Ash vs Evil Dead S03E08: Rifting Apart Discussion [SPOILERS]

Things that have stopped Ash from becoming a Deadite:

The sun
Cutting off his hand
Love
Sucking deadite poison out of his own leg
Dying and coming back from Limbo via Brujo portal

As for wounds healing, so far everyone returned was killed via the same magic dagger, so maybe that can be your 'logic' for this situation. Either that or remember the time his face got stretched to comedy proportions and he 'wiggled' it back to shape.
 
I will admit that the side characters are getting far too much of a free pass.

Kelly should be dead and needs to stay that way, Pablo's original resurrection was totally bogus also (however his Brujo one at least has narrative drive and magic behind it). Ash I can buy coming back because he's the chosen one, maybe Brandy because she's potentially a chosen one but I'm 50/50 on that.

I do agree that this screws up any future deadite fights though, as Ash and Pablo could now, in theory, save almost anyone that dies. I'll complain about that if it ever comes up again, which honestly in two episodes left (that I'm assuming are dealing with Ruby) it genuinely might not.
 
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I agree with the sentiment on the suspense being tarnished but here's the thing about that.

How can you just drop a beloved character that is adored by the fans (regardless of whats said on here there is a fanbase with both pablo and kelly) and just say "oh she's dead. Ain't coming back, sorry" when you still have 4 episodes left to that season. It would just come off as dumb on both ash and pablos part to not try and save her with the recent abilities pablo has acquired .

But yes i do agree the suspense and tension dies down for sure on the main character deaths but here's the thing.

How long can you keep up the suspense and tension up when you have a character like ash williams being around these main side characters and having them die all the time without that becoming stale over time. The guys got to catch a break at some point,and in my humble opinion im very happy to see this guy catch a break from seeing the people's his loved and cared for always dieing on him. Its a breath of fresh air for me personally to see him finally having things turnaround for the better rather then him being in that same loop his always been in for those 3 films.

Plus his foretold in the damn book that he defeats evil i don't see how that's also suspenseful when you already know his going to put the evil away. to me its been more about the journey then the terror and suspense, yes it is unpredictable whose gonna bite it but that gets boring after seeing this pattern in 3 movies of this same guy always having to bury loved ones and moving on to someone else.

Plus here's my other point, kelly and pablo from the start of s1 were to be passed the torch to, Bruce,sam and rob all mentioned this and have been pointing this out up until now. And i got the strongest feeling that moment is probably coming up here soon.
 
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I don't mind Pablo and Kelly, and they've had the best character arcs this season for sure, but as for killing off characters but 'not' killing them off, there's a million inventive ways to do it.

Buffy (the best show of all time)and it's spin-off Angel killed characters consistently, and they all came back regularly, but you never felt cheated by it. Pablo's newfound Bruho-ness is a good excuse for him to overcome evil so I can buy it, Ash is 'The Chisen One' and Evil just can't get a handle on him. Kelly however, is no different to every other human in these situations.

They need a plausible reason to still exist in a world where humans can just be possessed instantly by evil. Having Lee Majors as a ghost (as lame as it was at the end of Season 2) is a great way to keep him around in Season 3, he died but Ruby can't stop pissing around with Williams bodies and we have a ghost, it's a shame they didnt keep him around more. Maybe Kelly could have become some half human/half deadite monstrosity like Sam from regeneration, or maybe we can keep Dana DeLorenzo on but now she permanently plays Kelly's body possessed by a former Knight of Sumeria, or better yet have Kelly try to come back from the rift but have to perma-share her body now between the two personalities.

They're needs to be some sort of cause and effect, some long lasting fuck uppery from clashing with evil and surviving. We love Ash because he cut his damn arm off to stay alive, whereas I see this Season ending with Brandy, Kelly, Ash and Pablo all being fine and dandy, same as the start of it.
 
I don't know about everyone being fine and dandy at the end of this but alright.

Yeah i get what you are saying and i agree with that,there should be some consequences or side effects. Who knows what might happen between 9-10.

Let's just wait and see
 
Joem1k said:
Sheila did through the sheer power of whatever the hell the writers thought worked best so they could have a happy ending so we might as well call ivan and sam 10 year olds
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You could argue Sheila came back via the true love clause that saved Ash in Evil Dead 2 as well.

To be fair, Sheila did fall off of a tower and return to her body, unharmed and whole. It's sort of a plausible idea that has previous canonical expression. The universe DOES have base rules but the show sometimes overcomplicates things.


The Good

* Everything about Ash's quiet, subdued demeanor after he lost Brandy, and his determination to well, do the impossible. And also submit to a prostate exam for them.

* Dalton finally getting to do "Anything" for Ash, and developing a better purpose that meant something. But wow, was he this season's Pablo. At least he went down with a purpose, shooting.

* The friendly chemistry between Brandy and Dalton, and the familial chemistry with Brandy, Ash, and Kelly and Pablo.

* The general set-up of the fight with Pablo and the Deadite, including the paint shaker death.

* The fact that Kelly and Dalton worked together to protect themselves/others down there. I wonder if their presence is why the people who are alive down there are still alive.

* Everything's been given much, much more weight and attendant dramatic heft.


The Meh

* As necessary as this new, cold, determined Pablo is for the story, I think he really does lose something with his new attitude, not just because, but because it turns him into a copy of Kelly and Ash instead of him with extra. I loved that fight tho, and he really DOES deserve a moment like this after being kicked around by demons for seasons.

* There's something very, very wrong about watching Ash die, especially by quasi-suicide, but it fit with the plan and made sense.



The Bad

* Pablo leaving that KOS there to be caught. C'mon Pablo, you're a bright guy! He should've at least prepped her for a demonic onslaught.

* OK, suddenly the KOS' ability to speak Latin means they can use her blood/flesh to rewrite history/make their own Nec? Huh? Pablo couldn't speak Latin but he's been used as Nec paper.

* Still find it kinda annoying that Ash isn't wondering where Linda is. I get it that he's distracted, but the revelation of this new between-world is a Huge Astonishing Thing. He should be wondering where the heck his other loved ones are.


The Verdict: A solid episode, with the emotion and action sequences work well.


What I Noticed

Ash smiling at the porn making his dead body smile in the surface world.

A couple of other people caught the prom people floating around, but I think I saw someone from the diner scene in season 1. Definitely saw the prom kids and the woman who started this crap in episode 1.
 
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I need to rewatch this episode, but I did enjoy it quite a bit, along the lines of the last few.

About people coming back to life, I’m torn. The Necronomicon itself brings dead bodies back as deadites so it makes sense that could be feasibly reversed. As far as it being too easy, Ash did literally kill himself to do it, and there was no real guarantee he would succeed, thus the risk to do that in order to save everyone who dies is too much. Kelly is still dead, Dalton is gone forever this time? I personally don’t see this time as a problem, but it would be weird if someone just dies and gets resurrected constantly. However it could be a plot point in the final battle where some characters may die several times and have to keep coming back
 
I just want to start off by saying the interaction between Ash, Brandy, Kelly, and Dalton in the bar was golden with Ash calling Dalton Darwin followed by Kelly saying "I'm always happy to see that indestructible blue shirt come to the rescue" as that line made me smile. It will be a truly sad day if that was no longer a possibility with Ash. Also it should be noted that the timing while they were in the classic/boner mobile was top notch like Brandy's reaction when the hands pop up, or when Ash spins the car around to hit the thing in the street.


/If you look closely during the burnout Dana has a big ass smile on her face which couldn't be missed.
//We see Amy is indeed dead which was something I wondered about since Ruby made her grand entrance into the barn in episode 1 killing everyone as I don't think her body was ever shown.
 
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Muzzlehatch said:
Another entertaining episode. Not perfect but a good continuation on the path of improvement S3 started with. And most of all: KICK OUT THE JAMS, M*****F******!
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God that scene was metal as fuck, the delta coming up out of hell to run that soul reaper over with that playing in the background was great.
 
That was a very decent episode. I really hope this new Ash is here to stay until the end. It only took them 26 episodes to get the main character of the show right. There were still a couple bad lines here and there but thankfully they were few and far between. Loved the fight between Pablo and the deadite and the paint mixer kill was fantastic. The dead lands turned out to be alright. I'm not gonna get into the logic of how the place works and how people can come out of it unscathed or the apparent immortality of all the main characters cause enough has been said about it and I've long stopped caring about any of that. I still wish they had done more with Dalton, both the character and the actor were surprisingly good.

MaidOfKandar said:
OK, suddenly the KOS' ability to speak Latin means they can use her blood/flesh to rewrite history/make their own Nec? Huh? Pablo couldn't speak Latin but he's been used as Nec paper.
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Agreed. That's the only part of the episode that made me roll my eyes, along with the KoS just staying behind to get caught because the plot demanded it. Leave it to Ruby to pull yet another convoluted, nonsensical plan out of her butt.
 
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@DyD

I have a good feeling this ash is here to stay, thanks in part to his daughter coming into the picture and helping him grow as a character finally.

side note
(I really wish brandy's character came in sooner rather then later, but what can you do at this point. But imagine what the show would've been like to have had this character at the beginning of this show with pablo and kelly, and just had it built around those 4 characters with the mythology for those first two seasons and better characterization for ruby. That would've been interesting to watch and see play out.)

I'm gonna probably keep saying this long after this season is over but this is probably the better written and paced season out of the 2 not gonna say it's perfect in anyway it has it's faults but it's a much better put together season then the previous two in comparison. Every action from a previous episode or character moment is felt in the present one and there is a better sense of continuity in general character wise.

I've mostly enjoyed it the best because it's brought a emotional depth/heart that this show has been sorely lacking in the previous 2 seasons. and once again THE STORY ISN'T AIMLESS. We have a clear end goal in mind this season with the main story, but they also have had clear cut goals for each character to achieve.

Alright, i'm gonna stop rambling now haha. Glad to hear you enjoyed it !


And about ruby, that woman is up for a god awful performance review by her bosses, can't wait to see how that one pan's out for her ! She's a terrible event planner, that's all i'm going to say about her at this point.
 
Another small observation: That moment Ash mentions Prof. Knowby and Pablo goes "Yeah! Ruby Knowby!" was a really weird connection to make at this point. What, so they're going back to her being a Knowby now? Somehow she's a Knowby and also a Dark One who wrote the book? I know they said in interviews that she was only "posing" as a Knowby (something that always sounded to me like an afterthought), but that plot point was never addressed or clarified in the show. To bring that plot point back now in such a throwaway manner is just confusing and a reminder of how convoluted Ruby's characterization has been up until now. It's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but it felt kinda weird.
 
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DyD said:
Another small observation: That moment Ash mentions Prof. Knowby and Pablo goes "Yeah! Ruby Knowby!" was a really weird connection to make at this point. What, so they're going back to her being a Knowby now? Somehow she's a Knowby and also a Dark One who wrote the book? I know they said in interviews that she was only "posing" as a Knowby (something that always sounded to me like an afterthought), but that plot point was never addressed or clarified in the show. To bring that plot point back now in such a throwaway manner is just confusing and a reminder of how convoluted Ruby's characterization has been up until now. It's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but it felt kinda weird.
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I'm gonna jog that bit of dialogue down to pablo being upset/distraught in that moment and called her by the name he knows her by. I don't think it was confirming she was a knowby in anyway but more so pablo just cursing her with the fake name she told them at the end of s1.

I saw somewhere they mentioned her real last name being "Ruby Cross" during the pr tour for s2 but that was the last i saw of it.
 
DyD said:
I still wish they had done more with Dalton, both the character and the actor were surprisingly good.
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This is my biggest complaint about this season. I really wanted to see an actual badass character come in and fight alongside Ash. Pablo and Kelly have their place, but Dalton could feasibly be military and I just wanted to see him get some good action. Maybe he'll come back and die a 4th time.
 
Surtur said:
This is my biggest complaint about this season. I really wanted to see an actual badass character come in and fight alongside Ash. Pablo and Kelly have their place, but Dalton could feasibly be military and I just wanted to see him get some good action. Maybe he'll come back and die a 4th time.
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I don't think his coming back, not after being dragged down into hell. All we can do is hope and pray ruby meet's her maker here soon and dalton can say hi when she get's there. I'm sure him and his ancestors are waiting patiently for her to appear

"These violent delights have violent ends"
 
Joem1k said:
(I really wish brandy's character came in sooner rather then later, but what can you do at this point. But imagine what the show would've been like to have had this character at the beginning of this show with pablo and kelly, and just had it built around those 4 characters with the mythology for those first two seasons and better characterization for ruby. That would've been interesting to watch and see play out.)

I'm gonna probably keep saying this long after this season is over but this is probably the better written and paced season out of the 2 not gonna say it's perfect in anyway it has it's faults but it's a much better put together season then the previous two in comparison. Every action from a previous episode or character moment is felt in the present one and there is a better sense of continuity in general character wise.
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I agree completely with your first point, agree in part with the second one. This season has certainly been better put together than the previous two, but in my opinion, the individual episodes in the first half of the season were kinda poorly written and poorly paced. Only the last couple of episodes have shown a consistent and significant improvement in pace, structure and characterization. If they keep it up for the two remaining episodes, I might say that the second half of this season, specifically, was the best in terms of writing, pacing and characterization. Which would probably make this season the best out of the three we got anyway.

Joem1k said:
I'm gonna jog that bit of dialogue down to pablo being upset/distraught in that moment and called her by the name he knows her by. I don't think it was confirming she was a knowby in anyway but more so pablo just cursing her with the fake name she told them at the end of s1.
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I understand that, I'm just saying that it felt really odd to me for them to mention that at that point, by putting myself in the shoes of the writer who made that decision. Also, I don't remember they ever clarifying in the show how exactly did Pablo ever found out she was using the Knowby name.
 
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@DyD

I believe she tells them off-screen when they went hiking back to the cabin in s1, pablo mentions to ash very quickly when they come back. "She's a knowby!"

And i'm gonna guess ash probably gave them the low down off screen as well the brief history about the knowby family.
 
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Joem1k said:
I don't think his coming back, not after being dragged down into hell. All we can do is hope and pray ruby meet's her maker here soon and dalton can say hi when she get's there. I'm sure him and his ancestors are waiting patiently for her to appear

"These violent delights have violent ends"
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No, I was being a bit sarcastic because he's been such a punching bag. If we get to see him again, I'm going to have a hearty laugh out loud
 
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