The Gore Spotlight
Ash vs Evil Dead
Review of Episode 7:
Fire in the Hole
Directed by: Michael Hurst
Air date: 12/13/15
Editor’s Note: P.J.'s Ash vs Evil Dead reviews are done on a weekly basis and are for watchers of the show. Therefore, it's worth mentioning that there will be spoilers and heavy speculation in all of the reviews. For those of you, who wish to not be spoiled, please stop reading.
When we last left Ash and company, they had gained a companion and hostility among the Deadite community was well on the rise. Officer Amanda Fisher has seen the light that is Ash's awesomeness and now acknowledges that he is a friend to the human race, not the problem. Last time, in The Killer of Killers, Ash heard from an old acquaintance named Lem that he may have some weapons out at some compound in the room. Ash seemed familiar with the group of survivalists that Lem is affiliated with, but Fire in the Hole is the episode where this group has become a prominent feature.
Lem was clearly in trouble last week and sure enough he has turned and the other members of the militia are weary of him. They are the paranoia-obsessed type who horde weapons out of distrust of the government. In fact, after encountering Deadite Lem, at least one of them is convinced that the government has somehow infected him as a way of carrying out their evil conspiracies.
Unfortunately for Ash and his crew, the militia doesn't fully trust them. This is made worse by Amanda's affiliation. She proves herself to be a great asset in this episode, but when it comes to calming a group of government-hating types, a cop isn't exactly a welcome visitor. Things turn hostile and the weapons situation favors the militia so Ash and Amanda end up handcuffed together in confinement within the compound. Kelly and Pablo find themselves separated from the others in the woods and plan a way to retrieve Ash and Amanda.
A lot of flavor is added to the episode with the addition of the survivalist group. This is no Walking Dead-esque post-apocalyptic situation. Most people out in the world have no idea of what's going on and therefore are not in panic mode. I've found myself impressed with Ash vs Evil Dead's ability to find new obstacles for the characters while still making the Deadites the primary danger. Rather than just have the police force as an obvious foe for Ash, they allow the characters to find themselves in less expected waters. There's little doubt that the cops as a whole will eventually be involved, especially with Fisher going rogue and now joining the group, but right now the show is focusing on the tucked away corners of the story to find its material.
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We are given the knowledge that Ruby has indeed crawled back into the world and she will clearly be a serious threat later on down the line. Ash doesn't seem too familiar or worried about the Ruby situation when Amanda brings her up, so it is still yet to be told what history they really share.
The mixture of humor and the red stuff was front in center in Fire in the Hole. Ash and Amanda make a great pair and it's officially awesome that she has joined forces with our chainsaw-handed hero. Kelly and Pablo have a lot of bloody turmoil trying to help their friends. Their subplot in general featured all the elements that made the episode itself great: blood, action, slapstick humor and a whole lot of Deadite shooting. Thanks to the militia, Ash and his friends are stocked with some badass firepower and the survivalists themselves have reason to see who the real enemy is now. Right now Ruby is the primary long-term danger besides the Deadites themselves and a lot more story is still untold about her.
I love where this show is going. Every decision turns out to be a great one and I couldn't be happier with the bloodiness increasing, nor the switch of allegiance of Amanda Fisher. I like her character a lot and it's wonderful to see her bring what she offers to the Ash side of things; besides, Ruby is plenty dangerous on her own.
The end of Fire in the Hole has Ash disappearing and his severed hand making its way to where it all began: the cabin. Whether it's the major trajectory of the season or the whole series, the cabin is coming and it's guaranteed to be epic. And if the promo for the next episode Ashes to Ashes is to be believed it may be coming sooner than we thought. Check out the promo below:
P.J. Griffin, HMS
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