocked it out of the park; I'll maintain forever that Pablo's the best part of the show.
My friends and I kept noting how it felt like MNIB with a more competent version of the Bruce character.
Hurley said:
Sutter Cane said:
I think with this ending we must understand Ash is a mortal man. He can't read the book. He can't control all this evil alone. He was faced with two bad choices IMO. He chooses the egoistical one to keep his friends alive and try to get a normal life.
I think that my main problem is not with the decision itself, but more with it's execution on Ash's side and the fact that it even got to this. There were a lot of ways how to end this (I actually like your laughing/crying idea) that didn't have to make Ash a complete retard.
EDIT: Come to think of it, I think I would take it better if Ash knew Ruby is full of shit, but still preferred the end of the world that would save his friends' life, rather than him actually stupidly falling for the whole Godfather notion, which is what we got.
@Hurley - I like that idea a thousand times better. Even him deciding humanity sucks for some reason would...need a hell of a lot of build-up considering that speech in episode 2 and would've required more foreshadowing but it's still better than him naively assuming Ruby knows how to control the Evil and that her intentions are pure and that she wouldn't welch on a handshake bet.
Sutter Cane said:
MaidOfKandar said:
@TOFB: I'm guessing tons of CGI or (if we're lucky) models and puppets. I wouldn't be surprised if Starz cut their budget this year because of the show's under-performance.
ETA: will be starting a spin-off subject in the OT discussion thread at Kain's request about season 2 talk/overall season discussion sometime in the evening.
If they cut their budget they better choose to do just one big movie for television or less but longer episodes. The show is already short.
Kain said:
I have to say episode 10 was the most disappointing episode of the season for me. It's like the writers ran out of steam just right after episode 9. I didn't like how the episode ended at all. I'm curious to how they will resolve it in season 2, which will probably be the last season.
They ran out of steam because there was no character such Annie or the wiseman in the team who could figure out how to deal with this evil power. They got stuck in the corner.
Muzzlehatch said:
There were somethings I liked:
+ Heather's death
+ Freddy's glove
+ Jake's cameo (but the ED2 footage was included quite clumsy)
+ The little one sucking the boomstick
+ Ray Santiago's acting: Honestly, he is the only one on this series, who plays a terrified person believable
+ Ash unleashing apocalypse (for season 2, if that ever happens; although the writing behind Ash's decision was awful)
But overall the finale was very disapointing for me like the whole season. There were some great episodes (El Jefe, Bait, the one in the diner and the first cabin episode with Linda and Evil Ash), which were written and directed quite well. But the rest felt more like a "My Name is Bruce"-Sequel with bigger budget rippin of ED2 and AoD. It is not only the lazy, sitcom-level writing, but also the visuals often feel so undynamic and clumsy - during the action scenes but also regarding the settings. During the last two cabin episodes the setting never had this creepy atmosphere of a isolated cabin in the dark of the night, that made ED2 so awsome. I don't want to go much in detail. I was happy to see Bruce back as Ash (and directed by Sam). So thanks God. But it could be better, even without nitpicking.
Dead Jack cameo was really useless. Pure "insert nostalgia moment here" purpose. I think they should explained what happened to Annie's Body. This is another big plot hole
Hurley said:
Sutter Cane said:
I think with this ending we must understand Ash is a mortal man. He can't read the book. He can't control all this evil alone. He was faced with two bad choices IMO. He chooses the egoistical one to keep his friends alive and try to get a normal life.
I think that my main problem is not with the decision itself, but more with it's execution on Ash's side and the fact that it even got to this. There were a lot of ways how to end this (I actually like your laughing/crying idea) that didn't have to make Ash a complete retard.
You're right the execution was really weird. I think they should cut the crap of dumb Ash playing with the radio in the car and go straight to Jacksonville...but an apocalyptic version. This was the perfect timing to bring that Apocalyptic ending removed from Army of Darkness back. They obviously just played the dumb card. I'm not fully satisfy with this ending either. Now I have just hope they will fix things in season 2 and this annoy me.
If they chop the budget it'll probably just lead to more greenscreening verus length chopping, I think.
I actually asked aloud what happened to Annie's body on twitter and got no answer.
CloneTrooper699 said:
Not sure how I feel about the ending, but I'm still excited for season 2.
I feel like the black eyed children will play important roles in season 2. Throughout the episode you saw multiple children running away, some were obvious while others were out of focus in the background. If these kids look like 7 year old children the second they are born then imagine what they grow up to be, we could be seeing some serious demon boss fights in season 2.
There's also the question of what the new page Lucy added to the book was, it shows her removing a passage and burning it, then she writes a new one with Pablo's blood and sticks it in the book. My theory is that she tore out the page that depicted Ash as the hero and replaced it with something else, maybe that's why Ash acted so out of character when he made the choice to let her live, maybe she rewrote his destiny and season 2 will be about Ash fighting it.
But I'm just a crazy speculator, I like to think really outside the box. Anyone else have crazy theory's or ways to justify Ashes choice being more than just poor writing.
That would actually be a cool twist, but I don't think it fits. There was enough manic desperation in there that suggests he knows he messed up and has to deal with his team's misery on top of everything else.
Hurley said:
Can we also talk about Pablo having now half of his back skinless? That's a really difficult thing to treat in a demon ruling postapocalypic world. But you know. Screenwriting I guess...
I sort of wrote that off as some kind of super healing thing. Like, Ash chops off his own hand in movie canon and it's not a big thing, so I could accept that.
Guywiththegun40 said:
Well I loved the "Evil Dead" stuff in this episode, especially the Amanda deadite fighting Ash and the cabin coming alive to torment and kill what's-her-name (hiker). Also loved Ash fighting the kid demon. Classic Evil Dead slapstick mixed with modern 'creepy kid' horror. I liked that.
I don't like Kelly at all. They're trying so hard to make her this badass second coming as Ash but its just coming off as forced and its making me dislike her. They need to humble her. Even Ash gets scared. Even in this episode he shrieks at the little kid demon (I lol'd at that). I feel like they won't let Kelly have any vulnerability. Not to mention her "Come and get me ya jerks!" attitude and the care-free attitude behind it kills the tone. You want her to step up and be a badass? Ok, but she needs to stay a human being reacting to what's going on around her. Let's be honest, as of now, she's a Mary Sue.
I'm not sure why everyone likes Ruby but she's pretty one-note in my eyes, even after the big reveal. I don't care about her at all.
So is the cabin burned down? It would irk me if the cabin is burned down just like that, and especially at Kelly's hands.
Hated the ending and the choice Ash made. I was really expecting him to blow Ruby's brains out once she took the deal, or have some kind of plan. I hope there's more to it then what we saw. I'm not sure I want to see the Apocalypse. I don't think they can pull it off with the show's resources, and if they could, its not really "Evil Dead" to show the entire world being overtaken and destroyed anyway. Feels like more of a Dynamite comic storyline. I dunno, I'll hold off on speaking to that until we know more.
All in all I feel like they're almost stumbling onto a good Evil Dead tone with what we've seen since they got to the cabin, up until the ending anyway. I hope they keep it up and take to heart some of the general concerns of the fans. Ash needs to be redeemed and not be made into such an asshole. We like Ash. We think he's a hero. We want to see him destroy Evil. We're not here just to laugh his at stupidity (well maybe that's part of it sometimes), and we're certainly not here to watch him purposely be a douche and make awful choices. But I'm definitely not in the "I hate Ash" camp. I'm still rooting for him above anyone else by a mile. Just hope they change direction and bring him back to the Ash we saw at the end of episode 1.
I feel like a much better ending to the season finale would have been for Ash to trick Ruby and blow her head off once the face was back on the book, with the unknown repercussion that everything gets unleashed WITHOUT Ruby there to be the "Godfather". That would be a true Evil Dead ending.
I'd say her possession was actually something of a humbling. They took the character in an opposing direction by having her brush with hell make her even more volatile . We're suffering for actual development because of intentional choices here.
I think the rain put out the fire at the cabin, because the way it was burning there's no way in hell everyone would've gotten out without dying. Fire moves fast. Plus you know they're going to drag things back there for the series finale.
And that last highlighted part is what they absolutely don't get. And I want to love Ash but man are they making it hard. Sam and Bruce's vision of Ash as the world's more terrible human being never really existed in canon until this series, and if this really IS them without an editor or restraints then they frankly need a sober rationalist looking over their shoulders editing them.
DyD said:
Awful episode. Just a crappy, poorly written end to a crappy, poorly written season. I honestly wouldn't care if this show got cancelled and unless they do a complete overhaul in talent and concept for the second season, I'm done with it. Screw this show.
The demon kids stuff was terrible, unoriginal, looked ridiculous and it really didn't feel like Evil Dead at all.
No backstory or further development on Ruby. We still don't know what she is, where she came from or what's her place in the story. The fact that she's a Knowby went absolutely nowhere. She could've been anyone, really. Is she a dark one? Is she possessed by one? What does she really want? Who the hell knows? How did she have the dagger? How did Ash have the book? The whole El Jefe thing was also a whole lot of build up for nothing. This whole season was pointless. It was just a huge waste of time that ended the most unsatisfying way possible. Not only they didn't do anything worthwhile with the characters and the story, they never fixed any of the glaring plot holes they introduced at the beginning and somehow managed to create even more at the end.
I like that the characters ended up on a worse place then they were at the beginning, but I hate how they got there. The only part of this episode that was even remotely enjoyable for me was the stuff with Kelly and Heather, but even that stuff was underwhelming and had a lot of issues.
I don't see myself re-watching this season. Ever. I'm not buying any DVDs or catching any reruns. Once again, screw this show.
Like, at some point they're going to have to explain how he got the book and if Ruby is actually Ruby as possessed by a Dark one or not. I get that there should be some mystery to solve later, but they're on borrowed time ratingswise. I'd probably re-watch the second episode and possibly the 6th, but the rest of the series is an exercise in frustration for me.
Time for Missy's Opinion:
Hell Yeahs:
* "Kelly, other girl! You stay here!" and everything about that entire situation. Part of me feels like them lampshading they did with the hikers was too on the nose, but most of this was funny. So was
* This was mainly Kelly's big moment to step it up, and Dana delivered...well, well in the action scenes. See "hell nos".
* The Pablo stuff. The only thing the show has done consistently well this season is make me like Pablo, and that was some major "break the woobie" action. And it was good horror.
* Clips of the Knowby recording.
* The ridiculous fight with Ash and the demon child.
Hell Huhs?
* Ruby is this all-powerful Dark One, and yet she couldn't find Ash for thirty years, needed HIM to unleash the evil FOR her and couldnt' find him without his magic GPS hand. SHE CREATED THIS BOOK AND YET SHE NEEDS HIS HELP...WHY? Because he's chosen? Could they elaborate? This is just supporting my notion that they completely constructed her storyline backwards and decided she was a dark one on a whim.
Hell Nos
* I know Dana is trying but her line delivery. Just. Her line delivery. Everything else about Kelly is great, and I know this is Evil Dead, but when you put her next to Ray the gap between what he can do and what she can do is too evident.
* Also all of the Kelly and Pablo romance stuff is getting juvenile. "He's not my boyfriend!" YOU'RE TWENTY YEARS OLD AND YOU COULD DIE AT ANY MINUTE ACT LIKE ADULTS.
* The terrible CG during Ash's stairfall.
* Again, if I never hear the word 'Jacksonville' again it will be too soon.
* There were way, way too many dangling plo threads and I know they're not going to solve them next season when they ought to. Unless there's some kind of miracle that makes the show magically super profitable they will probably get one more season and that's it. And there is way too much going on for them to do that efficiently.
* The massive amount of remake callbacks. Burning down the cabin! Everything about the blonde's death. Come on, this was just painfully unoriginal. Also Kel, it's kinda not smart to set the thing on fire while Ash and Pablo are inside.
* The way Deadite Amanda was completely wasted. She was already dead, we didn't need Ash to re-kill her in that weirdly phallic way (which was hilarious and probably unintentionally so).
* And then we come back to the deal. i spake my piece about that several threads up, but I'll be damned if it doesn't still grate on me. When your team says they're willing to die for you, you have to trust them. Ash is a world-weary self preservationist, not that much of a naive idiot. I think it was DyD who noted that they keep using Ash's 'stupidity' as an excuse/plot point. He is not this naive. Also at some point he's going to have to develop beyond this no matter how priapic Sam is for an Ash who never learns and grows. We can't have Ash screw up and learn nothing every damn season, or it's going to turn into a form of monomania.
* Also the total inconsistency about his feelings for the team is annoying. He goes and risks his life for Pablo but he can't remember his damn name? He saves their lives but could care less about their feelings.
Observations:
* "And suddenly you just appeared in the book!" So now we're going with comics canon and the notion that the book writes itself when history is altered apparently?
* Did they color in Ash's white pants in the nec shot?
* Ruby's very, very tentatively concerned expression suggests to me that she has no clue how to actually finesse the Evil and will probably end up needing Ash's help to control it somehow. There's season 2, along with Ash being tortured by Jacksonville.
* The cabin is officially in Michigan somewhere, which kind of ruins continuity a bit.
I still feel like I wasted my time with the show this year.
