I couldn't help, but recall someone saying they didn't like the interaction between Ash and Brock which I enjoyed the hell out of... and I look forward to seeing what that goes in the future. The scene with Kelly in the pit (for lack of a better term) was was really well done, and I have to give the lady some props for that because it was one of the moments in this episode that really stood out even though it looked like they used cgi for the eyes. Now Pablo also had some really cool moments like he had with the book, and it will be interesting to see if most of his big moments this season will come via the visions. I'll have more once I gather my thoughts, and a few more viewings.
If anything, the dialogue could still be better when it comes to them and I don't like that he's a leftover container for all the race-related material they couldn't give Ash last season - and they could have gone in an opposing way by making him quieter. It's too little to go on at this point but I stand by my statement that it's an easy narrative choice just to have him be so much like Ash.
I liked the hints of melancholy bubbling under Brock's character. He actually seems to miss Ash and Cheryl's mom on some level but is glad she didn't live to watch Ash and Cheryl end up the way they did, which is an incredibly sad statement.
Did they use cg? I thought they were actual contacts but the lighting wasn't a help in determining that.
Alright, I watched the full episode. I was kinda miffed on it, to be honest. Let's break it down:
- Cinematography and set design were really well done and have much improved from season 1. This helps enhance the overall mood. The last ten minutes or so were great and had a really strong Evil Dead vibe to them. Everybody was talking about the opening scene on the reviews, but that was just buckets of gore and blood, nothing special. The crematorium portion actually had the atmosphere I've been missing. Joseph LoDuca's score is also much better utilized and more prominent than in season 1, which also helps with setting the mood and it shows that maybe they've been listening to the fan criticism (just not enough, IMO). The action scenes were actually very well directed and a lot of fun and there's been a noticeable improvement on the digital effects as well. So, at least when it comes to the technical aspects, there has been a clear and considerable improvement over season 1. Too bad the writing hasn't been improved in the slightest.
- They finally seem to have nailed the deadites. They're finally acting, moving and behaving like the deadites we all know and love and the makeup effects are looking really good too.
- Ash's character and dialogue was even worse than in season 1, and I feel this is only the beginning, with them retconning the character into always being a borderline mentally challenged asshole. He's actually starting to annoy me and I'm finding it harder and harder to root for him. I never thought it could happen, but I feel I might actually grow to hate the character of Ash by the end of the season.
- Lee Majors is awesome. This casting choice was brilliant and he brought his A game to this. In the few minutes he was on screen he demonstrated how much of an amazing actor he is. Too bad the character is just an uninteresting Ash clone and spouts some of the worst lines of dialogue the writers could come up with. For this reason, I feel his character could be one of the most cringeworthy aspects of the season for me. Mr. Majors deserves better than this.
- I'm not sure if it's Dana's acting or the lack of quality material given to her, but I'm really growing to hate her performance and I still don't give a crap about Kelly as a character.
- Ruby has once again turned into yet another different character, but at least this time she's actually interesting and seems to have a clear purpose. Lucy's performance was great and I'm really curious to see where they take the character.
- There wasn't much of Pablo on this episode, but I liked his visions and the bit with the Brujo's amulet. They finally gave it a function and I thought it was actually pretty clever (even if it was a complete Lord of the Rings ripoff).
- Almost every single attempt at humor in this episode fell flat to me. All the verbal jokes were awful and the gag with Pablo's ridiculous portrait of Ruby was simply too stupid to be funny. It made every character in the group look like a moron. The Six Million Dollar Man reference joke was just terrible. The only bits of humor that kinda worked for me were physical comedy bits from Bruce. His standoff with his own shadow was pretty good. His jump scare when he finds Ruby too. And I laughed at the pipe gag, even though it was completely recycled from the movies. Which brings us to...
- They went overboard with callbacks to the movies. Most of the stuff on this episode was just a riff on scenes that we've seen before, with nothing new added to them. They were just lazy references for the sake of references and completely unnecessary. I really hope they cut it out a bit on this stuff going forward. Instead of simply carbon copying a bunch of moments from the movies, they really need to try and come up with new scenes that have the same spirit, atmosphere and energy the movies had.
Overall, it was better than any of the episodes in season 1, but still heavily flawed. It was enough for me to give this thing a second chance, but I remain critical and cautious. Let's see what they do with it from now on. Looking forward to the next episode.
I agree Re Ash's character: I see them trying to give him more vulnerable spots but they're so afraid to commit to serious drama and tension that they keep undercutting what should be big emotional moments for him. I liked the bit where he was staring at the picture of him and his dad, and the quiet kind of morose sadness he has about Brock is promising. I like that better than the flirtation he had with Linda B.
I'm not looking forward to the inevitable moment they will kiss and infidelity rears its ugly head.
IMO, it's Dana's acting. She's good at portraying sarcasm but anything that requires her to play panicked comes off as inorganic? If she'd've just silently hoisted that gun and shot it without screaming it would've looked better? She's also very good as a demon. Her fight segment was still my favorite this time out though, if only because of the action and the idea behind evil!Kel.
Also, what the hell did Kelly's shirt say? I couldn't read the damn thing; the only word I could make out was 'fuck'.
Worth noting: Michelle Hurd is listed as a main cast member this episode but Lee Majors is a "very special guest."
I agree Re Ash's character: I see them trying to give him more vulnerable spots but they're so afraid to commit to serious drama and tension that they keep undercutting what should be big emotional moments for him. I liked the bit where he was staring at the picture of him and his dad, and the quiet kind of morose sadness he has about Brock is promising. I like that better than the flirtation he had with Linda B.
I'm not looking forward to the inevitable moment they will kiss and infidelity rears its ugly head.
IMO, it's Dana's acting. She's good at portraying sarcasm but anything that requires her to play panicked comes off as inorganic? If she'd've just silently hoisted that gun and shot it without screaming it would've looked better? She's also very good as a demon. Her fight segment was still my favorite this time out though, if only because of the action and the idea behind evil!Kel.
It's almost as if they're so committed to the idea of not giving Ash any character development or serious emotional moments that they're retroactively erasing the character development he already had from movie to movie. That's what they're doing by saying he was always this dumb, selfish jerk and bully. And that's why it feels so wrong.
Concerning your spoilers,
maybe her husband will be dead already when that happens... Cause we all know the Sheriff isn't getting out of this alive.
I agree about Dana. She's alright with sarcasm and quiet anger, but every time she has to convey anything else, be it seduction, fear or explosive anger, it really doesn't seem natural. Every time she starts screaming her lines, I cringe. I enjoyed her fight with her evil double, mostly because the mirrored punching bit was visually interesting. The moments that followed that weren't very good, though.
To be brutally honest, since I've watched the episode once more...
Although there's potential in the episodes to come--this first episode makes season one look like fucking "Gone With the Wind."
Parts that may have worked on paper were translated in a way that felt so slapdash and insincere. Even at 30 minutes, this episode didn't feel like it had the skill of pace that season one eps did, which is quite a feat. It just felt rushed and to be honest, I could give a shit about Pablo and Kelly when we've got real meat to explore with Ash, for once. I wish they weren't there so extra time could have been given to Ash's father or his bad rep.
If they don't go any deeper with his drama than we've seen so far, I'll be glad to see the show end.
Kelly's shirt said fuck the clock which again I'm guessing was an homage to a shirt worn on stage by Patti Smith, and ties in with in the movies too. Very punk rock.
I actually liked it more than I thought I would. It still looks kinda cheap (not in the sense of the budget), the dialogues are still stupid at times (especially the exposition seems like it was written by a ten year old) and I still don't fucking understand Ruby's motivations.
BUT it looks like they all know more what they are doing than in the last season and I like how they cleverly referenced the original trilogy. How Pablo drawing the Necronomicon and Kelly choking herself were nice callbacks to the first two movies and how the fight in Florida was a nice mix of ED2 and AoD fight style, and how at the same time the fight in the crematorium was something completely new and original for Evil Dead (though I think the show fell so deep into comedy at this point that it really can't be scary anymore).
I also liked that Ash is more mature here and I'd really love if they'd try to work with his character more for a change and leave all the racist stuff and "jokes" to his father. But again, the best part of the first episode is Bruce who is apparently having the time of his life and I'm so fucking happy for him.
Somehow, even if for some of us the show isn't what Evil Dead should really be or even for those that straight-out hate it for one reason or another, just seeing Bruce doing his thing is worth it all.
PS: Same as last year, I can't wait for the soundtrack to come out, because Joseph's music was again just magnificent.
I agree Re Ash's character: I see them trying to give him more vulnerable spots but they're so afraid to commit to serious drama and tension that they keep undercutting what should be big emotional moments for him. I liked the bit where he was staring at the picture of him and his dad, and the quiet kind of morose sadness he has about Brock is promising. I like that better than the flirtation he had with Linda B.
I'm not looking forward to the inevitable moment they will kiss and infidelity rears its ugly head.
IMO, it's Dana's acting. She's good at portraying sarcasm but anything that requires her to play panicked comes off as inorganic? If she'd've just silently hoisted that gun and shot it without screaming it would've looked better? She's also very good as a demon. Her fight segment was still my favorite this time out though, if only because of the action and the idea behind evil!Kel.
It's almost as if they're so committed to the idea of not giving Ash any character development or serious emotional moments that they're retroactively erasing the character development he already had from movie to movie. That's what they're doing by saying he was always this dumb, selfish jerk and bully. And that's why it feels so wrong.
Concerning your spoilers,
maybe her husband will be dead already when that happens... Cause we all know the Sheriff isn't getting out of this alive.
I agree about Dana. She's alright with sarcasm and quiet anger, but every time she has to convey anything else, be it seduction, fear or explosive anger, it really doesn't seem natural. Every time she starts screaming her lines, I cringe. I enjoyed her fight with her evil double, mostly because the mirrored punching bit was visually interesting. The moments that followed that weren't very good, though.
It's even worse than that; they're actively denying he had characterization in the movies period, rinse and repeat with their season 1 treatment only worse.
It's pretty much a toss-up for me as to who's biting it this season. They could kill Linda and Brock to generate Manpain in Ash. Chet's obviously going to die and I sense you're right and Thomas is going to end up Baal's minion. Either they're clearing the way for Brock to get with Ruby, a Ruby/Brock/Ash triangle, or Ash to get with Linda.
Nick el Ass said:
MaidOfKandar said:
Also, what the hell did Kelly's shirt say? I couldn't read the damn thing; the only word I could make out was 'fuck'.
Kelly's shirt said fuck the clock which again I'm guessing was an homage to a shirt worn on stage by Patti Smith, and ties in with in the movies too. Very punk rock.
BTW it also seemed interesting to me when Evil Kelly started taunting the real Kelly and asking her why she doesn't become a leader. I'm wondering if this will go anywhere, because the idea of Kelly wanting to become the leader of the group is something I also had in my season 2 fan pitch. I'm wondering if there will be more similarities between the pitch and the actual season in the future. That would be fun.
Aside from whatever's happening with Ash's backstory I'm pretty excited about the whole Kelly thing in spite of my occasional complaints about Dana's acting, I will say that much!
After two times watching my opinion regarding 2.01 is extremly neutral. For me there weren't any big pros and cons. There have been worse epsiodes and I also might got used to all the cringeworthy stuff, that was during S1 already existing. On the other hand I found the episode quite forgetable.
+sets
+effects
+actors (Majors of course, but I also liked the Sheriff)
+pacing
-Ruby and her plot make no sense at all
-Ash's and Brock's encounter also lacks logic (his father complaints about Ash fleeing from responsebility but does not mind him killing his his own daughter?)
-there have been better fight scene (pilot, diner episode for example)
-I found the series not to be very scary since the Fisher-Lucy-Carson-scene. 2.01 did not change that.
Regarding the many people who criticise Bruce's one-liner delivery: It anoys me aswell and I think I might know the reason for it. In ED2 and AoD Ash's lines already were totally silly ("Let's go", "Shop smart ..." "... Housewares." etc) but he always delivered them in a dead serious tone without any trace of irony. For me THAT was funny. But in AvED Bruce always delivers them with a smirk or a winking eye like "Yeah, listen. Here is a new legendary quote for you nerds ...". Old Ash is like the uncle who laughs loudest about his own jokes.
-Ash's and Brock's encounter also lacks logic (his father complaints about Ash fleeing from responsebility but does not mind him killing his his own daughter?)
I think they are building up to that subject, they are treating her death very well IMHO, they know what happen with cheryl(Ash and Brock) but the two of them are too afraid to confront the subject or even try to talk about it. There treating her death as a big deal for these two characters and i love that they are doing this and keeping this subject for the later episodes, i just hope the pay off is worth it.
I personally don't mind the approach bruce is taking with the delivery, it's a joke in of itself.
@Hurley
I completely agree with you, seeing bruce finally shake off the rust from last season and just going all out for this episode was just great to witness, dudes having the time of his life. And i do agree , ash is a lot more mature this season then he was in s1, his treating kelly and pablo with a lot more respect and care, his reaction to pablo having nightmares/vision's was great and really showed how much he care's about the both of them in general, i feel like the family theme with pablo,kelly and ash really shined through in this episode, how they work together and interact with each other in general was top notch !
After two times watching my opinion regarding 2.01 is extremly neutral. For me there weren't any big pros and cons. There have been worse epsiodes and I also might got used to all the cringeworthy stuff, that was during S1 already existing. On the other hand I found the episode quite forgetable.
+sets
+effects
+actors (Majors of course, but I also liked the Sheriff)
+pacing
-Ruby and her plot make no sense at all
-Ash's and Brock's encounter also lacks logic (his father complaints about Ash fleeing from responsebility but does not mind him killing his his own daughter?)
-there have been better fight scene (pilot, diner episode for example)
-I found the series not to be very scary since the Fisher-Lucy-Carson-scene. 2.01 did not change that.
Regarding the many people who criticise Bruce's one-liner delivery: It anoys me aswell and I think I might know the reason for it. In ED2 and AoD Ash's lines already were totally silly ("Let's go", "Shop smart ..." "... Housewares." etc) but he always delivered them in a dead serious tone without any trace of irony. For me THAT was funny. But in AvED Bruce always delivers them with a smirk or a winking eye like "Yeah, listen. Here is a new legendary quote for you nerds ...". Old Ash is like the uncle who laughs loudest about his own jokes.
You hit the nail on the head as to what bugs me about this version of Ash; I know I've talked about him feeling way more like convention!Bruce than Ash. In the original trilogy Ash was an action hero transplanted into a slapstick comedy, and his total outrage and injured dignity is what makes most of the comedy work, and they manage to infuse actual heart into his problems. This season they've taken a big broad swing even deeper into comedy and this is the result.
@DYD and Muzzlehatch:
Apparently Cheryl's death is a huge part of the conflict this season between Brock and Ash; they're probably waiting to introduce that.
Also it's pretty ridiculous for Brock to blame Ash for Cheryl's death, since she and Scott pretty much melted all over him and her body died trying to beat him to death with a fire poker, but I sense it'll be about 'why didn't you protect your sister like I asked you to?'
You hit the nail on the head as to what bugs me about this version of Ash; I know I've talked about him feeling way more like convention!Bruce than Ash. In the original trilogy Ash was an action hero transplanted into a slapstick comedy, and his total outrage and injured dignity is what makes most of the comedy work, and they manage to infuse actual heart into his problems. This season they've taken a big broad swing even deeper into comedy and this is the result.
@DYD and Muzzlehatch:
Apparently Cheryl's death is a huge part of the conflict this season between Brock and Ash; they're probably waiting to introduce that.
Also it's pretty ridiculous for Brock to blame Ash for Cheryl's death, since she and Scott pretty much melt all over him, but I sense it'll be about 'why didn't you protect your sister like I asked you to?'
Actually, it makes me wonder what Brock exactly does think happened at the cabin. I can't see him believing what actually happened, and it seems he doesn't believe in "Ashy Slashy,' either. So does he blame a wandering serial killer or something?
I hope they properly recount what happened when Ash came home from the cabin. I'm very curious how that played out.
You and me both. If there's one thing I'm tired of is the writers ignoring and skimming over important plot setting details like that.
MaidOfKandar said:
@DYD and Muzzlehatch:
Apparently Cheryl's death is a huge part of the conflict this season between Brock and Ash; they're probably waiting to introduce that.
Also it's pretty ridiculous for Brock to blame Ash for Cheryl's death, since she and Scott pretty much melted all over him and her body died trying to beat him to death with a fire poker, but I sense it'll be about 'why didn't you protect your sister like I asked you to?'
Maybe you're right. I hope they do explore that stuff thoroughly, though. IMO, that's the one thing they can't gloss over and screw up this season. Although after watching that behind the scenes video that was released today, I've a feeling that any doubt Brock could have had about Ash or what went down in the cabin is going out the window after Ash saves him from the deadite woman in the bathroom. I just hope the tension or emotional weight from their relationship doesn't vanish along with it.
You hit the nail on the head as to what bugs me about this version of Ash; I know I've talked about him feeling way more like convention!Bruce than Ash. In the original trilogy Ash was an action hero transplanted into a slapstick comedy, and his total outrage and injured dignity is what makes most of the comedy work, and they manage to infuse actual heart into his problems. This season they've taken a big broad swing even deeper into comedy and this is the result.
@DYD and Muzzlehatch:
Apparently Cheryl's death is a huge part of the conflict this season between Brock and Ash; they're probably waiting to introduce that.
Also it's pretty ridiculous for Brock to blame Ash for Cheryl's death, since she and Scott pretty much melt all over him, but I sense it'll be about 'why didn't you protect your sister like I asked you to?'
Actually, it makes me wonder what Brock exactly does think happened at the cabin. I can't see him believing what actually happened, and it seems he doesn't believe in "Ashy Slashy,' either. So does he blame a wandering serial killer or something?
I hope they properly recount what happened when Ash came home from the cabin. I'm very curious how that played out.
Is that, shades of Cheryl's original reaction to what happened with the basement trap door, he thinks an animal did it. That would explain why he didn't immediately just blow Ash's head off but also why he thinks Ash's 'a demon made me do it' story is bupkiss.
DyD said:
DocLathropBrown said:
I hope they properly recount what happened when Ash came home from the cabin. I'm very curious how that played out.
You and me both. If there's one thing I'm tired of is the writers ignoring and skimming over important plot setting details like that.
MaidOfKandar said:
@DYD and Muzzlehatch:
Apparently Cheryl's death is a huge part of the conflict this season between Brock and Ash; they're probably waiting to introduce that.
Also it's pretty ridiculous for Brock to blame Ash for Cheryl's death, since she and Scott pretty much melted all over him and her body died trying to beat him to death with a fire poker, but I sense it'll be about 'why didn't you protect your sister like I asked you to?'
Maybe you're right. I hope they do explore that stuff thoroughly, though. IMO, that's the one thing they can't gloss over and screw up this season. Although after watching that behind the scenes video that was released today, I've a feeling that any doubt Brock could have had about Ash or what went down in the cabin is going out the window after Ash saves him from the deadite woman in the bathroom. I just hope the tension or emotional weight from their relationship doesn't vanish along with it.
And here we go again, everyone complaining about things that are not good or right and I just sit here with a smile on my face while watching it.
I'm the one who will not complain about a single thing and be grateful as fuck that after all these years we got some more Evil Dead stuff and lots more of Ash!
