[rating=7.00] “The Host”
We’re officially at the halfway mark for the premiere season of Ash vs. Evil Dead and the pattern is becoming pretty clear—Ash, Kelly, and Pablo find themselves in a bizarre or awkward situation, a deadite or demon shows up, things get hairy, Ash kicks some ass, some funny lines are exchanged, the trio rides off to the next location.
There’s a repetitiveness to this formula that might be tedious in any other show, or hell, maybe even for this one. It’s difficult to overlook this kind of blatant formula and were it not for the charms of the main cast, it would probably already be getting into boring territory. Thankfully, it’s impossible to deny the innate charm of Ash vs. Evil Dead, and the formula works given the limited 30 minute runtime. (Still, I do
worry about the binge watchers who are waiting for the series to complete so they can watch it all—some series are meant to be watched in blocks, others benefit from the week-to-week format. Watching it all in one go might, in fact, lessen one’s enjoyment.)
This week’s awkward situation finds Brujo, Pablo, and Kelly (who’s still possessed by Eligos) tying Ash up and gagging him. After trying to choke Kelly while in the midst of his spirit quest last week, Brujo has wrongly assumed Ash is the one possessed. This is in no small part due to the lies and misdirection of Kelly/Eligos, who’s more than happy to have attention taken off her. It’s enough to make one wonder just how powerful a brujo Pablo’s uncle really is, but I suppose we’re all susceptible to the charms and lies of demonic forces now and again.
While Brujo tries his best to exorcise Ash, whose cries of “You’ve got the wrong guy” are falling on deaf ears, Kelligos and Pablo return to the camper to relax and let Brujo work. Pablo thinks he’s hit the jackpot when Kelly starts coming on to him, seductively cajoling him into smoking a little weed while they wait. While Pablo starts to look for a pipe, Kelligos just starts smoking out of a shotgun. Despite some initial misgivings, Pablo eventually sits down for a little toke as Kelligos pulls a shell out of her sock. Things are looking bad for Pablo, but thankfully he keeps refusing to take the hit, choosing instead to profess his love for Kelly. Frustrated, Eligos reveals his control over Kelly and a struggle ensues.
Back inside Brujo’s house, Ash continues to deny he’s possessed while Brujo attempts all manner of witch doctor tricks to get the demon to reveal itself in Ash. Finally, Ash is able to remove his gag and tell Brujo it’s Kelly who’s possessed, not him. Just then, a gunshot rings out.
So now we’ve entered our demonic portion of the episode. Attention is turned on Kelly as Ash forgives Brujo and Pablo for their mistakes. Eligos is apparently a lot stronger than anyone thought and none of Brujo’s exorcism tricks work here either. It’s starting to look like Kelly might just be too far gone and they might need to kill her.
Pablo, finally accepting his fate as a brujo, offers himself up to the demon if he frees Kelly. This guy will just do anything for Kelly, won’t he? I guess that’s part of the charm of his character. He’s braver than he thinks. Stronger, too. Despite Brujo and Ash’s protests, he genuinely wants to take Kelly’s place. What a guy, Pablo. What a guy.
Though initially Eligos seems to reject the deal, he soon begins crawling out of Kelly’s mouth and quickly begins his disappearing/reappearing trick we saw in “Books From Beyond.” Brujo attempts to rush the demon only to be flung aside and impaled. Once again, it’s looking bad for the trio but, since this is only episode 5, we know not to worry too much. Right on cue, Ash remembers a lesson from his spirit quest: Shoot first, think never.
While this seems like poor advice, Ash heeds hit, aimlessly pointing his boomstick and pulling the trigger. Without fail, Eligos finds himself with a face full of buckshot, and his head explodes in a mess of green ickiness. Against all odds, Ash has once again kicked all the ass and saved the day.
The trio take Brujo’s body and cremate it on a pyre, lest it rise once more as a deadite. At least they’re finally showing some foresight right? As Pablo is saying his goodbyes to his uncle, promising to carry on his good works, Brujo’s voice calls out from beyond, encouraging Pablo on his journey. Just then, an amulet appears, giving Pablo his mystical item, and thus ensuring that this series is actually about Pablo’s heroic journey. To hammer this point home, as Pablo walks back to the camper, the torch lights that surround Brujo’s house begin to flame just as he passes them.
Ash may have the light of El Jefe, but Pablo might just be the man to watch as we move into the last half of season one. There’s a part of me that wonders if they aren’t going to pull the ol’ bait and switch on us. Is this actually Pablo’s series? Is it possible that Ash might die at the end of this season? We know that there’s going to be a second season—it was given the go ahead before episode one even aired. So it seems unlikely. Then again, there’s some pretty heavy subtext about growing old and watching a new generation rise as the previous fades away. So maybe it’s time for the Evil Dead franchise to pass its torch as well. Maybe Ash has had his day to fight evil, and maybe it’s time for a new hero. It wouldn’t surprise me, but we’ve still got five more episodes this season, and anything might happen.
