Starring Bruce Campbell, Dana DeLorenzo, Ray Santiago, Arielle Carver-O’Neill, Lucy Lawless

Written by Mark Verheiden

Directed by Mark Beesley

In order to appease fans, the third season of “Ash vs Evil Dead” needs to open with a bang and certainly not a whimper. Thankfully, the team behind the series know that and have spared basically no expense and are wasting no time getting right into the story.

We open to a commercial of Ash promoting his new hardware store, a business that not only sells tools and various accessories but also doubles as a sex toy shop. After all, when buying some screws, why not buy a dildo too, right? As Ash is celebrating the Grand Opening, a knock-off of “Antiques Roadshow” plays in the background where we see a young woman bring in the Necronomicon in the hopes of finding that is has worth. A few uttered words later and the blood not only begins flowing, it douses the screen!

Back in Elk Grove, Pablo’s torso fills with strange and foreign letters, a troubling omen of the evil that’s about to descend upon our plucky Ghostbeaters. Also here, we meet Brandy, Ash’s daughter (although she doesn’t know that at first), who, along with her friend Racehl, gets attacked in her high school by Coogie, the school mascot. This leads her to call her mother, Candy Barr, who in turn grabs Ash and reveals that they are married and that Ash’s daughter is in trouble. Essentially one gigantic dump of news, Ash heads to the high school where a blood-soaked battle ensues, one that leaves more than a few corpses.

At the end of the episode, Kelly reunites with Ash and Pablo, Brandy is brought aboard the team, and there’s Dalton, a Knight of Sumeria, who pledges his service to Ash, although I don’t think he knows what he’s getting himself into…

Moving at an almost breakneck speed, the first episode is absolutely packed with blood, gore, violence, and a couple of moments that actually had me laughing so hard that I had to pause the episode. Bruce Campbell still brings his all to the role of Ash and Arielle Carver-O’Neill, I have a feeling, is going to kill it (no pun intended) as his daughter, Sandy…Mandy? Brandy!

Do we get an understanding of what the greater story is going to be this season? Apart from seeing Ruby get her hands on the Necronomicon and do some weird blood ritual with it that impregnates her, not really. Honestly though, that really doesn’t matter. For now, it’s just good to see the old Delta roaring through the streets of Elk Grove once again.