This weeks episode of Ash vs Evil Dead may as well be seen as a half of a two-parter because it ties in with last weeks episode very closely. Touching on the same themes and utilising the same locations and characters, it serves very well as an accompanying piece.
Bound In The Flesh commences mid Ash vs Ash as the two continue to throw bones. Pablo and Kelly though grow tired and through an intense line of questioning and each Ash attempting to provide proof of who the real one is, kill the evil Ash. It’s an amusing sequence, the fallacy coming to light through nothing more than Ash’s admission of being mildly racist, except with Asians.
Ash (during a hilarious scene that sees him cutting up his dead twin while “Just the Two of Us” plays) inadvertently awakens the Necrinomicon and it starts casting doubt upon him.
Meanwhile Kelly and Pablo make up for their lack of screen time last week by getting the bulk of it during the first half of the episode. Fisher – now very much alive but also still totally dead – reappears when Kelly and Pablo are escorting our merry band of hikers through the woods. You could smell it a mile off; At least a third of this expendable group were going to eat it and they do, courtesy of a Fisher fist through the back of the skull. And in addition she tries her hand (he he) at some impromptu ventriloquism…Think about it, there ya go.
When all hope seems to be lost, Ruby literally swoops in to save Pablo, Kelly and other girl and cuts up the former hikers without batting an eyelid. It’s all rather intriguing and the shroud of mystery that continues to surround Ruby is fantastic.
Ruby and Ash’s long gestating confrontation was a nice little treat too. The two trade quips (“And I’m gonna finally say to evil, hey evil, why don’t you eat my butt”) and Ruby makes a fool out of Ash, finally acknowledging the possibility that maybe Ash really is just a bumbling idiot after all.
Pablo and Kelly continue to dance around the obvious despite most of the other plot points coming to a conclusion and while its inching its way to being resolved, it wont survive too many more episodes.
Bound In The Flesh was kind of a filler episode of sorts, existing only to placate audiences until the season finale. It didn’t really progress anything until the final moments but it did rely on some absurdly funny scenes to warrant a watch.
Its closing revelation (that Ruby wrote the Necronomicon) will drive the finale and much of the show moving forward so in a sense it did deliver the biggest twist thus far.
Highlights:
- “Just the Two of Us” scene
- Confrontation between Ash and Ruby
- Final revelation
Lowlights:
- Pablo and Kelly continuing to pussy foot around their relationship
- Filler episode
Review Score: THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Ash vs Evil Dead is streaming now on Stan.
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