‘Ash vs Evil Dead 3×04: Unfinished Business’ Review
If Ash vs Evil Dead is to last then it needs to bring more to the screen than just fight scene of the week, and inventive ways to provide the gore that keeps fans happy. Unfinished Business is an episode that shows that not only can we have an episode heavy in exposition, but we can also have as much gore as we can possibly handle.
With Ash (Bruce Campbell) busy having a flashback with his ghostly father Brock (Lee Majors) it is up to Kelly (Dana DeLorenzo) to make Brandy (Arielle Carver-O’Neill) see the good in her father. Ruby (Lucy Lawless) meanwhile makes new contacts in her quest to take down Ash.
What makes me happy about the third season of Ash vs Evil Dead is the fact that they realised Lee Majors as Ash’s father was such a good thing for the show. He’s lasted two episodes so far, and if that is all we get, then I can live with that. Seeing Campbell and Majors working together again will be a highlight of this season.
When it comes to Brandy, I can’t help but feel that she could be an annoying character, especially if she had gone to join with Ruby. That would be too obvious a move and would be a waste of potential. Instead we see her tag along with Kelly for a while. I’ve called Kelly the female Ash many times in the past, so she is a perfect teacher for the new character.
The fight scene of the week (we just have to accept the show has them now) was well handled and less grandiose this week. It was more about pushing Brandy closer to Kelly and pulling her into the world that Ash has to live in. It works to make her realise her dad isn’t that bad a person, and of course that she has Kelly to bring some semblance of normality to the chaos around them.
Ruby is a character that is confusing me now, as her actions this week appear to be trying to handle the chaos rather than create it. Her contacting the spirit realm and hunting down Dalton (Lindsay Farris) to find out where he created a portal appears to be her fixing things. Could it be Dalton and previous knights that are causing problems in their quest to do good? This is a possibility, but it doesn’t explain the demon child.
Unfinished Business is yet another episode that proves that Ash vs Evil Dead needs more time to push its story across. You’ll want to sit down and take notice of what is going on this week, especially as it rushes past at quite a pace. It may even take a re-watch of the episode to make sure you’ve not missed anything, because a lot happens in the thirty minutes the episode has to tell its story.
Ash vs Evil Dead is a series that I want to see last, if we were lucky we’d get a few more seasons. I’ll take whatever we are given and enjoy it because if we get more episode like this, then we are seeing a show that is not only entertaining but is also evolving into an even better weekly slice of Evil Dead goodness.
***** 5/5
Ash vs Evil Dead is available on Virgin Media video on Demand in the UK.