Roger is a three-minute short film released on October 12th, 2016 to promote the then-currently airing second season of the Ash vs Evil Dead television series. The short stars Stephen Lovatt as Sheriff Thomas Emery.
Plot Synopsis[]
It's late into the night as Sheriff Thomas Emery prepares to leave the station and head for home, only to spot a figure sitting motionless in the dark shadows behind a desk. Thomas calls out to the figure, only for it to turn around and reveal the face of Officer Roger Andrews, who is having a late night snack as he works on a crossword puzzle. The sheriff is confused by Roger's appearance in the office, as he believed him to be out riding on patrol with Margie, though Roger is quick to respond that Margie is "running a little late", which Thomas remarks is a first for her.
As Thomas steps towards the door, Roger asks Thomas for help on the crossword, needing a four-letter word for "wicked". At first, he's quick to jokingly respond with "Linda", but then says "evil". Roger nods at the answer, just as the phone in the sheriff's office begins to ring. Believing it to be the missing Margie, Thomas picks up the phone only to hear electrical static and an extremely muffled voice just a few seconds before the caller abruptly hangs up.
Thomas tries to leave once more, and tells Roger to answer any further calls that come into his office. Roger turns around in his chair at the desk, the lighting of the room making the African American man's complexion appear slightly more pale. Roger stares wide-eyed as he monotonously repeats the same sentences he had used in his previous conversation with Thomas prior to the phone call, including asking for the four-letter word for "wicked". Thomas, slightly irritated, asks Roger if he's playing a joke on him. Before anything more is said, the phone rings once more, and Thomas grabs a phone close to Roger's desk to answer. An upset Margie is on the other end, telling Sheriff Emery there's been an accident involving the mysterious sink holes that have recently been appearing, and Roger has died in a crushed vehicle. Thomas begins to counter Margie's claim by saying Roger is at the station with him, only to turn back and see that Roger is gone. He looks around the dark office and calls out to Roger to no avail, but notices the word "evil" has been frantically scribbled across the crossword puzzle page dozens of times. A frightened Thomas holds the page in one hand and the phone in the other as Margie calls out to the sheriff, checking if he's still on the line.
Video[]
Trivia[]
- This short was released exclusively online on the official STARZ YouTube account, and as of 2023, has not been included on any physical home media release of Ash vs Evil Dead.
- No credits for this short have been released.
- The exact chronological placement within the timeline of Ash vs Evil Dead is unknown, though it does take place sometime prior to the Season Two episode Confinement.