Ash vs. Evil Dead - "Bound in Flesh"

If you look up Ash vs. Evil Dead on IMDB, you will note that it has an average rating of 9/10 stars, based on 17,000+ reviews. Check out Rotten Tomatoes’ “Tomatometer” and you’ll see that it’s sitting pretty at 98%. This show is a genuine delight, and in its penultimate episode, it reminds us all the reasons why that is.

When “Bound in Flesh” opens, Pablo and Kelly are forced to distinguish between the two identical versions of Ash that were battling it out at the end of the last episode. One of them is the genuine article, and one is nothing but a glorified tumor that grew from Ash’s old and evil and severed hand, emboldened by its return to the cabin where it all began. After taking out the fake Ash (who outed himself by having even the slightest bit of self-preservation) the gang hopes for a moment to dismember and regroup, but that dream is quickly dashed when the group of hikers from the previous episode find their way to the cabin.

While Pablo and Kelly set off to lead the hikers away from the cabin, and out of the woods, Ash stays behind to take care of the bodies before they have any more Deadites on their hands. The Evil is way ahead of them, though, and Amanda is quickly resurrected in Deadite form, only to slay two of the three hikers and use them as bloody sock puppets. Ruby arrives just in time to save the day and get the survivors back to the cabin, but as she instructs Ash on a ritual to pass ownership of the Necronomicon on to her, we begin to question if she is who she says she is.

After a particularly strong episode last week, “Bound in Flesh” is another fantastic example of this show’s writers, directors, and actors stretching themselves a little bit to beautiful effect. After the middle section of the series started to feel like it was dragging, a change in pace was welcome and the show’s writers were able to deliver one that felt right with last week’s heart wrenching episode.  Both this week and last, we have seen characters that we know and care about (albeit to varying degrees) meet brutal ends at the hands of the Evil and it hits home more than the cheesy and campy deaths in the trailer park or the diner. Detective Fisher’s death, particularly, hammered home the idea that Ash can’t escape or outrun his destiny like he has been trying to do. Despite the quip in the opening that Ash would never lay down his life for anyone but himself, he seems pretty damn motivated to save the world.

Ruby’s turn in the final moments of the episode, likewise, were a perfect wrench to throw into the path that seemed totally straightforward from here on out. Despite some weak spots in the middle, the last two episodes of this show have proven that the people in charge know what they’re doing, and they’ve set us up for one hell of a finale. If past performance is any indication, we’re in for a real treat.